Apparently they had to let people in before the PA was fully set up [this was Dec '73, so not the Wall of Sound yet, folks]. Phil came out before they played and blamed the promoters, telling the punters that the Dead were equally anxious to get going. Because they were several hours late, the second set had to be shortened. This was their only time at The Gardens, their focus after this becoming the Cleveland venues, which they would play 22 times after this show [and Cincinnati only 4 more times]. Fall '73 is one of the three or four hottest periods, but the meat was in November [excepting 12/2, and the Charlotte show]. There's still a few remarkable performances here. All of the SBDs have tuning edits.

First Set. It's no surprise that they start a bit rough, with the angry dude on bass. After the first solo on Sugaree the tempo slows, and then does it again after the second solo until dragging. The set then turns around on a sweet and tight Me & My Uncle. This is more like it, leading to a solid China Cat, which has a Feelin' Groovy jam. These next few aren't Grade A tight, but RIYL '73. Until Big River, that is. Good gods. Sometimes I think this is the best cover in the canon. Jer always had ideas. One of the year's absolute best. The rest is average '73, and though Stella is a bit flubbed, Keith is great. By Around & Around it sounds like they need a break.

Second Set. They came out for Eyes early in the morning, which may account for some of the rapid weirdness. With just a five-song, 55min set they get right to it. The first few riffs/secs are clipped from the official release. There's a very brief, missing section @8:33 on the SBD. On the official release there's an edit @7:56, removing 8:02>8:37 of the SBD. Phil absolutely pwns this Eyes, steering several sections and laying booby trap bombs for Jer, who weaves his frets among blats of ink pots, blowing rainbow lava skyward and drenching the communities below into a new timescape that ceases to never exist. Check Phil starting @9:15 and you'll hear him steer the whole band. Even if not the tightest of the tour, it's one of the oddest; strictly a one of a kind Eyes, and devolving into a wandering improv after 14min, when no song forms. Phil surely made people's feet vibrate across the floor. And goodbye to any plaster in the venue. Some set lists have called this Eye>Sugar Mag jam "Space", but it's way closer in form and era to a Feedback revisit. I love how Billy just stops at one point, and then after 5mins thinks "okay - I'm in on this now". The rest is average '73.

1st Set:  C+
2nd Set: C+
Overall = 3 stars

Highlights:
Me & My Uncle - sweet & tight
Big River - for the gods
Eyes of the World>Sugar Magnolia - rainbow lava blowing; must-own

SOURCES: The miller_86839 is a remaster of miller_86845 with a few improvements. However, you need the latter for One More Saturday Night (it's from a different source and slightly slow, needing +1% pitch correction). Eight songs are bonus tracks in the Winterland 1973 box (Eyes of the World has been edited).

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I bought the 1973 Winterland Box Set, November 9,10, & 11, it came with a "Bonus CD", Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, OH, but only has the following 9 songs:

1. China Cat Sunflower
2 I Know You Rider
3. Truckin'
4. Stella Blue
5. Eyes of the World
6. Space
7. Sugar Magnolia
8. Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad
9. Casey Jones

You have to fork over $100 and change to get this CD, but somehow Charlie must have hit the wrong button and uploaded it to the IA...Oops! Groovy, man...I can dig it, it's far-out.

I highly recommend adding this show to your 1973 GRATEFUL DEAD collection. Charlie Miller did it again, another "Masterpiece".

5 Stars for the mix, recording, performance and transfer. Hey Man? It's a Charlie Miller transfer, I highly recommend you click on Charlie Miller's name and collect all his GRATEFUL DEAD shows, he's got some keepers.

The IA recommends users of Windows XP view this web-page with RealPlayer. RealPlayer is a free media player you can download at www.realplayer.com.

For easy streaming or downloading use RealPlayer. Click the VBR M3U link to open the songs in the Playlist. If your Playlist is not open, open it by clicking the Playlist icon at the lower right hand corner of RealPlayer. Once the songs are in the Playlist, double click the song to play it, then click the record button at the lower left hand corner of Realplayer to record it. When the red line reaches the other end click the stop button to download the song. Your song is in the RealPlayer Downloads folder. Repeat these steps for each song.

Eat, Drink, Be Merry and Listen to the GRATEFUL DEAD.

Thanks for the LOVE from 1973 it sounds just like I remember it...My Senior Year in High School.

The music of the GRATEFUL DEAD lives, thanks to Charlie Miller.

PS: Get em' while you can, get em' while they're free, get em' now or you'll be sorry...the Man giveth and the Man taketh away...WTTW

...but I don't understand how we can hear an SBD of a concert that has been officially released. Maybe I won't ask more questions. This source appears to be the same one used by the Winterland 1973 box set. Great. A unique setlist (opening with Johnny B. Goode). Apparently the band was supposed to start at 6:00 PM but didn't go until 11:00 PM.

It's a three star show (an average 1973 show)...although the extended Eyes with the subsequent jam segment is freaked and eyeball-popping good.