Yes I was there 37! years ago tonight - great two shows in NJ. Stills a special treat and yes the energy was explosive when he showed up again this night. All that said, his voice was pretty much shot by this time, something about a 70s induced deviated septum I believe.

What a great time. The whole spring tour the boys seemed supercharged, and electronic sounding in a way they didn't sound at all like in '82. The jam in Let it Grow gets out there, and even though Jerry flubs a line in Franklin's really badly, they just cruised right through to the chorus. Like a locomotive hurtling down the track in sheer exuberation. Ane what a Slipknot! Notes flowing from Jerry's guitar fast and with purpose! The Playin' jam was great, like a lot of 83's, and even though Stills voice wasn't great, (I thought at the time that he looked pretty drunk by the way he was bobbing back and forth), Jerry, and especially Phil just take control. It was great to be there and so IN THE MOMENT! Definitely a highlight show out of the 196 I caught between 1978-95. (SPAC and the 2 Santa Fe's also being seriously noteworthy)

I was at this show and the 2nd set was high octane all the way. They exploded into Help/Slip/Franklins and never looked back. Stills was a treat indeed though LTOYW was a bit sloppy (but still, Phil and Jerry going off in the background) One of those shows where in the parking lots afterwards many Heads walking around dazed asking each other "Did we really just hear that?" Great night overall!

This was fun but need to agree with a prior reviewer, the screeching was very Donna-esque. Night before was better for the loose garage band atmosphere. I saw this tour and thought these were pretty average shows. Most of this tour was pretty hot, loved Hampton, Morgantown, Burlington, Binghamton, Rochester, New Haven. Anybody who thinks Stills was intimidated playing with the Dead is highly misguided.

The last time I heard screeching like that at a Grateful Dead concert it was from the mouth of Donna Jean. The rest of the show is mediocre at best, the first night being much better in this case.

2 stars for the sound and 2 for the performance is as generous as I can be.

-q

I was riding to a show with Garcia and he was telling me hard how it is and what a struggle it is for for him to play guitar "unlike Stills and Clapton who just do it".

If Playin jams are major highlights for you, then 1983 has no shortage of gems. Indeed, for me, despite not attaining the length of some of those monstrously long epic Playin jams of the early 70s, the performances in 1983 are unique in the sound and style. And the performance of Playin at this show, which, full disclosure I attended, is one if not the best of the bunch from '83.

Also had this on tape and loved the raw Stills! Intro sounds so much like Foolish Heart (not played 'til five years later) that I now wonder if that song isn't a reaction to Love the One You're With. Kind of the opposite message...

This was one of my first bootlegs. The tape I had sounded like it was taped in a carwash so this sound pretty good to me. I love it that Stills goes off. I don't need a pristine recording to get the shear energy of this show.

Anyone who says Stills voice is too high or he was just signing too loud doesn't know how Stills sings live. That is just how Stills sings live on a rocking tune, just not on some of the pretty CSN&Y songs.

The sound on this recording doesn't convey the sound at the show (I was at both). I just laugh at the idiots who say this is one of the worst covers by the Dead ever. The Dead had plenty of bad cover tunes without any from Stills or anyone else! Both nights were great and Stills made both shows much better than they already were.

Once washed up "dead-heads" stop trying to pretend that the members of the Grateful Dead are the best, end all musicians of all time, they would realize how silly it would be to say that Stills was "overwhelmed" playing with the boys. What a silly, uninformed comment. He certainly wasn't overwhelmed playing with them in 1969 on a twelve minute version of Black Queen. He certainly wasn't overwhelmed when asking Garcia to guest on the Deja Vu album. So anyone who had the audacity to say that he was unfit or unprepared to play with 1983 Grateful Dead is just not really informed about the bands history. Its too bad that one-upping heads have to equate everything tit-for-tat instead of just taking things for what they are.

