This is a little out of the box shows where the band takes it time and brings a solid show although not in the extended jam manner of say 5/8/77.
USED To LOVE HER showcases the band very well on this night. (A whole bunch of well played songs in the 1st set including a lovely Scarlet>Fire)
Bertha, Music, Help> Slip>Franklin's -that is potent.
(A little quality degrade during Franklin's
which is too bad because they melt it down).
No point in comparing but I would take this over
some other well traveled heavyweight shows of the 1977 era (if forced to make such a decision.)
Also Donna sounds great throughout.
History Note:There are a lot of places named Springfield
First in U.S. was Springfield, MA
(where this show took place.)
--.Across America out to Springfield, OR
( Homer J Simpson lived in Springfield) . 21 Cities named Springfield in the U.S.
The Springfield Riffle-Don't tread on me
Around & Around -really swings
The jam before the final chorus is HOT!
Classic GDTRFB with a NFA chaser.

Hey Spring tour 1977! What more needs to be said?

The setlist is everything you could want in a Grateful Dead show. With the Sugaaree opener and Scarlet > Fire closing out the first set, what more could you ask for. But the second set Help > Slipknot! > Franklin's , and then the GDTRFB > preceding NFA seals it. A+

There is something truly magical about this one. Bass is super chunky and the entire show is a monster from beginning to end. This is a must for anyone!!

amazing set list, well played. 9 thumbs up

I was at this show, and it still remains the favorite of the 70 shows I saw between 1973 -1995. Was only the second night of the tour, general admission, on a rainy cool day. Civic Center was way smaller than most of the other Northeastern 'hockey rink' venues, so it always felt more intimate and with better sound .Attended the show with at least 10 of my friends we grabbed a bunch of seats just off the floor, not too far back on the side. Nice Sugaree to start (they did not open many shows with this!) quite appropriate as we 'had to stand out in the pouring RAIN!)In these 'earlier' years I noticed that the band would feed off the energy of the crowd, and it was clear from the start that this crowd was pumping out lots of energy! Nice Cassidy rocked next, it was clear this was going to be a rocking set. Loser and Ramble on Rose with great vocal intensity from Jerry, being not far from NYC, the 'just like New York City' line gets a big response. Keith's work on the organ is smooth, especially on Row Jimmy. Bobby rocks out again on All Over Now, a new cover song that most of us have not heard the band do. Then out of NOWHERE comes a quick 1-2-3 drum beat, and SCARLET BEGONIAS !! Often I think one can judge the quality of a show not just by the songs that are played, and how well they are played, but WHEN the songs are played! A rousing Scarlet into the first (for many of us) Fire on the Mountain to end the first set- set this crowd 'on fire' and we were pumped up for a great second set.
Which led off with another new song, Estimated, we knew this song would be a 'keeper!' Then we kicked up the tempo again with Bertha (which in my mind became the 'theme' song for this special spring tour), nice vocal harmonies from Donna & Bobby. This up beat tempo 'never stopped' throughout this entire second set, which I never would find duplicated at any other show! Listen to this set and you will agree!! The Music Never Stopped kicked up the energy level again, and the crowd kept the tempo going with energetic clapping, and the band kept it going with Help / Slip/ Franklin's, and even though we did not think we could be any more pumped up, this Franklins Tower totally put us up into a frenzied level that only the GD at their best could do!! Not to be outdone Bobby picked another rocker, Around & Around, followed by GDTRFB, WHICH KICKED OUR BUTTS EVEN MORE and Not Fade Away. A slow Jerry encore? No way, it being Sat. night we rocked out of town with OMSN. Over they years to follow I would see many great shows, but never did I hear the band sustain such energy over the entire evening, especially during the second set.
every spring around this date I play my cassette copy of this in my car, nuthin left to do but smile smile smile.........!

beginning of fire is ridiculous!

Dead.net selected HSF>>> from this show for the "Jam of the week" it should be Jam of the year how did I miss this one? THANK YOU for the upload I will listen more carefully to April '77. a 5***** show all the way!!!

That may be arguable, but this song is the epitomy of what I find so awesome about the shows in '77. This version is so slow and stony, with an unbelievable Jerry solo that gets stuck inside your head and won't go away. Donna and Jerry have a beautiful harmony going that makes you forget how much you love to hate DBD. The sound on this recording is so stellar and beautifully captures a perfect blend of music and audience sound. If I had a dollar.....Still can only give the show a 4 overall, but it rivals any other from '77 IMHO.

