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Trust me, it's all good. Great flashback to the days when the Touch Head scene was rattling the pot top just before boiling over. Hartford, CT - America's Insurance Capitol - had welcomed the Greatful Dead many nights before this show, and for multiple night runs, too. However, I think the many hundreds of Heads camping in the city center park in front of the state capitol probably shook up the town a bit. It definitely resembled an invasion, but I recall it being pretty cool. Looking for doses before the show, I walked through the park until I found a fellow handing them out for free. I asked him, "How do I know if it's good?" He responded, "If it wasn't good, why would I be giving them away?" I sensed that he had a point and in fact, he did.

The show is really quite strong throughout and the recording is excellent. I particularly enjoyed a rather unique Birdsong. It is definitely tight and driving compared to the many lovely but more ethereal and meandering versions out there. This sounds more like a space jam at times. Jerry G of course is sweet on the strings and vocally he comes through loud and clear in an era when he didn't always. The whole band sounds crispy clean. This was the next to last show on the Spring Tour that brought back Box of Rain (played the next night). So take a trip back to 1986 when Bill Gates was just another geek and the dollar was still a dollar...and sometimes you didn't even need a dollar! Thanks for getting this on the Archive and thanks to that guy in the park!

- April 28, 2011How do I know if it's good?