Set 1:

d1t01 - Cumberland Blues

d1t02 - Here Comes Sunshine

d1t03 - Mexicali Blues

d1t04 - Wave That Flag

d1t05 - Beat It On Down The Line

d1t06 - Loser

d1t07 - Jack Straw

d1t08 - Box Of Rain

d1t09 - They Love Each Other

d1t10 - El Paso

d1t11 - Row Jimmy

d1t12 - Around And Around

d1t13 - Brown Eyed Women

d2t01 - You Ain't Woman Enough

d2t02 - Looks Like Rain

d2t03 - China Cat Sunflower ->

d2t04 - I Know You Rider



Set 2:

d2t05 - The Promised Land

d2t06 - Loose Lucy

d2t07 - Me And My Uncle

d2t08 - Don't Ease Me In

d2t09 - The Race Is On

d2t10 - Stella Blue

d2t11 - Big River

d2t12 - Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo

d3t01 - Weather Report Suite Prelude ->

d3t02 - Dark Star ->

d3t03 - Eyes Of The World ->

d3t04 - Playing In The Band

d3t05 - Johnny B. Goode

Notes:



-- All disc changes are seamless



-- Minor diginoise in first part of Cumberland Blues



-- Quality improves for disc 3

plus-circle Add Review

comment Reviews

Reviewer: Hokker42 - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - April 1, 2019

Subject: no Micky hella jamz This show (and about every show with just billy) has amazing jams. I grew up on 80's Dead and was pretty satisfied but after seeing a few newer bands thought they had taken what the Dead did even farther out but I was wrong. The years with one drummer and Jerry not so strung out show the power and flexibility that other bands are trying to achieve. This show has rekindled my love for the Grateful Dead. - April 1, 2019no Micky hella jamz

Reviewer: Mind Wondrin - favorite favorite favorite - May 20, 2017

Subject: For 73 fans (the year, not the total)

Though there are a dozen '73s I would rank higher, as with most from the year there are still plenty of solid highlights (especially with a 2hr 2nd set). But save this one until after you've heard the big ones from the year (Feb shows, Fall Boston shows, San Diego, etc.).



First Set. It takes awhile to warm up but they stick with it and by the end of the set there's x-factor; so you'll have to stick it out too (because you're a completist. Why else would you be reading something this esoteric?). The first few have mini-trainwrecks and Mexicali is a slopfest. It's a little better through the Donna-heavy Beat it on Down the Line-6 and then the turnaround happens in Jack Straw (shorter attention spans can start here). It's not the tightest but it has that Dead accidental brilliance and the energy exchange begins. Box of Rain is a nice version with Jer on slide. They Love Each Other may be their most consistent song in '73 and this is a prime example. Notice in Row Jimmy that it was about this time that Bobby started to really apply harmonics. Around & Around is rote but Brown Eyed Women is a pat version. I can't really tell a difference between each You Ain't Woman Enough but this seems to be the best? In his book Billy said it best: "Country tunes. It was...Donna, you know? But it was cool - sort of". Looks Like Rain is unusually tentative and China Cat goes from shaky verses to a great Feelin' Groovy Jam (@ about 7:15), into a fantastic I Know You Rider that leaves 'em happy.



Second Set. The Jer-heavy Promised Land is a good start to a better set overall, though it really takes off at Me & My Uncle. Jer is fluid and now playing rapid fills behind verses of the Bobby songs. Dough Knees and Race are fine but their show/set position is one of the things that make '73 fun. Stella Blue is a highlight, but listen close - it's Bobby that's great. Check out his runs in between chording (the' 73 arrangement wasn't the best though). The rest is average-to-above average. Weather Report is notable because Bobby had been messing around with his composition (different than his previous playing style) during tunings for a couple tours. He then played it as a song on this tour (this is the 3rd one) before adding it to Let it Grow in September. It's tricky to play (there's alt-string plucking, picking, and odd one-off chords) and was dropped after the '75 hiatus. Like many '73s, Dark Star drops right into the thick of it, going 18min to lyrics. Each player steers at various points to mixed results. Eyes was generally great in '73, though better later in the year, and this one, though solid overall, resolves to shrill Donnaskreech™. Playin' is solid, the encore average.