Great energy. The Around->GDTRFB->NFA is good doin! Top notch Jerry. HSF is bit messy but hot. (listen to Franklins and see! Like this show a whole bunch.

I just have to say this is one of the better shows I have heard here and I am glad I came back to get this one. Can't wait to listen to it on my drive to and from work. Wowzers!!
I know that there are some better shows but this one is definitely one worth having in my collection.

well, i made it up from philly in one piece, save my mind, which got a bit blown by last night's playing in the band. #%}

an outstanding first set tonight. jerry shines throughout, and i'm a sucker for an it's all over now. and i'm really liking this new scarlet>fire combo, particularly as a first set closer (i liked the little blackbird tease during the tuning, too). scarlet vocals were shaky in philly, but jerry's growling tonight!

two-dimensional people? yikes! i'm stepping back, yes indeedy! good thing mickey tied that shoe to get estimated headed in the right direction. no question jerry's going to do some damage with this song for year's to come. slipknot is very, very fine indeed, leading to a rippin' franklin's that leads in to around & around. i'm thinking this is it, of course, and then pow!! gdtrfb>nfa? well blow me down and push me out the door for one more saturday night in springfield, mass. heading for the i-91 southbound ramp in the morning to go back south for the capitol theatre run. (will i survive eight nights? watch me, now L)

**it's the boards, man.

Ramble on baby, settle down easy.

Simply an outstanding show, one of the year's best. "Sugaree" soars to unimaginable heights, and this may be the best '77 "Scarlet --> Fire" aside from Cornell. Check out a more detailed review of this and other '77 shows at:

http://bloggingdead.blogspot.com/

Is funky!

This show is stellar. Do not miss this one!!! Lots of elements of it are far superior to the Cornell show, IMO. I just wanted to add something that I think is very much worth adding... LOSER!!!! LOSER!!!! LOSER!!!! It was stuck in my head this morning and then I hear this lovely rendition. The solo on this tune is grand! Enjoy responsibly (may cause dizziness, but definetely not drowziness).

very good LOUD!!!

tuning is actually rainy day woman tease listen to keith

i actually like it when the tuning is seperated, then u dont have to waste time and space on a disc

All of the separate Tuning tracks are really annoying.

Simply magical and fucking brillant Scarlet > Fire. Basically as good as Cornell, which is the gold standard in Scarlet > Fire, without argument.

Sound Quality = 4.5 ; Biased Show Quality = 5.0 This was my first of 175 shows; I didn't realize at the time how good this show actually was. 30 years later I'm at least able to appreciate the great versions of Bertha, EP, HOTW, ROR. A nice hidden gem.

Great Show all n all, If you listen to Barton Hall's Scarlet Fire, but have never heard this one, then you are in for a treat, Only a few times around the block, lots of engery, and a fast pase that would slow later on in the year, Clearly the lyrics are not hammered out, but it doesn't matter much, the beat carries you away with it. enjoy the ride.

email me at fieldhouse11277@hotmail.com happy to share with good listeners.

great, slow moving show real patient deep like a wide river drawing you in and down

female vocals actually work nicely here

Sweet. Anyone out there got any first hand K-nowledge about this one? I've been to Springfield 100+ times (grandpadres lived there) but never to the Civic Center for a show. Lots of tuning going on by the boyz...seems like there was a little trouble w/ either the room or equip...

whatever, great show/ Cantor-quality SB. Donna does hold her own on this night, true dat. Keith is the shizzle on the GDTR. All Over Now wasn't that common in 77, was it? The audience splice in the Franklins is kill...albeit short. Hitting an aud versions next...

Thanks, archive.org. A High-Five in the sky (w/ diamonds) twas the Dead.

Many indications here that May would be such an absolute monster. They sound tight here with some awesome vocals, Donna is somewhat restrained and actually singing backup. Great sequence, sound quality and jamming make this one of the best second sets available on the site. Audience patch during Franklin's Tower is sweet. 77' was crispy.

Overall great show. Listen to the GDTRFB if nothing else, it really picks up steam.

Ahh if only I weren't 3 years old when this show
went down (thanks mom and dad). Oh well no use crying over spilt milk I mean at least I had Iron Maiden and Quiet Riot to listen to. Anyway notables from this hidden jem include a vey tight row jimmy and a blistering scarlet-fire. I must say the slipknot in set 2 is right up there with the Buffalo show a few months later. Overall very solid show with enough highlights to keep this one in circulation!

