Grateful for this show, as it's so packed with lot's of lovely little goodies. There's no bad era in Dead history, just different eras.
The Bee Gees released Staying Alive in December 1977,
eight months after this performance ! I was released from the womb in 1978 but the previous review made it seem like the Dead were influenced by a song that wasn't released yet. My opinion is, if there is a disco vibe to the dead in 77, it's wasn't to increase album sales or sell more tickets. The dead always played music for the love of the music.

Good but that 77 disco beat, man. C'mon. Disco? Really??! Totally kills Help and Shakedown and everywhere else. Listen to the intricate jazz polyrhythms and time changes Bill was doing circa 71-74 and then listen to this. But everyone looks at you like you're a freak if you're not into 77. Whatevs. Gonna go back to 12-18-73.

Hbd big guy. 80 today. I guess the music really never stopped. nfa

I was not sleeping well one night and put my headphones in and parked Buffalo's Peggy-O into my brain. Lovely version and I listented to it about 4 times the following day. I never was in the bus for this song at live concerts, but I have a whole new appreciation for the slow ballads. Glad to have found this one!

Nothing like ‘77. Just as deep as 72-74, but with that lively 77 feel. There’s so much to uncover with this show- gets better every listen

I was a big fan (still am) of the famous summer of 1976 July 17 version of Comes a Time, then I heard this version. It has an entirely different feel, much darker than the transcendent '76 version, but it's just as beautiful. Absolutely soul wrenching licks from Jerry, and you can hear him delaying the band from transitioning into the melancholy fade for the next song. Jerry switched something on his guitar/pedal right around 10:48 as you can hear the timbre of his guitar totally changes. Amazing performance and groove the band found.

Wicked version of Comes a Time.

Awesome show even with the few sound issues.
Highlight for me was that Cassidy, HOT!

If there is a better live version of Big River out there, please point me in that direction! The playing in this one is on another level....

Rain really coming down from a tropical system
Opened the back slider to let the dog out
He just gives me a look like
Not that important
and heads off for a nap

Not going song by song
Just enjoying the music
digging on the reviews
I wish some of you folks reviewing
would drop by the GD forum
once in awhile
--------
"I've got a mule and her name is Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
She's a good old worker and a good old pal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
We haul'd some barges in our day
Filled with lumber, coal and hay
We know every inch of the way
From Albany to Buffalo
Low bridge, ev'rybody down
Low bridge, we're coming to a town
You'll always know your neighbour
And you'll always know your pal
If ya ever navigated on the Erie Canal
We'd better look around for a job, old gal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
You can bet your life I'll never part Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
Get up mule, here comes a lock
We'll make Rome 'bout six o'clock
One more trip and we'll go
Right back home to Buffalo
Low bridge, ev'rybody down
Low bridge, we're coming to a town
You'll always know your neighbour
And you'll always know your pal
If ya ever navigated on the Erie Canal
Where would I be if I lost my pal?
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
I'd like to see a mule as good as my Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
A friend of mine once got her sore
Now he's got a broken jaw
'Cause she let fly with an iron toe
And kicked him back to Buffalo
Low bridge, ev'rybody down
Low bridge, we're coming to a town
You'll always know your neighbour
And you'll always know your pal
If ya ever navigated on the Erie Canal
Low bridge, ev'rybody down
Low bridge, we're coming to a town
You'll always know your neighbour
And you'll always know your pal
If ya made your livin' on the Erie Canal
Low bridge, ev'rybody down
Low bridge, we're coming to a town"
-Springsteen's version
--------
Big River is always surprising me
nice stand alone version mid set
As we rolled out to Fennario ..
Sunrise works real nice in this set
Donna & Bobby working the MUSIC lyrics
as the band keeps playing on..

I got 100 foot Australian Pines
dancing in the wind
ouch hit an aud patch
right in the middle of Jerry's crescendo jam
very brief drop out
absolutely perfect beautiful "SUBLIME" 1st set!

2) Bertha>Good Lovin'
and a beautiful SHIP OF FOOLS!!!
Not usually a tune I focus in on
but wow what a sweet version.

Estimated>TOO
a fierce Other One!
almost like going from a lude
to dosing in a hurry.
Keith nice in the headphones
Jerry riffing , getting bent
a more introspective drums
until 3 minutes in
perfect segue into NFA
Foreshadows of Englishtown.
If Comes a Time
don't bring pause and humility
what could?
UJB the right encore for this night

GENIUS

I know Cornell has the hype, but sweet mercy this show is sublime. Mistakes and sound issues aside, and that Bertha.. Donna and Keith are remarkable throughout, and I'm a more of Brent guy. This is what good headphones are made for. Thank you kind ones for making it possible for me to listen.

Check out October 30, 1971 for a completely opposite take on Comes a Time. I love that one. I love this one. Opposites.

The band sounds like they're on a hot one for this show, starting with the inspired, thirty minute, Help-Slipknot-Franklins!

Jerry is cracking wise in the background between Brown Eyed Woman and Mexicali as Bobby counts it up. "1, 2,..." "LOOK OUT!" "...3, 4." 🤣

It's nice to hear Donna shine out on Sunrise. Her harmonies on the down tempo Comes a Time really support Jerry's heartfelt wailings.

Yes, there are a few missed lyrics here and there, but c'mon... we've already forgiven that haven't we?

Not to forget about the rest of the show (Estimated, BE Women, Music Never Stopped, Sugar Mag, etc.), what really blew me away was the Help Slip Franklin's, which is the 2nd best, behind 8-13-75

I have this tape from back in the day its nice to hear it this clear. Rare to hear Sunrise. Sunrise is a song about Rolling Thunder, he was a native american and spiritual teacher who hung out with the dead and Mickey Hart. Comes a time, This Help Slip Frank is my favorite since Ive been listening to this tape since 1990.

