Positively Garcia's video: Grateful Dead 1-11-78: ST Stephen Shrine Auditorium

A featured St. Stephen of Deadology II @ https://www.tangledupintunes.com/ Excerpt from Deadology II: The Evolution of 33 Grateful Dead Jam Anthems 1-11-78 Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA: At the previous two-night stop in San Diego’s Golden Hall, only Bob Weir songs were performed as Jerry rested his voice due to laryngitis. This was the band’s second night in the Shrine and Jerry was working his angelic voice back to its natural state. I don’t think I had heard this “St. Stephen” until I began research for this project. If I had, I was completely distracted by something else because this is a stunning “St. Stephen.” “St. Stephen” emerges like royalty out of a heavy “Playin’” jam. The flow is steady and confident after a triumphant run of “Stephens” toward the end of ’77. Donna and Jerry harmonize the “Lady Finger” bridge beautifully and the instrumentals are extra-crispy. The One man gathers what another man spills jam instantly rockets to glory. It hits an amazing peak thanks to incendiary licks from you know who, and appears to be heading toward the final verse. But Mr. Garcia was thinking legacy as he created a pathway to extend the instrumental and set off alarm sirens in the Shrine. It seems like a conscious effort to make this undeniably the hottest “Stephen” jam, just in case anyone in the year 2020 was researching this kind of thing. “St. Stephen” with the “William Tell” bridge averaged six minutes in length. The Shrine “St. Stephen” stretches out for nine electrifying minutes. As consistently hot as this number was during this era, it’s puzzling as to why they would soon dispatch it from the rotation.