Heard this version today on Sirius XM today which gets me emotional as this was also my last show. Glad we have this for the memories. Thank you!

Bob Marley had died a few days before this show and Bobby sings a snippet of Get Up, Stand Up as a tribute during Estimated. Fun show, and yes, the lightning was cool.

listening while working today, not able to fully engaged. Generally view 80s don't ease as a bit of a throwaway, "let's get backstage." But damn if Jerry's rip through the second instrumental break (starts 2.08 or so) didn't straighten my spine and yank my attention. 73 years old tomorrow?

Pretty cool intro into Eyes…I like the musical figure that Jerry plays and Brent picks up…different and unusually tasty.

There are 27 Scarlet>Fire, Estimated>Eyes. The songs were played together 35 times, but those 4 in a row, are the lesser number. In the early '80s, there was a holy grail quality to that run of songs, which is interesting because that is the period during which most of those runs occured.

You can nit pick over the details of how well they performed that night, but for me, this was one of the best, most memorable shows. I was working in Piscataway and living in nearby Plainfield. We went over and got tickets during a coffee break from work. Could not have been more convenient! And yes this was in Piscataway, not New Brunswick.

The amazing thing was just how perfectly the atmosphere inside merged with the outside as they hit the chorus on Looks Like Rain, the lightning flashed through the giant skylights and the thunder boomed. The audience roared in appreciation of the cosmic convergence of music and weather. It was epic!

Thank you for posting! xoxo-Richard R- Rutgers/Livingston Class of '81!

Piscataway, New Brunswick, N.J. N.Y. ? who cares I somehow missed this show in my listening and it's a beaut. throw this 1 and the next night together and you have the 2 best of the tour. sweet sweet 1st set the Half Step > Franklin's rips it up Candyman is played to perfection the Ramble On Rose is hot killer set. the 2nd is so-so nice S/F but nothing to jump up and down over, loved this version of Black Peter though decent recording good night

As I listen to this show some 32 years later, I can still remember the lighting flashes in the skylight during Looks Like Rain (as mentioned by another reviewer). It was one of those magical moments that pushed the audience and band. The set list is very typical for this time period (earning only 4 stars). Nothing special but all played very well. Glad I was there and able to listen to the great sounding recording now.

The RAC is in Piscataway, NJ not New Brunswick, NJ on what used to be called Livingston College Campus or what we that were students in 1981 called the "Rock" Great show, great night, great memories.

This is another great '81 show--very well played, Jerry's voice sounds good and Brent is by this time well integrated into the flow. For my money he is unquestionably the best all-around keyboard player (i.e., singing included) the Dead had over the years and really added a lot to their sound. The second set is quintessential high-quality Dead with a rockin' US Blues to close.

The show sounds great, but there are 2 mistakes.

First of all, the show was in Nwew Brunswick, not Piscataway.

and second, this is in NJ not NY

I vividly remember the lightning flashes through the skylight during LL Rain! There was almost a dialogue between the band, audience, and electrical storm that really upped the energy.

The SBD sounds fantastic with crisp energetic playing through the whole show. 12 song first set (sweet!) with a rippin scar/fire/estimated/eyes! How bout the "don't give up the fight" lines from Bob (Marley) during Estimated.

Right around Black Peter time, I worked my way up front stage left...really, really close to Garcia. I was basically touching the stage about 10 ft from Jer...and feeling slightly overwhelmed and almost unnerved.

You see it was really loud, and those notes Ol Jer was hitting were more than just notes, well they were waves. You could really see these waves rolling out and the ground was, well rippling and buckling almost...good times!

After that I generally found myself drawn to Jerry side for shows. I'll never forget that raw energy coming from Garcia and his guitar.

Thanks for posting the SBD, rock my soul!

This is another nice show from 1981 with lots of solid renditions of songs, but nothing mindblowing. Highlights and comments include:

1st set

Half Step has a little problem with the sound levels, Jerry is low and Brent is high, but it gets straightened out by the end of the song.

Nice renditions include Cassidy, Candyman, another nice '81 Rooster, a fast tempoed Jack a Roe and nice Ramble on Rose.

Something funny happens at the end of LL Rain. As advertised, the source changes, which usually means drop in quality=drop in enjoyment, but in this case found it interesting to hear the crowd really showing appreciation at the build-up by Jerry and Bobby as they move to the inevitable "Here comes the rain."

2nd Set

A nearly always pleasing Scarlet/Fire/Estimated/Eyes with a very nice jam ending Eyes leading into drums.

Again, no "ground breaking" renditions, but from Scarlet-US Blues, the Second Set is solid and well sung and played.

Sound quality, with the exception of the noted patches, is really good. Solid recording + Solid peformance= 4*.