By November 1979, the Grateful Dead were deep into one of their most underappreciated stretches — the late-period Keith and Donna era giving way to the Brent Mydland years, with Brent having officially joined on keyboards back in April of that year. This show at Pauley Pavilion falls squarely in that transitional sweet spot: Brent was still finding his footing in the band, bringing a muscular Hammond B3 presence and soulful voice that pushed the group in a slightly harder, bluesier direction. The Dead had released Shakedown Street (the album) just about a year earlier, and they were still road-testing its material with gusto. Jerry's guitar tone in this period had a warm, singing quality, and the rhythm section of Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, and Phil Lesh was locking in with that late-'70s locomotive confidence that defines so many great tapes from this run. Pauley Pavilion, the longtime home of UCLA Bruin basketball, is one of those collegiate arenas that always seemed to bring out something a little looser in the Dead — the Southern California crowd ran warm, and the Westwood location gave the whole affair a certain sun-soaked, anything-goes atmosphere. The Dead played the Los Angeles area frequently enough that these shows had a familiarity and comfort to them, the band settling in with an audience that knew the music well and wasn't shy about letting them know it.
The songs we have logged from this show offer a nice cross-section of what made late-'79 Dead compelling. "Shakedown Street" in this era could be a slow-burning disco-funk revelation, with Jerry and Brent trading licks over Phil's elastic bass groove — it was still feeling fresh and alive as a live vehicle. "Loser" is one of those gorgeous Garcia ballads that rewards close listening, the kind of song where Jerry's phrasing tells you everything you need to know about where he is emotionally that night. "Good Lovin'" was a crowd-pleasing romp that gave the whole band room to cut loose, and "Looks Like Rain" with Weir out front provided the requisite ache and tenderness that balanced the heavier moments. Recording quality for this era varies, but many late-'79 Pauley Pavilion circulating sources are solid audience or matrix recordings with good separation and presence — enough to really feel the room. If you've been sleeping on 1979, this is a fine place to wake up.