Road Trips, Vol. 4 No. 4: 4/5/82 - 4/6/82 (Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA)

The Grateful Dead spent much of the '80s embracing the notion that their natural home was the stage, not the studio, forsaking record releases and hitting the road hard. Peaks like this 1982 Philadelphia show were the reason; the rhapsody made it all worthwhile. As befits a band bent on pursuing a collective identity, the most impressive moments here are the relatively small ones, where the entire ensemble cooks together and all the ingredients simmer into a single, flavorful essence. It's in the way Brent Mydland's earthy organ riffs grind into Jerry Garcia's scythe-like guitar licks on "Cold Rain and Snow," the way Phil Lesh's burbling basslines slip and slide in a delicate dance with Mydland's piano stabs and Garcia's rhythmic runs on "Man Smart, Woman Smarter" (one of a handful of bonus tunes from the previous night). Or it's the way the whole band rise and fall as one in the dynamic arc of "Morning Dew." It all makes for the sort of sound that can be savored like fine wine, with all the subtle sensuality that implies.