No Highlights

Saw a few spring shows in 1984 and was shocked at how sloppy the band was- -especially Jerry. Then I caught four shows in October and was blown away by how well the band sounded - -especially Jerry. Wasn't at this one, but it is representative of the October shows I saw. Love the Dupree's on this one. Always a favorite tune of mine for some reason. And always a favorite venue- -especially 5/3/79, my first show with Brent on the keys. Funny to drive by it now [moved to Charlotte in fall 2016] and see it as the Bojangles Arena.

good china/rider and estimated -- show gels after D/S. Nice SBD

A little Spanish Jam tease in that space I'd say.

1st set is pretty good, but honestly s2 is quite sloppy, gasping for air. Yes, a good deal of 84 has that 'junky' kind of delivery and is still great, but this one just isn't as good as many others in the period.

All Hail '84 Dead. This was the year everyone was so confident Jerry was going to die (such a horrible thing to even speculate on), and there was a sizeable consensus that the music was in sharp decline. This silly attitude acquired a life of its own, and a general disregard for the period persisted for years. Collectors would simply decline to consider '84 based on this assumption only.
Now, with the opportunity to study the shows through quality recordings and in the context of the overall history of the Dead, we all (should)
know better.
The first set is just jaw-dropping. They launch full-bore into Bertha, reaching peak velocity within a matter or seconds. West L.A., Rooster,
B.E.W., Stranger all are absolutely top shelf, with an emphasis on bravura, over-the-top guitar work that nonetheless remains utterly tight. The Rooster contains lethal quantities of pure testosterone. Persistent thundering crackles from the sound system were essentially ignored by the band, and, in retrospect, add a lot of flavor! This was grand bandstand Dead, with a touch of Sousa thrown in - muscular, self-assured,in-your-face Dead.
Second set sported an extremely creditable China-Rider, with a muffled Estimated-Eyes.
One of those unusual concerts where the first set stole the show.
Go '84!! Who cares if Garcia's skin literally
had a greenish glow to it!

Jerry rips Eyes up pretty good. I like this Sugar Magnolia kind of weird intro probably more of a mess up but I like it. Nice slot for Feel Like A Stranger and well jammed. As mentioned China>Rider is the highlight of the show but solis show throughout. (nOMIxEDfeEliNGsHere)
The '84 fall tour smokes from the VA shows to the Dec San Fran shows. Augusta and the BCT run are where its at.

ps. this is not spead up at all. I know that happens and Ive heard it before but not this show. Jerrys shreds up some of these songs ie: Eyes no audio issues though.

This is a great show and I was thrilled to see a soundboard available. One of the best China>Riders. However, there are some minor speed problems, especially in the first set that take away from the enjoyment. I have a fantastic aud so will probably stick with that. I am going to guess then that there is at least one cassette hit (probably no more based upon the hiss level) and that this is repsonsible for the speed issues.