Yes absolutely agree with last review. I'd stack this against Cornell 77. There's no flubs and energy is high. The band sails through the show on a high crest
that doesn't break until the tour is over. Scarlet Fire opening blows away Cornell. Jers solo into wharf rat??? Whew!
All of May 77 is amazing.
B.C. Jackson, a master at this point.
Venue acoustics amazing.

This is one of those shows that I never wanted to end. Sugaree knocked me out -- PeggyO has everything you might need. Estimated/Scarlet/Fire is absolutely wonderful. Heck, even Lazy Lightning is pretty good. Maybe better than Cornell. This show gives some other dates a run for their money. Primarily because of how fresh everything sounds. Peace ~ Nick.

Great tune selection, Generous 1st set (Rowdy Jerry jams abound)
Sugaree-give Keith credit- starts jam that Garcia more than finishes
2nd set-Samson got Bob fired up for Estimated.
The jam before Wharf Rat embryonic I NEED A MIRACLE.
A lot of thoughtful Jerry tunes including S>F, UJB and Brokedown
Sound quality sketchy at times with cuts, drop outs
enough so that I'd skip the headphones.
but Hey Now,,, This Show has the goods.

Everything in 1977 is worth a long listen. Personal favorites are Buffalo on 5/9/1977 and selected summer and winter runs at Winterland. But there are some truly memorable moments from this show. Jack Straw is just lovely. But the Wharf Rat (full disclosure, one of my fav songs) is just out of this world.

I had a swell time of course. Zero expectations but was with my buddies and we somehow, someway, found our way to what would be a big fucking deal from that day on.

My first show !!! After 2 years of tapes and talk, I finally saw them senior year of hihg school. Big trip from the Northwoods just to get to the very urban venue. Uff da.

This shows appears in 8th row of collections greatest hits page, About # 35 out of 10,000+. Yup. .03% club.

All vocals are pretty, generous, strong and beautiful. Heavenlly harmonies from Donna and bob at every opportunity. Jerrry's voice just shakes your heart.

All instruments rock it, man. Bob;s rhythms are super dance worthy.

Jack Straw "You keep us on the run" = love song back to audience. Incredible FOTD>UJB>jam>....

The mix is superb: Clear, well-balanced, great tone.

May 77 was a fab vintage!!!

At some point during the UJB jam the rest of the band just stops playing as they watch Jerry impersonate God for about 5 minutes. One of the most brilliant transitions ever, complete with several Wharf Rat teases until the rest of the band returns to sanity and joins in. Personally, I can't define "the best" moment in GD history, but in no way would I argue with someone who would say so regarding this sequence. Oh yeah, the rest of the show rocks azz, too.

This IMO is the Dead at their best. The lead into Wharf Rat is incredible soloing by Jer. A true treat start to finish. No way this could get less than 5*s. The sound is incredible, although theres some annoying fluttering in ROR (at least with headphones on, maybe less noticeable thru speakers). Sugaree, Scarlet/Fire, LL/Supp, and BEW are other highlights. Fire one up for 77 and enjoy!

Holy sheeet!!! Massive Sugaree, easily stands up to the other greats of the month. The rest of the show is very nice, though I like the 13th quite a bit more.

A portion of the second set has been selected by dead.net as the new feature, "Jam of the week". Isn't GREAT to be Deadhead!!!! HAPPY 2011!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By the way this show rates 5*****.

Ramble On Rose and Brown Eyed Woman together into that fantastic Evening of Deadstuff at it,s Best!!!

This was my first show and before this night I liked the Dead, by the time they took the short break I was forever a Deadhead. During the first set I made my way to within 30 feet of the stage and got some great photos of Jerry smiling. Second set was full of inspired jamming especially the Scarlet/Fire. It took me almost 30 years to hear this show again and the wait was worth it. Thanks for posting this great show!

it took me the better part of two days to hitch my way from buffalo, but it was worth it, again.

yet another solid show from start to finish. some vocal flubs indicate a bit of tour fatigue perhaps. jerry (again) grabs the first set highlights for me - TLEO, big river, peggy0. bobby's on, too, but the killer is the unusual sugaree closer. they've played the crap out of this all tour, and they take it to new places tonight.

another excellent scarlet>fire, and perhaps stronger than the cornell show a few nights earlier. they've got the transition down and everyone contributes to paving the way to a stellar fire which transitions into another good good love. the mid-set UJB takes us on a wild ride that has me thinking comes a time before jerry lays us down with the wharf rat; he's just KILLING his vocals this tour, and his lamentations make me cry, again.

brokedown #2 is a nice encore. i'm happy to hook up with some friends who are taking me to the windy city. i'm really looking forward to two nights in a small venue after all these big barns.