Stephen Stills, professional musician for 15+ years at this time, performer at Woodstock, on the stage for the second straight night with the Grateful Dead & overwhelmed? ARE YOU PEOPLE SERIOUS?

Listen to the first night & tell me Stills is overwhelmed on Black Queen > Aiko. So suddenly he can't handle playing with the GD the following night on Love the One You're With? Give me a break....... I have read the same type of comments knocking Pete Townsend's sit-in on 3/28/81 & have watched that video & Pete adds quite alot to that show - for those with open ears & minds. I can only chalk up such anti-guest bias to some partiality to the Dead as the ONLY band in the world (a common Deadhead trait of which I was once guilty but thankfully broadened my horizens out of).

As for this show, a very fine first set - the best first sets back then were almost all in '81 & '83. The Big Railroad, I was dancing so hard that I injured my (already badly damaged) knee & had to go on the DL after the show until the epic New Haven 4/23/83 the following saturday. Let It Grow > Might As Well rounded out a nice set that also included a all too rare Dupree's & a sweet Peggy-O, which was being elevated at this time into a near set-ending biggie (very nicely might I add, compared to say '80-'81 Peggy-O''s)

The Second set, that was, as it should be, the meat of the show. I mean, have you EVER seen a great first set show where the second set falters & come out sayi "Awesome show"?
I didn't think so. Me either.

Well, no problem tonight. We got the expected return of Help > Slip > FRanklin's & not a soul in the place complained. Slipknot raged - totally superior to later revival versions from the post Hampton era: More edge, really incredible rythym section & Jerry STILL being Jerry back then. The Franklin's that followed was very nice too, complete with one of the worst vocal flubs by Jerry I can ever recall hearing on Franklin's EVER (all those verses to keep track of must've got pretty tough on old Jer as the years of chasing the dragon went on, lol).

Next we got Women Are Smarter, not one of my favorites after 2 straight yeares of having it crammed down our throats, but thankfully not Lost > Saint AGAIN (37 times for me, good grief).
After recently listening to this show, the Women really were very strong that night, perhaps the best version I can recall hearing (although researching the best WAS is hardly my Holy Grail of GD music).

We were a bit surprised when Playin' showed up next - two straight Bobby tunes, but it made perfect sense as the previous show in the same venue they had done two straight Jerry selections in the same area of the show (China > Rider followed by Uncle John's). So, I guess Bob was getting 'equal time', even moreso after H > S > F.

This Playin, in a year of massive Playin's (at least for post-1979) can stand right up at the top of the list as the year's best (along with Saratoga 6/18). So many places visited; the usually chaotic build-up. The passage one very famous reviewer called 'The Cathedral in the fog passage' about 5 minutes into the instrumental - check it out: Brent playing this eerie organ & Jerry chiming in. Makes me think of Bogart walking down one of those dark, dimly lit city streets in the fog.....
Then, later, a China Doll tease, followed by a bit more madness & finally the drums.

THE space......

Phil rolling the chains. I never knew that, but it's there plainly for about 4 minutes. Quite impressive. The Space keeps going, weirdness to madness & beyond at it's best. Building to intense peaks numerous times - each time we thought it would end like a normal night, but this night it keeps growing bigger, harder, more intense for TWELVE minutes, sounding like some toxic slime monster trying to escape from the New Jersey swamps & destroy Brenden Byrne Arena. Finally, the last & biggest, nastiest build-up of space occurs & things actually settle down and a song starts. What is it?
A new brent song? (Things are hard to determine out in the aisles dancing you know).
The first vocals of Love the One You're with hit & let me tell you, the place exploded. You can feel the energy come right through the stereo while the song is playing about halfway through or so - true greatness.
The nice Wheel > Playin combo finished things off before we finally hit some of the more overplayed material, Ashes (as we called it then) and the lame set ender they'd just started, NFA, which we were all seeing for the first (but hardly the last) time. We were hardly impressed with the "Bop Bop Bop" ending, which was rather anti-climactic. Stills did end the actual NFA with a real nice flurish (guess he somehow got over the jitters of playing with the Almighty Grateful Dead by this point, lol).
We had to listen to 5 or 6 minutes of the NFA chant/clap before getting the obligatory, but ALWAYS welcome Brokedown encore.

