Kudos to the taper here; this is an AWESOME pull!

The Grateful Dead come screaming out of the gate for the Fall Tour ’83 with a rip-roaring show that never lets up or looks back. This is a trippy tour. Lengthy shows. An old friend of mine (non-deadhead) still talks about the 57 minutes “space” at Worcester that was actually Playin’ through the end of Space. (He didn’t like it.). There are a couple of good audience recordings of this one. I stuck with this one b/c it was more balanced and I kind of enjoy the crowd in the first set.

Bobby and Jerry are both here to play and sing. Very emotive singing on all of Jerry’s first set songs; FOTD and West L.A. are among the better versions as is Deal, which is one of those Deals you can’t believe is happening. It gets so intense and up there that the arena is kind of levitating. If you went to enough of these in person, you know what I’m talking about.

Day Job is definitely the best Day Job. It’s cool when the guy near the mic (taper maybe) notes that it’s going to be Day Job and doesn’t complain. I wish I had been so enlightened. Seriously. This Day Job deserves its spot as second set opener. The Playin’ is aggressive with a muscular, climbing theme in the middle started by Bobby. Now, I am someone you could recite the first few songs of a show to and I could probably finish the list fairly accurately and I had to pause for a second when Jerry started what I assumed was a Crazy Fingers tease. For some reason, I thought-like Mississippi Half Step and High Time-that Crazy Fingers was absent in 1983 after its brief resurrection in late ’82. It’s an ok CF with one missed verse and a tough jam into Drums. Nice quick roll out into Truckin’ and a more classic sounding one from the period minus whistle or sex change. I like those barreling the hill Truckins from 83-85 the best. They do actually tease Sugar Magnolia after a Wharf Rat you can get lost in. Man what a tour opener! I’m on the road and I’m feeling’ fine!

Love the opening stranger, and the playing is sick if not super long with bobby going/getting off. Then we get a rare 83 crazy fingers that Jerry takes a nice long time finishing. great start to an even greater fall tour.

This was a great show. I even liked the Day Job opening set two. Also always liked Sennheiser 441 microphones. Thank you very much Jeff and Charlie.

The last time Day Job was played in the second set. Probably because it asked not to be put up against the heartier fare. I mean seriously, you walk out and play Day Job and then follow up with Playing > Crazy Fingers?

I loved all the Richmond shows. Cops were awipes and the twon was nowhere near as good as Hampton but great shows. I saw the Mosque show in '77, this was the first one at the Coliseum and I saw all of those as well. We had a blast at this show, second of the tour after Greensboro. Good show on a tour that got better and better as it went, I am so glad I saw it and so many other shows in '83. Arguably the best year of the '80's, maybe '85. I don't count after '86, the late '80's were so hard to deal with, so tame and shallow and then the midi garbage. Just bad overall. I tried to listen to a Bird Song from '87 the other day and had to turn it off, Garcia just did nothing. I give the guy credit for doing anything after '86 he had to re-learn had to play. But it wasn't the same. This era was another story. They were raging. Check out this show for sure and then the rest of the tour and the Marin Civic shows in October and the SF shows in Dec, loved them all. My first show was in '72 so I saw the last good years when they really played..this year was the closest to that. (And speaking of Bird Songs check out the one from Lake Placid on this tour, I loved that show. Killer Garcia first album material in the first set - raging versions of Sugaree, Bird Song, and Deal.)

Love the sound of this one up front in your face

A early 80's rarity, in fact it wasnt played at all from '77 - '81 (which is a crying shame- imagine one from the Oct. '80 runs...yikes!) Mickey is really workin' that cowbell during the intro!! Sounds awesome!! i dont get into aud recordings, but this one SOUNDS AMAZING. GET THIS SHOW for the Crazy Fingers alone!

Bo Peep is right, this is a GREAT AUDIENCE RECORDING! So nice, because the boards from the early eighties sound like someone put a mic in a piano at a Toys R Us. This is what this site is all about F'in' A Chucky !

Clear and frosty like a chilled beverage.
Give it a try!