Of course The Shrine has great acoustics. (This was a reserved seat show. But at least during the drums virtually general admission, since for a while even the security could hardly contain themselves and let many dance in the aisles until one augur, had to break up the fun)!
Too bad nowadays, all The Shrine is used primarily for is the Academy Awards. First regarding the acoustics, the next year I saw Santana, Gentle Giant and other great shows here, not to mention the shows Grateful Dead did in '78. Secondly, this place for me represents the dichotomy of luck! Partly how this initially unintentionally, became my second show to go onward and obviously upward in number from here. On the one hand, I feel quite fortunate in terms of what I did see here at the Shrine. (I know your going to think what about the actual show itself? In digressing more than usual knowing truly without reason one should not if with such only rarely go off like this, but hold on please I'll get there I promise! Here indeed are, some general conceptual connections that I know some, maybe not all of you, should at least in part, in ones own ways given ones circumstances, be illustratively seen via mine at this particular show.)
So as I as I was saying above, even though on the other hand I missed the night before this one and worse yet unfortunately, similarly later here in '78, when I also similarly only went to one of the two shows thus missing St. Stephen (being one of three times, each missing it by one show but luckily I recorded them playing it at U.C.L.A. My point here, is I'm sure most of us at sometime could have said something like: "Oops, I should have gone to such and such a show"!
As I said still fortunate anyhow, having attended this one at the Shrine given the tunes they played at this show (including here but not limited to, what would soon here after become three fore-longed rarities! (That is, up until when returned semi-regularly in ~1984 (I'm surprised I don't exactly recall) (at least on the west coast for two) and June 1985 (with interim: 1(?) west and 2(?) east exceptions, for the the third, (see below)). You see I might not even have attended this one either had it not been due to a mix up at my first show changing my mind to attend here. But unlike most every show from this point on, with only a few, did I ever go without prior, mostly due to unintended sudden changes in scheduling on my (but not all) part, (in one case on the band's part) rare exceptions, possession of a ticket or claim on such (meaning not counting will call, of course) out of a ~211 total)!
Fortunate also in the following sense; for this one the face value price was $7.50. However this is one I believe, of only two times at which I ever got scalped! Here I was charged me $20, then still relatively steep, at the age of 17! I think the only other one was when I once bought a counterfeit, (for which I eventually got a real one). Moreover, only once much much later at one of my last bunch in Dec. 1994 after I had already effectively in other words mostly but not entirely quit seeing them thus, initially not even intending to go at first did I ever not actually get in upon following through going. Yet, even in that case given an open door through which we could not pass but still had a direct straight on view of the stage for me at least (thank God) during the rarest of rarities (only once for me elsewhere) namely (Attics of my Life), but that's another story)!
Trying feebly and thus unforgettably so to self-justify his fee the scalper asked me: "Your ticket to nirvana, huh?" To which obviously firstly lacking in choice and then secondly again in time etc. I thus responded by caveat, in forgiveness saying no, but pretty close to it! Which was an inaccurate statement on my part considering concerts not fitting my prior awareness of the real definition of nirvana; being in fact quite far removed in terms of sensory perception!
(Meanwhile being, which was semi-unusually for me at least at the following level, on 4 drops of liquid LSD! Meaning, that sort of thing (
i.e. regardless of which particular psychedelic chosen), was to start with intentionally at every 5th (20%) show but feely that was too often then reduced so in the end I estimate totaled at ~15% time out of the ~211 total shows. Again mosty, but not all at lower levels
i.e. a lot less frequently than many by their own admition, but not of course all other folks I know of)!
Opening the 1st set with the second longest, and one of the most jammin' (note later on when this) versions of "Might As Well" ever! Most all tunes were a at least, average to better than average performance; including my only "Row Jimmy" with Keith and Donna.
The "Comes A Time", (also my only with K & D before until our minds were blown again at the U.C. Berkeley in '85 for its triumphant reemergence), here is indeed long and developed!
I always wondered why more folks are not aware of this one? I was further luckily to quickly get this! (Especially since I was new to collect back then get very close to the master of Dr. Rob Bertrando's amazing recording and as far as I know the board was not, at least not for quite a while, well circulated)? This is only part of the wild stories I have about what surrounds this show. That is, in continuum before this, at my first show, further during this one, and on thorough my next two.
You definitely won't regret getting this recording!
Augy
San Diego