Coming out hot with the 'Bama Getaway -> Promised Land that has the feel of a show closer/encore. Otherwise, dig the penultimate Passenger and the big Bird Song -> LIG before heading into break. It's a rare sequence, to be sure, only played a handful of times: See 5/13/81, 10/10/81 (these two even sneak Deals in on the tale-end), 5/13/83, 7/6/84, and 3/25/90.

But you're really here for the second set. Really great. There's the first sequence, Shakedown -> Lost Sailor -> Saint, an intermediate Railroad Blues, then the excellent Playin' sandwich with a must-hear Space jam -> Wheel.

Though conventional wisdom picks the better-known night before, many swear this night is better - even the best '81. I might give the nod to this night as well (objectively the two just have different highlights). I can't guarantee it's the best of the year, but safe to say top 10, and a good place to start with '81. The energy kicks in partway into the first set and stays almost all the way through the big, 12-song second set. With an underwhelming turnout, they wouldn't be back to the Hoosier state for 2½ years (it wasn't a strong market for them until Deer Creek was built).

First Set. It's a rough start; quite muffed. At first the AUD is better balanced and more representative, though by Promised Land you may wonder what the big deal is about this show. Wait for Friend of the Devil, where they are warmed up. This much-tick-listed See, See Rider Blues motors well, then has a weird break before Billy & Bobby start up double time, purposely catching Jer & Brent unaware. They quickly enter their chops; sui generis. This has a stimulative effect on the ace Cumberland - and the show, really. The next couple are solid, but take your protein pills and put your helmet on for this Passenger. Jer is like a snowplow in a blizzard, blade down, doing 80mph. After a fine Bird Song, the set peaks with an über-powerful Let it Grow.

Second Set. The verses are shaky for Shakedown but they quickly regain form on the jam. Though the SBD quality drops around Lost Sailor, the playing is good. Saint is careening, but the wheels never come off (the AUD makes it sound like a better performance). It's a sweet Big Railroad but the peak of the set is Playin'. Way uptempo, it enters a lilting, future-pastoral jam flitting with mechanical butterflies. The AUD is again better than the distorted SBD for The Wheel. The rest is average to below average '81. After several muffed broken years & shattered dreams, it's Bobby's turn to take a powder on Sugar Mag. By Saturday Night he's ready to call it a show.

1st Set:  B
2nd Set: B-
Overall = 3¾ stars

Highlights:
See, See Rider Blues - unique version
Cumberland Blues - chops honed
Passenger - snowplow in a blizzard
Let it Grow - über
Playing in the Band - future butterflies

SOURCES: The best SBD is the miller_111784. The pitch has been improved, however there are still slight speed errors, needing +1% pitch for Alabama and -1% from See See Rider to the end (except for Cumberland which needs closer to -1.5%). Other SBDs are pitchy and dry. The best AUD is the 139180_beyers_craigl, which
would make an exciting matrix.

I was given an audience tape version of this show back in 1983 by AMD now AML....I've always loved the Birdsong...and here it is in pristine soundboard sparkle...Thank you!
This is zenith Dead!!!

I Feel Kinda Alone Here With Everything I've Heard About This Show And Reading The Other Revues. I'm Guessing To Much Blow. I Find Jerry Low And Brent Way High In The Mix And Way Too Bright, The Warp Speed Maneuver Starting With C.C. Rider Starts Out Fun But Gets Old Fast. (No Pun Intended). As Artists The Dead Are Great For Establishing Ambience And Positive And Negative Space. The Off To The Races Experiment Takes That Away From The Music. Bobby And Jerry Struggle With The Lyrics Transposing Words Left And Right. Garcia Especially Doesn't Seem To Get His Self Around It. Bobby' Spittin' Out Words So Fast That It Removes The Little Soul That He Had. To The Reviewer In The Front Row Center. I Hope You Were Wearing A Raincoat. They Do Seem To Slow A Bit In The Second Set, Or They Just Get A Little Better Playing Together At Light Speed. Overall The Speed Of The Music Kills The Groove And Leaves It Sloppy And Unless You Really Like Brent Over Playing His Electric Keyboards, Lacking The Very Thing That Makes The Dead So Special,........Space. As Sun Ra Sang, Space Is The Place. P.S.-Go With The Stankiewicz Audience.

