This show has been commercially released as Road Trips Vol 1 No 2.

Promised Land, Sugaree, Cassidy, Loser, Minglewood Blues, Friend Of The Devil, Sunrise, Dire Wolf, The Music Never Stopped Scarlet Begonias-> Fire On The Mountain, Estimated Prophet-> Drums-> The Other One-> Good Lovin'-> Terrapin Station-> Black Peter-> Around & Around, E: U.S. Blues

sdb> MR> C> D> CD; via Mike Lai

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Reviewer: Mind Wondrin - favorite favorite favorite favorite - March 2, 2019

Subject: Red Pole

The Maravich Assembly Center holds 14k - a big venue for the Dead in Louisiana in 1977 - but they apparently set up for half the floor. Note that this was the triage center for Katrina. The 1st set is fairly short for '77, at just over an hour, though the quality makes up for it. You don't see Baton Rouge pop up on fave lists, but there sure is a lot of good stuff here.



First Set. It takes a few to warm up. Sugaree may be one of the longest versions (almost a long as 5/28), but it's far from the most engaging. It starts downtempo, suddenly slows more during the second chorus, then gets even slower until it sounds like they're nodding off. Cassidy is better, and the machine has verified lift-off with Loser. There are many good versions in '77, but check Donna on this one. The sky then turns paisley for a hot Minglewood, and by Friend of the Devil they are playing in the pocket. There's a deceptive mellowness on what are not super-excited versions, but let it settle - and don't forget to listen to Bobby. On Sunrise, Jer & Bobby have both found their chunk; and Donna is great here, too (better than the one used on RT1-2). Dire Wolf is very tight. These '77s are straightforward and brief, but few are this solid. Music Never Stopped is equally inspired, and much like the Denver version.



Second Set. Scarlet is good, but in retrospect it's a lead-in for one of the era's best versions of Fire on the Mountain. The former has "one of those feelings" instead of "flashes" and "nothing wrong with the way she caught my eye". Maybe not the tightest but damned if Jer doesn't locate magic and commune with the three-eyed godhead. The latter is concise and gets effortlessly to the point in each lead. The final jam sent me left at the lights. The official version of Scarlet starts abruptly, without the count-in. Estimated is solid, if typical '77. The official version fades out before the last 30sec, but that's nothing compared to how the following Drums was chopped. There are nine edits (some quite bizarre), ultimately using these sections of the SBD: 0:09>0:38, 0:52>1:04, 1:34>2:00, 2:06>2:11, 2:36>3:13, 3:49>3:53, 4:05>4:07, 4:11>4:23, & 4:53>end. This Other One has the conciseness of Fire, and is likewise one of the year's best (up there with 5/9, 5/21 & 6/8). It's a punchy, interlocked mosaic on a wall that evolves to trompe-l'œil. Just one verse and a Spanish segue into Good Lovin. It's then weird to hear that one go into Terrapin. These are average versions (Jer forgets several verses), but this is the only one of the latter that goes into Black Peter. Since Peter is laid-back like much of the show, it seems like a long way to go to the jam, but the payoff is wealthy and it has one of the longest and best trannies ever, going into Around & Around. This has some shoes in the dryer but the real trainwreck is saved for the encore, with all verses flubbed, made worse by going out of tune.



1st Set : B+

2nd Set : C

Overall = 3½ stars



Highlights:

Minglewood Blues - paisley sky

Friend of the Devil - in the pocket & Bobby

Sunrise - space for Jer and Bobby

Dire Wolf - '77 terseness & Donna

Music Never Stopped - inspiration equal

Fire on the Mountain - to-the-point each lead & final jam

Other One - mosaic & trompe-l'œil



SOURCES: The tunings are trimmed from the only SBD (lai_3350). The 1st set is AUD only. Sugaree & MNS are on Road Trips v. 1 #2, along with all of the 2nd set except U..S Blues (and the complete Estimated & Drums). - March 2, 2019Red Pole

Reviewer: Pappas2000 - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - October 17, 2018

Subject: Another 77 Gem Another stellar show from a stellar year! I have always preferred the fall shows to the spring, but really, it is hard to go wrong with 77!



One more note, check Jerry's ripping solo in 'Sunrise'! It starts around 2:57, and only goes for 15 seconds or so, but it is FIRE! - October 17, 2018Another 77 Gem

Reviewer: c-freedom - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - October 17, 2018

Subject: One last voice is calling you You know it's gonna be great

when Phil says 'THANKS'

just one tune into the show.

Donna Jean shines.

Set list is creative.

