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How could the middle show of a three night stand be so sweet? That's not often the case. This night in Albany it most definitely was the case!



From May of '72 until the end, over a span of 23 years, only 8 times has Greatest Story Ever Told has opened a show. Out of those eight, only tonight had the opening combo of Greatest Story-> Touch of Grey. What fun way to get this show rollin'!



The boys were rockin' and the house was bouncin' and spinnin' and probably doing nothing less than enjoyin' the crap out of these first two tunes!! Up next was Wang Dang Doodle and the only complaint is that they didn't segue from Touch -> into Wang Dang but instead paused for a tuneup. Oh well. Most of the Deadhead boys and girls in attendance probably coulda danced right through a three song opener but I guess the boys on stage needed a breather.



Brent next delighted with Never Trust a Woman including a little hamming it up at the end which the crowd really seemed to appreciate. Ohhh, that Brent! And then what followed was just a flawless string of songs one after another right up until the end of the set. It almost seemed unreal how perfectly this night was going so far. Let It Grow, to close down Set 1 was actually a let down... ha ha, sort of. It wasn't quite a 10 on my scorecard, maybe only a 9.9. So still this night, up to this point, gets a solid A+! It didn't really rock after Wang Dang but was played basically note for note without error.



With a beautifully played Eyes, the second set picks up right where Set 1 left off... almost. Unfortunately, this one gets a few points deducted for a minor lyric flub by Jerry and then a second messup when he sings one line too early which he surely realizes a moment later when he sings the same line again. Whoops. So two minor flaws which is just a shame because this Eyes was nearly 13 minutes of bliss from a band that is so tight and so right on.



It bein' Sunday and all, Bobby gives us Samson & Delilah to complete the Biblical two-fer. Another beautiful moment of bliss follows with Crazy Fingers. Brief but sweet it was and then it was time to rock again with Truckin'. Amazing how this song, arguably one of the Dead's three most popular ever, is so welcomed. The boys nailed every note and there probably wasn't an unhappy Head in the Knick on this night! Interestingly, though, as they jammed away at the end of the song, what potential there was to really launch this into 12 or 15 minute jamland. Instead we got a left turn into quick Spoonful and the boys decided to let Mickey & Billy take over.



After the lowpoint of the night -- a completely unspectacular Drums -- a short Space wound down into the quietest point in the night with Brent singing his ever-so-sweet I Will Take You Home. Ahhhh... but it was time to rock again!



Great as this show has been, it wasn't until GDTRFB that there was a truly mindblowing moment as Jerry momentarily lit it up. And one more Jerry plateau came in the next song, Black Peter. While this doesn't usually have the unbelievableness that it once did, it can still shine it's light on everyone with a ticket stub in pocket. On this night in New York's capital city, Jerry flipped that switch and hit that plateau and for one amazing moment, that light did indeed shine. Heaven achieved!



And finally, during the closing Around and Around, Bobby wasn't about to exit stage unnoticed... he yucked it up a little in his uniquely cheesy Bobby style, giving everyone a little laugh and a great big smile for sure! After a Mighty Quinn, the night was complete.



This is 1990 at some it's finest. While not the most orgasmic of shows, it is so close to perfection and it has its moments to qualify it for maybe one of the best of the final years of the Grateful Dead. On top of that, this Soundboard recording SMOKES!!!

- June 27, 2007SMOKIN'!!