1974-1985 were my years. These 2 LA shows were the Dead's first after their hiatus after the 'Wall of Sound' tours in 1974. The principals remained active during that time. Garcia and Weir toured SoCal repeatedly with JGB and Kingfish, and each released an album ("Reflections" and "Kingfish," respectively). And of course the band found time to put together "Blues for Allah" during that time.

Anyway, the Dead were back and we were ready! On this (second) night, the band played SO HARD in the second set jam that they had nothing left for an encore! The applause was deafening! They raised all of the stage curtains so you could see to the back brick wall across the stage, to try to clue us in that the band really wasn't coming back! Didn't stop us. The audience stayed and applauded for at least 15 minutes with the house lights up.

Just an incredibly organic show that brought everything together. I chased that magic for another 10 years. I found flashes of it (Terrapin on 12/31/78 Winterland closing show comes to mind), but never repeated for an entire show. Spend some time with your eyes closed listening to 'The Other One --> Comes a Time'. Still brings tears to my eyes. Can't believe its been over 35 years...

Of course The Shrine has great acoustics. (This was a reserved seat show. But at least during the drums virtually general admission, since for a while even the security could hardly contain themselves and let many dance in the aisles until one augur, had to break up the fun)!
Too bad nowadays, all The Shrine is used primarily for is the Academy Awards. First regarding the acoustics, the next year I saw Santana, Gentle Giant and other great shows here, not to mention the shows Grateful Dead did in '78. Secondly, this place for me represents the dichotomy of luck! Partly how this initially unintentionally, became my second show to go onward and obviously upward in number from here. On the one hand, I feel quite fortunate in terms of what I did see here at the Shrine. (I know your going to think what about the actual show itself? In digressing more than usual knowing truly without reason one should not if with such only rarely go off like this, but hold on please I'll get there I promise! Here indeed are, some general conceptual connections that I know some, maybe not all of you, should at least in part, in ones own ways given ones circumstances, be illustratively seen via mine at this particular show.)
So as I as I was saying above, even though on the other hand I missed the night before this one and worse yet unfortunately, similarly later here in '78, when I also similarly only went to one of the two shows thus missing St. Stephen (being one of three times, each missing it by one show but luckily I recorded them playing it at U.C.L.A. My point here, is I'm sure most of us at sometime could have said something like: "Oops, I should have gone to such and such a show"!
As I said still fortunate anyhow, having attended this one at the Shrine given the tunes they played at this show (including here but not limited to, what would soon here after become three fore-longed rarities! (That is, up until when returned semi-regularly in ~1984 (I'm surprised I don't exactly recall) (at least on the west coast for two) and June 1985 (with interim: 1(?) west and 2(?) east exceptions, for the the third, (see below)). You see I might not even have attended this one either had it not been due to a mix up at my first show changing my mind to attend here. But unlike most every show from this point on, with only a few, did I ever go without prior, mostly due to unintended sudden changes in scheduling on my (but not all) part, (in one case on the band's part) rare exceptions, possession of a ticket or claim on such (meaning not counting will call, of course) out of a ~211 total)!
Fortunate also in the following sense; for this one the face value price was $7.50. However this is one I believe, of only two times at which I ever got scalped! Here I was charged me $20, then still relatively steep, at the age of 17! I think the only other one was when I once bought a counterfeit, (for which I eventually got a real one). Moreover, only once much much later at one of my last bunch in Dec. 1994 after I had already effectively in other words mostly but not entirely quit seeing them thus, initially not even intending to go at first did I ever not actually get in upon following through going. Yet, even in that case given an open door through which we could not pass but still had a direct straight on view of the stage for me at least (thank God) during the rarest of rarities (only once for me elsewhere) namely (Attics of my Life), but that's another story)!
Trying feebly and thus unforgettably so to self-justify his fee the scalper asked me: "Your ticket to nirvana, huh?" To which obviously firstly lacking in choice and then secondly again in time etc. I thus responded by caveat, in forgiveness saying no, but pretty close to it! Which was an inaccurate statement on my part considering concerts not fitting my prior awareness of the real definition of nirvana; being in fact quite far removed in terms of sensory perception!
(Meanwhile being, which was semi-unusually for me at least at the following level, on 4 drops of liquid LSD! Meaning, that sort of thing (i.e. regardless of which particular psychedelic chosen), was to start with intentionally at every 5th (20%) show but feely that was too often then reduced so in the end I estimate totaled at ~15% time out of the ~211 total shows. Again mosty, but not all at lower levels i.e. a lot less frequently than many by their own admition, but not of course all other folks I know of)! Perhaps if not for the L.A.P.D.; (Ex.: ala. Pink Floyd, a year & 1/2 before this at the Sports Arena ~2-400 meters away from The Shrine. I'll never forget the yellow signs all over the entrance lobby: "This is not a haven for Pot smoking!". And the insuing search that followed given, that I had a sugar cube in my breast pocket and I still got through since they were more concerned with marijauna than LSD when they asked me what that was!
Opening the 1st set with the second longest, and one of the most jammin' (note later on when this) versions of "Might As Well" ever! Most all tunes were a at least, average to better than average performance; including my only "Row Jimmy" with Keith and Donna.
The "Comes A Time", (also my only with K & D before until our minds were blown again at the U.C. Berkeley in '85 for its triumphant reemergence), here is indeed long and developed!
I always wondered why more folks are not aware of this one? I was further luckily to quickly get this! (Especially since I was new to collect back then get very close to the master of Dr. Rob Bertrando's amazing recording and as far as I know the board was not, at least not for quite a while, well circulated)? This is only part of the wild stories I have about what surrounds this show. That is, in continuum before this, at my first show (the second of the two with "The Who" in Oakland!), further during this one, and on thorough my next two (the San Bernardino Swing (77-2-26), and The Forum in Inglewood (77-6-4). You're definitely won't regret getting this recording!


