True, I've had to research it to be certain, but now it is confirmed. I grew up in Eugene and was in Junior High and I knew next to nothing about the Dead (at the time). I was in line outside quite early with a good friend. Indeed, there were a lot of weirdos (including a guy who was very high and kept saying "Oh, Head"). Maybe this means something to fans from that era? In the mind of a 14 year old this very convincingly felt like a 1960's show, an era I was not able to enjoy first hand. We get inside and it's the tower sound system and we're in like the second or third row. People are nice and are offering us things that we're too scared to try. Then the band comes onstage and it's loud. Really loud. Because I'm a novice I have no ear plugs. My ears ring for three days and I permanently shave some high frequency off my hearing. Keith makes eye contact with my friend and I and smiles. I will always remember Jerry hitting the Close Encounters theme, it really stood out. And after all that, it turns out I'm not really a big fan of the Dead. I cherish the experience of that show (and there were several more I saw in Eugene and Portland). I've got close friends who are Dead Heads, but of the jammy bands from the era I became a much bigger fan of Little Feat. I never got to see Lowell George, but this became a bucket list year for me as Elvis Costello and Queen would follow a few months later. To think I used to have access to a first generation soundboard cassette and didn't bother to dub it to reel or even cassette. I'm super glad this was posted here and I'm looking forward to checking it out (at a much lower volume level).

Note to Tanman82 - 1/11/78 St Stephen is def THE other really special 2.0 Stephens. It always sounded to me like Jerry was searching for something during it though. He found was he was looking for on this one. This one is super tight and focused almost like it was rehearsed. Im betting the rehearsal was 1/11. Either way, both are the heat.

Amazing that the old source for this is at 63 reviews while the CM Remaster stands at just 5. Granted it has only been up here for somewhere btw 2-3 years while the long circulated SBD/AUD composite has been around since LAMA's 1st days. This show's 2nd set is so monstrously epic that a source so fine deserves a great deal more love. Hence this review.

Don't make the mistake of only popping on set 2 though. There is plenty of fire during the 1st set. Minglewood is standard, Dire Wolf is just slightly above average although you get the sense that there may be some bristling energy driving to the top. Cassidy is fine, nothing noteworthy. Following the boon year before the Peggy-O, while very nice, is just an average rendition. Certainly worth the listen, if only to hear the new & more aggressive tones Jer is getting from Wolf. El Paso is worth the listen for those who dig the tune. An above average version from this era for sure.

This turns out to make perfect sense as the Tennessee Jed that follows is a rip-roaring affair that is a clear line of demarcation separating the two identities alive within this show. From Jed on, this is as good, and very possibly, the best stretch of music the band lays out during Keith's last 2 1/2 years. Jack Straw maintains the momentum. At a glance, sticking a Row Jimmy in at this particular spot seems like a no-win scenario...especially if they had treated us to a smooth, slide filled 77 style version. That is not this Row Jimmy. It is certainly not a version that'll go down in the annals, but it is very strong, with just enough of a dirty edge to it to fit into the night's persona exactly as it should.
They close it out with an outstanding TMNS. Not quite a top 10 all time version, but definitely just a hair below that status.

They lead off one of the top 2nd sets played 76-95. For my money there are only a dozen & a few during those 19 years that can match this set's intensity, imagination, and execution. This set features those bid bad-ass balls crash and burn willingness that so consistently defined the band's first 9 years.

The Bertha is strong for sure but initial liftoff is definitely during Good Lovin'. Plenty of fun Bobby versions but not many that reach this level. The message to prepare for a barn burner comes across loud and clear. The Ship of Fools is the only portion from the Jed to the end that isn't at least excellently played. The version is ok, but definitely fails to add anything substantive to the night. I consider it a plus that it doesn't suck the energy out of the rest of the night. Ship is a great song when it is great but it pops up early-mid 2nd set a little too often post-retirement. Thankfully they jump out of it into a nice & aggressive Samson & D. Not a roof-busting version, but flowing with energy & enthusiasm.

