While I did not have the opportunity to go to this show, despite having attended over 300 others, I first got a tape of this show shortly after the actual show. This has always been one of my go to tapes, especially for the 2nd Set which is absolutely remarkable. A MUST for every collection. The CHINA > RIDER is like no other and the rest of the 2nd set is simply sublime.

Nice Jerrynes, but there is better recordings, set lists and shows for my tastes.I would rather hear the band clearly than have it drowned out with crowd noise, thats what going to a concert is for.It seems though that shows in Hartford are always pretty good, I wonder why.

I agree, the segues and transitions are excellent, 5 stars. sound quality isn't the best, but I have heard much worse, 4 stars. I enjoyed the setlist variety at this show too, 4 stars. The whole show is actually quite good. I recommend

Seems like it's all been said already, but I 'll say something too, just for good measure. This show kicked. Listen to the crowd, all riled-up during Peggy-O! It was a beautiful Saturday PM in Harford, CT, home of Taylor guitars. The show was reaally, really loud - punctuated by the head-case blowing off M-80's in an arena. I don't think it was cool, I think that was messed up. As for the show, the boys really kicked on this night. Why in Hartford? Why on this night? Hard to know just how and when the chemistry would align. Part of the shakey sound to this recording was that it sounded shakey live in that decrepit old tank called the Hartford Civic Center.
Like others who appreciated this show, I wore my cassette version of this show real thin and may still have it tucked away, because, despite the hollow sound, that second set was just outrageous. Feel like a Stranger transitioned into Comes a Time? Are you kidding? And Jerry really hit the brakes and pulled this off with accute intimacy and played to whatever the hall would give, if you get my meaning. Since the sound was so echo-y in that place, he capitalized on it and made it a strength. Suddenly the rollicking crowd of 17 thousand was caught in quicksand, sinking in the gentle timbre Garcia seemed to gather for smaller venues with Garcia Band. (Recall this tour was on the heels of a classic Jerry G. Band tour that consisted of a hastily put together short-lived four-piece band.) And the whole band produced a 'moment' transitioning He's Gone into Uncle John's Band. That was a happening, my friends. Jerry might have been at his level-best around this time, renewed by the recent arrival of Brent, fired by...well we all know what the 80's brought...and before he was dealing with serious health issues. I like the sound of this recording. It recreates what went down that night. The band was really coming together and beginning to explore new sounds and benefitting from a musical technology surge. And this date marked about the one-year anniversary of Brent Mydland's arrival, now an established and beloved member of the band. Looking back it looks like the repetoire was short in his first year and really started to expand in 80-82 with some new material and the 80's versions of some older classics, (China/Rider, Greatest Story, The Wheel, Dupree's, Let it Grow, Baby Blue, Brokedown Palace and on and on.) This show was also the beginning of back-to-back-to-back nights in Hartford, Portland and Boston, Portland being Mother's Day. Tough stretch for east-coast Dead Heads. Back to the show. Passenger really rocked,loud and hard and, if my brain-cell-deprived memory serves me correctly, Jerry actually jumped a little while jamming coming out of the first vocal of Not Fade Away. He jumped! How many times did we ever see that?? Like he was Pete Townshend or something! So there are your dynamics - Comes A Time as sweet as the dew on a Spring magnolia, to the ambiotic and frenzied love exchanged in Buddy Holly's rocker Not Fade Away. five-ten-eighty - a silky, silky, crazy, crazy night. JesterJSNWMF

The first set here is pretty solid throughout, but after china>rider the 2nd set really fizzles. AUD source is muddy at times. 2.5 stars for sound, 4 stars for the first set and 3 for the second. that makes for a pretty solid three star show.

This is a grate show. Muddy sound, but excellent musicianship. I'm not sure what the previous reviewer is talking about, but this is downloadable, you just have to do it song by song. Why LAMA, why?

The second set is one of the best's - great transitions through out!

Does anyone know why this and some other AUD's are stream only?

5 for performance, 4 for sound

The second set is mindblowing! The China jam has a bit extra thrown in at the end, then Jerry rips out possibly the definitive Rider. Stranger does not have a killer jam as would become standard, but rather winds down in a beautiful segue into a Comes a Time of heartrending beauty (see earlier review regarding Jerry's controlled feedback). A loose but high-energy Estimated leads too soon into He's Gone.

What follows He's Gone is one of the most essential, vintage, classic, A1 sequences you'll ever hear. The Dead transition from He's Gone into Uncle John's in such a smooth manner that you'd swear it was orchestrated that way, but I know of no other setlist with this sequence. First they rip on the He's Gone theme for a bit, then they change rhythm to that of the song to come, and finally comes the key change, and they're there. As if that isn't enough, the Uncle John's that follows, while unfinished, is a keeper. Jerry explodes in the final jam in a flurry that will put your jaw on the floor. Not Fade>Sugar Mag is another fine transition I haven't heard elsewhere, and the Mag is one of the best. Despite the lack of any really long, 73 style jams, I'm giving it an extra star for originality, bumping it to 5 stars.

This is the first show that I saw north of the Mason Dixon Line, while I lived in Ct. for awhile. It was a great show. The in house fire works rocket during "Comes A Time" was truly incredable.

In my book, 5 stars is an "Extremely Great Show". With 4 being "Very Good" and 3 being "Good". This is without a doubt a Good show. *Maybe* a very good show. I listened to it a few times and I didn't think it rated 5 stars at all. I would give this 4 stars if the quality was a little better. And the startling M80's going off sporadically through the whole show certainly warrants a notch down in my book. Not the fault of the taper or the boys, but certainly affects the enjoyment of the show.