A very tasty show indeed.

This show is in my estimation as good as it gets, for I would even go so far as to say nearly perfect. From start to finish on this particular night, the band could do no wrong.

This is a good solid show and worth the stream but it doesn't stand out for me the way 5/8 or 5/13 or 2/26 do. The mix is really good, the vocals well balanced with the other instruments but the show needs some EQ adjustment to make things a little brighter. The bass on the other hand is fantastic and full. Unfortunately there are a few obnoxious cuts too for instance in the middle of Ramble On Rose. Well it wasn't a favorite version of mine anyway, the drummers having changed the beat to emphasize the 2 and 4 rather than the 3 which kills the mood of the song for me, damn that Mickey;-) There are some wierd volume fluctuations too, especially with Keith. But there's also some grate stuff here. I really like this intimate version of Peggy-O taken slightly slower than other versions such as the 5/7 one. The Sugaree is fantastic in large part to Mickey and Bill. Samson to the show's end is very very nice. Overall the show is worth the stream and an excellent example of the Dead in May '77 weir it is one great show among a string of grate shows. It's just not quite as good compared to 5/8, and 5/13. But that's like saying well it's only a 15 carat diamond as opposed to a 20 carat one. It gets 4 stars only because of the issues with the sound/recording.

I'm trying to plough through all the shows for '77 and my personal favs so far are Swing Auditorium from 2/26, 5/8 Barton, 5/7 Buffalo and 5/13 at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. Got a lot more to go. '77 was an excellent year no doubt. Thanks LMA!

A fine show overall. Great sound and there is definately energy in the room! There are lot of great shows like this one the spring of '77. Frankly, I like'em all!

love the solo in they love eachother (even more than the one 3 days ago). the whole show actually is awesome. i smoked a fatty blunt and listened to this entire show. an experience in itself. god i wish i was 20 in 1965 not now

Beautiful 77 show as many were...as I have been doing lately is defending Donna, again I will say they all fucked up now & then...can't count how many times Jerry screws up on forgetting words, or Bob's shouting...as I have stated on other reviews listen to Jerry Garcia Bands SF show in 77, listen to "Don't let go" "Stir it up"
and a killer "Let me roll it" Donna at her finest!!

WOW

I downloaded a copy of this show a while back. Although the playing is very solid, I thought the sound quality of this recording wasn't nearly as good as many of the other shows available on this site.

As my buddy from Tampico, Mexico used to say, "You be de yudge".

Left behind are the sometimes aimless meanderings of a band searching for some higher purpose. Greater emphasis is placed of the structure and development of each composition. The playing has purpose, and the muse in well served. The performance suggests that the band has found what it's been looking for, and is blissfully ignorant to what lies ahead. The recording is clean and well balanced, and the playing has an innocent, nostalgic tone. This is the Grateful Dead at its' best.

Warning! face melting sugaree here. Easily a top 3 sugaree, ranks right up there with lake acid and 10-18-78. Jerry goes off this show, crunchy grooves.

I was in eleventh grade at the time and a friend of mine said, "the Dead are in town. We have to go." At the time, I had been to around 25 concerts (everything from Led Zeplin to Bob Marley). I had an album of the Dead (Workingman's Dead), and while I enjoyed mellowing out and listening to the album on my Lloyds sterio, I wasn't real anxious to hear the Dead in concert. Was I in for a great surprise!

We started the evening off with a party at a park in West St. Paul. We played frisbee, had a beer or two, and a friend brought out a Sucret's box with some little purple things that we ate.

The evening was spectacular and while I attended several other Grateful Dead concerts, nothing seemed to reach the tight sound and great weavings of this first concert. I thought my perception was maybe just a subjective experience, but now listening to the recording, I can hear that my perception was right on.
Needless to say, hearing this concert brings back some pretty fine memories.

This is yet another great '77-style show. The band is focused and energitic. Jerry is having another good night, and in both sets. He tears it up in Big River and sings a soulful Loser. A very nice Sugaree, with a few extended jams, in introspective, another all-out. Jerry is on Fire in Fire (and Scarlet, too)--one of the best Fire on the Mountains of the year. The Jerry solo before Wharf Rat is really solo, as he is the ONLY one playing at one point. A unique moment. Unfortuantely, there's a cut, so we don't get to hear the transition into Wharf Rat. There's also a cut inside Wharf Rat.