1st Set : C

2nd Set : C+

Overall = 3 stars



Highlights:

They Love Each Other - just about any '73 is made of win

Brown Eyed Women - a pat version

China Cat>Rider - from the Feelin' Groovy Jam onward is set-closing magic

Me & My Uncle - Jer throws fills behind Bobby

Stella Blue - listen for Bobby



SOURCES: The miller SBD or Dave's 16. - May 20, 2017For 73 fans (the year, not the total)

Reviewer: GrimTaper - - December 17, 2016

Subject: This is the one you want This is like two shows in one. 17-song 1st set was followed by 8 more before we even get to the meat* of the show: an hour-long jam of 3 songs. I won't spoil it. It's the only time they played those three monster songs together in that order.

The Cumberland opener is mighty rare as well.

With tongue-in-cheek I would rate this show around 189th out of 2230 (or so). - December 17, 2016This is the one you want

Reviewer: doug_the_dude - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - December 8, 2016

Subject: -- Fantastic overall representation of '73 - a few flubs here and there, but certainly not enough to prevent Lemieux & co. from releasing it...



Set 1 - standard, save the cool Cumberland opener. The rockin' CC>R to close the set distinguishes this one...



Set 2 - Something's going on vocally with this band in the 2nd set, it seems...they take that mechanized AM-Bear sound and growl through what seems like a lot of numbers - Jer in particular is on fire. The big news, of course, is as exciting to listen to as to read:



WRS Prelude >

Dark Star >

Eyes >

Playin' (

I mean, woah Nellie..... - December 8, 2016--

Reviewer: JackLaw - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - December 14, 2015

Subject: 73 Bliss This show, as a whole, dominates and is total fire as others have so eloquently elaborated. I just wanted to share my view on this show's Jack Straw. As a "straw man" myself, I love the evolution of the song's energy over the years. As a result I usually find Straws from 77-78 and 88-89 to be the best, with 72-74 Straws being tight and harmonic but a little boring, slow, and overly structured with the solo/final verse.



This Straw, however, is on another planet. Jerry's possessed playing from the solo into "Jack Straw from Witchita cut his buddy down" is maybe the best I've heard. The way Jerry transitions musically when Phil and Bobby start singing is just fantastic - usually he joins them in singing this final verse during this time period, but to me it sounds like he knew he had lightning in a bottle and just absolutely let it rip. While 6/9/77, 7/2/88 and 7/18/89 are all close runners up, I have to say this Straw is my favorite of all time. Just perfect. - December 14, 201573 Bliss

Reviewer: c-freedom - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - March 29, 2015

Subject: Over my DEAD body... Well if Donna didn't have Keith

and I wasn't 7 years old at the time

I would have tried to roll with Donna myself.

This is another fine show from 73, Hard to compare em, they nail just about every tune.

weather prelude >Dark star >Eyes >Playin

I particularly like the vocals on EYES.

and getting PLAYIN' as the final tune of the night is excellent - March 29, 2015Over my DEAD body...

Reviewer: chris phillips - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - July 18, 2014

Subject: bake on No one mentions the Stella and Half Step. I absolutely love these versions.



great first set

great Eyes

beautiful show - July 18, 2014bake on

Reviewer: dr. flashback - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - July 16, 2013

Subject: Thanks smgarcia !!



When I reviewed this years ago, the full SBD was not available. Now, this show immediately goes to the top and rings the bell for my top ten. A show that begins with - not Promised Land, not Bertha.

But Cumberland?? Wha?? That tells you right off the boys are in a special mood tonight.



This show has it all. Most of the new tunes that they premiered on 2/9/73. Plus faves like Half Step and Box of Rain. Cumberland and Big River still have that 1972 twang. Yet somehow, from 12/31/72 to 2/9/1973, a magical chasm was crossed that totally changed their sound. Only a few weeks off. And they're a whole new band. How did they do that?

Set One is peppy and fun, just what you want while the drugs are kicking in.

Oh, and BTW smgarcia, I didn't get that pizza.

But I do have a nice cold Sierra Nevada Torpedo, chips, hot salsa and a big icky sticky to puff on.

Thanks for the kind words.