Help-Slip-Frank opener, and then a lovely Cassidy, later a great TMNS, and after that a funky Estimated transitioning beautifully into a powerful Other One, etc. There is a reason that this show is in the pantheon.

God I love this show. Check out Keith and Jerry sparring in the end section of a perfect Comes a Time..Peak of 77 for me, things got too speedy at times after the break for Mickey to heal.

Was enjoying spring time in Georgia, when a buddy going to Cornell said, "come on up for the Dead. We can hit Barton Hall and then Buffalo." I gave the very lame, "but I have a huge paper due the Wednesday after the shows, a and a huge test on the Friday after the shows." We both had a good laugh and I booked a flight to Ithaca with a return to Atlanta the night of the 10th. Aside from great shows, seeing a handful of friends that stayed north for schools was a great morale boost to carry me through my own finals that were coming up in June. And yes, I did just fine on my test and paper. But that's not why I'm typing away today. Not at all.... I'm here to tell you a story of two remarkable shows... Remarkably well played, and remarkably different.

Obviously, I was blown away by 5/8.... everyone was..... But, the next night in Buffalo.... WOW!!! I may have been the only one in my group saying it, but I liked Buffalo more than Cornell.... From start to finish, all great stuff. The best versions of some songs? Not really sure as I've heard some comparable Help/Slip/Franklin as well as some stand-alone Franklin's that are smoking. And I've heard some mighty fine TMNS and Peggy-O's and Bertha's, etc., etc. But from the opening chord of Help, to the UJB encore, every note was purposeful [thank you tripping balls guy behind me at the first night of RFK '86 for that descriptive].

All my buddies thought I was nuts... After all, 5/8/77 could be the greatest Morning Dew- -certainly my favorite by a long way. And that Scarlet>Fire- -especially the jam and the Fire.... OMG!!! Jerry's lead cascading and cascading in Fire still gives me shivers when I think back to that night.....

But almost 40 years later, I still think Buffalo stands the test of time as well as any show the Dead ever played. Unlike Cornell where I'll sometimes skip a tune to get to a highlight, I have never skipped a tune when streaming 5/9/77. As that smiling, tripping dude said.... every note was purposeful.

So let the debate continue.... what was the greatest show in that merry month of May 1977? No matter your answer, you can't be wrong.....

BTW- - if you want another tale of two remarkably well played yet remarkably different shows, fast forward 3 years to spring 1980. Senior year of college for me. Trucked west from Atlanta to Birmingham on 4/28. Great little show capped by a hot GDTRFB encore. Then back to Atlanta for the Fox Theater on 4/29. A proletariat song list compared to the night before. But just as then, and notwithstanding what the folks I trucked to Birmingham say, from start to finish I still prefer the Atlanta show. Oh well.... opinions.... as Charles Durning said in Home for the Holidays, "Opinions are like assholes. Everybody has one and everybody thinks the other guy's stinks." :)

On that note.... back to work I must go..... Have a grateful day.... and keep the music and vibe alive!!

The first time I heard or heard of the Grateful Dead was the first time I got stoned, Summer 1975. I became aware of and locked in at Brown-Eyed Women and by the end of Morning Dew I was utterly convinced that my parents and everything they stood for were extinct. Dead were Done too, they said, Pig Pen was the end. I was buying sugar cubed over the counter a the record store, circulating boots from Felt Forum, Winterland and The great Hway (The Family Dog) Next I knew they were trucking' up to Buffalo, I was 15 and didn't have a drivers license but my cousin Bobby lived in Lockport so he came through with an extra to get a guy to drive us up From Cleveland. We got there late but you can't ever late to the future. Tie-dye twirling among kaleidoscopic lights, drenched in a deep gold budded smoky haze...the Women!!! and Brown-Eyed Women locked me in again. 2nd set rolled just as I was coming' heavy on.. It lifted off Bertha>Good loving' settled back into Ship of Fools then a monster shot: Estimated Prophet Phil taking me inside out and sideways, Bobby straight ahead. California WAS the prophet on the burnin shores of my Cuyahoga river. Everything got hot, The other one and the other one and a half had me out of body, infused in the pores of war memorial.. then something happened near the end that may have saved some lives. The question: All that I want to know is are you kind? Brought me back in a sobering and sternly inquisitive way.. these compounds weren't toys, they were tools. I was deep in it, riding shotgun an hour or so into the ride home when the driver nodded in my direction, the wheel coming with, it jerked and shook me, pounding my back into door with a pretty good sized kid coming in on me shoulder to knee. It was probably a 70 mph situation, on a 2 lane each way with embankments over the side. I saw it all, every particle..I felt it come, utter calm. Not nonchalant but ultra clean in the lean behind left hand clasp of the wheel while the right knew where to catch and grab his collar and shake with sufficient force to bring him back into the now, where he knew to get off the gas but not so much to rattle and over react.. then we synchronized our way back into place, headed for the next coffee stop.. got a nod and "right on, man" from the HS Senior for stepping up. Good deal, Great Show, I highly recommend it.

The comments show that if you dig deep u find crystals. I bumped into umm 7.1.80 arrowhead stadium, try it. Just put any random date into the internets, there's gold waiting. Utica 73 is just ok! I give several stars, there isn't another.

Boston Cornell and this show ! all smoke

Seems that Barton Hall is the most lauded performance of the historic 77 tour but after many listens back to back I keep being drawn to this show. Perfect compliment to Barton Hall and much different energy. I stand by my claim that this is the best Franklin's Tower recorded.

In my opinion this one blows Cornell away. They topped a perfect show with a perfect show that is EPIC. The highlights are the Music and Comes a Time, but nothing here disappoints. The music seems to pulsate like a freight train coming down the tracks. This is a must listen, must have, must love show.

