This year's Dave's Picks series comes to a close just as the band's getting back together again in '76. By the time the Grateful Dead hit New Jersey’s Capitol Theatre - for the very first time - on 6/17/76, they were buzzing from their reunion, armed with new and revived material, the Rhythm Devils reformed with the mischievous Mickey Hart once again behind the kit. They'd skived off the unwieldy Wall of Sound and scaled back the venues from cavernous arenas to intimate theatres. Quite the treat!

During the first set, the Dead's playing was nuanced ("Cold Rain And Snow"), detailed ("Looks Like Rain"), and intricate ("The Music Never Stopped"); the singing struck softly ("Row Jimmy") and raised hairs ("Ship Of Fools"). But it’s the big barreling energy of the second set you’ll want to brace yourself for, replete with a disco'd "Dancing In The Streets," a low-down funky “Help”>”Slip”>”Franklin's” and a wind 'em up to wind down "Let It Grow">"Wharf Rat">"Around and Around." Can you keep up? There's only one way to find out.

This complete show, balanced out with a couple of bonus tracks from 6/23/76 and 6/28/76, was recorded by Betty Cantor-Jackson and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman.


Dave's Picks Volume 28
Capitol Theatre
Passaic, New Jersey
Thursday, June 17, 1976

Disc One
1. Cold Rain And Snow 7:17
2. Big River 6:43
3. They Love Each Other 7:37
4. Cassidy 4:55
5. Tennessee Jed 10:08
6. Looks Like Rain 8:34
7. Row Jimmy 10:12
8. The Music Never Stopped 6:29
9. Scarlet Begonias 11:06
10. The Promised Land 3:59

Disc Two
1. Help On The Way 5:35
2. Slipknot! 8:02
3. Franklin's Tower 11:10
4. Dancing In The Street 11:47
5. Samson And Delilah 6:17
6. Ship Of Fools 7:41

Disc Three
1. Lazy Lightning 3:02
2. Supplication 5:15
3. Friend Of The Devil 8:54
4. Let It Grow 6:12
5. Drums 2:38
6. Let It Grow 2:31
7. Wharf Rat 11:20
8. Around And Around 7:22
9. Sugaree (6/23) 9:09
10. High Time (6/28) 9:17