...absolutely sensational hypnotic jams. what I believe seventy-six was truly capable of (in its highest form of search) sounds like a pilgrimage toward the ultimate. they might have tapered off somewhere in the next two years but aLL things have their end. what is provided here is an incredible source we might delve into. With its sonics and humble imperfections, it's a work of art deservedly praised...

This show is one of the few I went to when first discovering the Dead around a year ago. I’ve seen the video of the show, and I’ve listened to a few of the other sources, but this one is my favorite. The original FM broadcast suffers from a lot of tape hiss, and I overall prefer the soundboard to the Seamons Matrix of this show(though it, and his other matrices are very good). This one just hits the sweet spot for me. As for the music, it truly does speak for itself, but this Help>Slip!>Franklins is my absolute favorite version. Very funky Franklin’s, and the Slipknot! is spacey, barely hanging on to the main themes and ideas of the tune. The second set is nothing to scoff at either. Overall, very great show, incredible source.
Show: 5/5
Source: 5/5

First of all, I just have to say how fortunate we are that this band existed, had the foresight to tape all their shows, and left these thousands of treasures to be discovered. Every time I think I've got all the shows I want, that I have the Top 100 or whatever, something happens, like an official box set announcement, and off I go down the rabbit hole again. What a find this one is, and I guess it's important to remember it's not the timing of discovery, but that you eventually got here.

I must confess that I hadn't given much thought to '76 before..I'd heard and watched the Roosevelt summer show, and thought it was ok, but not as good as '74, and then just kinda figured '76 was a back from the layoff, working things out sort of year, resulting in all that undeniable '77 goodness. Boy was I wrong.

This show seems to stand apart from many others...I can't put my finger on what it is. Maybe it's just the uniqueness in the sound of this recording, and of course, kudos to Charlie Miller, Rich Gastwirt, and Sirmick, whose work, while listening on headphones, seems to deposit the listener right onto the stage. I do know it's a very well played show, and I felt like my head was on a swivel as I turned in my mind to watch Jerry, only to pivot because Phil just played something I'd never heard him do, only to then gravitate to Keith who's just on fire this night, and on and on. I'm going to even go there, and say that I absolutely love Donna on this recording. She's up high in the mix, but don't let that scare you...she's on point, all night, with none of the make-you-squirm shrieks that she's known for. It almost sounds like a different band at some points, led by a female lead singer. I realize this might be scaring you...don't let it. My only complaint is that with the mix seemingly up on Donna, and the high end, is that Phil's buried down low a bit too much, but then he'll play something that catches you, and it all sounds perfect again.

The only blemish on this evening is the "Ayayaayayayyayaaaaaa"guy, as pointed out in reviews on the other versions of this show. I wonder if the guy, who made the same obnoxious aforementioned chant in between every song, ever realized what an ass he was making of himself? Despite this repeated bizarre verbal assault, you quickly forget about him once the band starts up again. Until the next break of course. Oh well...minor blemishes.

In summary, I'm blown away a bit, that when I think I've heard it all I stumble on a show that just sounds this different, and is such a top tier performance. It's a combination of the sound quality and the band, in what I'm now coming to realize is representative of it's own unique '76 sound. I'm on now to the Beacon shows, perhaps better ranked, and certainly more streamed and downloaded (speaking of which, this is downloadable, thank you very much), but I'm giving 4.5 on performance and 5 stars on sound quality. A must-have show.