Search Grateful Dead Setlists:

Set 1:
New Minglewood Blues
Loser
El Paso
They Love Each Other
Jack Straw
Deal
Lazy Lightnin'
Supplication
Brown-Eyed Women
Mama Tried
Row Jimmy
Dancin' In The Streets

Set 2:
Scarlet Begonias
Fire On The Mountain
Estimated Prophet
St. Stephen
Not Fade Away
St. Stephen
Morning Dew

Encore:
One More Saturday Night

Download/Listen to this Show at Archive.org

Comments:

Worst show I ever saw, man!
-

IN MY OPINION 77 WAS IT FOR THE DEAD MUSIC WISE.THE JAM ON NOT FADE AWAY IS INSANE ON THIS SHOW AND CAN BE HEARD THROUGH OUT THAT TOUR, DAMN WHAT A KILLER SHOW.....
-

A killer disco Dancin' to close the first set . . . a second set opening Scarlet-->Fire that will make you forget about 30 minutes of your life, and a Morning Dew closer that will send chills down your spine!! One of the best shows I have in my collection!!
-

Phil is goin' nutz in the show,this my personal favorite bootleg....
-

I have loved this show for a long time, musically. I can understand how this might not have been a great show to actually be at, because you can here them, at the beginning of the second set, asking everyone to move back. Perhaps it was too crowded, and even a little freaky. Musically, though, this recording can't be beat.
-

Hey, I thought this is one of best Dead shows I have ever heard. With me being only 15 I never saw live show but I have all the videos an have around 160 bootlegs. And cornell is my second favoruite besides the Alpine Valley show in '89 that is on the video Downhill From Here. Cornell was such an awesome show.
-

Great show...Phil goes nuts on Scarlet....I recomend a good set of headphones and your favorite relaxation aid!
-

This music can take you places, no matter what state of mind you're in...
Donna Jean is an angel; Jerry is your best friend - 5-8-77 can get you through anything!
-

What the f man??? Jerry is ripping the shit out of his gibson on the St. Stephen > NFA > St. Stephen > Dew. I wouldn't say its the best complete show but I would say, without a doubt, that it is the best 2nd set ever. So anyway, you start listening to stephen and you're like "yeah, i dig it" and then out of nowhere, the m'f'er is jamming some sweet notes for about 15 minutes...UNBELIEVABLE. Also, when the DEW comes up, its such a shift in mood that you can't help but feel a chill. Beautiful.
-

THE WHOLE MONTH OF MAY 77 IS THE BEST LINE-UP OF LIVE DEAD YOU'LL EVER HERE, THE SCARLET FIRES WERE SICK!!! I'VE NEVER HEARD A SHOW LIKE THIS. THEY ARE TRULY ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED AMERICAN BANDS EVER!!!! JERRY IS GOD, THE DEAD IS HEAVEN!!! PEACE
-

***
5/8/77 is an exellent show, the singing was good, the music was tight, but I find it rather uninspired in spots, Not Fade Away seems to drag on and on, I've never been a fan of Disco, so Dancin' doesn't impress me, Saint Stephen, although an awesome song, was much better in the late 60s... Saturday Night, is a rocker, at it's best, but Scarlett Fire lacks imagination, in Keith's department, at least, all and all, I hive it 3 stars out of five
-

Neil, you are out of your mind. That tape kicks ass, the best Dew ever (and listen to Keith kick it up a notch at the end), great Scarlet/Fire and the NFA explodes (although Jerry's long solo does get a little self indulgent) Also, the 1st set Loser and Jack Straw are great.
-

Dave and Neal, what is wrong with you guys? Its a jam band. If you were muscians, you would understand that when you get into something, you just pour your heart out into it (as Jerry proves in the NFA jam). I agree that when I first heard 5-8-77 i thought the st. stephen was terrible, cause my ears only heard the 60's one. But one day, I was baked and I had a long drive and I threw in Cornell. Still can't believe what a great st>NFA>st>dew. To each its own...NY eve '01-'02 baby WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOA.
-

smooth,perfect,jewel,flawless-absolutley flawless,the gods were on their side that night.best show of all time, w/7-13-84 greek theatre.
-

Was a freshman at Cornell - never finished - go figure. What a mind opening experience for a nerdy engineering student!
-

Scarlet-->Fire is absolutely amazing...transition to Fire just blows your mind...This show is a perfect example of what the human mind is capable of...
-

Without a doubt one of the finest shows ever performed. The loser and jack straw are HOT! and Jerry wailed on every song like he was so good at doing. His guitar really sang for this one. Scarlet-Fire and Dancin Jam are incredible. If I were to write out every hot song, I would just have to copy and paste the entire setlist. A++
-Anonymous

Overrated show but for good reason. What a packed show. 70s shows just drip musically. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Lazy Lightning - Supplication, and Phil's pounding during Dancing. Only seen 90s shows I wish I was there for this one. Some day when my time machine is built.
-

If anyone you know doubts the Dead, just give them a couple of beers or a J and INSIST that they listen for the first set through Scarlet>Fire. The finest bootleg out there, no question.
-

Honestly, this iso ne of the finest shows ever performed. The setlist, the performance....Jerry's musical decomposing in NFA--> St. Stephen...all too unbeliveable. What a year 77 was.
-

i've heard a pitifully little amount of the Dead's Vault, and only the 2nd set of this show, but i can't believe how it can't be the best one ever. it sounds like if it was released comercially it could sell as many copies as Saturday Night Fever, or Thriller
-

Quite an amazing Jack Straw and TLEO
-Jeff

Neil, were you smoking crack when you wrote that comment??
-Anonymous

Neil, were you smoking crack when you wrote that comment??
-Anonymous

YO this show is great but not the best... the 76 run at the beacon surpassed it. Sick st stpehen and dancin in the streets, with a twisted fire on the mtn.
-Anonymous

It seems to be kind of fashionable these days to call this show, along with 8-27-72, over rated, but I find it fascinating that it seems to warrant the most discussion anyway.
Here's the deal: This show is it. I listened to a lot of Dead before I even heard of this show. When I heard this show for the first time, I heard the Dead again for the first time. Listen to it. It sounds different then any other bootleg I've heard. The music is alive on that reel, it has to be.
I read pretty much every post before I wrote this one, and some of the criticism of the show is valid, but frankly this Scarlett> Fire is the apex, IMHO. Phil's base line with the guitars playing at the beginning of Scarlett absolutely grabs you and from there, the band will not will not let you go. The trasition to Fire is the smoothest EVER. Don't even try. The Fire solo is zen in its simplicity, I have NEVER heard a Jerry solo so concise and dynamic.
Estimated: Do me a favor and tell me what show Donna and Jerry sounded so beautiful together as in Estimated, just two short lines "fire wheel turning in the air" .... "way up the middle of the air"...shivers
The band is on another level this night.
Several songs are the best I ever heard. Loser and the guitar fills. Dancin, disco schmisco,...this song rocks. The last thing I'm thinking of listening to this is disco. There ain't another better. Pembroke Pines 77? No. Springfield 78? No.

I read some stuff that Dick said he'd take the shows the night before and the night after over this one. Well, as far as Dicks taste in the band he archived, can't say me and him always jived. Not that I don't love those shows, hey Boston Garden - Music Never Stopped? That one is a discussion ender.

Favorite year, still a toss up bewteen 73 and 77.
But this Scarlett> Fire and the Shakedown>Uncle Johns encore from 12-26-79 get me more jazzed then any other single song or song combo the Dead ever did that I've heard so far.



