Can't get more special than that! Wait, yes it can--it's also my birthday! I'm only up to Ship of Fools but I can already rate this a 5 star show. Very fine recording, to boot. Happy Birthday to me! Listening to it now on The Dead Shows channel on my Roku, through my stereo. Don't know which recording it is (one of two that are listed as "soundboards") but it sounds great! I always like to come here, though, to read the reviews. They always add to my appreciation of the music, so keep 'em coming.

I like that the previous review was exactly one year ago today. Something special about listening to shows on their anniversary/birthday!

This is absolutely funky cool version right here!!!

A very solid Deal to kick off the party. The Cassidy is great until the jam, which I feel is wrapped up far to short. Phil is really boomin, but they seemed to phone that one in. But damn, my disappointment is taken care of very quickly. Short lived, and probably best that way, these funked out Jack-a-Roes are just plain dirty. Bob really gets to add to the song played this way. The quicker form of the song is all jerry and the keys. Thump Thump Thump. I remember the first time I heard this, I was taken aback. How could they have played this song any other way than the bluegrassy way. Then I hit the repeat button. A nice thick mexicali comes next. The FOTD is sublime. It is nothing short of breathtaking. Listen to the 6:15 moment. Jer just breaks down the meaning of life for ya and serves it with a smile. New Minglewood is a tune that imho, saw its best days in 1977. The style they were playing that year gelled just right with it. A nice rockin version here. The roses is so sweet. Definetely worth a single tear. The Lazy Lightning>Supplication is out-and-out nastiness. So they start out cutting it short on me in an otherwise kickin Cassidy, but by this point they are hitting bulls eyes shootin from the hip. Eh to High Time, has been done much better. The way they just kick into TMNS gives you the go sign. They are in the groove now.

Set II is surely anticipated to the uppermost degree. It should be noted that Jer's tone on the mu-tron is twanged just slightly less than most other 77 shows. His low notes are very full here. Save one misstep by Jer near the end this TMNS is a nominee for best version...not the best, but could get tossed around in debate.

Jack Straw is such a great tune, but knowing what a rocker it became a decade later ruined all the earlier versions for me. That said, this is a pretty good Jack Straw. Ship of Fools. Beautiful song, misplaced in the set 9 times out of 10. Don't like where it sits here. And then, due to the circumstances of today, in just my life, I find myself sitting at work fighting hard to hold back the tears, covered in goosebumps. Officially I stick by my placement critique, personally..well, today it really got to me. :)
Jerry's tone on this prophet is incredible. All out mutron assaults. Keith is playing pretty well on this as well. He really didn't add much to the earlier part of the show. Maybe Jer shook him to life with his thumping. There is a very nice transition to eyes here. The eyes is nice.

Basically what I am getting at with this review is that while this is a very well played show, and is smooth and polished, the playing itself isn't all that interesting in comparison with each year prior. That's not to say there isn't some sick stuff going on but the fascination with 77 has come to mean, imho, easy listening dead. This eyes is the example I am using because I know there is an TOO coming up that this opinion doesn't apply to. This is very good eyes but nothing about it even steps on the playing field with pre-hiatus eyes. There is a lack of spontaneity in the music that didn't exist even in 76. Despite all that the boys really plug away at what they are doing they way they are doing it. What remains the greatest thing about listening back on all these recordings is that GD had so many completely distinct sounds and approaches over the years that there are infinite comparisons to be made. On the plus side Donna sounds a lot better on this eyes than on any of the versions pre-hiatus.

There is a cut coming out of eyes during drums. Then the aforementioned TOO. Man, this is just earth shatteringly powerful, but mellows just enough at the right moments to avoid the final meltdown. I can't say much more than that. It's pretty short but it packs a mugsy bogues style wallop. TOO floats effortlessly into Stella, and my oh my. Just achingly slow. Noone in rock or most other modern genres has come anywhere close to understanding the power of slow and quiet like Garcia. I love the re-entry notes from Garcia at the 8:48 mark. This Stella is possibly unmatched. The type of play in 77 lends itself to some of the already rather slow tunes and the way it works out here leaves me speechless.