This show is a precursor to the epic shows that would come in May. Killer quality, great show.

Listen to the crowd going batshit halfway through Franklins... Which at 15:45 is one the longest and best I have ever heard. Ramble on Rose, there is so much unbelievable music in this how can you give this a three??? You should have your ratings privledges revoked. EPIC.

This is just stupendous. Words can't explain! This is soooooo good.When they invent the time machine...I'm going straight here!

I really love the last days of this bands personel...I know many were al to happy to have donna shuffle off to buffalo , but this is one of the great examples of why it worked so well..Grateful show amazing song selections...Sound is right up there with the best of them ..(MY FEELINGS OF COURSE)...Just love the HELP> SLIP> FRANKLINS......WOWZERS...Enjoy////Peace to all the HEADS....

Taken in order, the April shows of 77 are amazing! Beginning with Philly, the band progresses through a development of Scarlet>Fire that demonstrates the innocence and exploration of a sound that in my opinion, captures a truly great time in the span of The Dead!

The melodic sound of Keith's synthesizer and fender rhodes sounding piano, gives an almost elegaic sound to these shows: Spectrum, Capitol Theater, and in particular, two of the five Palladium shows with a distinct change over to the bright quality of most of the May shows that follow with a few exceptions..one being the rocked out show of 5/12 in Chicago.

Looking specifically at the pedigree of Scarlet>Fire, this version is at the top of my list, and I often wonder if Jerry told Keith to back down from the organ work and return to piano after the 4/30 show, because he does and in some way, the magic of April faded into the well documented fame of May 1977...

This show may not have the long, adventurous jamming of some of the other shows of the era, but for pure, rollicking, unadulterated fun, this one cannot be beat. The boys were at their loosest and tightest this night, and there is sheer joy emanating from Jerry's guitar with every note.

There are classic versions of many songs, including Scarlet Begonias, Bertha, MNS, and especially GDTRFB. I love the Help/Slip/Franklins,too. The Slipknot is longer and spacier than most of the other '77 versions, and has a great organic flow to it. Franklin's rocks. There's even a great, fun version of A&A. All in all, this may be the most flawless, "Just Exactly Perfect" Dead show of the year.

The sound quality on this one is crystal clear. It's hard to find a better sounding recording.

I agree with most of what the previous reviewer said. Also, the jams are not all that inspired or adventurous. The ballads lack soulfulness.

I give it a 4, though, because it's better than much of the 1980's and 1990's shows. The vocals are good.

Great sound a great show does not make. Heed that advice, and get this show only if you have a wide assortment of the better shows in this year (3/18, 2/26, 6/9, 6/7, 5/8, etc.). It is good, but it is not as good as people have reviewed it...the Help->Franklins is by far one of the weakest I have heard in this year and nothing really stands out. I rarely give a bad review, but in light of all of the overwhelming positive reviews that I read today, I cannot help but be negative about this show.

77 was a phenomenal year, but we shouldn't let our nostalgia overwhelm our listenings to these sets...check our other shows before this one!

I downloaded this two months ago just based on reviews. Just listened to it and the reviews were right on. Great sound, great set list. Download now. Archive.org is to Dead Heads what crack is to crack heads. So much great stuff I can't stop.

Hot, hot, hot.....this was my 5th show. Saw 4 in '76, was impressed, but not blown away. Saw 7 shows in '77 and was hooked for life. The band was so tight, the sound so smooth, the vocals so sweet.

This show is an absolute must. The Scarlet>Fire is tops, the Help>Slip>Franks on of the best ever, and the GDTRFB is absolutely the best this year, if not in quite some time.

Gotta be a 5'ver. Do it.

Make room at the top for one of the all time killer shows. Keith's organ sounds are unique, the boys are exceptionally tight, the setlist is one of the strongest I've heard and the sound quality is superb. The audiance patch in Franklin's Tower is perfectly placed, just after a super Jerry rift that put tears in my eyes.