Sunrise between FOTD and Dire Wolf

Top Highlights are well documented in reviews

MUSIC NEVER is at its PEAK in 77

Nothing but the Drummers>Other One!

Check out Black Peter>Around &Around

(Jam outta PETER-Wow)

(Donna sweet on Around x2)

This show sizzles with solid contributions

all the way around.

"Summer time

done

Come and gone." - October 17, 2018One last voice is calling you

Reviewer: Grateful Jeff1 - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - September 29, 2018

Subject: Travis Bean? A grate show. In other words, a typical 1977 show. The SUGAREE is epic for sure. Being a professional guitarist who has seen the boys over 300 times and has a distinct ear for guitar tones, I would have to say that Jer used the Wolf guitar at this show. Officially, Englishtown on 9/3 was the last show where he used the Travis exclusively. That being said, give a listen to another grate show a little over a year later, Nashville 12/16/78, and you will hear what, IMHO, is highly likely Garcia playing the Travis. Guess he broke it out for that night for whatever reason. - September 29, 2018Travis Bean?

Reviewer: Sparklemahn - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - June 17, 2018

Subject: Reply to Oscar Jr. Heard similar things about Mayer. The thing about Jerry is he;s incomparable, and anyone playing his music has the unfortunate and inevitable comparisons. Sometimes I really enjoy when bands cover the Dead on the Grateful Dead Channel but that doesn't mean they are trying to imitate the Dead like Mayer with Bobby and/or Phil - June 17, 2018Reply to Oscar Jr.

Reviewer: Bucketed1Sevices - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - October 14, 2017

Subject: Oscar Jr. Yea, And Too Bad About John Mayer. What A Clown. I Was Unfortunate Enough To See Him Destroy A Michael Franti & Spearhead Show. A Waste Of A Talented Guitarist. How You Say, IMHO. Oh Shit, I'm Trending. - October 14, 2017Oscar Jr.

Reviewer: MichaelTurner-sfs - favorite favorite favorite favorite - October 11, 2016

Subject: On the Day John Mayer Was Born . . . Great show. Not only was it Bobby's 30th birthday, but John Mayer was born on this day, too! - October 11, 2016On the Day John Mayer Was Born . . .

Reviewer: whodat808 - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - March 22, 2016

Subject: there a booby bday show,hah....all dressed in shimmering lime green poly untucked longsleeve rolled up and form fittin white disco flares jeans,phil had his belli deli tshirt on,jerry was playing the wolf axe. i was a member of phi kappa sigma at Tulane,the frat rented a bus with akeg in the back , and we all dosed and got driven to baton rouge and back ,what could be better :). up front on the floor ,my first fire,i remember the Other One into good Lovin being odd but cool,then Terrapin,lol,...now i remember thinking it was over after good lovin, but NO ,it got Waaaaay better,the black peter was insane .....good times,wooohooo - March 22, 2016there

Reviewer: doug_the_dude - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - October 16, 2013

Subject: -- Another great show chopped up; what a shame. If you bother to purchase that Road Trips release you'll get half the show - set 2 (with a clipped Drums) and part of set 1.



Yep - that Sugaree in set 1 is absolutely amazing, one to treasure forever for sure. Don't forget about Music Never Stopped.



Set 2 is totally assured '77 - Scarlet > Fire is understated but works on the same level Sugaree does. FWIW, Jer blows the U.S. Blues encore.



I have to admit that the Road Trips release does make full use of Phil and the rhythm section - this is a very rhythm-driven show, very heavy on the bass, just thunderous and beautiful. - October 16, 2013--

Reviewer: clementinescaboose - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - February 20, 2012

Subject: Best Sugaree? I'm not sure if it's the best, but it certainly leaves most others in the dust. It's my new favorite. Usually Jerry's soloing on this song is powerful, but in a more jazzy, lilting kind of way (if that makes sense- the Dead are one of the only bands I know of who can be quiet but intense) but this version Is just a brutal attack from start to finish, especially the 1st solo. It's a must hear version. Rest of the show solid too with strong versions of Music Never Stopped and Scarlet>Fire, among others. - February 20, 2012Best Sugaree?

Reviewer: Lemmy - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - March 28, 2009

Subject: Sugaree oh so sweet... This Sugaree kills me. It is 17 minutes of bliss to this boys ears. Worth the price of admission. - March 28, 2009Sugaree oh so sweet...

