Well, we have a nice professional FM broadcast via the Master Reels ! I wonder if they had a Semi Truck mobile studio which many times Westwood One radio network would use for nationwide broadcasts. This sounds so freaking PRO it's not kidding; I mean there were artists' commercial releases at the time that don't sound this clean! Of course, we know there are many sources of this show from taped off air to other soundboards. However, I did compare my CDR copy transferred from DAT which is the same source but the transfer is not the same. It was not as clean and defined as this transfer that's for sure.

I think the performance is above par with other shows from 1978 which sometimes the band sounds a little worn out or too high? However, a nationwide FM broadcast will focus most artists and the GD deliver a good performance. 1st set is pretty standard but some curveballs come out in the second with Estimated > Shakedown St. and Ollin Aragreed drums intro before a stand alone Fire on the Mountain without Scarlet Begonias... that's rare !

However, the real treat for me on this recording is how good the drums sound in the mix. I think the reason 1977 and 1978 are so appealing for so many people is the clarity of the whole band but mostly the drums. At this time in rock concert production the key was to be loud but to get the clarity was tough to accomplish. However, the Grateful Dead with Meyer who helped design PA speakers to obtain a high fidelity standard. Also, the GD used really good mixing boards but in my opinion it's the lack of compression that yields a sweet sound. As the GD becomes more modern they begin to put a lot of outboard gear in the signal chain which is a challenge for any professional. We all know of soundboards that are muddy with no high end definition. The drum sound returned right at the end with late 1994 and 1995 with plexiglass partitions between drummers and modern equipment delivered a throw back to the clarity of the drum mixes of 77/78

this sounds amazing! seems cleaner than whatever version i was previously listening to