Article Contributed by Mike
Published on 2026-07-01
From Dick’s Picks Volume 1 to Dave’s Picks Volume 58, Curtis Hixon Hall is front and center once again as the Grateful Dead shed a little lovelight on the complete, unreleased show from December 18, 1973.
Now streaming for the first time, Dave’s Picks Volume 58 captures the Dead in Tampa, Florida, one night before the famed December 19, 1973 performance released as Dick’s Picks Volume 1. Heard together, the two shows offer a remarkable snapshot of the band at the end of a landmark year, still coasting off that Europe ’72 sound while pushing the newer Wake of the Flood material into deeper live form.
On this one, you’ll find the band stretching into familiar 1973 territory with “Tennessee Jed,” “Brown-Eyed Women,” and a not-to-be-missed “China > Rider,” while also testing the tempo and tenderness of the newly debuted “Peggy-O,” which had only entered the repertoire days earlier on December 12, 1973.
The Wake of the Flood material is central to the show’s magic, with “Weather Report Suite,” “Row Jimmy,” and “Eyes of the World” all taking shape in the loose, exploratory spirit of the era. The “Eyes” here is a major highlight — arguably one of the year’s finest versions, played at the song’s early peak.
The second set drifts into the increasingly rare “Dark Star,” clocking in at nearly 22 minutes, before moving through one of those deeply felt late-1973 passages that makes this period so beloved. And then there is “Wharf Rat,” a version strong enough to earn serious praise from Dave Lemieux himself.
Play it back-to-back with Dick’s Picks Volume 1, recorded the following night at the same venue, and you may be hard pressed to pick the better show.
Dave’s Picks Volume 58 is streaming now in Hi-Res exclusively on Play Dead, alongside all 58 Dave’s Picks releases.
Unlock the vault: https://share.playdead.app/release/49072
