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1st Set

2nd Set

Usborne matrix

This one gets the rare 4 1/2-HG (4 & 1/2 stars-hidden gem). Look at that amazing set list. This has long been one of my favorite tapes and the show is in my top 5 attended, as well. A beautiful end-of-summer day. Park City was MUCH smaller back then (didn't stretch all the way to the interstate and no homes all over the hillsides) and I don't know if the show wasn't promoted well down in SLC or what, but this would be the LAST time I was at a show and only a couple thousand people came! Nobody was smushing in and you could meander about easily (just 4 years later this was all a story to tell). There were people who owned condos beside the stage who were privy to a different view as they partied on balconies and hung a cool "Utah Dead" banner for a mostly core-DEADicated audience. The base of the ski area (The Canyons) has been rebuilt and shifted since then, but the stage was set up next to the old lodge deck and the crowd sat up towards where the gondola angle-station sits today.The band was really flowing this day, start to finish, with a particular lilt permeating the music, most of which was uptempo. They played on a smallish stage that wasn't set very high, with a small PA. I never witnessed an atmosphere this laid-back again. Being in Utah had an opposite, sequestered effect from what you'd think (maybe also because this was the first time they didn't play down in town). This is my ideal setlist - all my '81-'86 faves are here. Ending 1st set withand then coming back forwas immense after an intermission that resembled a group picnic, replete with some dude walking around passing out dosed Lemonheads (a friend of a friend was dosed for two days and was in my back seat for part of it, mumbling along to a song nobody else heard while we played Zep Presence). Everybody looked up at one point (the band too) to see a guy spiraling down in a parachute, smoke trailing his heels. It fit the music perfectly and for the effort he got a free show. Not that you couldn't hike in from the top of the runs if you really wanted to - though tickets at the window were only twelve bucks. There were a bunch of other weird events too (I admit the possibility I was the world's only witness). This was the first show where I wanted/was able to bring in an SLR. When I developed my slides I had shots of the stage that looked identical - just Bob and Jer playing. Then it came back to me. I had thought I'd take a "picture" of each SONG, and photograph the wayfelt; the waytasted. There were a dozen of these. Oh well, it's always 4:20 somewhere.It was an all-daylight show and the parking lot scene raged into the evening and later; the first one where I noticed an increase in open vending (there was almost zero security at this show - a very mellow event, under the radar in Reagan's America), t-shirts & bumper stickers, etc., some I still have. Seems like the only show I went to where 50% of the crowd was trying to fund their next stop (the much bigger Dead market of Red Rocks). We were blasting Sandinista on the tailgate and this disturbed several hardcore heads wandering by (hehehe) - BITD when that genre was just too subversive - even for Deadheads. Try explaining that one to kids today. We had a motel room in nearby Coalville which was creepy and redneck after dark. We got edgy as we walked around in the early hours hoping to bump into some other D-heads but found only a staredown from a police cruiser (come to get you if you don't walk right). So at dawn we checked out under the watchful eye and moseyed for Colorado.This would be the last week where I didn't mail order for tix, as that was just getting going, and the caravan on I-80 east to the Red Rocks show had plenty of odd synchronous events. Unfortunately, the people I was with have all passed on at this point. That's the way it goes sometimes I guess but the sounds of this day live on and I cherish them dearly as a convergence of best time at a show, small & soaring crowd and a high-qual performance. One of the best shows I went to, period, but also, looking back, 1983 was great because mainstream society was unaware of our existence. We'd been forgotten. History likes to thinkchanged everything but things were changing in '85 and even '84 was different than '83. This show's a great example of '83 and is better than 10/14 and 10/21. Four years later they played another hot show here (2nd set at night and triple the attendance).. There are some PA problems during a smoking, uptempothat sets the pace for the show (use matrix source). Jer is on fire forbut the others are warming up - still hot though. This may be the bestof '83. It's money.has highlights but Bobby's slide wasn't always contained. The middle of the set is average to above average. '83 was the first year forand a couple dozen in it was still evolving; less so for, even though this was only the 11th.is a little labored and the low point of the show. It's always welcome but this wasn't the year for that one. Theis one of my faves, ever. Check Brent during China, but particularly check this version of Rider. It's insane.. It's also insane to come back from a China>Rider set closer and into a 27-minute. I love a Scarlet where the solo goes another measure. It's tight and the last few minutes of the jam into Fire is perhaps my favorite-ever Scarlet segue.is also good but doesn't go anywhere crazy - just tight. More speakers are blown forthough the boys are game. Bill and Mickey play off, more than with each other, if that's how you like it, but the kick-asshas a classic, into an above-averagehits a fever pitch and is one of the best versions from 83. Bobby Throws a Stone during the segue (they had just played it in Boise) but it goes into. Average at first, it gets sent. The low point iswith Bobby sputtering and bailing, making up for it by going all in on(...Latter-Day night). He's really good on, which would be a top version if not for another speaker problem.; B+: A-Overall = 4 1/2 StarsHighlights:Bertha - out of the gate, uptempo versionFriend of the Devil - best of 83China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider - A good China (I L-O-V the final solo), Rider is blissScarlet>Fire - 27 minutes of the year's best ScarFire jamSpace>Wheel>Other One - Bobby nudges Jer, they do the Spanish Jam long, Wheel soars, The Other One is a feverish version. Wharf is also a great part of this sequence.SOURCES: I had a clear AUD of this (which hasn't been uploaded) but my copy had a pitch problem and I had it taped over with a wack SBD that had a bad mix. The Miller SBD (117185) sounds better for some reason (different source?) but the SBDs have too much Brent keys and Jer mic. Now (finally!) there's anwhich sounds better for much of the show (Bertha, Tennessee, Esau, Althea, Bucket, Fire ) with instrument clarity, balance, and has the correct pitch on Bertha, finally giving this show good service (though I wish it had more AUD ratio and more Phil). The work is being appreciated Dave!