Jerry's voice sounds so cool during Alabama Getaway! There is some sonic issue going on where his vocal track is spliced and mirrored, adding a 3D effect. After some gruff shows during the spring tour, his pipes are back in full (well, '85-full) for this show. This is one killer show. I love '85 Dead!

Uploader, please don't fix this cool sound effect (~):-}

the last great show was in chicago in 1995. the band was never "ours", that sort of delusional thinking was a heavy burden for Jerry to carry.

Opinions are opinions but how can you say this was the last "great" show. Its a good show certainly, as were both Merriweather Shows to follow, as was much of the Winter 85' tour.

I understand if you lived through the whole "Touch of Grey" "Mega Dead" thing that these shows could have seen the band at a more insider-ship moment, but you can't just ignore the entire 1989-1990 year of performances, which were VERY strong and a triumphant comeback for the boys. Also shows in 85' tend to be under two and a half hours whereas some shows in 1990 are over three hours long with thoughtful jammed out passages.

It's all opinions but I think its ignoring a lot to say that after 85' it was "never the same". Maybe the scene got bigger and lot got shitty, but to me it was always about the music, and the music got better (for a little while) after their 86' hiatus culminating with some legendary 1990 performances.

I don't know if this is "the last great show" from the Grateful Dead - but I think the argument can be made, strongly, that this was the last year the band was "ours".

Obviously, they were not "ours" to own. But the transition (segueway if you will) between this year and 1987 was not without intrigue.

Before you ask, I am not forgetting 1986. It's just that 1986 was Jerry's demise come full circle. We thought - perhaps - he was dead. And when we heard that he survived his "coma" we wondered - what about the band/the music??

1987 would indeed see the band as Rock Stars. Now, Bobby "playing" rock star/ham was one thing. But the mass media and radio stations (whether or not you agree) MTVing the boys would forever change the concerts, the scene and the music.

Perhaps, then this was part of the band's legacy. Playing it's heart out to us before they would join the Bangles (yak!! no offense) and others for pop shows.

God Bless
Happy Mother's Day.

This is the last great Dead show. and not just because I was there ( 15 years old).
there were great moments after this, but this is
the last year before "Touch of Grey" was all over the radio. '85 was the last year they were "our band". after '85 they were publicly-acknowledged rock stars. but this was the last year that they were our own personal rock band, before the shows sold out and you could just walk up to the gate and buy a ticket for $8 like you were just going to the movies....and this was the greatest concert of '85.

In my experience with Dead shows, they often tailored their sets to the venue, area or weather...and this is a prime example. We drove up to Cincinnati from Lexington,Ky, enjoying a beautiful sunny summer afternoon. Riverbend Ampitheater is set up so you can see the boats behind the stage and are looking across the river into Ky. 1st set the weather was perfect...then the storm clouds built up across the river. A torrential rain storm began during the break, with cloud to ground lightning strikes that made us wonder if the Dead would come back out at all. Of course, they did, during the hardest part of the rain for a scare the bejeezus out of you 2nd set. Enough has been said about the songs themselves, but the circumstances surrounding their performance is what stands out to me. I mean, when they sang "if I had my way, I would tear this whole building down" in Samson, they meant it! It seemed as if they were egging on the storm, daring it to do its worst...thundering drums echoing the actual thunder.And they wanted more. Smokestack Lightning during lightning...I mean come on!!!! Then Cryptical (REALLY?!?!) I remembered the Drums>Space as a frightening experience. WOW!!! You will be hard pressed to find a better show than this, in my opinion. Dick's Picks/Vault are you hearing me?

This is a nice attempt at a Matrix, but there seems to be a significant delay between the SBD and AUD tracks, which is leading to the "underwater" sound that people are mentioning here. The other matrix available on the archive is far superior.

The 'reproduction' of this soundboard offers one of the most unique sounding shows you'll ever hear. Jerry's guitar is reminiscent of the effects used by Scofield. There's some kind of echo/reverb effect that probably has a technical name. Part of the fun of listening to and comparing different recordings is recognizing just how different the same performance can sound and feel, and this is great example. For me, 1985 is a vintage year for the band, and this show, especially this recording, is a prime example. The energy on the Samson is classic mid-80's.

seems this matrix has the garcia guitar under water effect. oddly, the hunter matrix does not. compare lead work on samson and delilah. like the show. enjoyed this little venue all those years ago.

I prefer this one, a more spacious sound than the other matrix. This one may have a more upfront audience source, or just higher in the mix.

I'm not sure why I have not listened to this show more, its as good as it gets from 85.

namaste

Wow As The Boys Walked On Stage For The Transcendental 2nd Set The Clouds Opened Up Right Above The Crowd And The Sunshine Shined Upon Us All...A Day Never To Forget...May Peace Be With You All...Namaste

Jerry sounds like he is under water during warf rat, or maybe I was under water thanks for the great tunes on this site cant live without it