Quite a night: Waiting 67 shows to see Help > Slip > Franklin's alone. A great First Set; A Tremendously great Playin' & Stephen Stills doing Love the One You're With after the best post drums space EVER (and yes, I was at Phil's Earthquake Space on 4/18/82 & this is better; check both out & see what you think), not to mention a Wheel > Playin' Reprise.
What more could we want?

and dragged it across the stage during "space" this was one weird night.
additionally I saw Stills in the parking lot and gave him a dead shirt.
Peace, Love and JurassicBlueberries

my first show was in williamsburg,va. at the william & Mary College. too much brown acid that nite. but a great time with my friends and the girls we met. whooooooooooo ya its all right jerry

love the one your with very cool. that is what happens when you play with the dead you become overwhelmed. i miss you jerry. saw 105 shows first one being 87 kingswood Toronto fucking Canada.I just love this site.

Reading some of these other reviews, you people could not be more wrong. Granted, the Stephen Stills cover with Stills on lead is rough and unlike what you would expect to hear from a stills song. However, Stills is obviously overwhelmed by the Deads power and force during the song. As the song progresses, Stills goes from singing to screaming because of the boys energy in the song. Listen to Phils bass as it explodes out of the first chorus. I was at this show and the previous one which was not quite as good, and I remember the energy.

I believe its in the book "playing in the Band" where Stills is quoted as saying "..this is the greatest garage band of all time" Mickey states "..he was accustomed to a band playing their parts and here comes this fire breathing dragon down his back."

By virtue of the energy displayed and the fact that Stills is completely overwhelmed by the band, this may be one of their greatest covers, not their worst.

I give four stars because the sound is not great, but a five star performance.

I almost expected to hear "Foolish Heart" comes out of space and heard flash of it from Jerry. But then I also thought they were doing Truckin' when Dylan was singing Highway 61.

Was this a one-night stand with Stills?

This is one of my favorite shows. Phil bass is just on. The syncopation on Slipknot is hard, raw and Jerry is just layin' it down. I get shivers everytime I hear this. Someone is using a xylophone (Brent) I think. I remember hearing Mickey had made a trip to Japan around this time to look at the zildjian cymbal factory. Brentjam > drums is very trippy. My cassete always cut it on the flip. THe rest of the show is fun, has that early 80's Jersey feel. Love it...

Forget Greenjah or whatever he is calling himself these days...I have seen him review other shows and he always works in the same blowhard crap: "I saw X number of Dead shows" or "this was show 47 of my 179 shows, blah blah blah". Anyone who disses a show he likes "wasn't paying attention", "doesn't understand good music, etc.". He's a first degree egotistical ass clown. I know we're not supposed to trash other reviewers but this idiot continues to insult anyone who disagrees with his bloated opinions.

I was at this show and thought it was decent at the time, but the tapes reveal just how sloppy it was. It has its moments, though.

How about you quit being such a music facist and let people have their own opinions about shows? Who made you the Thought Lord when it comes to Dead shows? What you're basically saying is "I think highly of this show, therefore anyone who doesn't like it doesn't know what their talking about." Nothing like that good old reknowned Deadhead tolerance for difference, right?

I think this show is okay, but nothing to right home about. The jam greenjah is soiling himself over is nothing special. Typical sloppy '83 fair, kind of a high-spirited effoirt but nothing close to an all-timer.

