Nice NY Times summary of the Dead's final run

[hal]

You're being very kind for a non-deadhead. I'd describe the vocals as dipping into the "pretty f'ing horrible" range depending on who was doing the singing. And yes, Phil Lesh, the bass player was the best musician overall throughout. He's still an elite musician.

ANd yeah, some of those songs hadn't been played by the full band since the 60s, but unlike in the old days, they actually rehearsed before performing.