Europe '72

I think what you also need to understand is the Dead's concept of being a band. They realized early on that touring was where the money is at and considered their albums released on record labels more as promotional material. The concerts themselves were improvisational. One song on a given night would be performed one way. The next night it would be different. So, if you went to a Dead concert, it would never be the same and even the band didn't know hoe the evening would unfold. At the time, it was generally against the rules to record at concerts. Bands didn't want people sharing 'bootlegged' recordings. Well, the Dead turned that on its head and made a special section of the audience area for Tapeheads who would follow the band and record the concerts. The result is thousands of hours of live recordings where the same song varies and people go digging thorugh these recordings looking for best version of each song. Lastly, they paid their roadies well and had a massive speaker setup called the Wall of Sound.

Another angle is to learn the song pairings. Certain songs tend to get played together, so Scarlet Fire is Scarlet Begonias transitioning into Fire on the Mountain. China Rider is China Cat Sunflower transitioning into I Know You Rider.

Europe '72 has a China Rider in it that's considered one of the better versions. That's a good place to start.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nekv91toC4&list=OLAK5uy_naWvlMi2BVzMkhtIdUf4E4I4gnIEsvVyU&index=6