Loser, Jack Straw, TLEO - the hits just keep on coming. Phil does an excellent job on Box of Rain.

One of the best for 1973. TLEO is tight, both Jerry and Keith are clear and strong in the mix.

BE Women provides a link to the past - only 2 years old but two years in Dead history is like 10 years in normal time.

I'm on my second Torpedo and Donna sounds really good on Woman Enough. I'm picturing her naked in a rhinestone cowboy hat. I dunno, maybe it's the beer. Maybe it's just that good. Maybe if Cynthia Lennon had the balls to sing this to Yoko, the Beatles wouldn't have broken up. Well, I can dream can't I ??

Finally, when they close Set One with China>Rider, you know they're gonna play it with more passion than a mid set position. At about



Set Two -

Once when I was about 13, I wanted a stereo for Christmas real bad. My parents put a bunch of little gifts under the tree and hid the stereo in the closet to trick me until I'd already opened everything else. Child abuse. Set Two is like that. You're thinking, "wow, great show so far, but where's the long jam tunes?" Those rascals.

From the first notes of Dark Star, you sense that something magnificent is about to happen. Yes, the 11/11 Dark Star is great, and so is the 12/6 one. But this one could be my favorite of the year. And taken together, Dark Star>Eyes>Playin is just simply one of the highlights of the year, dare I say of the 1970's period. Don't drive with this playing in your car, you'll miss your exit and then some. 60 minutes of some of the best jamming you'll ever hear the Dead play. Perfection with a cherry on top. Also, this show is special to me because it was a "discovered" show, a hidden gem because it was originally only a portion of Set Two, thus not widely traded like other well known 1973 shows back when the early internet servers had full SBD's for 2/9, 5/26, 6/10 and other 1973 top shows. I think I first saw it on GD Live back in 2000 and thought, "Oh, it's only a partial show, I'll skip it." And then changed my mind. My mind, hah!

The peak and climax of the Spring tour IMHO. You'd think after 40 years that live bands would have gotten soooooo much better than this. They haven't. Like a fine Cabernet wine, this show just improves with age and gets more intense. Set Two deserves the royal old hippie treatment - turn down the lights, light some incense, some candles. Lay back and relax, light that fatty and don't move for 60 minutes. You'll be a new and better person for it. Ladies and Gentlemen, the shamans, the magicians, the Rembrandts of rock and roll - the Grateful Dead.



