This was my third show, (yes, I'm getting old) -I'd already been enveloped in the joy of the day before. Got some good photos on the ninth. It was a very special afternoon and night- I'll never forget it. The performance live was definately better than what you get from the SNBDs loaded here. They were so ON I was in heaven. I drifted here and there only about 30 ft. from the stage, dead center. Listening to the first few bars of this Morning Dew again literally gives me goosebumps. The day before was amazing, and I hardly expected them to surpass it, but they did. And the 98 deg. heat both days didn't really phase us much, because we were so stoked, and high from the music.
I'm a big fan of Birdsong, largely for the jams they did within it, and this one is the longest I know of...beautifully rendered. PITB follows to end the first set, and by this time it was completely dark...and we all got a mind-blowing surprise. Right when the final bars of Playin' started, the refrain, someone in the sound booth out in the audience set off some major fireworks. So, during the final chords of the song, we get this visual extravaganza, everybody with their heads tilted back, gazing up in major euphoria.
Even though a bit of the magic from how extremely tight they were is lost in these recordings (even the boards), it's still a great stream, especially Charlie's transfer. Buy yourself a really good desktop stereo if you haven't already, and enjoy!

I was only 10 when this show went down, but my sister went. According to her, she and friend got a ride from her friend's mom. They weren't inside for 10 minutes when her friend ran off with a streaker, never to be seen the rest of the day. Somehow they reconnected and met the mom that evening and made it home (dosed out of their minds still) but safe. LOL

An extraordinary AUD. If I had to choose, this might be my favorite GD show of all, and this recording is a huge part of that. Thanks!

Then this show is for you! Phil is absolutely on the very top of his game this night and he tears it up and sets it on fire. The middle of Dark Star is almost entirely a bass solo, as is the middle of Playin' in the Band. My own personal favorites from this show are Here Comes Sunshine, Eyes of the World, and Looks Like Rain, which both totally blew me away. I'd say this is my favorite Grateful Dead show to listen to, hands down, and clocking in at 4 hours and 32 minutes, you need to make an afternoon (or night!) of this one. I only wish I could have been there!

Very nice show. The Dark Star doesn't work for me - a little too scattered or free form.
But no surprise there's a low spot in a 4-1/2 hour show.
Worth a listen & then some.

This show was one of the best I ever attended! I also think it was the beginning of the end for the Dead.

We were let in early and found our way to the right front. There we set up camp - had a great time in the heat.
The Allman bros came out and did "One way out" as a sound check, then split. An hour later, out comes Wet Willy, uh, Sham-lam-a-ding-dong. people were throwing shit on the stage, they were so bad.
Allma bros come back. As they are tuning up, I throw a frizbee and it hooks back at the stage and cuts down Chuck Levell's beer all over him. Nice.

The Deads performance was straospheric!! I never heard them capture that sound from that nite ever again. For years I played the Ace version of PITB as it was the closest thing I had at the time of what they sorta sounded that nite.
Geez I miss Jerry!

The ride back to NYC was strangely quiet the next morning :~)

This is the benchmark aud for conveying the power of the Grateful Dead during one of their great periods. I commend my friend Monte Barry for preserving this gem, as my cassette had worn out years ago. The interplay between Jerry and Phil is astounding.

I once told my wife, (who adores this Dark Star), that if I leave before her, to shoot me into Space with this Dark Star as my soundtrack!

Yup. I have to agree. I just saw DC United play against Toronto last night at RFK and decided to listen to this aud today and I have to say it really adds the atmosphere missing from the soundboard. Well done Monte.

These are my favorite recordings (not versions) of Morning Dew, Playing In The Band & Dark Star. What makes them special is the X Factor that comes through on this particular audience recording. It would seem to be a combination of performance, echo and the sound swirling around RFK Stadium that was captured on this recording. Bravo! Mystical sounding. Must have stumbled onto a great spot to record from. Thanks Monte!

confession: starting in 86 or so, i went through a series of cassette upgrades of this show, each one promising that i would "get it" why this was one of the most hyped up shows ever. well, i never did quite get it, even after having some mighty crisp mr>dat>cassettes. it always seemed a little flat, or tired, to me.

now, this source has turned my head right around. one can hear the sound swim around the bowl that is rfk (odd how that stadium often prompted GOOD sound out of the alembic wizards). the proto-wall of sound p.a. mix is sssoooooo much better than the board mix, genuinely atmospheric, echoing around the chambers of the venerated old stadium ghost. it's got soul, deep soul.

too bad that there is no way to adequately mix various sources to "capture" the live sound. in that sense, all dead tapes are a "guess you had to be there" experience in one shape or another. perhaps that's why i give this way more kudos than the board; it captures the atmospheric quality of their sound on this day.

yeah, there's fireworks, occasional chatter, unnecessary clapping, a nasty clip in morning dew (sigh), but all in all this is the superior source to my aging ears.

thanks for the timely-timeless effort monte. props to you for preserving history and brightening my understanding of a deservedly legendary show.

Nice for a first try, Monte.
Did this source circulate? It would explain that oddly 'chewed' multi-gen tape I had many years ago. Sounded freakin' amazing at the time, the internet hast spoilt thine ears.

This AUD recording epitomizes the very best of the Grateful Dead "live sound" for the time. The Wall of Sound is nailed by the sound crew and the Dead for this show. Set within an outdoor Stadium, this close-up infield FOB spatially captures sound from the two Aux PA towers on the infield, behind the taper. The sound delay from the Wall of Sound to the Aux PA towers adds a touch of ear candy as it rolls around the stadium. This was by far the best sound fidelity experience I ever heard come out of a PA System, period. It was a sensational orgy of sound.

I hope you enjoy my tapes. I never taped a show before this weekend. Sat, June 9 was my 1st time. I must confess. With somewhere bet 60,000 and 100,000 music-lovers at these 2 shows with the Allman Bros and the Grateful Dead, I was having second thoughts about getting out of my comfy stadium seating with my taping gear. It was muggy, hot, easily 100 degrees on Saturday.

My friend Jay D'elia picked up on my anxiety. He came over and gently pulled on my arm, prompting me to get up from my seat. He led the way and guided me along, as he parted the infield crowd of thousands of dead-heads - just like Moses did in the biblical story. Once we found our FOB sweet spot, I was good-to-go from there. Same FOB on Sunday. All I can tell you is, this weekend was all about THE SOUND SYSTEM. Everything came together for all of us. The vibes were just right. The boys and the sound crew made history. The sound fidelity was the Grateful Dead and Sound Crew's equivalent of landing on the Moon. I thought the boys played quite well. GD was 8 hour show on Sunday. -- Monte

Source
-- Sony TC 110 cassette deck
-- single-point stereo mic, hand-held on mic-stand shaft w/ arm raised up
-- FOB center infield, between sbd platform and stage platform