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What a difference 8 months makes. The show at the same venue the year before was the lowpoint of my Live Dead experience and this was one of the highpoints. Just shows to go you that the venue didn't make much difference in the quality of shows. This show is my personal favorite from 1980. Of all the shows I saw (200+ from 1978-86) this ranks as one of the top 5, right behind the cape cod shows and 12/31/81, and up there with Frost 82s. The songlist is nice, not exceptional, but the playing is A+ for the whole show. My favorite Ramble On Rose of all time. The most exceptional part of this show is Uncle john's through drums.

In my opinion this is the best Uncle I've seen or heard. Check out the lead break, sweetly melodic, and it sticks to a very sweet theme, no wasted notes. Hornsby was quoted as saying that the Dead's philosophy was " why play one note when 5 will do fine". This is one of those times where Jerry strayed from that philosophy, and it is exquisite. The transition from Prophet to Eyes is also beautifully phrased.Check Out the truckin >> Stella blue, very sweet and sad. Every song/jam here is very good to exceptional. I believe this is an overlooked gem, and will be a welcome addition to anybody's collection.

- May 9, 2008Overlooked Gem