The segue to Comes A time from Stranger had Phil hitting the brakes hard but the wah-wah exit to Estimated is smooth. In between you get one of the most gorgeous readings of Comes A Time ever. Listen to Jerry's lilting voice.."Oooonly love can fill.." The move from straight, one dimensional '79 era solo to a more dimensional one here shows a master at work. The subtlty and percision of feedback for notes within a blistering ballad solo shows remarkable control and creativity (first solo 3:10 mark). It's all over within a minute but that section always stops me in my tracks. Way to slay Jerry.

China>Rider sequence is so awesome, Jerry's note bending solo is sick.
Comes A Time break out- last played 2-9-79 Jerry struggles with it a little but cool solo. Althea and Peggy-o- are pretty sweet .

I've listened to this tape countless times. It's a tight show with alot of really great versions i.e. Uncle John's, He's Gone, Sugar Magnolia romps. The recording is natural and full sounding, with plenty of bass. Nice work.

Came up from Vassar for this show, my first even though I was a junior. Went up with about 10 others in an old '74 GMC Suburban. Remember hanging outside in a nearby Hartford park, early Spring trees in bloom, playing frisbee and getting stoned. Actually a picture of this pre-show carnival is found in one of the family albums recently published.

It was a great show and to all those I was with that day, thanks again for what has become a twenty five year trip and still going strong!

Keep in touch!

Sound quality is not that great however this show is really hot - the china>rider is one of the best ever and this was definately the best show of the spring '80 east coast. not sure what was up with the m80's throughout the show - i was torn between thinking whoever was doing that was an asshole and laughing because the guy was probably wacked out and howling... As an aside I doubt very much this was the master tape it has been stepped on too many times.

I got into the dead in the early 80's and it really kicked in for me at St. Lawrence Univ. in northern New York. I fell in with the local Dead Frat house, ATO. Not your typical frat, every brother was a hardcore deadhead. The basement walls were painted with all the classic dead art, blues for allah, stealies etc.... it was our hang out for afterhours partying. Cranking dead shows till the sun came up, dancin' around stoned in timberland shitkickers drinking keg beer, you get the picture. On such a preppy campus in the 80's this was our alternative heaven. This is also where I heard this show for the first time: a hissy generationally challenged recording, low record levels, the works. All we had was the second set and it had horrible cuts to boot because the 2nd set is so long it doesn't fit properly on a standard 90 minute cass. Yet, we all happily bared with this recordings flaws in light of the bands performance esp. Garcia; a fan for every song. We simply referred to this recording as 5.10.80 !! I managed to hang onto my withered copy for years but as of late while digging thru my dusty old cassettes I realized it was lost. Then I discovered db.etree and immediately went for this show which was not downloadable at the time. I just checked in today and see some serious work has been done at the archive and there are lot's of new arrivals esp. early 80's. Yes! But alas I am without broadband and must grovel at my friends feet who do and ask them download shows when they have time. In light, I have yet to listen to 5.10.80 from this posted version. I can tell you this tape was worn thin from the amount of air time it had in my life. If anything it is a classic timepiece from the early 80's of the band and their beginnings with Brent. Ha, and I can't even speak for the first set. My rating is based on band performance and fond nostalgic memories alone, having not heard this particular recording. Oh, to have been at this show. Hartford strikes again.

Great show and well worth the download. I found the sound to be quite good after a little fiddling with the eq. Whats with all the firecrackers going off? The Hartford crowd was definitely psyched up for this show and the energy spreads to the band for pretty much the entire show. The Minglewood opener sets the tone for the evening perfectly as its a rowdy version with a fired up Jerry. Brent does a real nice Far from me, which I've always found(like many ppl) a bit depressing lyrically but very honest and well written. That guy had SOUL :) and this version is no slouch! Hell, the whole damn 1st set smokes, every song is played well and among my favorite versions! As everyone has mentioned, the China>Rider is just phenomenal, upon listening to it it easily became one of my all time favorite versions. Jerry fanning the hell out of his guitar towards the end of IKYR is as inspired as anything I've heard. The rest of the show keeps up the pace with a sweet Comes a time and a killer NFA. I really like this show and heartily recommend it :)

Ths show really is hot. The sound quality is going to have to bring this tape rating down to a 3 star rating unfortunately. It' sloud, however, unrefined and Garcia's voice is distant. That being said I dowloaded for the reasons stated below.
This show is a rare download for me as it is just too rippin not to download after hearing it on wmp.
Download this for rarity as well. This was only the 22nd chinacat >rider since 10-20-74, having played it once in 77, and then 19 tiimes in 79, then only twice in 80 prior to this show.

The audience really tells you that this is a rare "bust out" back then, on this electric audience recording!

this is the hidden gem from '80, and one of my fav second sets from the '80s!
China>Rider smokes, abd they nail the transition flawlessly...
This early rendition of Stranger is great, and drips very nicely into Comes a Time...Estimated features some great guitar playing (that's Tiger we have to thank, right?), and He's Gone is sublime....
the GD always keep you on your toes, and the crowd erupts with the UJB that follows....
I love the early-Brent verions of NFA, and Sugar Mags rocks....
This is also one of the BEST AUDs I've heard from the early '80s....instruments and vocals are clear, as you can definitely hear the audience...
but there just seems to be so much energy in this crowd...
awesome show & recording

This is one of the best shows from 1980, esp. from China Cat through Drums. Extremely creative, Jerry is having a good night. The Not Fade is pretty intense, too.