Sound 10/10
Show 7/10

Played through a Yamaha receiver w/direct source and Paradigm Monitor 9 speakers. I listened to the Charlie Miller Board, which is the best sound by far I think, nice balance, clear and rich bass. This is a sick show actually. The song selection is really the story here, since the quality of the sound and performance are pretty high across the board on this tour. A list of the Jerry songs shows why:

Deal
Jack-A-Roe
Friend of the Devil
It Must have been the Roses
High Time
Ship of Fools
Eyes of the World
Stella Blue
Brokedown Palace

If you like Jerry's voice, and I love it, always thought he was a great rock singer, this show is a virtual smorgasbord of delight. His pipes are in fine form here as well, and his vocal stylings just knock me out. If that was not enough, these songs pretty much cover Jerry's prettiest melodies of his songwriting career, and they are all given nice long thorough treatment. As tight as the rest of the band is on this tour. This all adds up to a real treat. This gets thrown around alot on this site, but this show is really probably overlooked a bit. Guitar wise this show finds Jerry actually in rare form, literally. Meaning I'm hearing riffing that is a little out of his usual parameters. In fact, in the "other one" I thought I might be hearing Tony Iommi for a second (but only for a second). Great jazzy, ripping, seat of the pants guitar playing throughout. The bands use of dynamics (meaning going from loud to real quiet) is amazing here, especially during "Stella" and even more so during "Around and Around". Only a really great band has this type of control as a unit. Really impressive. "Stella Blue" is perhaps the center piece here. Jerry's vocals are completely off the beat (syncopated) which creates a wobbly effect. This is the type of thing that really takes me to the cleaners about this band, they are always seeking out a way to get different. But his guitar solo actually made me laugh out loud, the man is playing entire phrases out of key like he was Charlie Parker or somebody) totally and ridiculously cool. With phenominal sound quality (I mean it, it sounds terrific) and this set list, you need shock therapy if you miss this one. A fine concert. 5 stars.

This was my first Grateful Dead show. Ruined me forever. :-)Garcia was playing the white guitar with 'The Enemy is Listening' this night. So good to hear this show sounds as nice as I remember.

Ditto on the Jack-A-Roe introduction. Its sublime. It might be because Bobby's guitar is so audible or that this was a bit of a rarity at this point but its the first set topper along w/ FOTD.

jack o roe ---

This is the Fox...
The intro...
then Jerr...

how many times is enough...


Thank you, archive...
Thank you, Betty...
And to the boyz?

We salute U

I need this show! How can I get it!!?

This show is worth a listen for the Jack A Row itself> The drummers are laying down this funky train beat and Bobby puts a simply sick ryrhym guitar over the top of it. AMAZING !!!!!!

probubly the coolest estimated prophet i've heard, it all comes together this night, keith is unpluged for it, most other nights he's on the electric keys, and he is sharp as a result. They played estimated prophet every show on the fall tour, they must have been interested in it! gota love buffalo with the transition to other one, dick's picks picks the 19th and 21'st and 22nd over this? technicall difficulties are probubly the reason, cause this is superior IMO.

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

Yeah friend of the devil was good, new minglewood twang, Lazy>sup not as good as pembroke pines five days later, but really, this is the best estimated eyes of all time, i mean, that jam that lasts 5:03 before jerry sings. During this jam, everything just melts together, everybody is in sync with one another, jerry could light his cigerettes on his fuckin strings the way he was pickin'. I love this show becasue of the estimated>eyes, everything else just seems below the cut, clearly this was the highlight of the show

love the feel of the 77 Eyes>Other One! It's a burning tempo, you must admit, even though it's more like reading rote and this time period is not as risky as the 72-74 window. Jack-A-Roe and Stella are my highlights of this show, which is a little bit overshadowed by the nights before and after.

Allow me to disagree. IMO this is one of the finest concerts of springÃÂ77. One cannot point a single fault in the whole show - very solid and cohesive playing. Amazing version of Lazy Lightnin> Supplication. And a quite unusual setlist (Deal as a 1st set starter!?!). This show also brings together many of Garcia/HunterÃÂs all time finest ballads (Roses; High Time; Ship Of Fools; Stella Blue and Brokedown Palace) in heartfelt interpretations. I canÃÂt recall another concert that combines these great songs altogether. And as for the stratospheric level, the seq ÃÂEstimated>Eyes>Drums>TOO>Stella BlueÃÂ is as good as it gets. ÃÂLet us not get locked by deadhead underrating dogma. This is as good as the nights before and after.

(ah, direwolf: thereÃÂs no way Jack Straw can get any better than 1972)

This is a decent enough but somewhat average show, in comparision to the rest of May of 77. The next night completely blows this away. Great sound

Ihave not given this a listen before. I am giving this 4 stars for now but that could change.

The solo by Garcia in Friend of the Devil is some of the sweetest I have ever heard on that song- it starts at the five and a half minute mark-it should be on anyone's list of favorite FOD.

