Not dead yet

Built in 1941, the Cow Palace, originally known as the California State Livestock Pavilion, functioned as a home for cattle before becoming a popular indoor arena. The venue has seen numerous legendary musical acts, including The Beatles, The Doors, Pink Floyd and Nirvana, and developed a lustrous history for hosting legendary shows. (Neil Young's 1978 Live Rust album was recorded at the Cow Palace). \nRhino Records' official release of the Grateful Dead's 1976 performance at the Cow Palace shows the Dead playing one of the best New Year's shows of their career. \nAfter a short introduction by KSAN DJ Glenn Lambert, the pre-midnight show kicks off in typical Dead fashion with a solid version of Chuck Berry's "Promised Land." The first set lasts about an hour and contains several Dead staples, including "Deal," "Bertha" and a particularly long (23:12) and driving performance of "Playing In The Band."\nThe second set starts with the countdown to 1977, before the Dead ring in the new year with a lively "Sugar Magnolia." From here on, the Dead are truly running on all cylinders; playing a faster "Eyes of the World," a rousing "Good Lovin'" and a funky "Scarlet Begonias." An emotional "Morning Dew" rounds out the second set, but a three-song encore -- "One More Saturday Night," "Uncle John's Band" and "We Bid You Goodnight" -- keeps the music playing for almost 20 more minutes.\nThe album is mixed from the original 16-track master tapes and was co-produced by James Austin and David Lemieux, who has acted as the "gatekeeper" of the Grateful Dead vault for the past eight years. Lemieux also wrote a forward that appears in the liner notes. Lambert, who co-hosted the live broadcast of the original concert for KSAN, contributed to the liner notes as well. Both men provide interesting personal takes on this epic show.\nThe only thing that isn't special about this phenomenal three-disc set is the $30 price tag, but you definitely get what you pay for in this release. The sound quality is excellent, especially for Deadheads accustomed to crowd-taped shows. Garcia and company are clearly on their game at this incredible show. Cow Palace holds its own with some of the previous official releases such as 1991's One From the Vault and 2004's Rockin' the Rhein with the Grateful Dead. It's a solid pickup for anyone looking for a high-quality Dead recording.