Jack Straw train wreck. That's funny. Actually, from reading the reviews below, I was girding for a less than stellar recording. Boy, in remembering the bad old days of xxxxx gens, this AUD isn't that bad. Certainly it can't be compared to many of the fabulous FOBs that have come on line the last few years. But it's a respectable effort. True, it's a little too close, and out of the sweet spot, which starts about the tenth row to maybe the twenty-fifth in the average hall. But I've heard a whole lot worse. I'd put it on the par of mics positioned in front of the board or shotguns at the board. There's a bit of reverb; it's just a tad hollow; with a touch of oversaturation, here and there, early in the first set. The reverb and slight hollowness give this recording a nice full sound. For the truly anal, it's on the fringes. A clean recording in the sweet spot would be the only thing that could replace this one. Love the classic, late-seventies lineup. And played fairly well. Considering Jerry still has a voice, I'd put this nite up against anything from '83 on...

My first show and I still remember how Deep Elam brought me out of a funk and the 2nd set just took me places. The Wheel became my favorite song for years to come. This is the bestrecording I've heard of this show yet. My old tapes never sounded this good. The released the next night on CD but I wish it was this one. 5 stars, 4 for an AUD recording plus extra for a great set.

i skipped the first set and went straight for what looks like a really nice jam: Bertha-> Playin' In The Band-> Ship of Fools-> Drums-> The Wheel-> Playin' In The Band-> Wharf Rat-> Good Lovin', E: Don't Ease Me In (...........has anyone seen bobby?.... it is a short set, but jerry doesn't usually carry so much of the load.)

i am a sucker for the arrows of course, but there's also the Bertha opener, Playing in the second slot with a jam into Ship of Fools! 20 minutes in and Jerry still wanted his second set "warm up tune." SOF gives way to a nice jam in the Playin' vein...... this is a nice recording. i think the drums sound amazing (listen to Billy's Hi-hat on playin from about the 6:00 mark), all the instruments are in balance. phil is there. Jerry starts thinking about Ship at the 8 minute mark in playin.... it is sweet to hear them work their way into it.... and WOW, Jerry sounds like he is in great voice, such a sweet tone and lucid in the delivery.

BUT it's billy and MICKEY that power this jam tonight, a contender for tour highlight... they would sound really together and spot on the whole tour -- while the frontmen went through the ups and downs, the guys doing the work in back didn't miss a beat.....

after the frenetic jam out of SOF and before the very short, mellow drums/space, we get BRENT JAM #1 (he would linger throughout the tour before drums, blissfully jamming away)... the move into The Wheel is really sweet, they tease it along in a very gentle way, interplay between Jerry and Brent mostly...... Jerry shines through the rest of the set, another well sung Wharf Rat -- Bobby seems to have no interest in singing anymore until Good Lovin comes around to close the set. (short but sweet, i am giving this jam a solid 4.5 stars)

I was there, the show was mellow, ok smooth playing and nice vocals.
This dude in front of me had his Dad who disliked us doing doobage Oops sorry dude! Then Dad pulled out a Briar and sparked up some vanilla i think it was. dad liked the "gospel" part of Wharf Rat..and seemed a sport about the other f*cker line (or his son said something to him just then haha)
Another funny dude was telling his girlfriend, "sometimes the bandplayes till 4 a.m.!"
So of course the show ends at like ten twenty
Anyway

I have to say, the Jack Straw is a bit of a train wreck. Any Spectrum show is worth a download, especially in the early 80's. Not the best AUD but I'll put it in my collection.

This tape features one of the single most intense versions of the Jack straw jam that I have ever heard. The quality here very low quality. I ad a sbd once but lost it. Thsi show is hot and is typical mid eighties sound but the quality is hardly worth the download, I dnleded it just for the jack straw. This is a really nice first set collection item, actually. I didn't see my first show intil 5 years after this one but this tape influenced my interest in the dead and I am happy to have a copy again. The next night was good too, and I had a ebtetr board than the one here but its all good, just glad its here!

Thanks to all who support and conribute to this great site!!!!

My younger brother Richard started a line dance that actually went all the way around The Spectrum! He said to me later he flipped when he saw the tail end of it in front of him and he was trying to get others to connect the chain if only for an instant. I maintain that the link was in fact connected and a great cosmic connection was made! It was Richard's first Grateful Dead show.