November 5, 1977 War Memorial Auditorium Rochester, New York
With a feisty general admission crowd pushing forward, the boys start off with a Bobby-led Take A Step Back, which they will reprise it throughout the night, that practically sends the crowd into a frenzy. The Heads calm down a bit as the tuning goes on interminably. But, finally, a tasty Minglewood bursts forth and the audience roars again. From there things only get better with a stunning, absolutely magnificent Mississippi Half Step that is rightly considered one of the very best. And by the time they get to the Big River, which is funky as hell, the band cannot miss as the last four tunes of the set are all barn burners. The second half opens with an unusual Phil-led jam before they come back to yet another Take A Step Back. After that, we get a mellow Eyes that is wonderfully spacey and jazzy, so different from the one from Colgate the night before. Jerry and Bobby are soaring around while Keith dials in some reserved keys that provide a minor counterpoint. There is nothing wrong with anything else they do in the second set, but things really heat up with the feisty Other One that Phil and the drummers not only jam into, but continue to drive onwards, providing an underlying canvas for Jerry and Bobby to paint; to say the least, they all create a masterpiece. Following that, a deep and meditative Black Peter comes out before a rocking Sugar Mags takes it out.
November 5 1966 – Avalon Ballroom – San Francisco, CA – unknown setlist, not on Archive
November 5 1970 – Capitol Theater – Port Chester, NY
November 5 1979 – The Spectrum – Philadelphia, PA
November 5 1985 – The Centrum – Worcester, MA
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