cheers,

Dr. Flashback :-) Finally responding after 5 years, well.... I don't get back to the 70's pages much these daze. But I have sorta embarked on a "40 Years Onward" mission to re-review my Top Ten shows for 1973. Because, as those of you with math skills know, it has been 40 years since 1973. Huh? When did that happen?When I reviewed this years ago, the full SBD was not available. Now, this show immediately goes to the top and rings the bell for my top ten. A show that begins with - not Promised Land, not Bertha.But Cumberland?? Wha?? That tells you right off the boys are in a special mood tonight.This show has it all. Most of the new tunes that they premiered on 2/9/73. Plus faves like Half Step and Box of Rain. Cumberland and Big River still have that 1972 twang. Yet somehow, from 12/31/72 to 2/9/1973, a magical chasm was crossed that totally changed their sound. Only a few weeks off. And they're a whole new band. How did they do that?Set One is peppy and fun, just what you want while the drugs are kicking in.Oh, and BTW smgarcia, I didn't get that pizza.But I do have a nice cold Sierra Nevada Torpedo, chips, hot salsa and a big icky sticky to puff on.Thanks for the kind words.Loser, Jack Straw, TLEO - the hits just keep on coming. Phil does an excellent job on Box of Rain.One of the best for 1973. TLEO is tight, both Jerry and Keith are clear and strong in the mix.BE Women provides a link to the past - only 2 years old but two years in Dead history is like 10 years in normal time.I'm on my second Torpedo and Donna sounds really good on Woman Enough. I'm picturing her naked in a rhinestone cowboy hat. I dunno, maybe it's the beer. Maybe it's just that good. Maybe if Cynthia Lennon had the balls to sing this to Yoko, the Beatles wouldn't have broken up. Well, I can dream can't I ??Finally, when they close Set One with China>Rider, you know they're gonna play it with more passion than a mid set position. At about 4:00 they go into the jam and don't stop until more than 9 minutes has passed. Nice interplay between Weir and Garcia.Set Two -Once when I was about 13, I wanted a stereo for Christmas real bad. My parents put a bunch of little gifts under the tree and hid the stereo in the closet to trick me until I'd already opened everything else. Child abuse. Set Two is like that. You're thinking, "wow, great show so far, but where's the long jam tunes?" Those rascals.From the first notes of Dark Star, you sense that something magnificent is about to happen. Yes, the 11/11 Dark Star is great, and so is the 12/6 one. But this one could be my favorite of the year. And taken together, Dark Star>Eyes>Playin is just simply one of the highlights of the year, dare I say of the 1970's period. Don't drive with this playing in your car, you'll miss your exit and then some. 60 minutes of some of the best jamming you'll ever hear the Dead play. Perfection with a cherry on top. Also, this show is special to me because it was a "discovered" show, a hidden gem because it was originally only a portion of Set Two, thus not widely traded like other well known 1973 shows back when the early internet servers had full SBD's for 2/9, 5/26, 6/10 and other 1973 top shows. I think I first saw it on GD Live back in 2000 and thought, "Oh, it's only a partial show, I'll skip it." And then changed my mind. My mind, hah!The peak and climax of the Spring tour IMHO. You'd think after 40 years that live bands would have gotten soooooo much better than this. They haven't. Like a fine Cabernet wine, this show just improves with age and gets more intense. Set Two deserves the royal old hippie treatment - turn down the lights, light some incense, some candles. Lay back and relax, light that fatty and don't move for 60 minutes. You'll be a new and better person for it. Ladies and Gentlemen, the shamans, the magicians, the Rembrandts of rock and roll - the Grateful Dead.cheers,Dr. Flashback :-) - July 16, 2013Thanks smgarcia !!

Reviewer: njpg - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - June 20, 2013

Subject: - Reevaluating this show after a few months: The first set is killer, with even the usually annoying You Ain't Woman Enough stunningly good. Everybody's playing great, with Jerry especially at his most inventive.



The 2nd set isn't as good. You look at the setlist and think wow but the jams aren't really hot the way they got to be in many later '73 shows. The 32-minute Dark Star is very nice, but not as adventuresome as you might expect, and the Playin' jam is competent but kinda goes nowhere. Still, it's all good enough (barely) for a 5-star rating. - June 20, 2013

Reviewer: DeadEncore - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - May 16, 2013

Subject: Wow What the hell is David Lemieux waiting for. Release this show as a pick, road trip, Dave pick or LOST LEMIEUX's. This night was magical. What a dark star, what a monster collection, what a sound. I'm a 73 fanatic and this show was awesome. I am sure this will be released, but please Dave crank it out sooner than later. I'm getting old fast and need more 73. - May 16, 2013Wow

Reviewer: gr8fuldad73 - favorite favorite favorite favorite - May 4, 2013

Subject: East coast 73' Gr8 show from new england.set 2 is impressive with jerry getting hotter and hotter til the show closing jam that is darkstar>eyes>playin'.a must listen. - May 4, 2013East coast 73'

Reviewer: brokencompass - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - February 7, 2013

Subject: another classic Late second set with WRS sketch, Dark Star, Eyes, and Playin'? Yes Please!



Also, during this fantastic period I'm reminded of why Keith was definitely such a huge contributor to their golden era sound. Fantastic interplay between him and the guitars.



No doubt that '73 was a fine, fine vintage. - February 7, 2013another classic

Reviewer: theginn - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - May 9, 2012

Subject: Streaming with no track listing



You can load them into Windows Media Player and tag them there, but I found the audio conversion to work better. I have a Creative Zen player and it's very picky about playing things in order if they are not tagged correctly and even then it's sometimes a problem. All you need to do is to either run them through an audio converter like Free Audio Converter and tag them there. http://download.cnet.com/Free-Audio-Converter/3000-2140_4-10893961.html You can load them into Windows Media Player and tag them there, but I found the audio conversion to work better. I have a Creative Zen player and it's very picky about playing things in order if they are not tagged correctly and even then it's sometimes a problem. - May 9, 2012Streaming with no track listing

