As we deal with the stress of isolation and the surreal sensation of what is happening around the world, let’s go back to 1976, a more celebratory time when America marked its 200th anniversary and the Grateful Dead returned to fulltime action for a nationwide tour. While the Dead did play four shows in 1975 and recorded and released “Blues For Allah,” during what’s been dubbed the band’s “retirement” year, the members’ main focus rested on revitalizing jam sessions at Bob Weir’s Ace’s studio and solo projects. With the additional material including “Mission In The Rain,” “The Wheel,” and “Cassidy,” and tightly-wound musicianship developed over the previous year, the group emerged for its next chapter a little over 10 years since its beginnings as the house band for Ken Kesey’s Acid Tests. 

Containing complete performances from Boston Music Hall (June 10 and 11), Beacon Theatre (June 14 and 15) and New Jersey’s Capitol Theatre (June 19), the 15 CDs that make up the Grateful Dead’s latest box set “June 1976″ reveals the members in jubilant spirits and superb playing shape as they tackle every influential genre that runs through the band’s genetic make up with dexterity and ease.

The release displays many of the charming and electrifying characteristics of the band’s music. There are improvisatory and spacey moments (“Playing in the Band”), jazz themes that are stretched like light trails after the psychedelics kick in (“Slipknot!”) plus the Blue Mountain purity of country (“Might As Well,” “Tennessee Jed,” “Big River”) storytelling folk (“Friend of the Devil”), heart-tugging ballads (“Stella Blue” “Looks Like Rain”) and nods to R&B (“Dancing in the Streets”) and rock ‘n roll (“Johnny B. Goode,” “Promised Land” “U.S. Blues”).

Above all, what these shows relate is that the Grateful Dead was one helluva dance band. If you’re not moving while listening to these shows then you need to check your pulse. It’s not a surprise that “Dancing in the Streets” shows up at each gig. Each time we find the band members taking excessive joy performing it.

The box starts off with the fourth night of the tour at Boston Music Hall. It’s a solid show whose peak takes place during “Help on the Way”>”Slipknot!”>”Franklin’s Tower” and proceeds to climb furthur musical heights at each successive date. It’s virtually unnecessary to mention highlights because the numbers run from strong to exceptional. For a year that isn’t mentioned often as a classic era, it’s a memorable discovery to listen to the band playing to the best of their abilities.

What then becomes intriguing is the approach to setlists. The typical openers, closers and song placements aren’t set in stone. Instead, we have an anything-goes approach. As one example, there’s the second night at the Beacon Theatre that features “St. Stephen” opening the second set followed by “Not Fade Away,” “Stella Blue,” “Samson and Delilah,” “Friend of the Devil,” “Dancing in the Street,” “The Wheel,” “Sugar Magnolia,” “Scarlet Begonias” and “Sunshine Daydream.” Previously, “Dancing” followed “St. Stephen” in Boston while “Playing,” which became a second set staple ended the first set in New York and New Jersey.

Produced by David Lemieux and HDCD mastered by Jeffrey Norman off of Betty Cantor-Jackson’s lovely-sounding two-track live recordings and with author Jesse Jarnow (my former Jambands.com editor) providing extensive, detailed notes for each show as well as perspective on the band’s connection to the next generation of artists, “June 1976” packs a wealth of memorable moments and continues the quality live releases from the Dead’s onstage history.