Grateful Dead 1978 College Campus Show Tournament

I'm calling game 2 early.
William and Mary 4/15 first set is head and shoulders above anything from 4/14. Blowout win. I'm only half way through Let It Grow at this point. If they come out on stage for set 2, game over.

 

Not only do they come out on-stage, they achieve "escape velocity" midway through Bertha.

 

Just getting into the 2nd sets of 4/21 vs. 6/25 and this is another close game.

Edit: Two unique things from these shows, I don't remember them ever telling the audience hey come up front there are plenty of empty seats; And I can't remember the last time I heard a "get it right" yelled out in the middle of the song.

 

Re 4/21/78 an attendee mentioned in the Compendium that around 5,000 people showed up to a Kentucky arena with capacity 36,000.

I remember another April show (not sure of the date) where right before "Me And My Uncle" there are some restless audience shouts and you can hear Weir shout "shut up!" off mic.

 

I don't know about the Illinois concert, but I attended the UCSB concert and it was fantastic. Jerry Garcia was really "on fire". The set list for that show were all my favorites. For some reason, it seems to me like there was a booleg CD of that show floating around. I may be wrong.

 

These '78 shows would be fun to hear on headphones; so much banter all over the place.

Edit: wow a few bits of Archtopness in this 4/21 PITB. Keith was sleeping a lot of the first set but is now awakening a tad. The 6/25 Estimated>Eyes was also good; still looks like this one is going to the wire. '78 always has some drums, er Rhythm Devils, I will gladly listen to but it is pretty much this year alone for me.

 

Funky group action going on in the 4/21 Drums and an even funkier jam going on after it; silky Jerry move into Stella Blue, 4/21 pulling ahead.

 

Ok last night and this morning I finished 2 games (4 shows). Due to time I'll give my play by play breakdown later. But just so I can keep up I'll log my results here!

My winners so far are....

4/24/78 Horton Field House Normal Illinois (in a romp)

&

4/15/78 William and Mary Hall Williamsburg Virginia

 

Strong contender for best Stella

 

Yeah @budwhite I think that sealed the deal, plus the Truckin' little Playin' reprise, Warewolves; I am riding out 6/25 just to be sure, and I might mull it over a bit longer before making the final call, but you see where this is going.

 

I am in the middle of this match as well - starting with 6/25, but I have similar predictions about how it will turn out. 4/21 is a long-time favorite, and that second set is going to be hard to beat. But I'll save my replay of that one until I'm done with 6/25 to keep things fair.

 

That Stella Blue was included in the So Many Roads box set. So good it got an official release.

 

You guys are getting my hopes up for set 2 from 4/21, because at this point it is way behind. First set goes to 6/25 no question, but we'll see.

 

FINAL RESULT. Autzen 6/25/78 is the winner. 4/21 didn't do a lot for me to be honest. First set was mostly meh, TMNS was best. Second set is somewhat better, but Jerry misses his vocal cues quite a bit, and it throws me a little, especially on Stella. The Playin' jam is good, the post-drums jam is excellent, and the Truckin' rocks hard, but it isn't enough. 6/25 is just a crazed jam from start to finish, and I will go back to it as well as play it for my friends. Call it 92-82 Oregon.

I think I already have my semi-finalists on the left side of the bracket, but I won't spoil it.

 

another vote for 4/24/78 Horton Field House Normal Illinois

 

Mark it 8, @Charlie DJ in the Field House.

 

I'm not finding the first set of 2/5/78 anywhere. Anyone have this or know where it is to be found? You can't show up at halftime and win the game, so I don't like its chances.

 

Dicks Picks 18: Disc 1, tracks 1, 2, 4, 10, 11 = 1/2 of first set; Disc 3 = set 2 less the US Blues encore.

Not to lead the witness, but that second set can win the next few rounds with its first set tied behind its back.

 

Final Score - I've got William & Mary beating VA Polytechnic by a comfortable margin.

It was fairly close at the break, with a nice Let it Grow on 4/15 making up for a somewhat short first set. But after the break William & Mary pulled away - the Dancin' and (short) Other One on the 14th were no match for the lengthy/spacy Playin' and then Morning Dew from the 15th.Somebody else used the "running out the clock" metaphor for the Around & Around set closer on the 15th, which was exactly what I was thinking listening to it last weekend before I read the comment.

 

The 2/5/78 Scarlet-Fire may be the best ever.

 

It was close, and I am ahead of schedule a bit, so I slept on it, and spent some more time with them today and Final Score the win goes to Rupp Arena (Lexington Center), Lexington, KY (4/21/78)

4/21 is a more chill first set for sure, but pound for pound it is just has a tad more sophisticated tight and polished playing across the whole show. Best Funiculi Funicula ever btw! I liked the more laid back with a little bite sprinkled in Ramble On Rose and Row Jimmy, so that first set was working overall from that standpoint. I liked the math on TMNS, it is not near the best ever, but again starts all chill but Jerry just bangs the angles nice and tight in the pocket and everyone is far more locked in than usual rather than rawkin’ out over the ski tips. One man’s meat is another man’s poison I suppose.

I am finding it very interesting that these ’78 College shows seem to vacillate back in forth between really gnarly/rowdy and pretty chill/slick, and this game once again had the dichotomy. If one is in a rowdy mood 6/25 is very good, but that little bit extra in the concentration and execution department on the chiller shows pays off a bit more for my tastes.

It was interesting that these two second sets started with Sampson & Delilah then a slow Jerry tune, then the big number. Here the Playing takes advantage of all the tightness and it soars with a wonderful running thread quality say where 4/15 broke it down all Space like. The jam out of Drums was funky fun awesome, Stella Blue was great, the rest worked just fine, and the encore even got a little growly if you missed that aspect from this show. I am really liking Jerry’s singing around these months, almost like there still is the effect of him being extra happy to have his voice back 100% and he is putting little extra twists on things here and there.

Not that it went into the scoring but 4/21 is a fantastic tape, 6/25 had that grainy thing going on again. More and more I am thinking Betty switched consoles sometime between 4/21 and at least 6/4 where we have the picture of her with Freddie Mercury at a SS console. I am also speculating that DiP 25, where Bear recorded 5/10 and says he got a patch out of Betty’s console; well I am no expert but if you have seen an MX-10 I am just not seeing that getting done with one in the way he describes. That SS console seems more likely. It is an Allen+Heath 248, and she says she started using that late.



So does anyone here have any opinions if and when the warmer tube-y sounds on the tapes from her tube Ampex MX-10 mixers maybe switched to a less warm or more SS sound?

Edit: I am listening to some late '77 Betty tapes and they are super tube-y so while 4/21 sounds more like '77 I am not so sure anymore where those better April tapes and 4/21 might not be a Betty tape anyway so more work needs to be done.

 

Me too, and I finished 30 Trips on NYE. It's just too soon, but it's a neat idea. 2 of my favorite shows of all-time (and I tend towards fall '72 as being my favorite era) are 1/22/78 & the '78 William & Mary show. The old Eugene tape trading group had quite a few members who advocated that '78, and the college show in particular were too often overlooked and valued them highly. There are still a few on this list that I haven't heard and feel the need to, so I appreciate bmoregnr creating the thread.

 

The June shows may originate from cassette masters, as they were "one off" shows and not part of a lengthy tour.

 

I agree and now recognize I jumped the gun on what sources those were (Edit: good call both mc, 6/4 is noted as Betty's mix but probably not valid for comparison being a mc). This evening I will be listening to parts of 10-2-77, 4-12-78 and 7-8-78 to see if anything noticeable pops up.