Love the 2nd set... and the first rocks as well... anyone who thinks this one doesn't get 5 stars hasn't heard the SBD. The sound is awesome, the performances just flow... listen to Estimated Prophet>Eyes... skip the drums, get right to the masterfully exploratory Other One... and around and aroundddd you go. What a gem. Did I say 5 stars?

5 STARS

In this amazing month of May '77, I think the dead are a little tired this night. The previous night is much better. Here, Deal and Jack Straw are flat, not the rockers they often are. Still, this is a very good show. Jerry is great on Estimated. Stella is stellar. Jerry's vocal phrasing here has a Willie Nelson-like quality to it, being slightly ahead of the beat. It works well, helping to convey emotion and meaning.

1977 Dead features very tight playing and very good Jerry soloing, on-target vocals, and very high consistancy from night to night. And some excellent additions to the set list (Estimated Prophet) and the perfection of tunes like Samson.

But direwolf600 makes some good points. The Eyes from '73-'74 (before the break) are better than in '77. The Eyes from '77, including this show, lack group interaction of earlier years and don't seem to go anywhere. '77 also lacks some of the risk-taking in the long exploratory jams of previous years, and picked up again in later years. These explorations didn't aways work, but when they did, they were amazing works with shades of 20th century classic music, jazz fusion, and other genres. 1977 doesn't have much of that. The Other One here has some of that, but it's when Jerry plays a capella, and it's short. It works mostly as an intro to Stella Blue, the highlight of this show.

My dad went to this show when he was in high school in '77, and I downloaded it early last month. Wish i could have been there....possibly the best lazy ligntning > supplication i've heard....music never stopped and high time are also highlights....don't miss this show! It is one of the high points of the dead in 1977.

each song is better than the next. what a joy to browse these shows and enjoy the magic...

this one is like a cross between 76 and 77 - the best of both worlds. i love both years, but if you are a fan of either i recommend this show.

not sure why it took me this long to get around to this show, what can I say! some gorgeous/jamming versions here. anyone else notice the faint 'ghost music' in between many of the songs? sounds like there was something else that was taped over (sounds familiar, though can't quite place it), which would suggest another analog (reel?) generation in the lineage.

Open with Deal and never look back. This show shines in HEAVEN. Great Lazy Lightning, Eyes of the World, Jack Straw, a sweet Brokedown, the mix is clear and deeeeeeep bass. What is not to like..... The whole month is one long HALL OF FAME. Wish I had whatever they were taken!
5+

you think this rivals the Music Never stopped from 5/7/77? Hard to think it does, but im DL'ing now to give it a listen!

*EDIT: well this Music was pretty sweet, but still a little behind itself from the 7th of this month. Still a joy to listen to! I just cant get enough of the way the boys closed this song out back in the day. Remains one of my all time favorite songs to boogie to!

I have heard (and seen) a few great ones along the way but this takes the cake. Lehigh '81, Worcester Centrum '83, come to mind you decide. BTW the Lazy lightning goes into Supplication not high time thought someone else would have picked that up. For another hot Supplication try William and Mary 9/24/76 which smokes. Hot Jack Straw... Like the Est>Eyes but there are so many from this very hot year thata re as good or better Oklahoma for starters.... But the Other One stands alone for the year I think and is up there with William and Mary and Chicago.

Download if only for the perfect Jack-A-Roe! Listen now or regret forever...

There are many reasons why people would travel to the ends of the Earth to see the Grateful Dead. The main reason is that those people were hoping to hear show like this. Every tunes is extremely well played, and the sound quality cannot be better. Ship of Fools and Hightime get wonderful treatment, every note is perfectly chosen, and neither tune is rushed in any place. If you can listen to the Estimated Prophet>Eye of the World while driving, and keep your car below 90 mph you have more self control than I do.
Download this show now. Don't wait and take the chance on forgeting the page. Do it now...

This show made me tremble with pleasure! I totally agree with the previous review. Here are my thoughts, noted down while listening, describing the highest peaks of this giant show:

Fabulous super-bouncy "Mexicali Blues" and a PERFECT "It must've been the roses"!! Not to mention the amazing Estimated > Eyes > TOO > Stella Blue... ah. Stella is 15 minutes of insane crying beauty - every tone coming out of Jerry's guitar is so perfect! Finally a fantastic Brokedown Palace makes it all complete after a rockin' Around & Around. And Jerry sings like some kind of angel all the way...

Donna's even on! What can I say about this show? Well, It's better than most of the GREAT '77 spring shows, and I would argue that it ranks with Cornell and the night before. The Eyes takes about 3 min. to get started, they want to jam so hard. Excellent, in a word. Just make sure you wear a helmet, it's dangerous.