Dead Set 1:
Me And My Uncle , Here Comes Sunshine , Looks Like Rain , Deal , Mexicali Blues , Tennessee Jed , The Race Is On , China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider , Big River , Brown Eyed Women , Around And Around
Set 2:
Row Jimmy , Jack Straw , Ramble On Rose , Playing In The Band > Uncle John's Band > Morning Dew > Uncle John's Band > Playing In The Band , Stella Blue , El Paso , Eyes Of The World > Sugar Magnolia
Encore:
Casey Jones
Weather
High: 62.9 °F
Low: 57.8 °F
Feels Like High: 62.9 °F
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Wind Speed: 17.2 mph
Humidity: 95.3 %
Moonphase: 0.75
Precipitation: 0.143 in. (rain)
Cloudy skies throughout the day with a chance of rain throughout the day.
Promoter UCLA Committee On Fine Arts Productions and Pacific Presentations. Jerry plays the guitar Wolf. "Tickets required a night playing cards in line and a student body card. The crowd was electric, everybody on their feet 1/2 way through the opener. Although familiar with the sound, for most it was their first time seeing the Dead live. Interplay between band and crowd was magic... Jerry and Phil driving the beat meeting center stage on each chorus, the crowd roaring on cue... A merging of song and dance honed to joyful perfection
Today’s lights out show at UCLA in 1973 features one of the all time epic Playin’ in the Band sandwiches . (Don’t know what a Playin’ in the Band sandwich is? There’s more information here and the Grateful Dead Listening Guide has a useful description in its write up of this show here). At today’s performance, the sandwich is played thusly: Playin’ In The Band>Uncle John’s Band>Morning Dew>Uncle John’s Band>Playin’ In The Band and oh boy is it a good one! (There are a ton of mistakes when it comes to the lyrics, but all is forgiven because of the quality of the music). I’m not going to get into a detailed description of this sequence, 1, because none is needed and, 2, because the Listening Guide is, as always, spot on. Just let the music play and get lost in the flow. (If you’d like to compare 1973 to 1974, check out this same sequence of songs from the Cow Palace on 03/23/74 to get a sense of just how far out there the Dead got just five months later).Since this is 1973, the rest of the show is also incredible. I think that 1973 and 1974 were the apex years for the Dead in large part because they were playing together, but at the same time, they were all playing amazing solo passages that interacted with one another in a patchwork mystery that can’t be readily explained. The “basic” songs at tonight’s show illustrate that principal – check out what is going on during Deal and Row Jimmy to hear this dynamic at work.And if you want more jams, listen to Here Comes Sunshine, the second song played at this show, which is a blast of jammy energy that must have knocked everyone for a loop as they were in all likelihood still streaming into the venue.Oh yeah, you also don’t want to miss China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider. And Stella Blue. And Eyes of the World. Get the drift? This is that kind of show.
Me And My Uncle starts off the show, giving way to an exceptional Here Comes Sunshine. Jerry leads the way the entire time, but Keith and Bobby do such a wonderful job of sending out there own salvos. The Deal is also really good, with some powerful, streaking jams. A bit later a fun Race Is On comes out as Donna provides some nice harmonies while Bobby and Keith make a few lovely runs, all with an upbeat, rollicking tempo. Of course, the China> Rider is also one of the highlights of the first half with a particularly heady transition. But, really, there are no duds here. And things get even finer in the second set with an unbelievable Playin’> Uncle John’s> Morning Dew> Uncle John’s> Playin’, a beautiful Stella, and an amazing Eyes, all before a steamy Sugar Mags takes it out. Words really do not do this baby justice; just put it in and give it all a solid listen yourself. The boys played six shows over the years at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. And, though there were some other good ones, including their first appearance in 1971 and a New Year's Eve's eve show in 1978 that featured a trippy Ollin Arageed out of Space (and a raucous locker room party), this show here in 1973 was probably the best of the lot. Pauley Pavilion was dedicated in 1965 and has a basketball capacity of 13,800, though can fit more for special events like the Dead.The show was wisely picked to be an official release, as Dave's Picks 5