-JoeHead

UP there on best second sets.. Clearly, I think, 6/9/77 is the best second set ever, with the unreal help-->slip-->franklin's. The row jimmy is sweet on cornell with a nasty wah wahed dancin. Scralet->Fire is nuts and the morning dew is phat. St Stephen was alright but too little guitar work.
-nick

I really like the second set - especially the jam following Estimated Prophet.
-Chad

i recently downloaded the 3rd set of this concert. i would like not only to download and/or aquire set(s) 1and 2. only thing is that i can't find the setlist for the 3rd set. can anyone help a fellow dead'er out? please email me @ jibbser@hotmail.com. thanks a bunch
-

I can feel like I need to wheigh in here. This is my favorite show as well. Other shows had beter jams. Other shows had more "rockin" moments. Other shows had more interesting set lists. What this show has is "energy". Anyone who "got" the dead knows that what made them special was the mystical energy that their playing produced. I have never heard a show that had more of this energy. This show just drips with electric fluid energy. I love it!
-

Good show, but c'mon. Jerry is obviously struggling during the Scarlet Begonias solo. Tight, good energy, but hardly the show of shows. My nominees for other Great Shows:
5-26-77 and 4-12-78
Check em out.
-Anonymous

bit my penis?
-Anonymous

Best mid-era grateful dead concert.All the songs are well played,lots of jamming,one of the best they love each other,and row jimmy.And they couldnt have ended it any better,with st stephen and onw of the best dews ever.Listen to all 3 sets often.Jerrys solos are not self-indulgent,lets see anybody here play like that!!6-9-77 winterland is another good one too i agree
-

Dave.... Jerry's NFA solo a 'little self indulgent'? I dont think so. Think of I Need a Miracle, "too much of everything is just enough" Just my humble opinion...


-if you get confused listen to the music play-
-

The concerts the dead had, in spring 77 produced some of the best scarlet into fires, the only way i can put into words, of this concerts is "magical." The last 3 minutes of morning dew are simply amazing, probably the best morning dew around. Just quite an amazing concert.
-

The best scarlet-fire transition i have ever heard. This show got me addicted to scarlet-fires, and i have sought out every one i can get my hands on and listened intently. This is my fav, by far. Jerry's improv into fire is so unbelievable, i cant even fathom imagination he had. whew, i LOVE IT!!!
-Dave

Like the Veneta show, a lotta people like to call this one "overrated". This show may have been oversaturated in the collecting stream (Hell, I got this show early on due to it's easy accesability and couldn't help but to hear it played hundreds of times), but I think it is regardless deserving of the hype it has received in past years. Some people like to point out the Dew and the Scarlett/Fire. I say, check out Dancin'.
-Wahoo-Wahoo

The best mix I ever heard. also one of my favorite Scarlet/Fire
-

The best Morning Dew I ever Heard!!
-

An incredible show, from start to finish, and one I have to have when I go for a long ride. There are so many points in it when Jerry just makes you smile and thank him for ever being a part of this old crazy world. My particular favorite parts are the Row Jimmy, the last two minutes of Fire, Deal, and of course the last four or five minutes of Dew. That crashing drum sound at the end just brings the whole thing to a beautiful finish. The only show I've heard I enjoy more is the second set of Binghampton later in the year, Nov. 6. Wharf Rat is amazing.
-

I agree with a lot of you dead fans that this was a pinnacle show for the dead. But we had a many different points where we were playing spectacularly throughout our whole 30 years of touring together. But overall, I thought this was a ass-kicking show. - Phil Lesh
-Phil Lesh

Best Dancin' IMO
-Huckelbury Poo

Definiely one of the best shows ever, the Jack Straw solos make my spine tingle. Unbeleivable from start to finish
-Anonymous

The "Scarlett Fire lacks imagination," Neal? Get with it kid, because you're obviously not listening! The Scarlet->Fire from Cornell '77 is arguable the sickest, smoothest, and most seamless transition from one song to the next the Dead ever perpetrated on stage. It's easily the best Scarlet->Fire EVER...PERIOD. Have a listen to it again and this time, PAY ATTENTION. If you still feel the same way, have your ears checked!
-

I heard it never happened the way it is told today. Snyone know waht im talking about
-puzzled

This show was the last dead show I attended. I had pretty much moved on to reggae at that time, which was just a short stop on the road to being an opera junkie. Frankly, I don't remember much. You know how that is.

It's nice to come back after all these years and hear it again.
-comin back to the dead

Yeah I agree with my buddy Phil, this show kicks major ass. I must admit, I was on fire this night. My favorite version of scarlet - fire. Jerry
-Jerry Garcia

get it:

http://www.archive.org/audio/etree-details-db.php?id=12278
-

Neil, the scarlet>fire lacks imagination?!? Are you permanently twisted? This version remind me more of a thirty foot long silk scarf. seamless, flowing, inspired. I am seriously dumbfounded when people don't give this Scarlet>fire top marks.
-

The first time I heard this show which was one of the first bootlegs I had ever heard, I thought and still think today, best year, second set, scarlet/fire, Ive ever heard PERIOD. I wish they would put it out as a dicks picks. If you don't like this show , well go to the Dr's and get your head checked
-

Grossly overrated!
-Poo Face

Someone mentioned Jerry's Gibson - he was playing the Travis Bean this night (as for all of the first half of '77 - "The Enemy is Listening"). A better first set can e heard the night before at Boston Garden; however, the St. Stephen>NFA>St. Stephen>Dew is something to behold.

I'll take the 04/23/77 Scarlet>Fire over this one though.

Greatest show? Who the fuck knows, some days it is....other days, I'll take a jazzy '73, a rippin' '74, or exploratory '72.

May '77, and the year for that matter, was perhaps the most consistent though. Love that smooth, smooth, smooth, sound.
-Donna Jean

The Good News:

I wuz there.

The Bad News:

Don't remember much.

But the tapes bring it all back. :)
-

What can you say about May 1977 shows? 5/4, 5/5, 5/7, 5/8 & 5/9 etc. How can anyone argue with the quality of Help/Slip/Franklin, St. Stephen, Truckin, Scarlet/Fire, NFA, etc. The tapes speak for themsleves. They rank up there with the 1971 - 1974 runs. I would trade all of the shows I saw in the 1980's to see either 5/8 or 5/9/77 - especially in a 5,000 seat hockey arena with a sound system that did not leave Phil inaudible.
-

That is a phenominal Scarlet/
Fire. Best I've ever heard!!!!!!!!!
-stp

BEST ESTIMATED PROPHET EVER, Phil ripped it up.
-DAN the nitrous man

OVER RATED!!!!!!!!OVER RATED!!!!!!!!!!

yeah this show is good, perhaps great but Donna's not all that, and the saint stephens are not as powerful in the late 70's. great setlist and energy though. but not the best show ever, by far.
1985 jerry was on it. not just his music but dope. that's one of the best years, along with 74. not 1977.
-

ok... this show is incredible.

is there even such a thing as their "best show ever?" i personally don't think so, but if you must have a top dog, i'd have to think that this one would deserve some serious consideration. it's just beautiful. to me, the music is great, solid, well played, imaginative, etc., but what really sells it are the drums and the vocals. i mean, how many great jerry jams have you heard, only to hear his screw up the vocals 30 secs later? this one is virtually pitch-perfect
-Blue Bear

5-8-1977.....well, let me just start by saying that, while i wouldn't go so far as to say there are uninspired moments here, i would say that this show is extremely mellow in spots...but it seems to be an even balance because when they turn it up, they f'n' turn it up....as for "best show" ever status??? impossible to call...i'm still partial to 5-9, whose "music never...", by the way, DE-FRIGGIN-STROYS 5-7, hands down...there are a bunch of best ever versions of individual songs on 5-8 but, as a whole, this show is, was, and always will be overrated....but that's what makes this band so unbelievable; 10 years (longer really) after the band's demise, tool's like us sit on the net and debate about this shit...ya gotta love it....ps RIP HUNTER S
-