So far it has been a very nice show. Good song selection, nicely paced, packed with all the stuff that defines the best from these criminally under appreciated 1st 2 months of 1978. If the remaining setlist stayed exactly the same and they just played at the same level they'd been at to that point, this would be an excellent '78 show. Probably 2nd tier, but definitely on the higher end of it. That's not how it went though. They superman-style leap 30-40 floors and then manage to push it dramatically furthur. The Terrapin is one of the best they ever played. I was reading through the 63 reviews of the other source and couldn't believe only 5 or 6 list it as a major highlight. This is the high water mark for perfectly executed Keith-era Terrapins, with an outro jam overflowing with beautifully subtle playing from multiple sources. A Top 10 Terrapin for sure. Terrapin glides gracefully into a "just right" Drums interlude. Not too much without losing hold of the ambiance established during the previous 70 minutes or so of playing. The final minute they bring it down in a way where you can hear and almost picture the air in Oregon that night. They dip into silence for less than a moment, but enough of one to build exactly the right tension for the band to rip into a TOO that scorches, searches, expands space, flies on the razor's edge all while being wrapped so tight you can never tell if they are going to keep it together or explode right there on stage. By now Jerry is on a non-stop stretch of fiery lead playing(truly reminiscent of summer '71). His touch is just incredible and his choices of when to employ his Octave divider and when to pull it back are repeatedly perfect. Approaching the 2nd verse even Keith is offering meaningful contributions. After 14 or so minutes of blistering play they bring it down lower & lower & lower... until suddenly there is only Jerry. This again reminds me of summer 71 JG. He is left to command the stage w/ no more help than his Mu-Tron III and Octave Divider. How he winds up dropping a Close Encounters mini-jam/solo is... well it is just Jerry being Jerry I suppose...at his very best though. Then a thwapang of sound and a full bodied instant ripping into what will wind up being the best St. Stephen they ever played imho.

That this Stephen delivers as many masterful seconds of music in under 8 minutes is mind-bending. You can keep the mega Stephens from '77 bc not a one comes anywhere near this one. It is no coincidence that after returning to regular rotation throughout 76-77 they completely dropped(save NYE Run 78, 1/10/79 and its ill-fated 83 bust-outs) St. Stephen from the repertoire after this night. To my ears, they achieved the song's perfect rendition and saw no point in bringing it back out. The 2 versions that December are both nice but nothing special. 1/10/79 is actually very very good and a great send off to be sure, but as far as I'm concerned, 1/22/78 was it.

The NFA that follows had an impossible task of following but manages to cook nicely for a while before spacing out in just the right way for this night. Jerry brings it home with some very cool riffing starting mid minute 10, continuing until a nice drop into the final vocal section. The band carries a soft NFA vocal riffing over soft playing through the last 2 minutes before kicking off Around & Around with a slow, deep, driving start. Exactly the right tempo to drag every drop of frenetic energy out of the closing throw down as possible. They give the Around outro dance party every bit as much energy as they gave throughout the night. I can only imagine looking out from the stage and seeing roughly 9000 wobbly legged hippies dragging their jaws off the floor after the last notes.

US Blues is really the only suitable Encore to play here. The vocals kinda reflect the level of exhaustion they must have been at by the end of the night. Strong playing cancels the weak vocals out though. Needless to say, the encore from a show on this level is so unnecessary it can be forgotten the moment its over as the heat from the 2nd set continues to billow out from the stage.

Sound: 9/10
Playing: 9.5/10
Show: 9.5/10

If you are looking to hear the "Close Encounters Jam" , cue up to 20:49 in The Other One to hear the 5 note the are the "jam", that's it.

I was attending the University of Oregon; iirc couple of shows in a row. I never looked back! Wound up in Berkeley...wow!

I just listened to the featured version of this show on the Archive's front page and I believe this is a better version -- more cohesive. The second set is seamless, which is a joy.

Sorta hard for me to understand why people don't like this era of the GD. I think it was the band's hottest era. I really dig the shows that rip in 77 & 78. Give me the scalding luster of Garcia's white hot Wolf any day. I prefer the Dead in heavy metal The Who mode.

ALMOST a 5. The Music Never Stopped, Bertha, Other One and Saint Stephen are gorgeous.

this is a GREAT show. GREAT Other one- st tephen as everyone notes BUT the stephen from the shrine 2 weeks earlier is the post '71 version for me

I can't begin to be objective about this show. I'd first seen them in Portland a few months prior (10/2/77) and was firmly on the bus and then made the long drive down to Eugene (I was going to school in Olympia) for this show. Very cold and rainy night, waiting online with a lot of dreadlocked crazies. Saw Jerry get out of Kesey's pickup in the private lot and walk into the venue carrying his very formal looking brief-case? First set was fine up until 10SC and then they just blew the roof off of the place through Jack Straw and Music.

Very very weird GD magic during the set-break (there are stories!). Then the second set that destroyed my mind that night and continues to every time I listen to it. After almost 40 years to gain perspective, this was the peak musical experience of my life and I've been to a LOT of shows by a LOT of incredible musicians. Kind of wrecked me for the Dead for a while - I saw several solid shows after the next few years, but they were so many levels below this one that I always thought they sucked until hearing tapes years later and realizing they were pretty damn good - just not anywhere near THIS good.

An amazing amazing night...