Everybody knows 05/08/77: the Legendary Cornell show. But with all the hoopla surrounding that one specific date, it seems that many folks have blocked out the amazing music that surrounded that incredible musical experience. Case in point: the following night in Buffalo. The energy from the previous night is channeled into perhaps the best version of Help>Slip>Franklin’s of the year. Gone is the meandering mellowness of 1976. This is the Dead at their finest. The boys are on fire. The transitions are spot on and Jerry’s vocals and guitar work on Franklin’s Tower are magnificent. My four favorite versions of this trifecta are One From The Vault, Beacon Theatre, 06/14/76, this version here and the beauty that is the opening sequence of Without A Net.
The rest of the first set is perfect Dead: Brown-Eyed Women shines with Americana and Jerry pours his heart into the solos. Bobby’s clean slide work compliments Jerry’s fiery guitar as the boys flow into a traditional Bobby Mexicali. Tennessee Jed follows and Jerry is on as always. I have a huge affection towards a well-played Big River. This one here…well, just listen. Johnny Cash wrote it. Bobby sings it. But Jerry makes it his own. Take a listen after Keith’s piano solo. Pure magic. This is vintage Garcia. Billy fills in with a beautiful flourish and we wind down into Peggy-O. Has there ever been a more beautiful Garcia tune? Vocals, guitar work, timing…perfect. Jerry’s first solo takes us far, far away and then gently brings us back. Tales of rejection and triumphant return entwine beautifully, while we, the listener, are reminded of a time when worry was closer to home. Why do we find this experience so emotional? Ask any deadhead and you will get a different answer. History combines with beauty. Why am I listening to a band that I only saw live once? Why do I feel an instant affinity to any person that I hear playing the boys? Well, the music lives on and hopefully I can forward some of the experience to all of you. That the music lives on and continues to gain listeners is a testament to the integrity of the band. The spark that was lit back in my formative years has grown and I hope that I have helped turn on a few friends along the way. I will just leave it at this: do those first notes of Eyes of the World always make you smile? No matter where you are or what you are doing?
“Right outside this lazy summer home….”
Sunrise is standard as always, but my goodness…The Music Never Stopped. This song was born in 1976, but the Band brought it to its height in 1977. If I were to pick my favorite Donna accompaniment, it would be the Music Never Stoppeds from 1976-1978 or the Wharf Rats from the same era. All else aside, this version is one of the best from 1977 and may be the best from the late 1970’s.
A beautiful Bertha begins the second set. Jerry, Bobby and Phil charge through and bring the first set magic right to the forefront. A predictable Good Lovin’ flows into Ship of Fools. Jerry brings everything down, down, down only to launch into Estimated. This tune was still relatively new to the band having only been introduced during the Terrapin Station recording sessions. Any hesitancy the band may have had at the February Swing Auditorium show has now dissipated. Estimated is here to stay. Jerry’s thwunky wah goads Phil right into The Other One.
For astute listeners, Jerry’s signature 1977 “growl” can be heard in evolution throughout 1976. Swing Auditorium 1977 is really where the 1977 “Jerry growl” takes over. Throughout 1976, Jerry’s tone can be heard to flow in and out of the “signature growl.” Sometimes we hear him almost all the way there and then at other times we hear the individual beauty of 1976. An overlooked year indeed: a transition year. But if you catch yourself with an ear for the Dead, you will recognize 1976 right out of the gate. Such is the beauty of the Dead. When you know, you know.
The Other One is one of the Dead’s primal tunes. Here we get a dark, yet fully satisfying version that flows into early Dead psychedelia while maintaining the feel of late 1970’s Dead. Mickey and Billy intersperse a brief drum interval and then the band falls into Not Fade Away. The boys have been playing this tune since 1970 and are quite aware of where they can take it. The drums thunder as Jerry finds inexplicable note combinations and the band builds towards an inexorable crescendo, only to find all the instruments fade away… except Jerry.
The haunting notes of Comes a Time slowly emerge: a solo Jerry tune that was worked seamlessly into the Dead repertoire. Pure emotion. The end solo section is pristine. And then we come to every deadhead’s favorite tune: Sugar Magnolia. I cannot say I ever liked this tune, but you become numb to it after a while.
The Dead were never known for playing the best encores. But honestly, I will take an Uncle John’s Band encore any day. From a historical perspective: a fitting send-off to a brilliant three-night run. The Grateful goddamn Dead!

The audio is fantastic on this show. Awesome setlist, really long Franklin's - really mellow Bertha. Great show!

Highly enjoyable set from that fabled spring run in May of '77

I have listened to this show more than any other. I went to one show in Spring '77 (New Haven), but mostly went '68-'72. I felt something special at some of those shows that just isn't audible mostly. But in this show, it's audible for a lot of the time. A kind of grace, gentleness and peace that somehow suffuses this music. There's more to say - and lots of people have said it - but I just know I will be listening to this show for a long time more.

I've had this one a long time, and reach for it often. It's my dream setlist from one of the hottest tours the band ever did. The sound is so rich and wholesome, and the performance is beyond compare. This one stands alone as my #1 of their whole bloody career. Highlights?...the whole show. Every note and lyric!!

BettyBettyBettyBettyBetty

Of rap for that matter?

Poop on the top 40 all you want. But there is underground disco music that is some of the most vibrant stuff you'll ever hear

Granted, you might not be into the soundtrack of young gay blacks and Latinos

Great show. Nice disco influence.

The Music Never Stopped is HOT. But for me the ultimate version is from 2 nights earlier in Boston (5/7/77). "Garcia wheelies"? he is absolutely on fire at the crescendo in that Beantown gem. Check it out.

What a great show all around. There is not much else to say that hasn't already been said. Help>Slip>Frank is excellent and the sound quality is great. A must have from the magic that was Spring '77

The band was tight on this tour and recordings from it sparkle; all are worth having. I was a few years away from my introduction to the Dead, but I do remember 1977. The US was out of Vietnam, leaving people happy but with no core issue to protest against anymore! Gerald Ford was president; remember WIN buttons and Chevy Chase's hilarious pratfalls as Ford on SNL? Unfortunately, we also had Disco music, though compared to Rap music, Disco was a pleasure. Amazing the different eras in American history in which the Dead persevered and remained popular.