What the hell, I've got nothin' better to do.
-stp

I think the most underrated part of this show is the Lazy Lightning, and the solo in Brown Eyed Women in the first set. Best BEW ever.
-

lazy light>sup is not the greatest here, ny fav still is orpheum 7/18/76 into let it grow.
my favorite minglewood ( "hi!") my favorite loser, close to favorite BEW, fav row jimmy, fav dancin.
scarlett>fire is best dead ever.
estimated, st>nfa>st, dew as good as any ever.
all that equals best show ever.
not the best set list, not the longest songs, jerry sings like one verse of fire -- but the scarlett>fire transition is as good as anything i have heard ANY band do.
-joehead

not the best show ever, but it produced the best loser, scarlet-> fire, and the second best dew
-Anonymous

bitchin...
-Anonymous

May 77 is just where it is at my brothers and sisters. Row Jimmy is the very best i have ever heard. the second set is just unreal. i just love the Grateful Dead. not since or will there ever be another band like the Grateful Dead. ;^)
-Ga-DeadHead

...That Dancin in the streets is by far the best version ever played. (well besides some of the vocals) Jerry's Scarlet brings tears to my eyes every time. But nothing beats that "Dancin jam".
-

one word amazing
scarlet-fire one of the best
-Anonymous

the beginning of fire isnt so good then it just explodes into something amazing
-Anonymous

You gotta love Terrapin Station from this show. It is just a solid version of that song. I especially love it when Weir helps Jerry along during some of the lyrics, because Jerry is dosing really hard.
-

Absolutely the best concert I have ever heard. If I had to listen to one version of one song for the rest of my life, it would be the Morning Dew from the second set. That song is performed to absolute perfection. I can't even put into words how ridiculous the performance is, you simply must listen to it for yourself. Jackstraw, Brown Eyed Women, Row Jimmy, Scarlet, and Fire are particularly sick.
-

Not bad, the good old boys had it going tonight. You know, my album garage days revisited was inspired off this show, and it really shows. It's a cracker. Who here fucking loves Hell in a Bucket, simply amazing. That is a good song and Jerry knows it. Godspeed to you all, and come out to my next concert.
-

howdy!?are you a musician?it doesn't matter.suck garcia's dick.he did this for years with several different bands.my fellow earthlings,it be impossible to find the greatest version ever,as there are so many,you haven't heard them all.no,you haven't.i love fucking hippie chicks.not near the best ever.get some clean acid.not saying it isn't amazing.deadheads might be naive,cause they surprised from 65 to 95.get your head dead,not mentally.enjoy mental orgasms.amazing shows each year.mr. taw-a mycologist.
-mr. taw

I think this show is primo, definitely top 5. I am slightly more partial to the Swing Auditorium show 2-26-77 tho, but I understand wy people call this the best
-

i agree with everybody... best Jimmy of all time..2 set is ALIVE and jumps off the reel.i love the Grateful Dead. since 92 i have not let THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPED for me. I WAS BORN IN THE WRONG GENERATION.

(WARNING)(WARNING)(WARNING)(WARNING)

***The Grateful Dead is addictive***
-Ga-DeadHead

I have an explanation as to why this show is so good. The drugs the band used were Valium, not the Persian, not pot, not LSD, but valium.

This is kind of a downer show and the reason is their nerve endings are not firing as fast as they should.

Every single one of them is using valium!!!

Long live Britney Spears!
-Tim

I think the best Scarlet/Fire Transition is 32-28-85 at Nassau
-Fred the Head

P Diddy. What the hell are you talking about.
-

There's been a lot of talk lately about the legendary fake show on 5/8/77. I've kept my silence on the subject for 22 years ... now it's finally time to come clean on the whole subject.

The whole idea began back in late 1969/early 1970. The Department of Defense and the CIA were very disappointed by the way the Vietnam War was progressing. Not only were we losing but, more importantly, the US public did not approve of the war and, worse yet, weren't believing everything the military said about what was happening. This was an unprecedented event. Every other recent war was viewed positively by the public ... or at least with apathy in the case of Korea. Something had to be done. They decided to take a page from the Soviets and experiment with mind control. Together with Disney and a fledgling computer company called Microsoft, they set out to prove that brainwashing could really work on the very people who opposed
them: the hippies.

It isn't widely known but Cornell was actually the second test of these mind control procedures. The first occurred in mid-1975 and was a dismal failure. 2 major mistakes were made. First, they picked the one time that the Dead were not touring. This created all sorts of problems with the subject audience. The more serious mistake was in not updating the criteria of the experiment. Due to typical government inefficiency, they used the 1969 version of the Dead that was playing when the program was conceived. The sudden appearance of Pigpen, who had died 2 years earlier, literally blew the minds of those in attendance. 6 months were spent erasing all traces of the "show" and carefully rebuilding as much of their minds as possible. The
subjects were eventually released and most of them became evangelists, their only lingering memory of the whole experiment being an unshakeable belief that they'd witnessed a true miracle.

Unfortunately, no tapes have been found from this first experiment. That's a real shame because the version of Dark Star->St Stephen->Eleven->Lovelight used was supposedly the best ever. After a few drinks, the original scientists still speak in awe about the music heard that day.

By Nov 1977, everyone was ready for the second test. This time, they learned from their mistakes. A small group of college students were hired to attend shows from 1976 through 1977. Our job was to collect tapes of the Dead's performances, select which tunes to use, and to
help identify subjects for the upcoming experiment. The location and date were chosen with equal care. It was a off-day during the tour and the location close enough to the real concerts to be believed. Of more
importance was the late snowfall that day. That unusual and easily confirmed event provided the glue that would hold the implanted memories together. Even now 22 years later, people "remembering" that concert use almost identical words to describe leaving the show.

Overall, the experiment was a great success. Of course, some people were given slightly different memories. Some, like Teddy Goodbear, "remember" taping the show and were even provided "Audience" tapes to further cement the hoax. Still others remember getting "horribly smashed" up front. None of this actually occurred.

A week after the "concert" experiment, a 2nd test was done on the town of Cornell itself. In order to perfect this hoax, the town itself must also be convinced that the concert took place. Disney had acquired owner- ship of all the local TV and radio stations through dummy corporations. Using special chips developed by Microsoft, they played sublimbminal messages to every man, woman and child in a 100 mile radius of Barton Hall. For the most part, this programming still holds today although some people did prove resistant to the message.

As far as the source of the music, for the most part the list posted by "brew ziggins" is correct. The only mystery remaining is the Scarlet-> Fire. That was actually performed by the Dead specifically for this experiment. Since Jerry worked for the CIA, it was easy to convince him and the rest of the band to go along. Plus he liked the idea of "pranking" a large group of people like this. The fabled 2/6/77 "take a step back" rehearsal tape is also from material taped for these experiments.

The soundboard tapes in circulation were leaked by Betty O'Connell who
edited the original tapes. I don't know if it was just a coincidence or not, but they were leaked at about the same time as the tapes recorded by Betty Cantor were found. In any event, they became part of the so-called "Betty Boards". Leaking these tapes also provided the first cracks in the hoax to appear since the tapes were distributed to people who were not in the experiment and who knew that no show was performed that day. It was necessary to obtain their silence through blackmail, bribery and in extreme cases, mind control itself. That's also how this "show" came to be listed in all the popular Dead show guides like DeadBase.