Reviewer: swampRatchild - favorite favorite favorite favorite - February 13, 2012

Subject: dark star good Iset song selection. dark star>eyes>playing is remarkable if your mind is not blown away! - February 13, 2012dark star

Reviewer: trippin back - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - February 7, 2011

Subject: lucky to be there the release of the complete europe '72 has roused me from my slumber. please allow me to ramble on here since this is my first posting and i'm filled with deep memories. and please feel free to correct me if i misremember. if you were there ratings are silly. hopefully you live long enough to realize how fortunate you are/were. this was my 21st birthday, nice of the dead to play in my comfort zone that night (i was going to providence college at the time), karmic reinforcement. remember hanging around the spfld civic center all afternoon on a beautiful early spring day. remember going on a beer run, perhaps my first experience with bass ale. general admission in those days, i remember being carried through the front doors with my feet off the ground - scary, and always linked in my mind with the who crush in cinci '79. also remember rushing into general admission boston garden during wall of sound days trying to get close. as far as set list/music is concerned, i must admit to a foggy memory. the EVENT was the thing! by the time the music started , the memory banks were compromised by outside agents. do remember this was my first dark star i believe( my 1st show being providence arena 4/21/71), and i remember being surprised that they would play it, at the time we believed it to be a song we would only hear on live dead. other than that i will only say how great it felt to be a part of the tribe that night. 5 stars for every show i saw until the 90's. so much for my critical credibility. i'd be more than happy to engage in a dialogue about my experiences with the boys at this site, rather than limit us all to solitary erudition. help me remember or just tell me to shut up. thanks y'all. - February 7, 2011lucky to be there

Reviewer: Pangolin22 - favorite favorite favorite favorite - February 1, 2011

Subject: Another Gem What an incredible year for the Dead. You can't go wrong with anything from '73. An abundance of 'good time' Dead at this particular show and the jams don't start til near the end of the show with that classic WR Suite Prelude ->Dark Star ->Eyes ->Playing. Some great exploratory jams at especially that DS which goes waaaay out into space. As others have mentioned, the Weather Report is nothing more than a musical snippet at this point - I wonder if Bobby even knew what he was going to do with it yet. I love the UJB jam between China and Rider that they were doing during this period.

Thanks for posting this amazing sb! - February 1, 2011Another Gem

Reviewer: BIG_R - favorite favorite favorite favorite - June 24, 2010

Subject: 3-28-73 Another keeper. I have others I like better from '73 but that doesn't mean there is anything wrong with this. Excellent sound quality. Thanks Charlie. - June 24, 20103-28-73

Reviewer: clementinescaboose - favorite favorite favorite favorite - May 12, 2010

Subject: essential while i find this show as a whole to be unexceptional (hence 4 stars) Weather Report Prelude thru PITB i would consider required listening for all. The "naked" wrs prelude is pretty interesting, but it's the Eyes and especially Dark Star that REALLY do it. DS is a top version of the year, along with 6/10, 11/11, and 12/6. and the Eyes is extremely tight and well played for such an early version, not to mention the Playin' is no dullard either. - May 12, 2010essential

Reviewer: JRimLik - favorite favorite favorite favorite - April 24, 2010

Subject: Stream it Now ANotehr gem from the underrated Sprting '73 east coast tour. COuple dieffernt themes in Dark Star, Garcia is on his game this night.



Check out the change around the 10:20-22 mark of Dark Start, thought I heard a hint of round a bout midnight in there somewhere. Maybe I was just tired. Taking that into Eyes is always hoit in '73, and the Playin jam scorches. I hioghly recommend streaming this show. - April 24, 2010Stream it Now

Reviewer: gruUbic - favorite favorite favorite favorite - October 28, 2009

Subject: There's music behind the music Thank you, Charlie - Warren - Miller.

Thank you for mixin a great powder run thru both sets -- letting us hear where on stage everyone made their music that night...

With plenty of base.

Vocals are very crisp...

they were so on.



(I love it when Jerr takes over Bobby tunes he's bored w/...

I love it more when JG is a smoooth mfkr, like tonight.)



