Seven high points of Furthur at New York's Madison Square Garden

According to Dead.net -- the official website of the Grateful Dead and its many auxiliary ensembles -- between 1979 and 1994, the psychedelic rock and roll outfit graced the stage at New York's Madison Square Garden 52 times.

Then, after the passing of Grateful Dead founder and icon Jerry Garcia, its surviving members also performed at MSG in 2009 as The Dead.

But the latest resurrection, Furthur -- with original Dead alumni Phil Lesh and Bob Weir -- played possibly the greatest show ever at MSG on Saturday (11/20). The set list from that recent stop has already garnered feedback of epic proportions on Dead family and fan sites.

For years and years, Deadheads have traipsed from show to show, sometimes following the band for entire tours, just on the chance of hearing live renditions of classics like "Shakedown Street," "St. Stephen/The Eleven," "Wharf Rat," the "Terrapin" suite a.k.a. Side 1 of "Terrapin Station," and, arguably, the most cherished and elusive chestnut: "Dark Star."

To hear any of these in any single show would be a treat for most fans, but to hear them all in a single performance, along with other faves like "Help On The Way/Slipknot," "Jack Straw," "The Other One," "Franklin's Tower," and the expected "One More Saturday Night," is something of a Deadhead's greatest fantasy concert set list dream come true.

So, without "furthur" adieu, here are seven high points of the Nov. 20 Furthur show at MSG:

1. The trippy opening jam into "Help On The Way" revealed, for the first time, the ban's "surround lighting": Not only stage-based computer controlled lighting, but additional trusses surrounding the entire arena which bathed the whole crowd in colorful, morphing light patterns. This never-before-seen-at-MSG effect created the illusion that the whole crowd was part of the show; one big happy spinning family of Deadheads all sharing the stage together.

2. Keyboard player Jeff Chimenti rocks the house on "Jack Straw," alternately stroking and hammering the grand piano in a style that falls somewhere between Jerry Lee Lewis and Dead alumnus Bruce Hornsby. Then, to top himself, Chimenti does it again with a kickin' B3 transition from "Death Don't Have No Mercy" into "Franklin's Tower" to end set two.

3. For those who gripped their seats in terror recalling the "El Paso" debacle the last time Furthur played NYC in July, Bobby remembers the lyrics this time around!
....Ooops -- no, he didn't. Maybe Furthur should institute an "El Paso" ban at New York venues.

4. Spectacular six-part harmony in "Wharf Rat" -- ON KEY!

5. Second-hand smoking, whatever...

6. Taking the equivalent of a community bath every time you walk between your seat and the concession stand. I didn't know you could still buy Patchouli body oil...

7. Dark Star. The first few notes of this jazzy, free-form envelope brought a wave of energy from the crowd that could be felt in the very rafters of the Garden.