So what's happened to these mind control techniques used in this experiment? Microsoft has used this power to become one of the biggest, most influential companies in history. They sure didn't become that big by providing quality products. It was used to shape public reaction to the Gulf War. It's also clear that George Bush never understood the full power of these methods. . There are also indications that this technology might explain the otherwise unbelievable popularity of rap music.

That's the whole story.

"BARTON HALL, ITHACA, NY 5/8/77 -- The Show That Never Happened"

Track listing Actual Source
------------ ---------------
1.Minglewood Blues [4:47] Winterland 3/20/77
2.Loser [7:30] Springfield 4/23/77
3.El Paso [4:22] Chicago 5/13/77
4.They Love Each Other [6:59] Lakeland 5/21/77
5.Jack Straw [6:00] Tempe 10/6/77
6.Deal [5:43] St. Paul 5/11/77
7.Lazy Lightnin' [3:29] > St. Louis 5/15/77
8.Supplication [4:21] "
9.Brown-Eyed Women [5:12] Winterland 6/8/77
10.Mama Tried [2:37] Seattle 9/29/77
11.Row Jimmy [10:52] Fox, Atlanta 5/19/77
12.Dancin' in the Streets [15:43] Pembroke Pines 5/22/77 (DP3)

Set II:

13.Scarlet Begonias [9:14] > ???
14.Fire on the Mountain [15:21] ???
15.Estimated Prophet [8:32] Passaic NJ 4/27/77
16.St. Stephen [4:43] > Mostly Passaic NJ 6/18/76
17.Not Fade Away [16:22] > with some tricky splicing of the
18.St. Stephen [1:53] > middle of an unidentified NFA
19.Morning Dew [13:36] Cow Palace 12/31/76

Encore:

20.One More Saturday Night [4:54] Springfield 4/23/77

[this is something I sent to David Gans after he announced that he
would be playing excerpts from this "show" on the Grateful Dead Hour.
Given the, ah, wide range of opinions elicited by this show, I figured
this would come in handy.]


OFFICIAL 5-8-77 COMPLAINT FORM

(please check all that apply)


Why are you wasting
[ ] your time
[ ] our time
[ ] precious FM bandwidth
...by playing 5-8-77?

Everybody on the planet already
[ ] knows that show is completely overrated.
[ ] has a copy.
[ ] is waiting to buy this show as a Dick's Pick.
[ ] owns the bootleg.
[ ] has figured out that the show never even happened.

When I listen to the Grateful Dead Hour, I want to hear
[ ] More Pigpen shows.
[ ] More Brent shows.
[ ] More Vince shows.
[ ] y dont U plays ome PHISH!!!!??

If you were going to play that show anyway, why didn't you play
[ ] The complete "Lazy Lightning/Supplication"?
[ ] My copy, which is A+++++++++++++ sound quality?
[ ] 5-9-77 instead?

Why didn't you include an interview with
[ ] Dennis McNally?
[ ] Rob Eaton?
[ ] Mickey Hart?
[ ] Phil's liver?
[ ] jeff .tiedrich?
[ ] Brew Ziggins?
[ ] Chyna Kate?

In the future, please refrain from playing:
[ ] Any show that we've already heard before.
[ ] Any show that is in any way "overrated".
[ ] Any show that is not a "classic".
[ ] Any show that is not from 1973.
[ ] Any show that didn't actually happen.

____

and
Um..here's an interview with nutcase/presidential candidate, Lyndon
LRouche:......


LaROUCHE: He was pro-Nazi.(Carl Jung) He was an occultist, satanic cultism.
I don't know if he went as far as (Aleister) Crowley did in identifying
Satan, but it was the same structure. Allen Dulles(C.I.A. director) was very
close to this crowd personally. As to what was going on in Allen's mind at
this time I don't fully know. But then you get the MK-ULTRA operation.

60 Greatest Conspiracies: The mind control operation?

LaROUCHE: That was an Allen Dulles period operation which was run together
with the occult types in British intelligence, such as Aldous Huxley. And
also Gregory Bateson who created, for example, the Grateful Dead out of an
MK-ULTRA operation at the Palo Alto Veteran's Hospital where he was
supervising. The first United States-grown rock group of that type, the
Grateful Dead, was generated as a British intelligence operation by the
Occult Bureau of Huxley and bateson out of the Palo Alto Veteran's Hospital
where they were doing LSD and related experiments.

60 Greatest Conspiracies: Why would British intelligence want to put out a
rock roup?

LaROUCHE: Well, this is part of the Satanism business. Call it the
counterculture. Call it the Dionysius model of the counterculture. Rock is
essentially a revival of the ancient Dionysic, Bacchic rituals. Lots of
people or long periods of time in that kind of particular rhythmic ritual
which was probably struck upon empirically many thousands of years ago for
this type of cult. It does have a relationship to the Alpha rhythms of the
brain. It does produce these sorts of states. If combined with a little
alcohol and more, shall we say, mood shaping substances, with youth, with
funny sex, this does produce a profound change of a countercultural type.

Another word for it: New Age. the longer term: age of Aquarius. People were
experimenting with various utopian models, constructing small groups
experimentally which were considered New Age types. How to create
experimental types that might survive the aftermath of a general nuclear
war.

60 Greatest Conspiracies: Was this whole trend continued after Dulles'
departure?

LaROUCHE: He was not the controlling factor. I wouldn't make him the evil
black widow spider. He was part of it. The operation goes way back. But in
the United States this particular operation goes to about 1938. The Nazis
were operating in the 1930s out of Hollywood and elsewhere with an occult
astrology racket kind of intelligence operation.

At that point the Huxley operation out there which is already established,
the marijuana operation and so forth in the 1930s, was already hooked up.
1963 I would say was a watershed year for explosion of this thing, around
the LSD, Beatles proliferation. And then you have another one in recent
years where explicit Satanism has really exploded.
-

Merl or no on scar/fire? all keith?
-

One thing that sets this night apart from other great shows during this era is that Jerry's 2nd set guitar work is truly inspired. His playing is free-flowing and he comes up with one amazing riff after another and this serves to raise the entire band another notch. This is best heard on the Scarlet > Fire and Stephen > NFA > Stephen jams and transitions. I wonder if something out of the ordinary happened backstage during the set break because Jerry comes out for the 2nd set on a higher plane.
-McGanahan Skejellyfetti

Clarson, what the fuck was that? You are wasting valuable database space with that nonsense. For Christ's sake, which is me, for the love of God (my dad) and all other living things, don't do that again.

I wish I could send a bolt of lightning your way. That was a fucking waste of time.
-Jesus Christ

Very little database space was wasted with that post. Nonetheless, it was a complete waste of time and I wish I could time my bolt of lighting with yours.
-Steve

I, and my brother, were at this show, taped this show and can testify that it was one shining moment in the Dead's touring life, our listening life and the pursuit of the apex. It
is/was/will always be one of the top shows/nights/experiences - ever. Sorry you missed it, but the recording(s) speak out, just listen to the music play.
-

Was that an excercise in Creative Writing or what? I tip my hat to you...I almost believed you. I find it funny and not to be taken too seriously.
-Squeaker

the most emotional and perhaps finest dew imho,
although Oct '89 Hampton warlocks is a close 2nd
-prm

DARK STAR ORCHESTRA PLAYING CORNELL 77 SET IN ITHACA ON 30TH ANIVERSARY 05-08-07 WHO'S GOING?
-BIG RED

What else can be said about the show that all others are compared to? Great lengthy first set capped by one of the best Dancin's, and the second set is out of this world. Jerry is channeling the heavens in the last few minutes of Fire, and on the St. Stephen>NFA>Stephen>Dew sequence, culminating in a peak on Dew that I still can't believe actually happened.
-Mike

