By the summer of 1973, the Grateful Dead were operating at a level of collective musical telepathy that few bands have ever matched. The core lineup was locked in and firing: Garcia, Weir, Lesh, Kreutzmann, and Bill Kreutzmann's drumming partner Mickey Hart, who had returned to the fold in late 1974 — wait, let me be precise here: in August 1973, Hart was actually not yet back in the band, so this was the four-piece rhythm configuration with Kreutzmann holding down the kit solo. Keith Godchaux had joined on keys in late 1971, bringing a looser, jazzier touch than Pigpen's organ-soaked soul, and his wife Donna Jean had come aboard as a vocalist shortly after. This was the Dead in full flight — post-*Europe '72*, post-*Wake of the Flood* (just months away from release), playing with the confidence of a band that knew it had no ceiling. The Wall of Sound was still a year off, but the live rig was already monstrous and glorious. Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey was a beloved and somewhat legendary outdoor venue for East Coast Dead fans — a hulking old ballpark that hosted some enormous summer shows in the early-to-mid seventies. The New York/New Jersey metropolitan area crowd brought an intensity and sheer numbers that pushed the band, and the open-air setting on hot August nights had a way of loosening everything up.
These summer stadium shows had a festival energy that translated into longer sets and deeper improvisational excursions. The two songs we have confirmed from this date couldn't be more different in character, but each is a gem. "Morning Dew" in this era is one of the holy grails of Dead listening — Garcia's vocal and lead guitar work in that song could reach genuinely shattering heights in 1973, and a great version builds like a slow-motion storm before Garcia unleashes everything he has in the final stretches. It's one of those songs where the whole band has to commit completely or it falls flat, and in '73 they rarely fell flat. "One More Saturday Night," Weir's good-natured rocker, would have closed the show with a grin — a crowd-pleaser and a release valve after whatever emotional depths the set had plumbed. Recording information for this date can vary, so it's worth checking the source before diving in — but regardless of the tape's pedigree, any window into the Dead during this peak summer is worth opening. Cue up that "Morning Dew" and hold on.