Ahh the memories of the Dead at their peak. Feel so fortunate (old?) to have been able to catch the "trifecta" that cold (snow in Ithaca, slush in Buffalo), fabled weekend in May. Boston, Cornell, and then luckily a "home game" here in Buffalo. Couldn't resist tuning this one in on its anniversary...still gives me goose bumps and a smile

Not much to say that hasn't been said. I had a few college neighbors who probably knew this one note for note through the thin walls we shared. I hope they liked it as much as I did, doh!

Ahhh May 9th 1977 was my very first Dead show. I came into the show knowing one album – Steal your face and one other song – Truckin. I can still see Garcia’s hand on his white guitar on the first rip of Help on the way. The whole first set my jaw was touching the floor. I kept thinking “how is it that this band has been around for ten years and I have never been turned on to them?” The music continued one great rip after another. I kept noticing everyone was dancing, moving and shaking. From the very top of the upper level orange seats to the front row before the stage everyone was jumping and twirling. I had been to dozens of concerts but never had I seen anything quite like this. It was during the second song of the second set (Good Lovin) that I became a Dead head. The familiar adage applied - “rose out of my seat lord cause I had to dance.” Twenty four years and dozens of shows later I am still a Dead head. It would be years before I realized that my very first Dead show would be rated as one of the best ever. But then again who’s to say what the best was. All in all “There’s nothing like a Grateful concert!”

In every way, this show is the best intro I could give someone if they've never heard the Dead. 1977 is up there w/ the most magical years of the Grateful Dead.

Adjust your altitude then turn this up to 11 and ENJOY!!!

One of my early impressions of the Grateful Dead back in 1974, When I first listened to some of their albums, was that they have the unique ability to hold a note without actually playing it. Listening to the '77 shows confirms that first impression.

Among the standouts for me in this show are Not Fade Away and Sugar Magnolia. Played very differently and yet still Very fine.

the sound is excellent, the performance is excellent. I have to agree with a previous reviewer that it almost like a studio recording for quality.
Except for Kieth the band is really on this night. Kieth, while still playing very, very good, seems to be coasting throught most of this show. Maybe he was distacted by something that happened or a toothache or who the hell knows what, but he does not seem to be part of the group mind on this particular night. Makes me wonder what this show would have been like if he was "on" too.

there have been some comments about Sunrise, most sayint that they did not care for the song, and I cannot argue with that, but I think that the reviewer who said that it does not have a Grateful Dead groove is wrong. Sunrise is the Grateful Dead playing behind Donna Jean's solo. No question about it, with the Grateful Dead the music plays the band and that is what you have here. IMHO

Giving This a five for the quality of the sound and mixing. And a 4.75 for the performance.

Just started listening to it and so far the Help/Knot/Tower is ridiculously clean and superb! This shows already turning out to be a Favorite. Setlist is what dreams are made of, Thank you all for carrying these holy scriptures along through the ages for heads like me to listen to some 30+ years later, Great way to warmup for Shoreline next month see you there!

I normally listen to one show a night from "today in grateful dead history" and i pick it out from the reviews i read for each show. I never got to see the dead live, but when i read reviews like the ones for this show, I really wish I could have. I can't wait to start the concert. Might as well rank it a 5.
P.S. to all deadheads: Please write reviews every time you listen to a show on here. If it helps guide me, I know I'm not the only one. Thank you, Steel from Oklahoma.

This music filled my office for a few hours yesterday morning... it'g an amazingly good show. It's a WOW! show. A beautiful Help->Slip!->Franklin's for 31+ minutes to start? Crispy Brown Eyed Women, Music Never Stopped filled with Jerry guitar wheelies. Incredible Not Fade Away Jam. The show rocks from start to finish.
Long Live The Grateful Dead!
peace&love to all.......

The May 77' runs always put me in a special place when I'm in the mood for mesmerizing Jerry licks or pounding Phil bass lines. The Other One through Not Fade away is non-stop fire. Further nor DSO, while I am a big fan of both and have enjoyed countless shows big time, just can't capture the May 77 vibe; this is the stuff of legends. Boston - Cornell - Buffalo, best three days of music ever!!!!

No one ever speaks of Sugar Magnolia, is it because everyone thinks that they are all similar? Well, everyone is wrong. This is up there w/ any other version that could be played(also 3/24/73). I was born in 1984, but this show puts me in 1977. Thank you Grateful Dead.

jerry once said he picked someone from the front of the audience and he played that show to them. this was my show!!!!! i realized it only when i read that interview many years later. i was a freshman at SUNY brockport and we snuck onto the floor and made it to the third row in front of jerry. we were needless to say, very altitudinal and i stood up the entire first set with my fist in the air like the two black athletes in mexico city, 1968. jerry made eye contact with me many times and would look to weir and then back at me and they would chuckle.
I HAVE NEVER BEEN THE SAME SINCE!!!!!!
thanks, man

When I first got this tape it quickly became a favorite and has remained so. I love shows that start hot out of the gate and this is a prime example. Tons of energy and everyone at the top of their game musically (except perhaps Keith who is nevertheless just fine). Everyone stands out at different moments. First you're hearing Jerry's incredible leads and that tone. Then you're noticing how loud and on Phil is. And the drummers are at the peak of complemnting each other and the musc, ever propulsive. Then Bob's guitar, also loud with great tone and well balanced, laying down the perfect counterpoint to Jerry's leads. I think a big part of this tape's (and this run's) reputation lies in its sound and it sounds incredible. The balance and seperation are just perfect, and this source sounds as good as any of the others to me. I love how loud the toms are. Phil was stil such a driving force. After '77 the rhythm section would rarely ever be this driving again.