I have to side with 5 star lovers of this show. it's true that st stephen was better earlier, but i think the scarlet/fire really grooves - that and estimated and brown eyed women make up for it.
-granular_serene (03/30/2007)

An awesome show and when it was over I left Barton Hall and walk onto eigth inches of Snow!
- (05/05/2007)

Since the first time I heard this show, it's never failed to captivate me, and eventually, leave me in awe. I love the first set, especially "Row Jimmy" which is just splendid, but the second set is simply transcendent. Great "Scarlet/Fire" to open things, one of the all-time best "St. Stephen" performances, and the "Morning Dew" is probably my personal favorite of all the GD performances I've heard. It just builds beautifully and the crescendo is simply remarkable. I've listened to this show more than any other show I have, and continue to love it every time.
- (06/02/2007)

My first dead show! I remember the snowstorm, so I assumed it was in winter, not May. Wunderground.com says it was 27f for a low that day. Now to get a copy of the tape...
-Mark (08/22/2007)

May of 1977

My favorite month in Grateful Dead history!
-B. Real (09/18/2007)

After many many dead shows, Cornell 77 was magnificent Joe Head hits the mark with his comment on the zen simplicity in Jerry's first solo in Fire. The whole show was zen simplicity

Just as Europe 72 set the standard for China/Rider
Cornell 77 set the bar for Scarlet/Fire
More importantly, this show has tone and space and room for the band and audience (I was there) to breathe. None of the coked up rush or the laziness of some show. The transition from Scarlet to Fire, when Phil and Bob and Jerry throw those phrases, when jerry's envelope hits, is some of the best dead music ever. THe room was electric that night and actually after Boston it makes sense that they would be so on. They hit arcs of shows, Why did we follow them so much?

But you can hear the articulation in everyone's playing. All parts like threads in a tapestry. Lots and lots of great shows but Cornell, Like much of Europe in 72, just made sense. Spring 77 was an exemplary tour. THey had found a new sound and space and they had not really begun to get LOW with blow and smack (Jerry and Keith) that is.

It is still very very contemporary
- (09/20/2007)

I listened to this show near the beginning of my Deadhead career. The show is great all the way through, best NFA ever, wonderful Steven, too bad Donna missed the cue, but whatever.

But the Scarlet>Fire is not as good as the following S>F's:

4-24-78 = #1 all-time, bobby's guitar duels jerry's
2-05-78 = #2 an entire landscape of sound, in the Fire alone
12-30-78 = #3 all-time, bobby's guitar duels jerry's.
10-30-84 = Perfectly orchestrated, the drummers /kill/.

Know this!!
- (03/18/2008)

If I had to pick a show to showcase the dead to someone i would pick this one. Brown eyed woman is increadable,probably the best (sans europe 72). And then after a above average fist set the bands creative potential absolutely explodes sending shock waves of psychadellia into your ears. Definitely one of the best of the decade.
- (04/17/2008)

I've always liked the Dead but never considered myself to fully get them till (thanks to Nugs.net) I discovered this unparalleled run in March, 1977. There were at the height of their game here; and this is one of their best performances IMHO, if not THE best. They just sound so tight - and Jerry's wailing on Row Jimmy just sends me every time. And like JL says, the transition from Scarlet to Fire gives me goosebumps!

I also never realized this was a Mother's Day show until this year on the 31st anniversary of the show when I listened to it like 4 times in a row on a hiking trip to the Smokies...

I can only imagine what it would have been like to have been there.
- (05/28/2008)

best morning dew ever,period!
-steve (06/09/2008)

e1 talks about the s>f, morning dew, but no one has mentioned this is the BEST row jimmy they ever played...so sweet and calming, I fall asleep during the middle of this song everytime
- (07/19/2008)

Get the matrix version of this show - new layers of the onion open.

Ive had this show in various forms since the early 90s and listening to it again over the last days has floored me.

THE best Lazy lighning > Supplication ever. The best TLEO? One of the best jack Straws, Brown eyed women is on fire, oh and then theres the second set.
Did i mention the Dancing.

Im sorry there is simply no way to say this show is overrated. Its hte fuckign motherlode.
- (09/10/2008)

I'm a 33 year old head who'd seen the band in the 90's and got into the tape trading scene.
I was a newbie, mailing blanks for tapes till I had something to offer.
This show was THE show man, along with the '70 valentine run. I remember dropping hits and biking to a friend's place (45 min away) with set 2 in my sony cassette walkman and just watching the world melt by in pastels and crimson to jerry's solos.
Just downloaded it and heard it again for the 1st time in 4 or 5 years and I must say.. Straight as an arrow, it STILL blows the f***kin mind
- (09/17/2008)

A Personal Anecdote

It was May 8, 1976. I drove down from my college in upstate New York to Ithaca, home of Cornell University, for a Grateful Dead concert. It was a cheerful, sunny day with the dandelions blooming in bright yellow ripples across the rural fields rolling town to the Finger Lakes. I was almost nineteen years old and trying to make sense of life. I was a thinker with a mystical bent, trying to find a way out of the soft, drifting sadness which colored my everyday life.

I met several hometown friends at one of their apartments and, at the appointed hour, we trundled across campus to the local armory where the concert was to be held. Being experienced concert-goers, we left several hours before the show to get in front of the line. Even with that we found about thirty people ahead of us when we arrived. Settling in near the staircase to the armory door, we passed our time catching up and talking of fun times.

As the concert time drew near I somehow found myself on the concrete abutment next to the stairs. When I got out of the, now sizable, crowd I noticed that the blue sky had blown over with wintry clouds and the temperature had dropped considerably. One of my friends handed me a loaf of cafeteria bread that we had brought for supper. After having a couple of slices I noticed that the people below me in the crowd were hungry and asking for bread. I started handing out slices and then a strange thing happened. They started throwing it back at me. I didn’t feel that the bread was that bad, and giving bread to strangers, I thought, was a generous thing to do. I guess they had some sort of problem with someone handing things out to them from above, like an authority complex. Perhaps they didn’t like seeing me enjoying myself, but whatever the reason, I just gave them the whole loaf, which they took gratefully.

The crowd’s energy built as the concert time drew near. By now all of my friends had squeezed onto the stairs and when the doors opened we were pushed into the armory like water down a pipe. Running for the stage, we found ourselves near enough to spit at it. Let me tell you a little bit about Grateful Dead fans. They approach a live concert with the reverence of a Pentecostal church service, yet they compete for the best view with such intensity that the crowds near the stage almost get crushed. Many take hallucinogenic drugs in order to enhance their ecstatic experience. In fact, the Grateful Dead came to be in San Francisco during the Psychedelic Sixties and are considered by many to be the quintessential acid-rock band. I liked them because they had a folksy style that was easy-going.

At this time in my life I had moved away from the mind altering substances in favor of meditation and clean living. What a relief that was. Yet still I held onto my dream of something else, something much greater that I knew, inside, to be a higher truth, a higher experience. The Grateful Dead described themselves as “A signpost to a new space” and I sensed that they had something I wanted. Something abstract, yet more real than anything. People told of great explosions of spiritual energy during concerts, also of warm feelings of peace and unity with the crowd and the band. The music was accessible, not filled with complaining and bitterness like much rock music of the time. In fact, there was a hopefulness that came through, that life could be better if we came to terms with our own fears and weaknesses and learned love and compassion. The Woodstock ideal.

The concert started right on time, with the crowd dancing joyfully to the playful melodies and rhythms. I shared the fun with my friends who surrounded me, smiling and chatting about how good the music was. The band, notorious for extremely long concerts, took a break after about an hour and a half. We sat and ate what was left of our provisions and eagerly anticipated the next set. The audience hushed as they saw the band coming out onto the darkened stage. The second set is always much more powerful than the first; the band has warmed up, as has the audience, creating a dynamic synergy.