Augy
San Diego

too many cry babies out there this is no good that is no good weir haters if there was no werir theres no dead thank the big man above for all these shows for free i love them all so stop cring and listen

ok, it may not be a full-on 5 star gig BUT IT IS REAL CLOSE!

the first set is ENERGY PACKED, the thick of it, from All Over Now through Sugaree is just RIGHTEOUS -- DAMN GOOD and FUN!

i love the Eyes opener in set 2, it is a beautiful gust of summer '73 -- they sound simply in tune, the music flows, and flows sweetly into TMNS -- thank you..... a very nice way to open the set, and don't worry, they saved plenty for the MONSTER closing JAM.

4.89 stars -- OH and the RECORDING IS CRISP -- just DL IT!

What a nice big Shrine AUDitorium SOUND!!! The band saves their best for last on the final show of the fall. Serves as a fine prelude for the May '77 run when they broke out Comes A Time on 5/1, 5/4, and 5/9. The great Buffalo show on 5/9 features brilliant Comes A Time and Franklin's Tower but not cleverly back-to-back like we have here.

What a great show this was to attend. The Shrine is a wonderful old opulent theater, and thousands of gyrating deadheads always struck me as somehow out of place, but never mind, it was a hell of a fun venue. My memories of this show are very good because I snuck in my trusty little Sony TC-126 and made a decent tape that I listened to for years. But, I must admit that Rob's is significantly better! Especially since I got hung up in the security check and was late getting to our seats, which were about 12 rows back, in front of Jerry. We didn't get settled until mid-way through Row Jimmy, so my tape didn't start until It's All Over Now. From the First Set I especially love the Loser, and, as others have noted, the Minglewood is spectacular!! However, IMHO the Bertha is a real snooze, with Kieth's piano line unchanging and overpowering, and everyone else just sort of taking a break after Minglewood, and getting geared up for Lazy Lightning.
But the Second set is the real gem! I can so clearly remember the grin on Jerry and Bob's faces as they prowled around each other at center stage during the opening build to Eyes of the World, and the super slick lighting changes and drumming crescendoes at the segue into The Music Never Stopped. This is the only time I saw them do this pairing and it really came off well. I do remember that I was unfamiliar with Sampson and Delilah and could have sworn they were saying "Goodbye Mandalay"(instead of "If I Had My Way")and marked my tape accordingly. The He's Gone and Comes A Time were also a real treat, surpassed only, in my personal experience, by the Comes A Time at Chula Vista in '85.
All in all a fantastic show, and another wonderful memory for those of us that were lucky enough to have been there.

This one certainly rates with 7/17 and 7/16 as the AUD shows of the year. The SBDs just don't do these 3 shows justice, but the AUDs are amazing (it helps that they were at the Orpheum and the Shrine). The band steps up huge in the decorous confines of the Shrine - only He's Gone of the year. Every song has an extra kick to it. A must have. Certainly a Dick's candidate show-wise. Thank you Rob!!! And don't forget to check out 10/14 too!

For my money, I like the old, old Minglewoods from when Bobby was 16 or 17, and really full of it. But I'll tell you, this one SMOKES. Especially for this era, when the Dead was in their easy loping groove.

Thanks, Bertrando, I've found my first show! And strangely enough, it's just as I remember it. Haven't heard a note of it since. I remember being weirded out for a while, but during New Minglewood, I realized SOMETHING was going on, and then, with Bertha, I was in. The Aud recording is clean and nice, you youngsters. This was as good as it got in those days. Kudos, Rob. I was down near the front, looking from the stage's left side, about 5 rows back. This sound mix is better than how I remember it, probably because I was too close. BTW, I think the Dead liked the Shrine because it reminded them of the funky halls in SF.

This show rules. The sound is great for a mid 70's aud. Thanks Rob.

The microphones were on the front of the balcony, right next to the soundboard. I like the sound of this audience tape better than the soundboard. I would recommend some equalization before burning: the bass below 80 Hz or so needs a lot of boost (up to 12 dB at 30-60 Hz), and the high end above 6-8 kHz needs a little (3-6 dB at 8-16kHz). YMMV.

sublime lazy lightning - this show is awesome and the sound qualiity is primo sorry I missed this one....alot like the orpheum 7/17/76 which also rates a 5 in my judgement - this is a 13+ min other one phil is dropping bombs and garcia puts the wawa to work and never lets up you can hear him pushing the band - it is great stuff superb sugaree and and bertha in set I....

This show is notable to me for the beautiful Music Never Stopped (Jerry floats like a bird over the mountain range created by the band) and because of a story told by a friend who was at the show: During the second set during the jam after He's Gone, the green lights dancing on Jerry's amp formed a smiling Buddha that stayed in that form for a good five minutes. Good ole Grateful magic.