The Kiel Auditorium hosted some awesome Grateful Dead shows, one of which was this three-hour hootenanny from the brand new Brent lineup. The first set is great, with Row Jimmy and Candyman balancing out what is otherwise a real rock fest. There are all kinds of first set songs hidden in the second set, and they jump out with an element of surprise that's guaranteed to paste a grateful grin on your stolen face. Bertha post-Space? Hell yeah.

It's all played very nicely. Certain solos are so mellow that you snooze on them, but if you accidentally rewind the track and listen again, you realize Jerry is on some cutting edge creativity. He lays on the sauce for those Workingman's Dead tunes.

Jerry was still using a slide for Row Jimmy, and the drummers still had that Terrapin/Shakedown-era thump. This is a '70s show, but just barely. The '80s Dead sound was definitely creeping in from just around the corner. Lazy Lightning > Supplication had a new Bobby neighbor named Sailor > Saint. Alabama Getaway was becoming a regular. They were playing Space, and this one has a real UFO cockpit sort of vibe. Brent Mydland was settling in after having immediately brought up the band's performance quality several notches, both vocally and instrumentally. They were lucky to have him. It's surprising Easy to Love You wasn't a bigger hit!

When you mash '70s Dead and '80s Dead together, you get shows like 12/9/79. Fans of both eras will enjoy this evolutionary gig. This performance has a nice flow to it, and the recording is balanced, in spite of the patches. It's a punchy and Phil-heavy SBD, without being overwhelming.

Splendid show, enjoy!

Big funky Shakedown!

what a sweet middle of set 1. I'd take that any day.

Very nice sound to this gem of a show..A sweet Row Jimmy and the Lazy Lightning>Supp Deal to end 1st set SMOKE..I love the High Time in the 2nd set and also the song selection..the Black Peter out of space is haunting..so please>GIVE IT A WHIRL!! Forever Grateful>Forever Dead!!!!!!!!!

Apologies for transgressing the usual review protocol - I'm a Rhode Island deadhead here to ask that you consider making a donation to the Archive. We are so fortunate to have this resource, thanks to the hard work and efforts of so many of you, and we need to make sure we preserve it for future generations. I make a modest contribution each year in the name of a family member in the heart of gold band! Please consider doing the same.