I love the synth sound Keith employs in this show. With so many great versions of typical 77 songs available here at the Archive, this Springfield show offers some diversity. Add to that a fantastic sound source to a dang fine outing by the Dead and you have a keeper. I've had this for some time now and as I was trying to purge non-essential 77 material from my hard drive (an impossible task for me) I came across this show and gave it another listen...if you haven't downloaded this one yet you should give try!
SOUND: 4.5
SONGS: 5
PERFORMANCE: 4.5
MAGIC: 4.5
OVERALL: has to be a 4 because of the following month although I am very tempted to give it a 5

Also, I really appreciate the 'tunings' being removed from the ends of the songs. This allows you to either hear it the way it was or create two 80 minute discs of non-stop killer Dead, which is what I prefer most of the time. ;-D

The jam after the first verse of "Fire" is without a doubt the best ever!! -And started out by a nice rip by Keith

The Scarlet>Fire here may be my favorite. Great board with Phil nice & prominent in the mix. One of those shows where you can thell the boys just love what they do best...

The "organ"-sound is actually the PolyMoog synthesizer he used back then, which he had for the organ-like chords in Loser and Estimated. It was the first synth that you could play whole chords on. The drones in Slipknot is also the Moog.

Something special was happening and about to happen.

I don't know, this show ends really well and has that typical '77 board sound but I see why it's not as popular, it's simply not as good as other '77 moments. Keith dabbles with a bad "organ" sound too much but does do some interesting drony things in Slipknot that you don't hear much....There's not even a jam in Scarlet and the Fire is so-so. Maybe DL help>slp>fr to the end, but this one is not essential.

How is this show not as downloaded as the swing show of 77 or the 5/8/77? This just may be my favorite show from back to front... all solid tracks - keiths organ even begins to sound like pigpen at some points. nearly best versions ever of every song - sugaree, loser, row jimmy, scarlet...fire, estimated prophet, franklins tower, goin down the road, not fade away are tight as i have ever heard. Its a wonder this is not downloaded more often!
GET IT!~

how can you go wrong? of course '77 was a superlative year, and with so many great shows (and only so much time to listen), some shows just don't hold much water. but this is not one of those shows - any show with both scar>fire and help>slip>frank (and solid if not great ones at that) is worth a serious listen. just great stuff. to answer a previous post, no, 3-18 was the first scar>fire and another great one. -g

Great show (sound quality and set list) on a great tour.

THE high energy moment of this show:
The audience is barely audible throughout this very high quality recording, but check out Franklin's Tower at about the five minute mark. Jerry is peakin' big time on a rippin' solo and Phil concurrently drops a series of sonic blasts, which whips the audience into an absolute frenzy which becomes (for the first time of the show) front and center in the recording. I would have loved to have been there for that. Alas, I was a decade too late.

Praise be to Archive.org.

i went digging for the 1st scarlet>fire... is this it? anyway, i'm on disc 1 and sugaree is fucking glorious... god bless this site- what a goldmine! talk about kids in a candy shop! great sound quality, great setlist, skip the tunings, burn, and burn!

very hot franklins and gdtrfb, pity they could not have spliced in the audience more the little bit you get the people are going batshit....5 for the show 5/5 in '77...

With a well done Sugaree to start along with the rare "It's All Over Now" ( Does anybody know why that doesn't show up on the Database at Deadlists.com) the band played ferocious all nite.This might be the best Scarlet Begonias I've ever heard. I also thought Jerry's solo during Bertha was outstanding. The sound quality is impeccable and after a little rework to get rid of the tunings it is a great show to have. Not to mention it was my 2nd show and the 2 things I remembered were Phil rowing during Row Jimmy and being amazed at It's All Over Now.

A typical tight laid back 77 dead show. The sound is awesome for this board recording.

This sounds a lot like a Betty Board recording because of the clarity of every instrument. I'm suspecting it is.

Backup vocals are blended nicely. Jerry on target with vocals and leads. Long in between song tunings, but worth the wait due to the sweet tight sound of the band in sync with the universe.

The more 70's shows I listen to the more I become addicted to the GD of this era. Not fair - you old timer hippies had good drugs, free sex, and good music. Now all we have is designer drugs, escort services, and corporate music. I'm envious of you all growing up in that era :)

You could tell the band was in the right frame of mind for this particular show. It is a nice clear soundboard recording with smooth patches. A must have for any Dead-o-phile who likes the mid-to-late seventies material.

Beleive the hype - this is a must-have Grateful Dead recording. The band is smooth and tight, absolutely *silky*. Even the usual discomfort from a certain backup singer of this era is minimal.

The big plus is that this recording sounds like it was made an hour ago - it is stunning. Some of the best late '70s GD.
LP