Grateful Dead
Dave's Picks 57 - 2/1/78 Uptown Theatre, Chicago
**** out of *****
Standard disclaimer: When reviewing any Grateful Dead release at this point, it needs to be noted that a lot of the truly great shows from the band have already been professionally released. (If you are new to them, check out RtBE's Beginners Guide to The Grateful Dead Part's one and two.) With their vast back catalog on archive.org and all of their previous releases, including the ongoing Dave's Picks releases, the band's selections are running thin when it comes to must own, professionally released concerts.
That said, the Grateful Dead organization still release shows because rabid fans (RtBE included) will listen to everything they put out. So let's dive in...
Two things jump out right away on Dave's Picks #57, first is the excellent cover art by Chelsea Housand and second is the amazing sound quality. Producer David Lemieux and his team always do a fantastic job of cleaning up recordings when it is needed, but this one sparkles. The original soundboard was great and the small tweaks just enhance the sound of the Dead.
Outside of the sound quality capturing the full band, Jerry Garcia – guitar, vocals, Bob Weir – guitar, vocals, Phil Lesh – bass, vocals ,Bill Kreutzmann – drums, Mickey Hart – drums, Keith Godchaux – keyboards, Donna Jean Godchaux – vocals, the first set of 2/1/78 is not very inspired and surprisingly brief.
Highlights from the short first set are the opening "Jack Straw" and a well played "Cassidy" while "Sugaree" has passionate vocals from Garcia, whose voice sounds just on the verge of breaking down, adding extra grit to the gorgeous ballads.
However, like with a lot of 1978 shows, "Samson & Delilah" seems to energize the band as the drummers ('78 was the year of Mickey and Billy) rev up the tempo and the group is on to bigger and better things. "It Must Have Been The Roses" is another stirring ballad from Garcia, that uses pristine tone, before he switches to wah-wah for "Estimated Prophet". While not a must hear version, it is solid and morphs into a unique short jam before segueing into "He's Gone" which has tasteful backing vocals from Godchaux.
As '78 went on the band locked into their traditional pattern of "Drums>Space" in the second set, but for this show, the "Drum" section morphs into a Phil led jam that stays melodic and stretches out for eight minutes in exploratory fashion before rumbling into "The Other One". Lesh again takes the lead, as the band twists and turns through the classic jam vehicle before Garcia and Weir start getting freaky with the guitars.
The weirdness calms down for a smooth transition into a gorgeous rendition of "Wharf Rat" which finds Garcia swelling in voice and six string, before a sweetly energetic version of "Sugar Magnolia" that cooks. This feels like one of those shows where the band could have just kept rolling but the set ends before an encore of "Around & Around" wraps up the night.
This release would be just OK, however there is a host of solid bonus material on Dave's Picks #57. The previous show's full second set, plus the last song of set one from 1/31/78 are included here and bumps up our rating of this release.
"Let It Grow" closes out 1/31/78's first set and it showcases some aggressive, almost angry, lead guitar from Garcia which makes this a fiery version worth checking out. The classic pairing of "Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain" is relaxed and chilled out, while a very well executed "Terrapin Station" is the sets centerpiece. "Playin' In The Band" is a unique version which finds Phil and the drummers taking over and driving this jam which leads into a more conventional "Drums > Space" section that gets angular.
The stirring version of "Black Peter" is excellent, while the transition to the upbeat "Truckin'" is a bit odd. Once the band gets going on this tune though Garcia throws out some phenomenal lead lines and while it looks like it might go back to "Playin' In The Band", Weir decides to give the classic "Good Lovin'" a spin.
A great sounding (and looking) release, Dave's Picks #57 kicks off the series in 2026 with a top notch offering.
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