Thanks Charlie Miller,
I'm really glad for Charlie Miller spending so much time on so many great shows.
This is massively electrified GD at it's peak. The whole thing is one long apex peak...
38 years ago HOLY CRAP-OLA

The tour heads North out of California and into Oregon. Only in the 1st set but band seems pretty fired up.
This show has gained notoriety for the CLOSE ENCOUNTERS but really this is another strong show from a tour I can only imagine would have been a blast.
Jerry sounds better vocally but some tunes seems tougher on him than others. JED exposes some rough edges but Garcia just keeps playing and singing.
MUSIC NEVER seems shorter in length during this time period but intensely jammed.
The band is hitting its stride, Crowd really rowdy coming across loud and clear on the soundboard.
Jack Straw! gets a nice ovation,
I like Donna singing on this.
STRAW better for Jerry vocally...
Wow great climax to the JACK STRAW.
Dire Wolf, Peggy O, and Row Jimmy from Jerry.
They are a Band Beyond Description.
Second Set from Samson on just goes real deep. The OTHER ONE was very well played even before they arrived at the Close Encounters Jam.
Great jam inside the St. Stephen.
"What would be the answer
to the answer MAN ? "
I have not reviewed this in great detail so you could refer to DIREWOLF600 who posted a nice review or any of the reviewers here who have all given this show its proper due.
Yeah Dire the Terrapin Station!!!
They could have packed up after NFA and this would still be a top show for 1978.

I've had an audience cassette of this since the early 90's. It was worn and wobbly. It was dim and distant. Set II always piqued my smizzles, but was hard to get into, let alone crank and craw my limbs to. Once again: Charlie Miller. Nice. Nice. O, I enjoy this nugget. The Spaceship. The Saint. The Other One. The sweaty faces and tired limbs who came before me. The Turtle who carries us off to a new plane. The end of an era and wind down of a long night.
My favorite '78.
Enjoy!

I have been a big fan of '77 and prior, and perhaps to the point of self blinding snobbery have avoided pretty much everything post that time...But '78 is starting out with some gems. Perhaps I should expand my horizon to all of Jerry's "Wolf" period; it seems the tones it provides give him great pleasure and inspiration and the collaborators seem to follow suit in his delight.
This one is just very, very well mixed. Despite being from a long line of electrical engineers and a design engineer myself I have no idea of the prodigious effort involved; but the fruits of the labor are well appreciated. Thanks to all who labor and sometimes re-labor to bring us joy and enlightenment from the Archive!

I'm a major fan of 1972-74. But this show has always been among my all time favs. The 30 min or so of The Other One > Close Encounters > St. Stephen is probably my all time favorite segments of music to listen to from the entire GD archive. The Other One captures the very essence of Grateful Dead improvisation, with the band deliberately losing the rhythm of the song yet all playing together brilliantly, and then smoothly seguing back into the song. And the St. Stephen -- oh my God!!! This is the Apotheosis of St. Stephen, a performance that brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it, because it speaks to a divine joy that is beyond what mortal flesh can experience, but that our spirits hold in our cellular memories and is activated by the music. One of those ultimate moments of Grateful Deadness, along with the Feeling Groovy jam in the Dark Star of 2-13-70, or the 5-8-77 Morning Dew. Really, you can extend that segment of greatness to include the Not Fade Away. From Terrapin to the end is a fine CD, yet the first set and beginning of the second is solid as well.

so i rarely foray out of 68-74 it seems but WOW what a concert this is. I think it makes my top 10 all time, sounds much like 74 to me really. i really never listen to 77 anymore but im pretty sure it kicks any of those shows asses w/ energy and power. Like ive seen said before - 'their punk period'. I never had liked a show from post 77 - fall 80, always thought it was keith not giving a shit and jer already on the decline. Not so here at all, 1st set took my breath away and 2nd set just kept delivering and delivering! ty so much for this show, looking forward to another 78 show today and i almost cant believe im saying that.

according to wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McArthur_Court

this was "one of the hardest arenas for visitors to play in"....looks like the dead had no problem tearin' it up.

we now have the definitive source.

i'll give Charlie Miller 's work 5 stars, as a rule, because this tells me that it's gonna sound as good as one can hope for, with digital, so you can actually listen to it
i give this a 5 star for the terrapin and the row jimmy
and, unless there's no reason not to, i give a show 5 stars just for being there, if something about it moved me to bother writing a review
wish i had a recording of my own crap, me, that sounded fractionally as good , especially anything live
http://www.vimeo.com/17169752 this is the best i got, and i mean the audio on there ... if you can help me do better, record on to tape, i've got a bunch of 2" reels to re record on, and can pay you, but not much grasshopperak@att.net

Here we have the definitive source - Charlie Miller's (shocking). I was not familiar with this show until really fairly recently. It was second night Shrine that I had in my collection and listened to the most from this year. This show is clearly superior, however. I agree with others who have said this is one of the last truly consistantly great tours they did - despite Jerry's vocal issues. They really do rage, which may not be for everyone. Sure, this show is hyped but that usually happens for a reason. And it surely has more to do than just the Close Encounters novelty. Solid and in the zone from top to bottom. I rarely give fives but this one deserves it.