It was coming from that energetic silence that something quite profound happened to me. From the silence between songs, the bass player struck a deep, powerful tone, the first notes of “Jack Straw”, which touched me deep in my soul. I found myself instantly transported from the steamy, noisy crowd in the auditorium to a deep, silent space within my mind. The music flowed through my heart like a river of light, and the dancing crowd was my body. There was no more noise, no motion, no question of comfort or pain, only silence, deep silence within me and surrounding me. Everything was perfect order.

I watched in awe as the beauty of the night unfolded around me and through me. I must have looked quite odd when the lead guitarist glanced out at the crowd and seeing me, mouth agape and starry eyed, smiled knowingly. The night whirled on as I drifted in this ecstatic state. No drug could have given me the depth of peace and silence that my simple innocence provided. I knew from my meditation studies that this was the sought-after transcendent state, the inner light that gives freedom and knowledge. And I was so grateful to have this knowingness descend upon me on that auspicious night.

There were no words to tell my friends as we filed out of the hall after the last encore, just a piercing twinkle in my happily tired eyes. Yet nature seemed to have come up with the proper expression of wonder for the occasion, for when we emerged from the armory, the blooming May landscape of the previous day had been coated with six inches of fresh snow, giving a surreal silence and purity to the town.

In a spiritual journey, which is all this life really is, there are landmarks which both light the way and give hope for the future. Their coming is a wonder and a blessing, for we cannot create these experiences. They are far beyond our small powers of comprehension and manipulation. They are a gift, outright. Our role is only to be grateful and open, listening to our lives as if to a venerated old grandparent. And giving without asking why. Perhaps the Grateful Dead knew something of this path we are on. And perhaps they somehow found a way to spark that growth in their listeners. In don’t know, but I am grateful to anyone who offers hope and wisdom to this weary world.



- (01/20/2009)

HOAX!!!
-Anonymous (02/06/2009)

When Jerry was playin' scarlet>fire, you think he realized he was playing so damn good???
-August West (03/03/2009)

I was stuck in '72, '73 and '74 forever. This show got me and kept me in '77
-A fan (03/03/2009)

As much as I love this show (as famous as it is) as well as the '77 & '78 era--'72 thru '74 is still the best!!! It's Dead that just can't be touched...a tight, maturing, exploratory band more on fire than any other years.

: ) peace
-Scott (03/10/2009)

First set is great, second set is superb. Honestly, I think this show is over rated. I love it but I don't think it is one of the best shows they ever played. If the first set was as good as the second then it would definitely be one of their best shows.
- (09/09/2009)

Can everyone please stop referring to tapes as "bootlegs". Bootlegs are unauthorized recordings of john tesh concerts, these tapes are authorized audience recordings. Bootlegs do nothing to help the scene or the freedom the dead gave us to document and share their music.
-me (09/22/2009)

best dew I've come across...
- (11/07/2009)

This is the most overrated show of all time. Seriously. Go to Summer of 76' to see REAL dead!! peace.
- (12/06/2009)

other than the obvious highlights (scarlet>fire, dancin', morning dew) for me this show has one of the greatest not fade aways ever. the only other versions that could possibly eclipse this "not fade away" are 2/14/70 or 9/3/77
- (12/21/2009)

A quick comment, after finally hearing this show after many years a deadhead. It is certainly the finest, or one of the finish, shows ever - but who should split such hairs. So many amazing moments to comment on. The band plays with real soul throughout, finding each tune's essence. Keith is beyond excellent form throughout, and in the final moments of Dew he give the show it's apex moment when he throws down what is in my opinion the greatest rock 'n roll piano slide ever recorded - equal to Daltry's greatest rock 'n roll scream ever on "Won't get fooled again". Jerry is absolute genius everywhere. The rough edges here and there give the whole show such a human tinge - you know you are hearing something marvelous being created in the moment. Too much more to praise and so I will leave it at that. A must hear performance.
- (12/21/2009)

BEST DEAD SHOW EVER!!!! I could wright essays on the dead and let alone this show. I understand others arguments on this "not being the best show ever" and I understand. Personally it's a fallacy to try and list dead concerts from greatest to least but this is personally my favourite ever. They had over 500 songs to choose from so what is a perfect song selection? This concert just has that perfect culmination of spirit, heart, soul, song, and gestalt. From the first song the concert is a hit, no taking a few songs to warm up and find the groove of the show it just happens. So yeah maybe not the greatest bestest ever dead show of all time but at the same time it is, go figure. happy listening. long live the betty boards!!!
- (02/11/2010)

Hunter's Trix Volume 40 - Using an AUD source not used before, and Betty Cantor's excellent SBD, Hunter has put together a matrix of this show that will blow your mind. Mp3 audio @ 320kbps. Clean, free download at rapidshare.

http://rapidshare.com/files/352543469/ht40.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/352556575/ht40.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/352562907/ht40.part3.rar
-Krafty (02/18/2010)

What's the definition of seamless? Websters dictionary defines it 'the transition between scarlet>fire 5/8/77'. Seriously, each member crosses over individually and when they sync up about a minute into Fire i get chills EVERY TIME! Also love Jerry just goin' OFF in the middle of Dancin' before Bob corrals him into a great funky breakdown. Performance is so tight, sound is A+++, only drawback is the straightforward setlist but that's like complaining about the weight of gold. I'm glad i listened to this before i realized how revered it was, how can anything live up to the hype!! Let's just say this show is amazing and leave it at that.
- (03/19/2010)

by far one of the top five shows of all time the morning dew is priceless
- (05/13/2010)

While I agree this is a great Row Jimmy it is definitely not the best ever. Off the top of my head I can think of a couple of better Jimmy's. The one from Egypt for example is even better
- (08/09/2010)

A killer show but in my opinion not the best. I cannot label one dead show as the best, it just seems wrong in my opinion. This show is solid and has some tasty moments, listen to 12-27-77 for another smokin show from 77.
-Justin (01/04/2011)

All music is, is a matter of opinion so judging which show is the best and which is the worse is all decided by the listener, but all i can say about this tape is row jimmy, morning dew and scarlet begonias moved me too tears and i know it did too any other deadhead and that right their is a fact about this tape,

ps: to neil how can u say a song played by jerry is "uninspired" quit sniffing ur mothers key board cleaner and bitching u fag
- (01/06/2011)

I was 19 and a freshman and I really was there, all those years ago. I didn't go to 100 dead shows (more like 20) and I don't own every tape of every show -- but I can say that at the end of a very long and stoned evening, Morning Dew made everyone look around and say "what the fk" -- you knew right then and there that you were witnessing history. If others saw better shows or listen to them today, then that's great, but for me, I can only say "thank you Jerry, and shine on forever."
- (04/22/2011)

The St. Stephen>NFA>Stephen>Morning Dew is amazing! One of my favorite moments.
- (04/25/2011)

This show is overrated, 1977 is overrated. The best music the Dead ever played is to be found in 1972, 1973 and 1974. 1977 has some great jams yes but there ain't no weirdness. 72-74 weirdness and great jamming transcends 1977 just jamming. The Dead without weirdness is like a jelly donut without jelly. The donut still tastes really good. But it doesn't have any jelly.
-The Truth (05/07/2011)

Greatest show? Don't know what that means. I think this show typifies their 77-78 sound... slick, icy, yet sizzling and, many times, gut-wrenching deep. They had a great 74 sound. A great 68-70 sound. A great 80-81 sound. And the more you listen to the Dead, across their years, the more you realize that some shows seem to stand out more within a given period, because they really showcased the band at their absolute best in that time... what they were thinking about. Basically, they found a way at Cornell to say exactly what they were thinking through their instruments. At least, that's how I see it.