Reviewer: Greyfoldedsom - favorite favorite favorite favorite - November 28, 2008

Subject: Callin' it Home

BTW it was good to see selected songs from this show included in the new compilation release @ After the Denver show RW & i, having just finished our season working in Yellowstone, thumbed a ride from Colorado to Baton Rouge with a drunk cowboy/poet so you can imagine...anycow we got to Dallas too late for that show & went on ahead to Baton Rouge, a mere 13 miles from our homes. LSU Assembly center then was a 5 year- old domed basketball facility built with fine acoustics in mind. The Stones had began their 75 tour there with 2 shows..one at 3:00 PM & a 2'nd at 9 & we got The Who later that year (I couldn't sleep for 2 days following that show). The Floyds stopped by in 77 as well. The 14,000 seat LSUAC sold about 5,000 seats for GD so it was set up theatre-style as i recall. And make no mistake..there were PLENTY of first-timers there that night...folks who were just getting beyond the curious stage...as to why some of their friends kept dropping everything to attend GD 'events'. And as i'm fond of pointing out for some reason..Lynyrd Skynyrd were to be the next act at LSUAC on the 20'th and as we know their plane only made it as far as southern Mississippi.BTW it was good to see selected songs from this show included in the new compilation release @ Dead.net - November 28, 2008Callin' it Home

Reviewer: Truckin1853 - favorite favorite favorite favorite - October 16, 2008

Subject: Blast from the past.. Oh yeah, the 70s..... This show rocks. Very fine guitar play, excellent sound. Don't agree that Keith comes in too high. It's in the eyes of the beholder.



"Music' and "fire" tops for me in this setlist, and they are usually not amongs my favs.



You'll enjoy this show! - October 16, 2008Blast from the past..

Reviewer: gruUbic - favorite favorite favorite favorite - October 16, 2008

Subject: 31 years ago Is this enhanced? I don't think there's any problem to having this show in your collection.

Not at all -- not inspired -- but gdamn --- if this is regs, we allright ---

WHO ARE WE TO JUDGE?!?



does this show jam? Si, por supuesto --



Lemme put it to the gallery: who was here (10/16/77) and do you like it?



I was not...but it sounds and rich not perfect but hey...

31 years

372 months--

too many lost memories ago --



Not the deep/ rich sound of the Boards from 77 - but fun nevertheless...



Happy dayz... - October 16, 200831 years ago

Reviewer: smgarcia - favorite favorite favorite favorite - March 29, 2008

Subject: Very good question A previous commenter asked a very good question. The recording mixing for the second half of the year, after the June Winterland Run, was different. Maybe they didn't use a Betty Board (or Betty Cantor) for the last run of the year? The main problem I have with just about every show after June 1977 is Keith is mixed in way too high. He overpowers the other musicians. It's hard to find a good soundboard after 6/1977.



This particular show has an excellent recording but I hear too much Keith! Damn! Every show from this time will be an average of 3/5, this show will be 4/5, but there cannot be a 5/5. It's disappointing. - March 29, 2008Very good question

Reviewer: airgarcia416 - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - March 28, 2008

Subject: 1977.....the year that just keeps giving We all know the lore of the fair year of 1977...Winterland epics, Cornell perfection, Buffalo and Boston just seething w/ pure GD magic. Lo and behold, the fall is just smoking hot too.



What a great show this is to listen to. The sound quality is excellent. Bobby's playing is really well featured in the mix. The Sugaree is a top 5 and the Minglewood earns some strong consideration.



The down side to Spring of '77 is that we don't get The Other One or Black Peters. They make up for that in spades in the fall though. The Scarlet-Fire solid too, not spring hot but really nice.



I give this 5 Grams - March 28, 20081977.....the year that just keeps giving

Reviewer: hanspnw - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - January 18, 2008

Subject: Sugaree Hardest-hitting Sugaree I've yet to hear. Just stellar. The rest is excellent, too: typical mid-70s juicy goodness. - January 18, 2008Sugaree

Reviewer: Ellis Van Sofa - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - October 20, 2007

Subject: my new 77 fave the first set of this show includes some of the most interesting playing i have ever heard by the boys. every song has something i have never heard them do before. - October 20, 2007my new 77 fave

Reviewer: batcaver - favorite favorite favorite favorite - October 16, 2007

Subject: Percussive Playing The leads and interplay between all parts are very percussive and driving. The recording clearly differentiates each instument - even by '77 standards. Why did they ever go away from Betty? I wish I could have heard these shows live to compare with the 80's. If it sounded anything like this on stage (as opposed to the 80 and 90's soundboards, it's no wonder they played so well. On-stage sound reinforcement can make or break a show. - October 16, 2007Percussive Playing

