Reviewer:
Mind Wondrin
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favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite -
May 24, 2018
Subject:
sum eight-oh redux reveal
Even though part of the second set was released on Download 7, this show is still probably a hidden gem. The odd, stand-alone Supplication has given it some ticklist cachet, but it is overshadowed by the previous day. Still, it shows up on lists of favorite shows, and the first set is as good as the released part. Plus the official release doesn't impress as it should since it runs at the wrong speed. Lemieux said the rest isn't in the vault but I wonder if they just didn't like the sound quality or something else. Either way, like the beginning of the summer, the end of summer '80 has a string of great shows (particularly 8/31, 9/2, 9/3 & 9/4).
First Set. Feel Like a Stranger had opened the 2nd set the night before, but this is better (the SBD source is poor here). Peggy-O has all the right elements for a Fennario [as we labeled cases bitd of B&P]. Cassidy is instead great in the ragged-Dead way. Dire Wolf is passable, with Jer taking an extra measure for the solo. Why does Jer say "[wanna] do Lawnmower?" before Minglewood? Did the band have an inside joke not yet documented? Good version (Rhode Island girls and...T for NYC??). The SBD unfortunately isn't great for Althea but the playing is there. Another fantastic '80 'thea. Jer lights a great roar for an otherwise average Looks Like Rain. Somehow, Far From Me has a shaky night, seeming like a 1st run-through. Jer sings the 3rd verse of China Cat, then loops back. It's average, but Rider is unusual and I had to go back and listen to the entire sequence a few times, because it revealed and got better. It comes so close to falling apart and reaching perfection - at the same time.
Second Set. After Samson goes through the tight wind, Jer doesn't want to quit soloing, so he adds way-nice fills behind Bobby. The sans-Lightning Supplication is a must-hear, forming out of a tuning into star matter. (The version on Download 7 fades-in after the first 5 secs). Though it has been cited as the only time, a non-LL Supp occurred 9/24/76 and would happen again 5/22/93. Eyes may be the most hyperactive of '80. Jer is a blur; not perfect but a must-hear-once. '80 was a great year for Eyes and also an expansion year for Drums, here with chimes. After The Other One comes another great sequence. I know of no better Wharf Rat in '80 and then, after an awkward segue, Goin' Down the Road is unexpectedly, astonishingly good. The rest is average.
1st Set: B
2nd Set: B
Overall = 4¼ stars HG
Highlights:
Feel Like a Stranger - tour's best
Peggy-O - right elements
Althea - the playing is there
I Know You Rider - if China doesn't impress this will
Samson & Delilah - leaving it all on stage
Supplication - Easter egg
Eyes of the World - Jer is a blur
Wharf Rat>Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad - year's best of pairing
SOURCES: There's a great Seamons matrix, which is the best source for the 1st song [needs +1% pitch]; and a Steve Rolfe AUD. The miller_95497 SBD provides the complete show - except some tunings have been edited. The last 10 songs are on Download 7 but were mastered at the wrong speed (needing +2%), making the Miller more convenient..
Reviewer:
billydlions
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favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite -
July 13, 2009
Subject:
Must Have 1980
This show gets lost because of the great shows surrounding this one, but don't let that keep you from getting a copy of this gem. The recording is stellar- what else would you expect from Charlie Miller? And then there's Jerry who is on fire all night. It's hard to pick highlights because almost every song is well played but I will try: The Supplication jam is the real deal, Estimated/Eyes is played with gusto and this may be my favorite version of Going Down the Road with razor sharp solos by Jerry. The whole run from 8/30 to 9/6 is one of the band's finest.