De coloribus et gustibus non disputandum est.
- (05/25/2011)

One other quick thought...

I've always loved the shit out of this show. The second set particularly. It seemed like Jerry could just play anything that came into his mind, and that was kind of rare for the Fat Man, because his mind was always so unusual that his fingers often wouldn't bend to his imagination. I say that not to criticize his playing, but because he really WAS that creative... always challenging himself... restless... taking it one step beyond his comfort zone. Most guitarists play licks that are easy for them... that they know. They're not willing to really put themselves out there and risk failing on stage.

In this show, somehow, his fingers managed to keep up with his imagination. So we hear it all. You hear that at the Great American 8.13.75 show, too. I suspect there were a lot of other shows like this that simply didn't get recorded as well, however.

To the guy who said that the key to the Dead was the weirdness... I totally disagree. The key to the Grateful Dead was the HEART AND SOUL. Show me a band that comes out and plays with pure passion... totally un-"sexy" and unstylish... without any put ons... without trying to sell something. Sometimes, the passion came out in the form of weirdness. Sometimes, the passion came out in the form of rich, luscious jams. Sometimes, it didn't come out. But there was the potential any night for you to be moved.

I wasn't just there for the drugs and the "trippy" music. The trips were fresh. The weirdness took you outside yourself. But Jerry just wailing on one string and using a wah pedal?... those 74 shows were amazing and weird, for sure... but so were the shows back in 68 and 69. All that stuff on Anthem is fantastic. It wasn't just 72-74. The Dead always brought their own brand of weirdness. It just changed over time. But, again, I don't think that weirdness was what they were trying to present... or they wouldn't have played songs like Me & My Uncle so many times (though the little story IS pretty strange, huh?)

They wanted to say something about what it is to be free, to be in America in the 60s and onward. Some of that was in the form of "free your mind" material, some was embodied in songs about the freedom of the American west, and a lot of it questioned what freedom was if there was any such thing at all. When I think of the Dead, I think of all those characters. The Wharf Rat. Black Peter. The narrator of Stella Blue. I think of all of those passionate versions of Morning Dew.

I'm overanalyzing a bit... but my point is... over the years, when I went to their shows, I tried not to impose my idea of what I wanted a show to be like on the experience. They changed. They grew. There were different periods, but each was great in its own way (except for maybe the very end, which was just tragic.) Instead of saying... "God... 78 wasn't 74"... just enjoy!
- (06/01/2011)

This is some of Jerry's best guitar work. He absolute kills it on Deal, Row Jimmy, and Jack Straw in the first set. The second set is unbelievable. He takes it to the next level. Classic Jerry.
- (07/04/2011)

this show obviously is top notch. talked about a lot and with good reason. I just wanted to say one thing I've been dwelling on for the past week or so..THIS TLEO IS PHENOMENAL.
The interplay between Keith and Jerry is astounding. Keith just amazes me and the music feels like I'm drifting away from earth on a hot air balloon.

So much more to say about this show but what's a better TLEO? I'm curious

Peaceeee
- (09/20/2011)

Who cares if this is the best show or what is the best show. All that matters is the fact that the grateful dead was the greatest band EVER to hit the stages. The only word that comes to my mind when describing any song/concert is MAGICAL. Garcia is hands down the most inspirational musician that has ever lived. Instead of arguing opinions just listen to the phenomenal music that came from this band. I must say my favorite shows are 5/8/77, 9/18/87, 4/24/1978 simply amazing recordings!
- (09/22/2011)

Quite simply, this concert is better than I ever thought music could be. The more I listen, the more I enjoy it and am in awe of it. Jerry's power, eloquence, and beauty are overwhelming. At times (Loser, Row, Dancin', and the ENTIRE 2nd set) I'm left struggling to believe what I am hearing. Did time stand still? If you told me Jerry was floating above the stage I'd believe it.
- (09/28/2011)

Whoever thinks this is their favorite show: you need to listen to 10.25.73 Eyes. Its better than this show all by itself. Then check out shakedown from 6.30.85. Or how about anything from may 74.
-mark on elm (10/15/2011)

Scarlet>Fire...most phenominal music i have ever herd, my soul was literally touched by garcias playing in the transition between the songs, most beautiful guitar work ever played by a human being
-mahrtin (10/25/2011)

This was my second of well over 100 shows. It changed the course of my life both good and bad. Pouring raing going in and 6" of snow leading to 12" on the way out. A very interesting ride back to Hobart. Very fond memories.
-Pete (10/26/2011)

First Dark Star
- (10/29/2011)

^ no way stu. this was their first brown eyed women though!
- (11/02/2011)

Um, no. You're wrong, too, anderson. Definitely not the first brown-eyed women.
It's a great show, the a.m. dew in particular, but how can you compare this to a show like 4/14/72 (to take just one of the many incredible shows from '72)?
-Faustus (11/08/2011)

A very good show but not their best. There is a new re transfer of Jerry Moore's audience tapes making the rounds.
- (11/12/2011)

This is a great show. Also it is the most overrated show of all time. All time.
-mark (11/12/2011)

SICK golden road!
- (11/20/2011)

Decent Pride of Cucamonga, sick France>Cream Puff War!
-Anonymous (11/20/2011)

Highlight: Unbroken Chain tease during The Eleven.
-Cosmic Carlos (11/25/2011)

Okay, all these comments and all the all-knowing deadheads, and all the veterans who have seen them live... let me tell you this-
THERE IS A REASON THAT CORNELL IS CONSIDERED THE GRATEST DEAD SHOW OF ALL TIME>>>
Follow me to the PEAK OF THE DEAD...
from NEW HAVEN MAY 5th, 1977, unto BUFFALO MAY 9th, 1977... this is known as the "peak of the dead".
Look, I respect everyone's opinions, but listen up!
I have listen to every Dead SHOW and there are PUHLEEENTY PULENTY plenty awesome shows. Each SETLIST has its own spirit.
However, we are talking about music. Music comes down to "details" and also "nuance".
YES... Jerry had begun the hardcore heroin addiction. But in the beginning stages, it is actually an enhancement- kinda like IRONMAN. Just think SUBLIME or NIRVANA!
ANYHOO... this concert is essential, not only because of its crystallic sound, but because; all of Jerry's life, he wanted his brain to make his fingers fullfill what he thought. His obsession of transcendent perfection through live performence affected every member of the band (the greatest advocate was PIGPEN) and so!
CORNELL is the greatest concert because of the perfection of the NOTES and of the PERFORMANCE
close is 4-23-77 or the infamous VENETA '72.
-renrael (12/09/2011)

Omg this is the show where Jerry and Pigpen got naked and started sucking each other's dicks! I was sitting in the front row, and I got covered in jizz! This was succeeded by a 30 minute Golden Road>Samson and Delilah>Golden Road>Wang Dang Doodle>Golden Road! Simply the greatest show ever! Unfortunately, the penis heroin I took that night was laced with acid and I bugged the fuck out.
-Anonymous (12/10/2011)

Sorry, Anonymous, but no. Pigpen had been dead for some time.
-Abby Normal (12/20/2011)

Bill Graham sat in on trumpet at this show.

