Absolutely love this show thank you for preserving this show crisp tight clean great music God do I wished I could have been their little sooner mom and dad. All is forgiven love the dead from 79-80 shows tiger guitar sounds awesome. Brent what can you say easy to love you goose bumps think of a very special girl valerie should have been the one, phil bass Tennessee jed. Great set list unreal deal, was hoping it would never end. Thanks for uploading this. John cedar grove nj

doug_the_dude has the low down on this show. I'd only add that at the time the band was looking for a radio-friendly breakthrough. Shakedown Street was clearly a commercial album as was Terrapin Station beforehand and, perhaps notoriously, Go To Heaven afterward. Brent's tune "Easy To Love You" represents the kind of MOR "soft rock" that was topping the mainstream radio charts at the time -- hard to believe in hindsight, but there was after all good reason for punk and "new wave" to defiantly erupt against the tide. But I digress. At the time, Brent infused the group with high levels of energy and intensity, and you can hear it in every show. They're inspired and hitting all the notes. Also in hindsight, it was mighty fine of them to give their new guy a showcase for his songwriting and lead vocals. Once again the Grateful Dead demonstrates how open hearts and open minds lead to creative inspiration.

best thing about this show is there is no donna. insane performances from everybody. awesome sound and goosebumps too.

Shoot em up Polka time ladies and gentlemen

Reviewer: tmbrewt - [3.0 out of 5 stars] - March 30, 2008
Subject: Looks like rain
This is a nice LLR, but nice is the key word. This is a sad intense powerful song. That does not ring true here. The best raw emotion and pure energy LLR is 10/6/84. Listen and tell me of one that is better. Who cares about hitting all the right notes. The Dead were about energy and emotion. Listen to this and respond.

Listened to the 10/6/84, it's ok but not great by any means. Jer doesn't rip off any good leads, Brent doesn't shine either, pretty weak actually. The LLR two nights after this show is one of the best ever hands down, completely electric! The LLR from Long Beach 11/15/87 is sick too. Jer riddles the accenting harmonies to mimic rain and Healy plays with the sound bouncing it off the arena walls, is a killer version.

This is a nice LLR, but nice is the key word. This is a sad intense powerful song. That does not ring true here. The best raw emotion and pure energy LLR is 10/6/84. Listen and tell me of one that is better. Who cares about hitting all the right notes. The Dead were about energy and emotion. Listen to this and respond.

They start off with a bang - terrific Tennessee Jed, bouncy fun Jack-A-Roe, and a sweet Jack Straw - all culminating in a great 1st set ender: Deal. Terrapin and Playin' start the 2nd set and are decent, but after drums>space there is nothing of note.

4 stars.

The first Alabama Getaway was 11/4, which is not here at the archive.

Nice show with a bouncy, lively first set. As someone said, the Jack Straw is great. A mellow Terrapin followed by a thoughtfully performed Playing. Drums is drums, but the Black Peter is goodie.

Great Performance. Source is hissy, but all members come thru crystal clear. Brent sounds great, and was really being handed a lot of solo's at this point in his career with the boys. I love Phil's one note thumping on Alabama Getaway.

Can never get enough of that - 10/9/84 is another not oft-mentioned whopper listen to the set I and Set II until drums....

Playin is the highlight here I think at 33:04 on the back of a great Terrapin. Set I especially Tenn Jed hot. Can nevr get enough of this unheralded year which has so many hidden gems only starting to listen to now because of LMA. Never had alot of '79 tapes. Drums are a trippy ebb and flow jam that should be listened to twice.

Amazing Straw!!!!!!!!

startling show in lots of ways. tons of energy, and lots of ebb and flow. somebody ate their wheaties.

emit

I was never a true fan of ÃÂ79 until these miraculous SBDs started appearing and I got an up close and personal listen to the band in this era ÃÂ I appreciate the aud fanatics position up to a certain point, but in the end I find myself on the side of the MUSIC first, and if I canÃÂt hear it cause the mics are 2,000 light years from the stage, or the famous x factor is a little too rowdy in their appreciation, then I canÃÂt enjoy the music,(which is a problem with most ÃÂ79 IÃÂd heard previously). Because, after all, folks, they were musicians, first, last, forever.
Anyway, this show, out of about 8+ or so ÃÂ79 shows IÃÂve studied, (all Fall, by the way), this has the highest peak of them all. They really work for this one, build up to it.
This show is a good one because:
The careful, tender Terrapin. The Playin, Drums/Space, Black Peter are all wonderful, phenomenal ÃÂ despite or because of the fact that the Terapin/Playin is a prominent fixture of this fall tour (blame it on the new guy). The Playin itself (21minutes) is worth the download ÃÂ a veritable masterpiece of spacey beauty that really gets freaky on the way into drums ÃÂ the drums are to help you recover in time for the 4:20min of Space that follows, and then a passionate Black Peter from a clearly emotive Jerry. The Good Lovin relieves the heaviness and reminds you life is about movement. A boogie version of US Blues follows as encore, to re-assert the fact.
This is a good choice.

This is a great one. But check out Jack Straw Chicago 8/20/80 before crowning 11/6/79 da best. - Cheers

The Jack straw in this show is so incredible that I really just need to suggest that you download this show and crank it up!
The previous writer also points out correctly that this is the best Jack Straw EVER! And I am happy to see that someone other than myslef thinks this. I have been searching for this show
for: 17years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You do not even understand how excited I am to find this gem of a Jack" straw'. It used to be a filler on another tape of mine made by an old friend and I never knew where it was from. I lost the tape at Oxford Maine in '88. This show has Jerry picking away in a mad scientists fashion: he is absolutely possessed and is inventing the new age Jack straw jam as he rages through it.

