I have that LP also! Got it from my Uncle's stuff (my Uncle John, nonetheless) back while I was starting to dig the Dead...between the pics (which include Pigpen) and the way-off setlist, it was a bit confusing to a beginner. It sounded great on the old fisher-price record player though!

@lilrichwhiteboy - sorry I didn't see your post until now! I would have warned you that the sound quality is lacking, though listenable and enjoyable...from my memory, it's about what you've got here. When I said it sounded great, I must have been thinking about hearing the songs, with the crowd energy, and all of that stuff...didn't mean to mislead you. I hope you enjoyed the hunt and the find though, at least!

This had been one of my oldest tapes, and one of my favorites. The Half Step > Franklin's > Minglewood is one of only three they ever did. Checking further, I found this and 5/15/81 Rudgers are the only true seques. And do The Boyz (and the crowd) ever get in gear early on this unique troica! With the crowd clapping in rhythm, they slowly build momentum. And like a 200 ton steam locomotive - they just power right over you. No matter what I'm working on, I always end up getting out of my chair to boogie around the room.

And the first half of the second is just fabulous. After doing a very competent Rooster, they move right into > China > Rider > Estimated > Eyes...with The Boyz steaming right over you once more. The reproduction is a bit airy, being on the balcony rail. But it is quite a bit better than the copy I've had since '80. No bumps, fades, drop-outs or talking, if I recall. And it's nice having almost the entire show taped straight through. You really feel like you're there. Extremely well recorded under the marginal circumstances. I had never heard of another copy of this show until just a few of years ago... and only after a lot of digging. I was always surprised how rare it was in the community. Before Dick's 5.22.77 SBD pick came along, 8.19.80 was always at the top of my rotation. I am so glad it is now available to everyone. Thanks Mr. Munder and The Archive.

Hey Bro, Terp & Zane - YOU"RE KILLING ME!!! I'd kill for a better copy of this show!!! Would you be interested in trading if you still have it? Or at the very least, review the LP for us to give us folk an idea if that pressing is better than the FOBalcony recording. Curious minds want to know. That LP is impossible to find.

March 18, 2014 update. Found and received the above said mysterious, mislabeled double LP today and gave it a spin. Unfortunately, it isn't what I'd hoped it would be... a DFC FOB. This recording is behind the board, very airy, and a bit muddy though the overall dynamics are good with lots of midrange. In a word, it's crap. So the balcony AUD, which is thinner though much clearer, highlighting the band much better (and pretty good for a balcony recording), is the best we're gonna do for the foreseeable future. So I'm thanking my luck stars for this balcony upload.

Updated Update: Uploaded to BT.ETREE -- FOBalcony Sennheiser 421 > Sony TCD-5M > Nak 550; Patched into Neil (aka Froggy); 24/96 transferred by Richard Stankiewicz.

Having just reviewed both this and Mr. Stan's upload, it's surprising to hear such different recordings if both of them were on the 1st balcony rail since the above Stankiewicz from Etree is much, much fuller and fatter than this Nak 700 version - actually it's similar to the LP but, less muddy in it's reverb. It's a thick, heavy, back-of-the-board sound, like being five foot nothin' slightly below everybody else's heads, dancing in the center isle directly BELOW the mezzanine.

You can tell this Munder upload is definitely way above the crowd on the balcony rail but, the Froggy recording is so totally different in it's capture, it has me scratching my head with the claim that this is on the same rail? The two mics can't be THAT different? Thankfully, the deep reverb isn't too muddy, being such a clean recording and a very low gen. It has a booming, surround-sound feeling with earphones on; and so easy to get lost in when getting through Row Jimmy. You have to be a serious maven of crowd noise and all the clapping, which I am (because there's a lot of it), to love this new recording.

I EQed Froggy's version with a big smiley face configuration, and it helps, slimming down the midrange "boom". The only few down sides are a splice in Althea with a slight three minute drop-out in the right channel just before it; and Froggy's (RIP) cuts in the audience outros on each song, which is unfortunate... and Brent's (RIP) Easy To Love You. This Munder upload has the band up front with more ambience sensitivity.

I love both these captures for their completely different approaches. I guess it's a matter of personal taste which you may prefer. This night has "X" factor written all over it. I can now imagine a really, really clean DFC FOB being like the audio version of heroin, though I've never tried the stuff. I was having so much fun being so totally enveloped in the atmosphere, I drew a few tears in the first thirty minutes. Thanks Richie. Can't wait to hear the 2nd Set if you have it. I'm buying if you ever get into Chicago. jacknds@cs.com.

This is as close to the bootleg recording (Europe 74) that I've heard, it's been a long long time since I've heard it though. When will it surface for public downloads?
Wonderful sound to this 1st set recording, pity the crowd is in the background, the boot has the high energy crowd much nearer to the foreground. A fabulous show.
Will there be a 2nd set?
Some people out there have this Europe 74 boot, is anyone willing to make public??

Many thanks for the upload to etree

I remember a buddy having a cassette source of the vinyl boot. It was definitely an aud source--maybe better than this clappy one, which certainly has its charms and is more than listenable. But if there's a better aud source, I'd love to hear it. This awesome Chi-town show deserves it. The dodgy sbd isn't much fun to listen to.