Seriously, though, Keith's playing prevents this from being the best show ever. Listen to 4/14/72, the best show from the European tour, and you'll hear a superb piano player who is integral to the band's sound and knows how to play in this band. Where did that guy go? His repetitive loops in Scarlet are a distraction.
-Jones (12/20/2011)

The comments here on this one are a complete joke. Best show ever? Not even close. Get real. No show without Pig Pen and TC cannot be the best ever. Whoever says its the best ever needs to have more than 5 shows in their collection. Give me a frickin break.

-wtf (01/08/2012)

This tape is one of the greatest because of the quality of the musicianship, the recording, and the intangibles of how the band played that night. It's a classic.
- (01/20/2012)

Excellent show, good energy, nice audience tape. Why does it matter if it is your favorite, or not someone elses? Who wins the prize for listing the best shows correctly?
No offense, I understand and dig the discussion, it's cool, just not the competition or vitriol from some.
Guess it depends on why you listen and what you get out of it.
We all have years, tours, line-ups and shows we preffer, great. Enjoy the good fortune we all have to still hear such an amazing catalogue. Chill on the hyper negative, it doesn't make you sound cool or like an authority, just a crank. You plant ice, you're gonna harvest wind.
- (02/12/2012)

"Um, no. You're wrong, too, anderson. Definitely not the first brown-eyed women.
It's a great show, the a.m. dew in particular, but how can you compare this to a show like 4/14/72 (to take just one of the many incredible shows from '72)?
-Faustus (11/08/2011)"

Haha I was just kidding with the poster who said this was first dark star and being sarcastic.

still diggin this show, 24 listens of TLEO later
-branderson (03/25/2012)

There is no such thing as a perfect show or best show ever; are there magical moments?, absolutely: Dancin', Scarlet/Fire & Morning Dew.

Remember, the Dead may not be the best at what they do, they're the only ones who do what they do (ty Uncle Bobo).

May of '77, an apex of the Travis Bean era, this show would be ranked (in my opinion) 4 or 5th just in the month alone.

Keith G. playing can be brilliant at times, however, the repetitive loops during the Scarlet/Fire segue are annoying and uninspiring. Have to keep in mind that this is the ninth time this pairing has ever been played, and Godchaux's sense of timing has been ravaged by the effects of 8 yrs. of heavy drug use.

Overall, a good show with amazing moments, not a great show.
- (04/14/2012)

I was there, and I taped the show. Hand held the AKG mics going into my Sony 152, which was no small feat under the influences! :-) Tape was widely distributed, and the show went viral. Best show ever? Unlikely. But it was kick-ass, and the Dew was legendary. Don't get too caught up in the judgements. It was time and place, and many people's first tape of a show that just happened.

Those mics (E210 I believe) went down to 20hz, so the Phil on them was unlike anything, even til this day (the master still lives!). And I've got 35 years of masters since, mostly with "better" mics, but none that went that low!

10 inches of snow that night. Stayed up watching it fall while listening to the show all over again - marveling at how awesome it was to be able to do so! It was my third show with good equipment (following Springfield and New Haven just before it).

Cheers everyone! Happy 35th anniversary of a fabulous night!
- (05/08/2012)

This is the best show of any kind by anyone every. Had I not been in attendance, I would not have been inspired to invent the time machine that took me back to 1941, the Allies would have lost World War II, and your cell phones would all be cloned by disreputable criminals. More importantly, the opening to St. Stephen exceeds the powerful, early versions by epitomizing Garcia's true musical genius: the sweet, tearful, paradoxiacally uplifting nostalgia that was his unique, inimitable gift.

What year is it again?
-Heddy Lamarr (07/06/2012)

Nothin agaisnt anyone who thinks this is like the greatest dead show of all time, but i have to firmly Disagree. If you have ever heard Hartford from this same month and year on some heady doses, this show isn't shit compared to that. Have to give this show and every other from May of '77, but Hartford just incapacitated me. Just my opinion.
-Murphy (07/31/2012)

I will say this show does have my favorite Dancin' and Minglewood in it. Crazy vocal distortion in the first set shoulda been used more throughout their career, pitty, it made bobby sound evil. hahaha, RIP Jerry, miss ya brah.
-Murphy (08/01/2012)

Truly one of the best shows, BUT... the Scarlet jam on 9/2/78 [Giants Stadium] is absolutely dominate. Sorry to upset the Cornell lovers, but the picking of of the 4 fingered genius in simply amazing (even though they skip a lyric in the 1st half, but who cares). Just take a listen and you will agree.

AC


By the way the Fire is ruined by Donna's screams. Of course....
- (08/05/2012)

I actually like Donna's screaming sometimes
-Anonymous (09/23/2012)

Fantastic show, regardless of the hype. Great energy, and the Scarlet Begonias/Fire On The Mountain is their best version of the two songs, no doubt.
- (10/14/2012)

Fess Up "Anonymous" you must be Donna Jean Godchaux. Only you can love your screams......
- (10/27/2012)

I like how Jerry quotes Dave Brubeck several times on his Estimated solo.
- (12/10/2012)

stupid prick yelling during AM Dew.
-Anonymous (01/12/2013)

It is very fashionable to call this show the greatest GD in history but I'll take a smoking 72' show over this anytime
- (02/20/2013)

All their shows were good. Some better then others, some Astronomically better then others. But there can never and will never be a unanimous "best show". So many heads with so many opinions can never put together a concise answer, besides, any new people discovering this amazing mind melt band will think ever show is the greatest, because there will alawys be someone who triped their face off at a show, even 90's, and think it can't be topped. So this is definitley up there, but i don't think there can be a clear winner.
The boys will blow any other band out the water anyway, so who really cares which ones best.
-Anonymous (02/25/2013)

Bob has played the Bohemian Grove, so clarson may not be off base. But brevity liberates the mind control.
-Admiral Inman (03/02/2013)

Hey Anonymous, "Astronomically" positions have absolutely nothing to do with if a show is perceived to be good or great and the rest of your spiel is truly nonsense. Have a great day.
-AC (04/03/2013)

This show is one of the greats, and a Soundboard copy is being preserved in the Smithsonian Nation Audio Recoding Archives as part of their historical concerts clollection. So there is no disputing that a good majority of Heads believe this to be their greatest show.
and AC, Most of what that bro said was correct.
1. Any new person listening to the band for the first time will think any show they hear is amazing. Thats why people got on the bus so quick after their first show.
2. Acid makes you think everything is amazing, and only the experienced trippers seem to realize that there is a difference in how good a show was to you and how good it actually was.
For example; a previous comment i made on this show, right after tripping to 5/28/77.
3. The Grateful Dead has never and will never be matched in musical intensity or on-the-spot creativity. No one will ever be able to fuck your brain sideways like these boys can. So, the "best" show is an irrelivant point, because any show is better then no show at all.

My only "Sober" opinion on this show, is that it is definitely one of the most well known shows by people who aren't even heads, and most people know this show as the greatest show in the dead history. So if you take into account how easily convinced people are of anything, it doesn't surprise me that there would be a unanimous outside perception that this is the best show. Thats why The Smithsonian chose it, cause most people know of it. But there is NO BEST SHOW!!!! There is only YOUR OPINION of what the best show is. and an opinion is like taking a dump, everyone does it, but no body wants to know about it.
-Murphy (04/24/2013)

I was lucky enough to be present at this show, and was apparently one of the few who got a good photograph! I shot this during the slow vocals in St. Stephen...

http://i5.nyu.edu/~mm64/goldfarb/GD5877.JPG

- (04/25/2013)

Hey Murphy,
I agree a lot of people BELIEVE that this show is the BEST but my first post was about how scarlet & especially the jam on 9/2/78 [Giants Stadium] is superior. Sure this show is great and one of my favorites but most people say this is the best scarlet and that is what I am challenging
Peace
AC
- (04/30/2013)

Comment on this Show!