Jerry absolutley sells you on the fact that this is his most accomplished rendition. The previous writer, the longer write up, tell a great review of a very special show.

This is unusually short with 5 songs in set two but its great and a quick download.

Do not deny yourself the power and knowledge that comes with the understandign that jack straw was bever the same after this show...wowser! Holy crap! Download now you sbd craved "jack straw" deadhead!

If this is not the most intense version of Jack straw then I will denounce all interest in the dead. In fact, I retire from doing write ups on the archive. Thats it. Done. I found my miralce show!

This show is truly representative of an amazing peak year regarding: energy, setlists, effort, band cohesiveness, etc. Math majors...Minus: lethargic uninspired Keith and off key too loud Donna; Additions: the energy from Egypt, Brent, and the completed evolution & full maturity of the double drumming/percussion. Jack a Roe has a solid groove. Along with 5/9/79, this is the greatest Jack Straw ever! Professor Phil Lesh, as in L, esh, d. 5/7/79 and 10/27/79 are also mind blowing highlights from this epic year. Steve B., ESQ.

Strong words, I know. I've listened to a lot of shows, and I keep coming back to this one over and over again. The fall of 1979 was a very hot time for The Boys, and I strongly feel this has to do with the addition of Brent. By the time the fall of '79 came around, he'd been in the band for a little bit and had started adding lots of new voices with the B3, synth and strong piano playing. As a result, everybody else in the band became rejuvinated and the playing is fresh. This led to some of the most cerebral music I've personally ever heard.

As somebody else has already reviewed the first set, I'll focus on the second. Terrapin Station is slow, but not lethargic. It is deliberate, like a lazy river; flowing, with purpose, but not in a hurry. Jerry's leads are sinuous, Brent's comping is exceptional, and Phil is dropping bombs left and right. After the final lick, you hear Bob start to count for the next song, and you hear Jerry say, "Do it to me!"

Then, the epic: Playin' In The Band. Strong tempo, Bob's voice in great shape, Brent's harmonies are right on. After the final verse, Brent immediately siezes the lead right out of the chute. Playing lines on the B3, Brent weaves in and out of the melody suggested by all the string players. After a minute or two, Jerry comes in, Brent switches to a Rhodes-style piano voice, and Bob starts playing Chords From Hell. The drummers are the fascinating thing here; while everybody continues to vamp and solo in 4/4 time, the drummers easily slide into The Eleven. The match is exquisite.

The jam that follows is the singular reason why I love this band. Playing spontaneous composition, really reaching for it, this jam is balls-out cerebral, ethereal, and sublime. Jerry and Brent trading leads, Bob comping and Phil suggesting yet another melodic line with his bass, all come together as one. The sum is truly greater than the individuals. Crescendos build, then drop, then regroup and build again. Wave upon wave of intensity, fresh ideas popping out from every twist and turn. This culminates with Brent on clavinet, Phil dropping bomb after bomb, and they all reach the pinnacle moment. Then, everybody just STOPS PLAYING. You're left hanging there, feeling like Wiley Coyote after going over the cliff, just suspended in mid-air. It is FANTASTIC.

The peak-and-valley pattern is repeated over and over here, until Brent slides into some "outside" keyboard runs, leading to the downward spiral into wierdness. This eventually culminates with Phil inducing feedback from his bass, Bob and Brent making bird chirps, and Jerry playing fast arpeggios. Enter Drums.

Nothing wimpy here...big, fat bass drums, guiros, giving way to tar and gongs. As Billy starts playing the gongs, Mickey screams, "Yeah man, keep going!" Mickey keeps holding the tar to the microphone, causing it to feed back. It sounds like outtakes from the Apocalypse Now sessions.

Space is nice and wierd, with Phil feedback and Jerry's distorted noodling. Then, a quick slide into Black Peter. Slow, intense, and perfect. Exceptionally soulful, with vocals that are right on. Brent's B3 playing makes you feel like you're at a psychedelic church revival.

Good Lovin'....it rocks. High energy, lots of tight soloing, and the Bobby scream in the last chorus is amazing.

End it all with a hard, tight rendition of US Blues. Thus ends one of the best Grateful Dead sets I've ever heard.

I've probably listened to this set well over a thousand times over the last 20-plus years, and I keep going back to it over and over again. It induces tears and goosebumps in me every single time. This show is one for the ages, and I hope you find it as inspiring and fulfilling as I do.

Sean K.

79 was a good year for Playin in the Band. It seemed to be one of the first tunes that Brent was able to add some freaked out spacy elements to with his synth. The Terrapin that leads into the Playin is nice as well... very mellow. Suddenly, out of the Terrapin, Playin blasts off and before you know it youre floating through the cosmic debris. Of couorse, once you return to solid ground they go ahead and plant you with a killer Black Peter. Good stuff.

Lesh rules. Listen to the depth charges he unleashes to end the Jack Staw jam. Garcia and Weir give a great Chuck Berry clinic on Promised Land. Deal features several different melodic runs from Garcia. The soundboard quality is excellent. Turn up the bass on this show.

This 1st set is one of the strongest out there. The LL Rain is absolutely the best of all time. Bobby has the passion like no other here. Jerry's feeding off this is amazing. Licks are so sweet. The Jack-A-Roe is smokin', the tone Jerry has is top-notch on this one. Straw closes out the great set in fine form.

I love the playin jam from this show. pass the noodles please.