I'm giving this show a 4.5. I noticed a 3 star rating and thought no way. After attending a lot of shows and continued listening through recordings going on 40 years. A good show hits your soul and males you feel good. When the band is hitting on all cylinders and playing at a higher level, you just feel it. I get that feeling from this show. Give it a whirl and feel the music touch your soul !! Forever Grateful > Forever Dead 💓

This is one of those shows where if you are a method actor you would think about the parking lot scene and the late afternoon start (5pm) and the relative sparse crowd before the packed crowds in the late part of the 80s that got the Dead dis-invited to many a venue.
The Dead doing their little code/skit at the beginning showing their playful side.
Then there is that once in a lifetime TMNS sandwich to begin the show and the sick PITB sandwich and well played tunes throughout.

Good recording. Good vibes. Perfect for any extrovert to externally experience or introvert to internally experience. This is the tour where I officially no longer considered drums/space a time to talk or go to the bathroom.

Thanks to all who were around there and contributed to the dopamine and endorphin rush of a well played and good time show.

Be kind and take care of yourself and others..

This show is so good even Women Are Smarter is great. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

The following year they played Madison but Alpine was becoming one of the most revered venues and after that they played it 16 more times. The best shows of this tour are Red Rocks and US Fest (and probably New Orleans and Austin). This show was released officially because of the well known, top-of-the-show sandwich, which showed up with frequency as filler in B&P days. Other than how it looks on paper, it's yr average '82 show

First Set. The mix is poor for Music Never Stopped - mostly just Brent and Bobby vox. The set takes off with Sugaree where Jer just jams it in. The second MNS is just a reprise. Fun sequence though; worth hearing once-slash-historical value (there's another one from Shoreline in' 94 that's smoother but not as adventurous). The next two are aces, with a crazy end jam for Big River. Jer gets antsy and teases Bobby to get going with See See Rider Blues. Ramble on Rose is a bit flat but with a great solo. Beat it on Down the Line-7 is like most from '82 but On the Road Again is a tight, uptempo example. Not so for the creaky Althea, though the end solo is again good for this and for Let it Grow (where otherwise they're not all on same page).

Second Set. The first half of China Cat is hella-sloppy. Rider is less so, but also amazing - as the Dead could sometimes be. The rest of the set is average '82, though Playing in the Band has the biggest jam of the month. On Dick's 32 the last 45sec are cut from Drums, plus the first 1:30 of Space. The latter was really getting better right at this time. There's a perfect drop-in to One More Saturday Night. DP32 cuts the first two reps of the intro riff (it's missing from all SBDs). Bobby tries "for whatever it was worth thought he'd have a big old planet", which is maybe better. U.S. Blues is technically perfect.

1st Set:  B-
2nd Set: C+
Overall = 3 Stars

Highlights:
Me & My Uncle - tightest of 1st set
Big River - Jer goes crazy on the end jam
On the Road Again - tight & uptempo
I Know You Rider - wild ride by the end
U.S. Blues - technically perfect

SOURCES: Most of the show is on Dick's 32. The streeter-wise SBD runs a little fast but is the best source, with the complete Drums>Space (the popi6148 has the complete One More Saturday). The FOB AUD runs too slow and has a cut in Drums. I assume the Miller SBD is DiP32 because it has the exact same edits in Drums, Space and One More Saturday.

Is this the first Music Never Stopped sandwich?

Wow, this is a fantastic show start to finish. Very solid versions of all the tunes; nice Big River, Althea, BIODTL, US Blues, Playin' a beautiful Wheel and Dew. Highlights though might be the super sweet China>Rider with more than a few teases of the Feelin' Groovy jam from '73-'74, and most of all an absolutely earth-scorching, relentless, Let It Grow, probably the best I have heard after 1978...you NEED this Pick.

...but I think the reason they do that is because it's too easy to steal a stream. Do what I'm about to do and go listen to an AUD version of this show.

I'm not sure why it would matter that this has been released comercially...I just want to listen to the Dead!