The Dead were never about perfection, but to me this first set is as close to perfection as they got. Sure there is a minor lyric flub or two, but every solo, every transition, every vocal, every version of every song in the first set is near definitive (even Sunrise). Certainly my favorite Help Slip Franklins. Pair this set with the previous night's second and wow! Don't get me wrong this second set has its moments but isn't at the same level as the first overall.

Its interesting that this run of shows came at such a difficult time in the band's career. Things with Keith and Donna were on the downslope. Jerry was overwhelmed with finishing the movie and had been recently introduced to the Persian which would ultimatly lead to his musical and personal decline. Nervertheless, the boys pull out a run for the ages! The second set of Cornell through the end of this first set is my personal favorite stretch of Dead music. I probably reach for this show more than any other.

The NFA and the Comes a time here are just great. It's tough to beat the NFA from the day before but this one does stand up pretty nicely. Hot show with great sound.

This show is smoking. I could tell you about the blazing H>S>F or the Brown Eyed Women. The Music Never Stopped certanly lives up to the title.

Estimated>The Other One> NFA, wow. But the gem of this show is Comes a Time. WOW... the solo at the end nearly made me cry like so many Jerry solos have the power to do. If you havent heard it then you are missin out.

I love reading all the comments.....we all have our opinions, don't we? This is a 5 star, without a doubt, but there are a few other concerts that do more for me. Someone said (somewhere) the set list wasn't really important and if that's what you are looking for in a Dead concert then you've missed the point. I disagree.....sort of. I never went looking for a specific group of songs. However, my preference for music sung by Jerry is unquestionable. I could listen to Loser, Eyes, Fire, or Franklin's Tower (to name a few) every night. I'm not looking for those songs, specifically, but it was so beautiful most every time I heard one of them when he was at his best. As good as Buffalo was, it's missing a song or two that I'd of liked to have heard within the flow of this show. I know, some will say it's all a bunch of bullshit. I get that but it is my perspective. Of course, Comes a Time is pretty special.

Excellent show of course - nothing further to add as regards that. However I would advise avoiding this particular download in favour of the other, less downloaded version (approx 5,000 hits last time I looked) because this one has at least one glitch that shouldn't be there and possibly more (Track 1, 3 minutes 41). This one does have the crowd sound and tuning intact of course, which the other one doesn't. But you can't have everything....I'd personally rather have a clean-sounding copy so I'd go for the other one.

Listening to this reminds me just how grate they were. Incredible muscianship and an incredible betty board. Stream it or download if you have the know how. I have over a thousand shows (268 auds & the rest sbds) but i come back to this show at least once a month. Also deadheads check out Ekoostik Hookah. Start with 6-30-07, 10-19-07 & 3-28-08. We are crazy about them here in Ohio and the mid west. I try to spread the word cause deadheads love good live music.

The show is sublime. For me, Ship of Fools is a real gem.

This is a wonderful sparkling show, much better than Cornell, much more consistently 'on' and crackling with energy.

But I guess, once Cornell got talked about, it snowballed and no one wanted to be caught saying that they 'couldn't see the emporer's new clothes'. It's sad that Cornell has become the representative to the GD; a show that keeps non-initiates scratching their heads saying "[other than the 'morning dew'], this sounds really sloppy and uninspired".

This show stinks. Jerry can't play drums. Bob's bass must be missing a string. TC sounds high, and Phil's voice sounds shot throughout the whole show.

Another smokin' soundboard from Betty Cator...great performance, even better sound! Along with 5/7 and 5/8/1977, these 3 concerts represent the pinnacle of sound and performance quality of Dead concerts. Best three night run for sound quality AND performance, IMHO.

There is no Deadstuff like this May`77 run!
Every night pure magic. Unbelievealbe!!!

Holy crap!

Not much to say about this one that hasn't been said. A lot of folks think this is better than cornell and i can see why. almost every song is perfection. Help>Slip>Franklin's is amazing. I kinda like 2/26's H>S better but this Franklin's Tower is probably the best. not many have mentioned the Cassidy, which is sublime and beautiful as cassidy should be. Big River, Jed, Estimated, and especially Bertha rock! oh man i really like the spin they put on the later bertha's and this is the sickest one. TOO is really nice, still i think there's better later ones out there (like 11/5/77 or dicks picks 18). TMNS is hands down the best. the energy is beyond desciption. it gets me so pumped i can hardly stand it. imho the most stupendeous, astounding, heartbreaking Comes A Time ever. I know a lots been said about it, but its that great. this show could ride on it alone. really. and then to cap it all off a UJB that bests most from '72/'73. WOW!

Well ... it just don't get more fuckin' beautiful than this. It's just gorgeous through and through ... couple of spots where you're waiting for tapers to change spools and shit, but Jesus, when you make your way to Comes A Time ... well, "only love can fill ... "

BRAVO ... to everyone who had a hand in this from May 5, 1977 to today.

Absolutely Goddamned transcendent.

first tape I ever had. I fell in love with a lady like a dove, and called her by name....

TO SUM IT UP

WOW

in '95 the Dead were playin the last sets...

in the second city...

WOW...

31 years...2 months and some change ago --- they were playin this gem...


cant believe how lucky my Sabre fan -- friends were on this MAY day...

If these 77 shows arent 5's...
why not?

good news...you're just a click away from st paul...comes a time bflo-sublime to say the least...moving, beyond words

fourteen shows in...after last night's send up in ithaca, i half expected they'd slow down tonight a bit. no dice.

again, the slipknot showcases the band's mindset and the good vibes and great playing continue. first set highlights (aren't they all, really?) include the big river, which just rips, and the peggy-o, which of is the best of the tour so far, i think. the sunrise, which was so blah back in jersey, is actually pretty damn good despite its total lack of a dead groove. and the MNS? holy shit but it IS the best one yet.

the second set is most excellent. the NFA picks up where last night's left off, and another heart-wrenching comes a time. and who the hell complain about UJB as an encore? not me.

i'm looking forward to two nights off! i need some rest before making the southern swing of what is surely shaping up to be the greatest tour by the greatest band ever.

now how the hell to you get from buffalo to st. paul?