This night was just as special as the night before! listen to the Help, Slip. Great playing and jammin..So they fudged the turn around in Help On The Way...Big Deal! The playing after that was remarkable. The Down the line, Roses, Cassidy, Big Rail Rd Blues in the 1st set was very nice..Franklins tower was groovin right along too ..Then, Steve Stills out of the space with Love the one your with, WOW! Lots of fun a great time!! This recording is better than any tape I have I give the recording 3 stars and the show 4.. :)

Sound Quality 4.5 ; Show Quality 4.0...rounded down to 4.0. This was the only time the Dead played Love the one You're With. Great memorable night with a good song selection; but the night before had more energy.

I'm laughing at all these comments about how Steve Stills blows it and it's a 'horrendous show' -laughing.

For those of us who were there, especially those of us seeing their first 2 Dead shows (of 188) from the 23rd row, having Steve Stills come out both nights and rip is a memory I will never forget. Oh, and when him and Jerry are trading licks at the end of the tune, that jam really sucks - awful. It's good your paying attention

I was wondering, did any of you music critics catch the expressions on their faces during this song and see the absolute blast they were having. I thought so..too bad..it was surreal.

Windowpayne, you wouldn't know good music (and its meaning) if it bit you in the ass. I recommend looking at some '84 shows - there are many more to rip apart, I think, than '83. Have at it - Just don't tell us about it.

Scotty Greene






Grow up people...

Sloppy show, mediocre sound.

Thank God it was the only time they played "Love the One You're With"- it's absolutely horrendous. This novelty, however, is the only thing notable about this otherwise forgettable show.

what a rocking 80s show,"Love the one your with" is like pure joy.. Steven Stills is about to explode with cosmic energy feeding off of the crowd's cheers.. Jerry is just jamming along while Phil is dropping bombs all along the way ..

I've owned this on cassette for many many years, and have been searching for better quality. I find the show here, and what do you know, same crap ass sound as whats on my cassette.

Love the one your with is absolutely terrible, but there are some great moments thru-out the rest of the show. Performance would probably get a 4, but stars are for sound quality...so this gets a 1.

The aud. copy above this one is a tad better, but it doesnt change the fact that stephen STILLS STILL blows on it ;)

...why it is so difficult to include a track list that corresponds to the files in a shn package. The unlisted d1t12 here is actually a redundant intro to d2t1 (HOTW). It can be deleted. The track list for d3, which shows nine tracks for seven files, should read:

1. Playing In The Band
2. Drumz > Space
3. Love The One You're With
4. The Wheel
5. Playing Reprise
6. Throwing Stones > Not Fade Away
7. E: Brokedown Palace

This is definitely a multi-gen source with plenty of hiss, and level problems on a number of tracks. The performance is actually pretty good. It's too bad this source is so flawed.

Four skulls for the performance, and two skulls for the recording/transcription.

This is right up there with the top worst 2 "cover moments" in GD history, the other being the Get Back from SF (I believe). The "Love The One You're With" is absolutely horrendous. To think this is actually STEPHEN STILLS onstage! The guy from CSN!? Jerry lets out a rippin' jam to try and bury the aweful vocals. The rest of the show and this whole run of shows does rip at times. Some HIGH OCTANE rock n' roll across the board.

Definietly not a 1st GEN as noted already.

This is not a 1st gen recording. We dont know what gen this is but Im certian That Frank and I cant count that high nor do we want to know. Stay clear of this muddy Multi gen and go for the 3 mic mix as its a high fidelity recording. 4 star performance

How do I love about this show? Let me count the ways... I love the thundering power of the drums particularly on the slipknot and at the end of the transition between the 2nd and 3rd verse of playing. I would go so far as to say that transition was never executed better (in my experience) and is one of the highlights of this show.

I love the grrr grrr grrr and the eena eena eeena of Jerry's guitar in slipknot and on the Playin jam.

I love the whole damn thing and of course, the Stephen Stills guest appearance makes this a must listen for any fan.

Also played the night before.
S.Hanley
Waikiki, Hi.

One of my favorite shows because of Steven Stills.....Love the One your with