Alpine 82 was when I got the big picture... Caught the big wave... however you want to say it... Life changing event... on the bus forever Dead! I had seen the Dead several times before and experimented with lots of different drugs of the day. But these were my first back to back shows and the whole scene in the rolling green hills of Alpine was just so cool. 82 was before the really BIG crowds that were right around the corner in the mid 80's. So we weren't jammed in like sardines. I sat somewhere in the neighborhood of 15th or 16th row center which at Alpine is perfect. The first 14 or so rows are all on flat ground so we could see perfectly over all the rows in front of us. Almost at eye level with the band. These shows were amazing! I love the little bit of picking that Jerry does right before Rider. Never heard that in any other China Rider. The Wheel is one of my all time fav's with Phil's leads in the intro. Dew is amazing!
This was also the night of he frog candle!
After the show we get back to our car and hang for a bit. Next to us a group of people started dancing around in a circle... Very tribal! They start chanting Frog Candle... Frog Candle...
The one of them picks up this lit up Frog Candle from the center and lifts it over his head and says... "Jerry saw the Frog Candle"...
Tripping' Hippies!

awesome licks man.... not bad vocals for 82 either... the playing deserves a 5.... sound quality gets a 4... not top notch for a soundboard... a rocker from beginning to end... us blues is 1 of the best ever IMO.... other greats include 10-21-78, 9-15-85 and 7-4-89..... the boys are just on this night.... another alpine gem... no surprise...

Damn, this show absolutley f-ing kicks so much ass!! Jerry is KING all night!! Damn it would have been nice to see the boys back then. The segue from China>Rider is brilliantly done...hints for a few bars of the UJB-like jam they did from 73-74. Oh yes, get this show and enjoy the magic in your own home!!

Easily one of the best shows of the 80s, probably Top 25 ever. Listen again. Everything you want, nothing you don't. Unbelievable energy. Jerry's smoky vocals only bested by his smokin' guitar. Even the Dew rocks out. Whole greater than the sum of the parts. If you don't have this, GET IT NOW.

Oh...YOU do? How weird! heh heh...okay, folks, so here you're going to think that segovia or that guy from the dixie whatevers or that picker from texas might have snuck in and sandbagged jerry...no? No, you're right...this is prime, prime, prime, pure Jerry, really great sound and...can't you just feel the warm night air, the loving crowd, the incredible musicianship and virtuosity on display here? You can? Great! Enjoy!

Hi there, I've recently begun collecting GD and want 2 excellent, representative shows per year to start (hard to do, I know!). I value the feedback and ratings of so many here, and the archive itself. Thank you!

Now, about this show: it made me sign up so I could review it. I've listened to about 10 shows in the past week or two, including gems like RFK, 8/27/72, Barton, etc., but this show just blows me away. The person who said Jerry sounds like he practiced...yes! It's absolutely unbelievable how spot-on, crap-your-pants hot Garcia is on this night, and I know I'm a newbie, but still...as a former audio engineer and guitar player I'm floored by this show. I did a search for "Music Never Stopped" since I just love the '77 Swing version sooo much, and at first I thought this show was going to be flaky, it opens a tad off to my ears, but then...oh my...oh dear me...listening to it again now, just goosebumps rising on my arms, my back...my scalp.

Oh my.

This has to be one of the best and most unusual set lists that I've seen of any of the 80s and 90s shows. Leading off with MNS? On The Road Again? A 12 song 1st set? A amazin' & smokin' China Cat>Sunflower? Closing with Saturday Night, then US Blues? Plus crystal clear quality to boot? Too good to be true! The deeper I dig here, I keep finding more and more great shows. Automatically one of my favorites!

http://bornagaindeadhead.blogspot.com/

Jerry's voice is so sweet here. You gotta listen to the SHIP OF FOOLS & ALTHEA. A++++ QUALITY. 5 FOR THE SHOW AND 5 FOR THE SOUND.

this is a great show, great crispy sbd.
the pre-vocal intro on rider is unbelievably beautiful and jaunty and pure jerry at his bluegrass rockin' pickin AND lyrical best.

but he's so spent after the let it grow first set closer and the china>rider that by the time they get to ship of fools, he's ready to say goodnight with a slow brokedown. you can CLEARLY hear bobby guiding jerry back to ship o' as they tune up.

