Grateful Dead April 24, 1978.
This is number 500 of 13,000 numbered copies. It is the complete concert.
Only 195.00 on eBay, or you can start the bidding here at 9.99.
The first set has many awesome moments. In fact there are four songs that are performed as well as one could want. Starting with the Jerry tracks, Friend of the Devil electric versions in my view are exceptional in 1978 and this version is a testament as such. He also delivers a gorgeous rendition of It Must Been The Roses. Bobby delivers a version of The Music Never Stopped that is over the top in excellence, and Cassidy is just as tight. With both Bobby songs, the drummers really add an intensity, and get all of the transitions just right.
Finally in set one, There is much discussion of the little disco tease of Staying Alive that precedes, Me and My Uncle, and the way they blend the melody a bit into Me And My Uncle. Don t overlook during Big River before the vocals, Bobby fancies up his rhythm that hints of Staying Alive, Jerry counters by playing the melody, Staying Alive, Staying Alive. That part was way cool as it really shows the band listening to each other and throwing musical ideas off of each other.
The second set opener, Scarlet Begonias gt Fire on the Mountain has tons of great moments, but there are a few segments where the slide is bothersome. During Black Peter, the use of slide is shorter in duration, and the riffs Bobby uses it for blend in nicely yielding a really stellar rendition Terrapin Station is near perfect.
Could this be the best show from 1978?? It s up to you to decide.
The encore is a Warren Zevon cover, Werewolves of London. Musically it is sloppy, but the band is having fun, take it for what it is.
The first set has a handful of near definitive versions of several songs.