Brought tears to my eyes. Comes A Time is absolutely, wonderfully, perfectly sublime!

This show is the bookend for a run of incredible shows. Help>Slipknot>Franklin's is great, Tennessee Jed and Big River are also very tight. The real highlight is a scorching Music Never Stopped! It suffers from an ill-timed AUD patch, but this must be THE definitive live version of that song. Jerry's vocals are a little low in the mix, but that's a relatively minor complaint.

May 7th-9th in 1977 found the dead in their top form, and this show is no exception, infact it is proof to any nay sayers of late 70s dead (how could you be?) This show is perfect. Keith isn't blackout wasted and is hitting his key solos with perfection. Bobby actually hits some interesting riffs, specifically in Bertha. Donna isn't overwhelming Bobby or Jerry vocally. Phil is experimenting like never before on the fretless. THESE ARE THE MOST INTENSE PHIL BOMBS ON THE DEADS ENTIRE CAREER.

Without spelling out the whole setlist which is all amazing (except for Sunrise, but that goes without saying, and was expected in 77') i'll point out the highlights.

Help>Slip!>Franklin's opener is quite a treat with the band in high vocal form and no slacker moments in the slipknot jam. Phil and Bobby seem to have a mutual understanding of what needs to happen in this.

Other set 1 topper seems to be Big River which is spectacular. Each instrument is relevant and no one is "soloing", everyone is cooperating.

Many reviewers have mentioned Music Never Stopped as being great here. Again we get some outrageous Phil bombs with a faster, more intense solo than used to from Jerry in this song. I almost felt twinges of the guitar energy displayed in numbers like the Eleven from 1969 fillmore shows. Never would Garcia play guitar this sharply or intensly again.

Second set is magic time and dosn't nessesarilly follow the second set formula with a spectacular Ship of Fools, a musically brilliant Estimated (all three nites from this run have exelent estimateds), and a particularly emotional Comes a Time that beats 72' versions.

Brilliant, sound is sublime, 5, band is at it's highest point, 5,
all is good.

I have been listening to this Buffalo recording since I was old enough to memorize the lyrics to Brown Eyed. The Peggy-O is simply one of the most perfect examples of binaural bliss ever documented. At least on this planet, and by creatures of human form. I can even appreciate the Sunrise.
The first set is triumphant.And is followed by a truly complimentary second and is topped of with a gracious encore, which was obviously dedicated to all of the fans that were attending that bunch of shows.
What a week. Get it, Get it Get it!!!!!!

tthe solo in this is pure insanity and that alone deserves the five star review

I was only 1 years old when this show happened, but this is the show that sold me on the Dead. The Peggy-O is sick. The Music isn't shabby either. This era of the Dead is untouchable in my opinion.

Am I the only one who can not hear a single note of dissonance in the entire first set? I swear that except for the audience reaction it sounds like it has been supremely mastered in studio. Pure audio ecstasy, man. Check it out.

Although if you are like me you already know and are returning to this show just to check out the latest posts.

do yourself the favor... download the AUD or find the SBD somewhere else (you can still trade SBD with the Band's blessing, just not on the archive)

Greatgreatgreatandmoregreat!I was stuck on Long Island becoming a man,so,could some kindly generous soul do me a b and p favor?Please!and Thank you!!!! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
wheresthedogstar@gmail.com

I guess I was born about 30 yrs too late. I'll just try to make up for it in my office today!

Very good!

The first set of this show was better than the first set of Barton. Peggy-O is outstanding. The Bertha > Good Lovin start to the 2nd set was dynamite as was Ship of Fools. My jaw dropped during Comes a Time. Luckily, I wasn't at Boston on 5/7. After being at Cornell on the 5/8 then here on 5/9 I was spent. 77 was the last great year.

you disgust me!

i breathe

..this inspires me to live and for the love of whatever god may be out there i will Jerry, Thankyou!!!

excellent show, excellent quality

I must agree with Ashes Rising....this is by far the most incredible Comes A Time ever played. It has long been a favorite of mine.

"Comes a time when the blind man takes your hand.." and brings you back to Buffalo: May 9,1977 --- oh, God, "Comes A Time!" How can something be so gut-wrenching and so divine at the same time? I don't know. I thank God Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia met each other so many roads ago -- I cannot imagine how strangely different my life would be without them.

A must have.
Help>Slip at it's finest, and special Peggy-O and Bertha are just a few wows from Buffalo, and I do mean wows, the 7th, 8th and 9th of May are probubly the finest 72 hours of the GD. Short a Jack-a-roe and Passenger, 77 is tendered quite comprehensively, I find it best to understand the Three performances as a set.

email @ fieldhouse11277@hotmail.com happy to share with some dedicated listeners

does anyone else cry and then piss themselves during this bertha as well?

ooohs and ahhhs all around, the entire show. but the most exalting moment in music for me is in Comes A Time, at 8:53, when Bob n Jerry's guitars combine for the most sublime of all musical passages. it's only 2 seconds, but what a glorious 2 seconds. please d/l this and listen to that section, turn your friends on and your enemies too if you have any. this shit can soothe the world!

i swear, Jerry's solo in Comes A Time is so haunting and ancient and inspired, even if it is strictly a key-sig solo...

"godDAMN well i declare! have you seen the like?"

forget Barton for awhile. i swear you won't be disappointed. even the AUD d/l is worth it, it's not bad at all. but like someone below said, get the bettyboard. you will be sooooo in love all over again...

The SBD is still available for downloading - I'm doing it as I type this. Excellent all around concert and recording - you can't go wrong with this one!!!

....at of todays reveiw date. Go to www.gdlive.com and the SB is there to Download, (it's near the top of the list)Outstanding Help>Slip>Franklins!