The Comes A Time is stellar!! The Playing>CAT>Playing sandwich is a lot better than a $5 footlong, even with banana peppers.

Great Show. Awesome set list.

In a year the featured nearly 30 shows with acoustic sets - 9/2 and 9/6 - this one is easy to slip (through).

Can't add much that has already been mentioned. Break out of Rooster after 15 years; hot Stranger.

Second set is beyond description w/China>Rider, Estimated>Eyes.

**And the Playin>Comes a Time>Playin is fantastic. **

Btw - agree with the reviewer about the whistler. Usually you hear one or two during the quiet parts of Jerry's Ballads. But this person is quite annoying.

Anyway. God Bless and enjoy.

not very good. Levels low, distant sound, the clapping is louder than the music.

I just picked up a 2LP Bootleg of this show that was labeled "European Tour 1974 Grateful Dead". I had now idea what is was going to be. Bootlegs are a mystery sometimes. It is just the second set. The set list on the back makes me laugh.

Side A:
1. Red Rooster
2. You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone
Side B:
1. California (Don't Worry About Me)
2. Eyes of the World
Side C:
1. Playin' in the Band
Side D:
1. Garcia's Theme
2. Around and Around
3. Alabama Get Away

This show is cookin'...

Uptown is one small venue (among many) I wish I could have hit. The boys always seemed to play good shows here. Of course, my first shows were in '84 so they had outgrown something this size even by then.

Anyway, good mix of old and new (i.e., Go to Heaven) in these sets. Stranger blows up and the 1st half of the 2nd set is strong with both the China>Rider and Estimated>Eyes pairings. Entire Playin' in a post-drums position--now that's just crazy!!

exactly what i wanted out of this 80s show: smoking and totally on fire the whole way through, everything is good and everything totally rocks

feel like a stranger stands out and the comes a time was indeed very good as expected, cool to hear the first rooster too, like the show ending with a bang on alabama

WOW-this show is hot right from the get go.they started a little rough with mississippi 1/2 step but it only got better.by the 2nd set they were light up and hot.the space jam was exactually that and into "COMES A TIME".just beautiful.i tried to get a ticket for that night but were sold out and the cops ran us off.thank you for this memerable show.

Yes this was the one. I too had to leave due to a miscalculation of how much beer I drank. It wasn't the one that changed my life. It just changed my drinking habits at shows altogether.
The Uptown was amazing! That much I do remember!

I understand the need to whistle once in a while. Before a song, after, maybe even during an exiting moment in the song. But for the ENTIRE FREAKING SHOW. I'm sorry, but the whistling dude ruins a decent AUD from this era. He just whistles, and whistles, and whistles, and whistles. Shut the f*%# up! He even whistles as Weir is learning slide guitar during Row Jimmy.

This show does have a bit of an unusual set list for this period, which makes it an interesting listen for seasoned Dead fans. Of historic interest, Deadbase says this is the first Rooster that the Dead performed.

Highlights in the first set include Cassidy, Big River, Althea, and the second half of Feel Like a Stranger, which has a nice extended jam.

The second set is the real meat of this show, with a long stretch of songs without breaks, though many of the transitions aren't smooth. The set starts with the debut of Rooster in a rousing performance, a gritty, bluesy rendition, fully mature, as if they'd been playing it for years. There's an exciting transition between China and I Know You Rider. Estimated Prophet is good (as usual in the '77-early '80's period), with an interesting jam at the end. Unfortunately, the jam doesn't go anywhere, and the band abruptly switches to Eyes. Eyes morphs into a long space section before Drums. The Playing->Comes a Time->Playing is interesting, though Comes a Time is more noteworthy than the average Playing. There's another abrupt transition between Around and and Alabama, but the later is a good rocker.

Agree with all who said it before, this is one dynamite Comes A Time. Overall, the recording is fair. Most of the vocals are in the distance as you would expect froma balcony recording. Don't know if it was just me, but the sound balanced out nicely on PITB>Comes>PITB. If you don't want the whole show, I would definitely recommend D/L these three tunes.

He is right (and thanks) Half Step is one of the best I have heard - Missippi River Festival this year is good as well. Franklins and Minglewood are all killer. Playin is great and show does not let up till the last lick of Johnny B Goode. Listen to the crowd during China>Rider.

I had the second set of this show in vinyl and I have loved every second of the second set for a long time. I have to knock it down one star for the quality of the recording. Somewhere there is an audience recording that I think captures the incredible sound. Anyway - I want to make this clear. If you only do one thing download the Playin->Comes A Time->Playin-> Around and Around-Alabama. It's the best Comes A Time I have ever heard. If that isn't hot enough for you, then just keep listening to Cornell 77.

they played rooster in 1965, though.


I been searching for 1980 halfstep->Franklins and this one looks to be the best

If the China Rider is any indication, this is a wonderful show. It's quite audience heavy, but the band still is clear in the mix- Definitely a great show for fans of aud recordings, as it really really gives you the feel of being there- the crowd is ecstatic!

Best one ever, hands down. The Playin lead in/lead out is awesome as well.