Reviewer: sammann - favorite favorite favorite favorite - October 15, 2007

Subject: great 77 show On the comment regarding Jerry's guitar, I saw Jerry using the Travis Bean guitar just over a year later in Tampa. It was the only time I ever saw this guitar onstage. - October 15, 2007great 77 show

Reviewer: tacks - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - July 25, 2006

Subject: Awesome 1st show I will use this forum to document the goings on at this show, rather than parse versions of various songs. I was attending Tulane at the time and the Dead were avoiding N.O. like the plague, so Baton Rouge was the closest they would come. When the show was announced, all my friends pounced on reserved tickets and those seats were long gone. Me and my close music buddy decided at the last minute to go to the show, and we had to "settle" for general admission tickets. We were feeling pretty - um, er... chemically enlightened - as we showed up and got tickets. I was confused how a basketball arena could sell both reserved and general admission tickets, but whatever.



Turns out that the bozos who bought reserved tickets had seats in the stands, while the maybe 200 people who bought general admission tickets ended up wandering around on the floor RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE STAGE!!! There were these nazi-like student ushers preventing the reserved ticket holders from going down to the floor, so in summary, 200 people had the run of the floor of a major college basketball arena all to ourselves. My friend and I just lied down on our backs right in front of the stage and stared up into Bobby's eyes while he launched into the most stirring version of Terripin I've ever heard - it was a good thing. Almost like a private showing, and in the penultimate year of 1977 no less!



My favs from this show - a killer version of Cassidy (a song that either worked for them or didn't, no in between), a very nice Sunrise by Donna, a rather mellow, solid Scarlet/Fire, a top 10 Estimated and a great Terripin. As a whole, this was a mellow, laid back show, I believe because of the crowd situation directly in front of the band. But the playing is superb, and I was definately hooked walking out of the show. - July 25, 2006Awesome 1st show

Reviewer: buffalodead - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - June 6, 2006

Subject: nice How do I get a copy of this? Jerry at his finest. - June 6, 2006nice

Reviewer: jjg4762 - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - June 6, 2006

Subject: this is sooooo real HOLY !#$(^$#@ this is one sick sound quality let alone one of the best played shows. I know they have played thousands of shows yet (would have used but there,however but negates everything said.) holy black peter. AND THE FOREVER HOLY GRATEFUL DEAD batman this is just the ballsss to the wall show. - June 6, 2006this is sooooo real

Reviewer: jhender501 - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - October 28, 2005

Subject: Great Show just listened to this one for the second time as I found it on my list of downloaded (but not copied to CD) shows last night..phew! Now I remember why I downloaded it. Start to Finish a

killer of a show and a great recording..Black Peter is sublime, Sugaree is magnificent. - October 28, 2005Great Show

Reviewer: let the bird fly - favorite favorite favorite favorite - September 28, 2005

Subject: Music Yes, the Sugaree here is a monster, but check out the Music here, Jerry builds it up perfectly. - September 28, 2005Music

Reviewer: Darkstar Drummer - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - July 18, 2005

Subject: Best Sugaree and Minglewood ever...GUARANTEED It's no surprise that this show kicks ass...best Sugaree I ever heard. Same applies to Minglewood...Jerry's soloing is hair-raising perfection. I can't believe he's improvising all of that brilliance. Cassidy and Dire Wolf are also very special on this night.



Very nice ethereal Scarlet>Fire, Awesome Other One...solid 2nd set all-around.



Get this show immediately! Darkstar Drummer -- July 18, 2005Best Sugaree and Minglewood ever...GUARANTEED

Reviewer: Ole Uncle John - favorite favorite favorite favorite - March 19, 2005

Subject: Why Jerry? Why? "Why did you have to go and ruin Bobby's 30th B-day show like that? Why did you have to follow his peppy little Promised Land opener with a 17 min plus colossus of a Sugaree?? Did you have to remind him and us who's the Master and who's the young apprentice? We knew,he knew, we still know."



Don't miss this show. Definately different for the year. Almost a '76 groove goin'on especially during Black Peter. - March 19, 2005Why Jerry? Why?

Reviewer: Jim F - favorite favorite favorite favorite - November 2, 2004

Subject: Travis Bean It is rumored that this was the last show Jerry used the Travis Bean guitar onstage (accd to deadlists), which may explain the differences in tone. It is also worth noting that as per deadbase, this show featured the ONLY Terrapin>Black Peter. Good show overall, but maybe a little average. In a year of many powerful Other One's, for this one I give it a 3-4. - November 2, 2004Travis Bean