This show is one of the best I've heard. The band rocks out on help->slip->frank. My friends and I used to sit around listening to this tape at BH's

This is a great show, all the way around. Nice set lists, song selections. This show was actually one of the first I ever got on cassette tape, way back in the 9th grade and, I loved it then and love it now. Well worth the space on your hard drive. Come to think of it, pretty much every show I've heard in the Spring '77 Tour is worth having. Enjoy.

The late 70s to early 80s is my favorite Dead period. Period. This show is a typical - maybe a better than typical show for this magical timeframe. The band is at its tightest. IMHO. Highly recommended.

Great sounding show. Phil is very clear in the mix. Hence, setting the tone for Jerry to lay out some mean lickings. Very nice set list. I would download this now and enjoy it during rush hour if I could.

The Music Never Stopped is nothing to shake a stick at -- Jerry's in the zone, and it keeps on going.

I'm not a huge fan of Comes a Time, but this version is powerful, with some great guitar work. Jerry is also hot on the Not Fade Away that comes before it.

It ends with an energetic Uncle John's Band with pretty vocals and a driving jam.

5/7-8-9/77 , the three shows are stellar. But each one has it's own mood. Boston, it's the mighty swing. Cornell, it's extravaganza. And Buffalo it's the dreamy mood.
The whole show is stellar but the segue EP>OtherOne>NFA>Comes A Time is really extraordinary : a very fluid and emotional Prophet slips naturally into a short but intense Other One. Then NFA where the band sounds like a cosmic cithara leads to a wonderful Comes A Time, so sweet so powerful. And Sugar Mag and UJB to finish the job !!! and it's a Betty C.J. soundboard !!!

Scene: ME, in the middle of the woods, at the Michigan regional gathering a year after Jerry died, with a Big Buck Brewery Ball, and the first set of this tape BLASTING out of the stereo of my friend's '81 VW Westphalia, with me boogying down. And all the while, my 3 friends, who arn't heads, standing in the shadows watching me the entire time. One thing I can say, one can play music VERY loud in the Michigan woods. My friends came out of the shadows, scaring the shit out of me, while laughing thier asses off. They just didn't understand.
Interesting that very few comments about Music, which to me is the highlight of the show, and the best I have ever heard. Jerry is just crazy jamming. This whole show rocks!!! My first show was '86, and I envy people who saw the spring '77 shows. Like fine wine, spring '77 was a great year.
PS: Love and miss you Jerry, the world is not the same without you!

WOW WOW AND WOW COMES A TIME ......THANKS BOYS

the boys have done it again.the sadness in jerrys voice along with superb picking almost brought tears to my eyes

I really feel they shot their load in the first set. 5/4's "Comes a Time" is better.

Yes I agree with the previous reviews on "Comes a Time." Jerry's 2nd solo IS haunting. But "Big River" is the highlight for me. Damn, what a monster "Big River." Very up tempo...very tight too. This is now in my top 5 Big Rivers. And Jerry's solo on "Ship of Fools" - damn that's why he was and will always be KING!

Rest of show is excellent...but IMO, not quite as good as 5/7/77 or 5/8/77...not as tightly played and sound is not equal. But still amazing...like all of May 1977. I give it a 4.5 stars >> 5.

yeah, it's confirmed, this show is ridiculously good from start to finish..the sound quality is definitely awesome too..

Have to agree with an earlier noter re: Come a Time..haunting solo by Jerry. The whole show gets 10 stars.

Jim

In many ways, this show blows Cornell out of the water. The entire first set is way better than 5/8, and the second set is almost as good. The only reason why Cornell, in my opinion, is a little better; is because of the superb sound quality of 5/8 and of course, the all-time greatest versions of Scarlet>Fire and Morning Dew. Otherwise, this is the better of the two shows.

After many years of listening, I still believe Garcia's solo on this "Comes A Time" is one of his all-time best. Just exactly perfect. That vocal is not too shabby either.

Compared to the night before which was a screamer....this show holds it's own with ease. Personally, I think that the night before at Barton Hall is slightly overrated and this show is slightly underrated. Pretty amazing stuff in a tour that set the bar. My time machine is almost finished. My first stop will me May 77!

Unbelievable show. Bests Cornell

In the grand scheme of 1977 I have never been able to come up with the feelings so many express about this show. The sound quality is obviously 5 stars, easily. However there are parts of this show that seem to drag to me. The Help->Slip is awesome, kicking interesting and full of energy but the Franklins...I have tried, listened as closely as I know how...imho it is boring. The BE Women is great but the night before has it beat. The Peggy-O is virtually above reproach, gorgeous. Sunrise--maybe if this wasn't there thing could be different but that kills the set for me. TMNS is great and tight but by the time it comes around my hands are in my pockets. Bertha->Good Lovin smokes and Ship of Fools, while a wonderful song, squashes the energy from the 1st two songs. Imo, they never are able to bring it back up after this. The rest of the show is very tight, well played, but in comparison with many many other shows bores me. Seems like cruise control. 5/4 5/5 5/8 5/11 5/15 5/25 all stand out more for me. 2/26/77 4/23/77-period shows with H>S>F that kill this one...6/19/76 10/11/77 also. Dont take this review wrong. I think its a very solid show, but give me something that bites...this show is like a back-rub.
I can't give it 3 due to the sound but I think its alittle below a 4.

the help>slip!>franklin's is to die for. i streamed and streamed and streamed trying to find a better one, but i dont think it exists.

the slipknot! is so memorable, i feel like i could sing the whole thing acappella. do yourself a favor and at leats listen to h>s>f

This is one of my favorite shows. i actually prefer it to Cornell. The Other One is totally beyond to the point where I really can't believe they are actually making this stuff up as they go. The Not Fade Away is very interesting and loopy, and I think the show stopper is really Comes a Time- Jerry's playing is passionate and intense. Many a night have I gotten stoned and listened to this show.