THANK YOU TO THE ARCHIVE!!

this site is tremendous

Once a show has been commercially released, IMHO one really should get it through those means. One way of thanking the Dead Family for all the wonderful FREE music they make available is to purchase their releases. Another way is to get it like I got mine:volunteer (and donate cash!!!)at the local radio station(assuming they have a cool host that puts on a weekly Dead show like I'm lucky enough to brag about here in the North L.A. county area) during their pledge drive. Check it out:KCSN.org, tuesday nights 7pm pst

i'm not given to writing reviews as they tend to be quite subjective and misleading. a good example is 2-27-81 chicago. weak mix and just an okay show, but lot's of 5 star ratings. but who wants to be judgmental or overly critical of the most important musical contribution of the 20th century....the dead. i guess the answer is to trust your own instincts and ears and spend some time digging around in here. not a bad way to pass the winter months. i've been surfing this site for about 2 months now and i am rediscovering stuff i've had copies of for 25 years. funny how you can actually have too much to listen to and forget what you have.

anyway this show is for one which i just could not refrain from offering my opinion. opinions are like a**holes y'know. this show is so frickin hot i just cant stand it. it's got it all: super clean sound, tight mix, good songs, a really ON night, and most importantly, garcia is at the absolute top of his game. the whole band is really on this night ....but jerry!!!!!!!!!!!! it's like he rehearsed all the leads for all the songs before and therefore had a great plan from which he could let it rip. his playing is so crisp and exact, fluid and melodic, relaxed and yet intense. even the really fast picking sections(which could sometimes be a bit chaotic)like in "let it grow", he seems to have a vision of what he is going to do well before his fingers are asked to play the notes. IN THE ZONE. this night the dead played with the kind of purpose that they had regularly in the early 70's....maybe more so.

so, trust your own ears and instincts, but D/L this show, put on the headphones and close your eyes. then use this as a template for what a 5 star show might be.

Listen, get this show before it becomes impossible. The drums is one of the best, and despite the appeal of the second set, I think the first set stands on its own.

I've only listened to the first set and post space of second set. I just about agree with everyones reviews so far; Jerry is on fire and sounds great. And I love the setlist. But I can't give it five stars. I don't know if it's the mix or me or what, but I'm just not crazy about Phil's playing on this night. On several songs he sounds out of sync with the rest of the band...or just not playing as good as he normally does. It was still definitley worth the time to download and burn to CD for car rides to work though.

I swear, you people give anything a good rating. I was at this show, it was ok. Actually better than just ok. Alright, alright, it smoked fat drippin' spliffs of humboldts finest, with a good splash of lysergic and the drums of Athena glistening off our eyeballs transcending the rainbows color separations and the inevitable morphing of our collective with the abyss. Frolicing freely freaks freckles flying frozen fun.
Yeah, it was ok. Guess that's why it's Dicks picks 32...hurry up and get it before the Dead asks that it not be allowed to be available here.

I am going to agree with the rest of the reviews regarding this night....fuckin smokes! 2nd set, the boyz are on the whole way through. China>Rider is up there with any other version, one of my fav playin's of all time and the wheel might just be some of the greatest music the dead ever played...no shit!! Seriously, this show is way hot!!!Great sounding recording makes this show a must have in any music lovers collection.

After further review and besides all of what may be blather to some in what I prviously shared below.. this show also contains MNS -> Sugaree -> MNS opener, a sweetly understated Althea, a very good Let It Grow, a China -> Rider that may be as good as the Wheel... and a DEW to die for... other than that, pretty ordinary show.. except for the fact that the whole thing pretty much absolutely kicks. Except for the Norm or Phil Ruth problems that have already been exhaustively documented.

(Original Post)
After personally experiencing over 50 renditions of the Wheel, and listening to 100's of others, this one is the both the rosetta stone and the litmus test for my ears. The playing is intense, the vocals incredible, and the breaks are hit "just exactly perfect". Weirs backing vocals after the break at the second "bound to cover just a little more ground" are intense, inspired, and absolutely manic. Hopefully Norm or Phil Ruth made it back from the business office in time to see what I heard. This will always be one of my top 5 shows and this recording is THE version to have. 9 godzillion stars, ooopps, I guess 5 will have to do. Another side note, friends of mine lived on a dairy farm about 8 miles NW of Alpine Valley, they told me a few days later that they could hear it at home, I didn't believe it until my friend Jim said "those wild bass notes Phil was hitting during space have upset our cows to the point where they are now producing cheese". Hearing him describe space w/ out being at the venue left little doubt that Healy and the boys had it turned up to 11. And no matter where Norm or Phil Ruth may have been, they couldn't have missed that. Get this show, you'll be glad you did.

To the business office...

This is the right version..

of the right show..