Isn’t it just like the Grateful Dead to lay down an absolute scorcher of a show in a town like Huntington, West Virginia?

You can tell you’re in for a heater right from the Jack Straw, which engulfs into flames during the big crescendo. You can easily make the case for this being the best ever Peggy-O, and point to the song’s guitar solo as one of the very finest of Jerry Garcia’s career.

The whole show is dynamite. You get both a Scarlet > Fire and an Estimated > Eyes! Hearing an early iteration of Drums > Space is a fun treat. To close the show, it’s an Iko Iko > Sugar Magnolia preceding a ripping U.S. Blues encore. Just a complete barnburner from start to finish. It barely cracks two and a half hours, but there’s a whole lot of punch packed into this relatively short April ‘78 slugfest. Yes, there’s a Dire Wolf and a Ship of Fools sprinkled in there, but really this show is all about that ‘78 power. This one may be overshadowed by the Duke show, but it’s just as good. Come for the Peggy-O, stay for the rest.

A great version of Peggy-O with Jerry's voice filled with emotion and then the guitar solo really takes off; Bobby provides the background twangs that add substance.

Cassidy has an urgency that seems almost about to explode before the "flight of the seabirds" lets it go.
Eyes has that same urgency, with Jerry throughout the show following the drummers' lead and playing quickly in his many notes/don't hold a note style of this era.

And how then to explain a slow and methodical Iko.
Lots to listen to.

This is a fantastic show. Solid Jack Straw opener and listen to this Peggy O - it is probably my favorite version of all time - Jerry nails the amazing solo in the middle of the song and it just seems to keep on going. Also, a very interesting Scarlet > Fire to close the first set, Jerry is doing some col things once the post-vocal jam starts. Second set Estimated > Eyes goes from gooey, mysterious slinky to fastpaced fluidity and Keith seems to step it up at just the right time in the jam after the second Eyes verse....only to come back once and for all after the final verse in one last explosion. A very sweet, early-on Iko and rocking Sugar Magnolia round out this amazing show.

Do not leave this stone unturned!

Both this and the most recent AUD tape (the 24 bit job) are excellent, and I recommend both.

While I am partial to '68 to '71, I gave this show a listen for a change of pace. I am not fond of the "electric piano" sound, nor of the way they ended Sugar Magnolia in this era. And the way they opened Jack Straw in this show nearly had me gagging over the toilet. But Jerry's work near the end of that song redeemed it for me. And there are enough exciting moments for me to rate this four stars, the most I can give a show from this era.

But take a lesson from this. It was one year after Jerry began smoking heroin. As Garcia himself said, at first drugs give you freedom - then they imprison you.

Listen and learn. A+ show, of course Charlie Miller delivers the good here. Listen w/ headphones and you will be on stage....The Peggy-O is transcendent with a solo that's very unique.

Love it. US BLUES at the end rocks. Epecially the thank-you, lol. Sounds fantastic. I will enjoy this one many times over in the future. Drums and Space are usually not my thang, but this one was listenable and had cohesiveness. Maybe it was my mood? either way it shouldn't disappoint.

Another in a long series of charlie's angels