I have little to add to what has been said already. If I had to choose between Buffalo and Ithica I would choose Buffalo. The Peggy-o is unbeatable and this Help>Slipknot is what converted me into a manic head back way in the day.

If I could have told you 22 years ago that I was going to become a life long dead head after hearing this show I would have laughed at you. This awesome display of the Dead's captivating power on people is so real. This very show was an inspiring event. We went on tour a month later! The estimated prophet is gripping and the Bertha is amazing. Donna sings Sunrise on this recording and only sings it two other times on this tour. Peggy-o is good but this recording has an audio distortion in it. The Music Never Stopped is the show stopper!

Beyond the praise that everyone has offered already, especially regarding the Help>Slipknot>Franklin's, I urge everyone to check out the Big River. My personal favorite, it rips the whole way through. They absolutely tear it up on this Franklin's. This is right up there with 6/9 and 5/22 as my favorites. This whole Northeast Run (5/5-5/9) is just amazing.

I'm Lumpimg a ton of shows in this review. For those out there who read about classic "runs" in the reviews of others, the crown jewel of that term is this legendary run. Just grab everything from New haven to buffalo and you will be in heaven. Cornell is the dom perignon of the shows but the other nights are just as glorious, and this buffalo one gets overlooked because of the high standars set from previous nights. enjoy folks

The only time anyone messes up in this show is when Jerry forgets the words during Franklin's Tower..."One Watch.....if you get confused, listen to the music play!" Makes for a classic version of the song. A perfect show if there ever was one. Quintessential versions of Peggy-O, Comes A Time, UJB, Music Never Stopped and Cassidy. Epic Help>Slip>Franklin's. This tape is always, always with me wherever I go and is a prerequisite for long road trips. Always a crowd pleaser whenever I play it for folks, it is still my favorite after 15 years of collecting!

first live dead i ever heard was this show and when i heard peggy O iwas hooked forever (thnx brian cleveland) rip jg

Peggy-O is all I have to say. Very sweet sounding.

I would agree to argue that one could find a better H>S>FT's, but this one is awesome noetheless. It really is a great opener, and just the funkyness of it gets me toe tappin everytime. Cassidy is also an extremely excellent version. In fact I would say that the entire first set is awesome(well, along with the second set too). I mean Peggy-O, Sunrise, and TMNS were all a superb way to end the set. Recording is stellar, one should not hesitate to download this show.

as for best H>S>F, i don't know. there were a lot of quality ones in '76. But this is a knockout, great show-starter. I think the real value of this show is as a whole. There are no disappointing songs. Jerry is on, Phil is on, Everyone is locked in. Check out the end of Estimated. Or the octave-solo in NFA. It's all gooooooood. 5-7/8/9 together are pretty much unbeatable.

>>If anyone disagrees that this is the best Help>slip>frank ever, please tell us the date of a better one!!

this ones good, BUT check out 6/9/77...

If anyone disagrees that this is the best Help>slip>frank ever, please tell us the date of a better one!! this show is one of my all time favorites IMHO it is better than Cornell. I am so stoked to have the second set now. many kind thanks to all those that make this possible.

I just started downloading May of '77, and this was the first show I picked, due to the Betty board. All I can say is, "Wow." Great show! Help>Slip>Franklins is just gorgeous.

Just a big thanks to all the people who make these shows available to us. I doubt there is a head in the world who needs to be told anything about this show.

Thanks again!

This show was my first tape and still my favorite after 700 more. HELP>SLPI>FRANKLIN'S best ever. A must have!

Donna is excellent in Comes a Time.
This is a high quality show

is AHHHHWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

This site needs to put out the Betty board story, the sound quality is unbeatable. I just got a good '91 show and cannot believe what Healy was thinking when he mixed the sound. No wonder they let him go.

I sometimes prefer this to Barton Hall because it is a little more even preformance. The tempo on Bertha is a little slow but the H>S>F, Comes a Time, and UJB encore more then make up for that.

Perfect Peggy-O. Flawless mix. Flawless sound quality. Obvious 5 star performance. Easily holds its own with the best of the east coast May tour.

Check out the Peggy-O... just sublime

This was my fist show - I was 14 and didn't know who the Dead really were. My brother dragged me to this show with an extra ticket......THANKS. 145 shows later, it's still in my top 5.

I really like this show. It's got great energy. Great songs. Sounds great. What more can I say, but it's great.

the May 9th show is one of my favorites, in part because the sound quality is so "in tune", the notes resonate and fill the car with good feeling. The playing is superb, Jerry is on, Phil hits such fine notes, the "Blind Man" is some of the best bluesy playing you will hear, the vocals are nice. Get this show!

Man, words cannot describe how great this show is . . . I've been into tape trading for several years and of all the material I've gotten of the Dead this show still gives me goose bumps. I bet I've listened to it 200 times and each time I freak at what a great performance this is! Trust me, if you like the Dead during the Keith and Donna era, after listening to this show, and it won't be just once! you'll LOVE the Dead. I've had people say they "kinda like" the Dead, but once they hear this show, they finally get it! Get yours here and LONG LIVE the ARCHIVE!

This show is my personal favorite from 1977. From it's major impact on me as one of my first handful of Dead tapes, this night still shines sooooo bright in such a stellar year. It is never very far from my CD player ! INSPIRED PLAYING THROUGHOUT, THE WHOLE SHOW IS JUST SMOKE ! Another example of 5 stars just not being enough - Go get it and 'find out what IT IS ALL ABOUT' !!

And still one of the best that I have. The H>S>F opener is on fire. The whole show is.

This show is an absolute classic, and might be the pinnacle of May 77. The H>S>F and Music Never Stopped are all-time great versions (probably my favorites!) and the Comes A Time in set II is otherworldly, one of my favorite all-time Jerry moments. Trust me, you need this show.