It's kinda hard to not be on board...w/that one...It's when I started out

and always a sucker for that type of classic 2nd set tune line-up #tradition

CC Rider meets ONE More Saturday Night.

You know I mostly am listening to Soundboards circa 1973 so checking out a show from 81 is going to bump it down one star in a hurry but that said this is a diverse show.
Some nice double doses in Set one especially Cumberland>El Paso
Getting Bird Song and Let it Grow to close Set One is also none to shabby.
I like the way Shakedown is followed by Sailor>Saint. The jams are good thru-out Bob mangles the start of Sugar Magnolia but they make an earnest effort to shred thru-it.
Having just listened to many epic P.I.T.B's from the 73 era it is refreshing to hear them weave in and out of Playin' without getting lost and wandering into oblivion or Sea Stones of 74.
By 81 it is fairly clear that as Garcia goes so goes the band and check out Stella if you want to get a pulse on things here,, solid Stella!!!
Too me Indianapolis always seemed out in the middle of nowhere but hey what a better place for the circus to come to town...

eventually there are not enough superlatives. Bird Song > Let It Grow. Second Set Big RR Blues. 1981 is an underrated year.

Nice sound on this beauty..Dec was hot in 81 and this show is a prime example~! Chuck full of well played songs..but what stands out is in set 2~Big RR Blues>Playin'>Drumz>Wheel>Playin'>Stella Blue..pure BLISS~~~~Give It A Whirl~Forever Grateful>Forever Dead

Hung out with guys at the DKE house on Depauw Campus. They listened to Dead constantly, but I never quite understood the appeal.

Went to this show with a bunch of them in Kevin's truck.

Was going to other rock shows in Indy, usually once a month. Rock banks like Sabbath, Blue Oyster cult, etc...Frank Marino put on a killer show earlier that year.

Bear Force Security was always tough-frisking and confiscating. There was trash cans full of contriband such as pipes and baggies full of pot etc...at all rock shows.

But at this Dead show, they were lax. I didn't understand? Also, I didn't see any of the regular guys that were at the usual shows. No Wild Bill? Com'on.

Perplexed before music even began.

Music started and Mr. Natural kicked in shortly. Then stuff just started happening, not just onstage but all over the arena. No previous concert had moved me like this. 'Space through Wheel' kinda capped it off. 'Stella Blue' was mystical.

Music like this just wasn't possible I thought. They didn't play for me or at me, they played through me. This was unexplainable.

Thanks Pete, Mike, Basil, Dave and Kevin. You guys took a greenhorn and transformed his music taste forever!

By the end of Promised Land, you knew you were in for something special. The Cumberland just rips, one of the best I have ever heard. And Let it Grow is also stellar. Now, for my CC Rider story. Here is the explanation of the double time: Brent was really getting into it, his eyes closed, his head tilting back. Phil walked over and peered right over his shoulder, Brent never sensed he was there. Phil then walked over to Bobby, and the prank was afoot. Wait for Bobby to sing "Outta sight, now one more time". That is the cue for the band to hit double time the next time around. It was so funny....Brent's eyes pop open, his jaw drops as he tries to keep up with the newly arranged on the spot song. Priceless. Smiles all around at the end.

As usual, Mr. Miller has provided a stellar soundboard show. Very enjoyable indeed.

The 12 minute Shakedown has Brent playing in fine form alongside Jerry's MIDI guitar. This is one of the best versions I've found here.

This was an enjoyable show start to finish.
Jerry played well in '81.

Hard to believe nobody mentioned the CC Rider which kicks into double time halfway through. One of a kind.

Front row center for this baby...and it was straight up epic evening..great song selection and trully was beautifully smoking....not just a standard early 80's show to say the least...several gems on this tour.....

Fairly standard early 80's. Good performance and a good listen if not anything too earth-shaking. Nice Jerry noodles on Cumberland and Let it Grow in the first set. Excellent funk jam out of Shakedown and nice harmonies on Wheel in the second set. 3 1/2 stars.

was at the show - one of my fave Let It Grows - Garcia is especially hot the whole tune.