That 2nd set ender is just great!



Awesome stuff, guys - October 28, 2009There's music behind the music

Reviewer: jerlouvis - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - August 25, 2009

Subject: TOP SHELF DEAD The Dark Star->Eyes->Playin' is 60 minutes of the finest GD you can wrap your ears around.Truly astonishing music,I don't think I have ever heard Jerry and Weir lock in together for as an extended period of time,as they did in this Playin'.From about 4 minutes in through to the end,it's like one big twisted guitar,a good deal of the time Weir's rhythm licks are like leads that Jerry is playing off. - August 25, 2009TOP SHELF DEAD

Reviewer: oh_uh_um_ah - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - December 29, 2008

Subject: The GRATEFUL DEAD "Live" March 28, 1973 at the Springfield Civic Center Arena, Springfield MA, U.S.A. 5 4

3

2

1



Charlie Miller has done it again! Thank you Mr. Miller, you make the world a better place to live in.



This show has a certain quality of "beauty" to it. It's a masterful work of art and magic.



I highly recommend adding this show to your 1973 GRATEFUL DEAD collection right now.



5 Stars for the mix

5 Stars for the recording

5 Stars for the performance

5 Stars for Mr. Charlie Miller's excellent taste in GRATEFUL DEAD shows.



The soundguys work out the bugs in the mix during the first song, like they did in every GRATEFUL DEAD show in history. After that, the mix is fine except for a minute in CCS.



30 Songs performed effortlessly and flawlessly before a very, very, very lucky Springfield Massachusetts audience. This is another "Must Have" show for collectors of 1973 GRATEFUL DEAD.



Mr. Miller's taste for GRATEFUL DEAD shows is impeccable.



Here's a 32 minute "Dark Star" into a 12 minute and 56 second long "Eyes of the World" into a 15 minute and 56 second long "Playin' In the Band". It's an audio masterpiece. Sounds like the GRATEFUL DEAD let their hair down this show, figuratively speaking of course.



Get it while you can, get it while it's free, get it now or you will surely be very, very sorry.



For users of Windows XP the Internet Archive recommends RealPlayer for streaming and/or downloading.



Eat, Drink, be Merry and Listen to the GRATEFUL DEAD.



Thanks for the Love.



PS: Keep up the good work Mr. Miller, we are counting on you to keep the music and the magic alive.



THE DEAD LIVE! - December 29, 2008The GRATEFUL DEAD "Live" March 28, 1973 at the Springfield Civic Center Arena, Springfield MA, U.S.A.

Reviewer: Stellablu122 - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - November 26, 2008

Subject: " Come back step, like to walk on air" I had the end of this second set on tape years ago and the DS>Eyes>playing is very deep and more premeval than jazzy. That is the big difference to the start of this amazing year. The band was still more rockabilly psychedelic and on this night you get 30 songs, 9 of them new ones and a confident and rewarding night of music. The opening is very strong and with HC Sunshine you get a taste of that deep spacey playing that is a hallmark fo this year, but you also get a full rainbow of songs and styles. The band plays the new songs better than you would think. Wave That Flag may be the only one where you knew there would be changes, too many lyrics although very appropiate for the times, but the US blues medody is there. TLEO through the end of the set is excellent.Jerry does the we will be right back folks honors. Set two starts with more up beat quick songs that squeak and stream along, when thay play Stella Blue you can already hear how this will be a classic. The WRS,in it's infancy, has no lyrics and they go right into DS. This one is long and full of feedback and mystic turnings that are more spiritual and assuring rather than the hypnotic wailing of a typical '72 DS. The transition into Eyes is wonderful and what a surprise for those that attended, something completly new sounding. It is a rawer version that has all the changes and emotoinal intensities of versions from this year. To then go into Playing in the Band, a full complete Playing, with more wild playing and a short trip around the cosmos is further proof, that indeed they were Playing in the Band. A cranking JBG sends you on your way. - November 26, 2008" Come back step, like to walk on air"

Reviewer: pnc - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - June 8, 2008

Subject: Pristine... ...is the right description. A simply amazing show, with amazing sound, from my personal favorite year. Love it! - June 8, 2008Pristine...