Set 1:
Jack Straw , They Love Each Other , Me And My Uncle > Big River , Loser > C.C. Rider , Althea , Beat It On Down The Line , Cassidy , Deep Elem Blues , I Need A Miracle [1] > Bertha
Set 2:
Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain , Estimated Prophet > He's Gone > Drums > Space > Spanish Jam [2] > Truckin' > Black Peter > Around And Around > Johnny B. Goode
Encore:
It's All Over Now Baby Blue [3]
[1] Last known performance (by GD) in Set 1 1979-01-17 (228 events ago)
[2] transition to Truckin' preceded by a major Other One tease/fakeout, a sudden whistle presumably from Weir, and circus-organ intro. Pretty funny rugpull
[3] Released
December 3, 1981
Dane County ColiseumMadison, Wisconsin
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While the band flubs some of the opening Jack Straw, the They Love Each Other that comes out next is lovely. A couple different times during the song, Brent lays down a jam, then Jerry comes in and riffs on it, making for a lively exchange. Brent continues his explosive runs a song later on Big River and then takes C.C. Rider into a whole nother zone. Other highlights of the first set include the sweet Althea and funky, rare electric Deep Elem Blues. As you might have expected, the Bertha set-closer is also a raging little rocker. The second set is a classic, starting with the outstanding Scarlet> Fire out of the break. From there it is a stellar run through Estimated and He’s Gone, before the band leaves it to the drummers. Out of Space the boys build into one of the most brilliant Spanish Jams they ever played, making for a dramatic transition into Truckin’, complete with marching whistles. The Truckin’ itself is a spectacular display, buzzing with energy, replete with heavy Phil bombs, and utterly soaring through long sections. Out of it rises a somber, almost dirge-like Black Peter. After that, the band takes it out in rocking fashion with Around And Around and Johnny B. Goode. The encore, captured on Postcards Of The Hanging, is a tender Baby Blue.Long before the show began, a snowstorm raged, and the snow continued to pile up throughout the night. With the inclement conditions, the Dane was only about halfway full, though that definitely did not hurt the electric atmosphere in the coliseum. On the way out, Heads made snowmen, juggled snowballs, and pegged more than a few passing cars, reveling in the joyous atmosphere of both the Dead and nature itself.
credit:https://www.gratefuldeadoftheday.com/12-03-1981