Bill and Micky are also having a good night. They do some interesting double-time rythms in Jack Straw and in Scarlet. As someone pointed out, Donna does sound good. But I've listened to a couple of hundred shows here at archive now, and she was singing well during this period, and the previous year. (Her worse moments were in the early '70s.) Keith is on as well, and does some nice work on Looks Look Rain (another good one for Jerry, too) and elsewhere.

Even Around and Around is good: it's tight, the vocals are on target, and it rocks: Jerry jams and Keith boogies. Bob and Donna both sing in key without screeching. (For a marked contrast, listen to the god-awful Around and Around of 1/28/87, if you dare.)

The sound isn't perfect: the vocals are a bit echoey at times--it floats in and out on some songs (such as Deal). Despite this and the Wharf Rat cuts, the show is still a strong 5.

Great SBD, crisp and clean.
Great setlist, great jams.

Great show.

Pick this show up and see what '77 was all about.

peace

This show is 100% consistent with all May 1977 shows...brilliant musicianship by the boys!! I love the feeling of this up tempo Jack Straw...on the last chorus Bill and Mickey are rock solid!!! All around 5 star show. And yes, this is a special LLR.

And do NOT miss Jerry's 5 minute intro to Wharf Rat! And his solo! F-ing Awesome!

Is it just me or was 1977 the pinnicle of great shows. Every single one seems to be perfect. God I love this site Im addicted to it.

It doesn't seem that anyone has given any notice to the breath-taking "Looks Like Rain" played during this show. I myself usually could do without Donna's squeals, however she sounds beautiful during this version of this song. All in all one of my favorite 77' shows. This show is worth it's weight in gold to anyone who loves the Dead.

Deep and fresh into their spring time run in the NE, this spring '77 gem sound owesome and is well worth the DL , even on mp3. I have enjoyed so far. Be sure to pick up the Tuscaloosa show right after this night. Cool artwork at www.gdcovers.com for color downloads.

I just got finished saying 12/28/79 stands alone as Sugarees go however this one at 13:00 with Donna and her pipes may be a solid tie or a winner - judging from the crowd I would say this one.

need I say more? DL DL DL

Whew, that Sugaree was on fire, wouldnt you say? ;)

I had a single disc MP3 partial copy of this show for a couple years, and always thought it was special. How right I was! Hearing the whole thing in SHN SBD splendor -- with patches -- is a religious experience. The other reviews are right on. GET THIS SHOW!

Yeah, this show is the best of the month with one of the most powerful first sets I've ever heard. It's got the cohesiveness that 5/8 doesn't and not to knock on 5/7 cause thats a close second, but this one's got the Brokedown and longevity that separates them.

Everyone song is brilliant, though the ones that will make you drop what your doing and just listen inlude Promised Land (!), LLR, Peggy-O, Lazy > Supp., BEW, Scarlet > Fire (beautiful transition jam), UJB, and Brokedown.

An incredibly pleasing show...

Got my copy off of Gans show (GDH).
Played it until it died. I just melt to Peggy-O.
I just cannot get enough of first half of 77.

5 stars for the mix. The vocals are a bit distant for 5 stars. I rate them a nit-picking 4. Performance is also 4 stars. Better than the 9th but not nearly as tight as the 7th or 8th. They are not super cohesive and Garcia's soloing throught is not overly articulate.

Great Loser. Garcia skips the, "Don't you push me, Baby," verse the second time through.

A sloppy but pretty Jack Straw followed but a sloppy but beautiful Peggy-O.

Competent solo during BEW. 1:35 to 2:25.

The Scarlet>Fire is typically brilliant. Scarlet solo starts at 3:12, picks up at 4:40 and stays up to 5:09. The Fire is fantastic. I wonder where DeadBase readers rank it all-time. I think it's worthy of at least a discussion. Garcia nails the 1st verse but borrows and lends from each of the 2nd and 3rd verses. His solo is worth a listen. 6:49 to 7:58! where it takes a sharp turn up through 10:20. Impressive.

Wharf Rat is cut terribly at 2:47.

There is an incredible garcia solo that leads into wharf rat but is sadly cut.
Can anyone tell me what actually happened? Did the band leave the stage? They drop the bomb with the wharf rat and I just was curiuos how it went down.
Mabey someone ou there that attended?
Incredible show, instant fav.

Listen to jerry's lick in jack straw 3:24-3:30

Another amazing may 77 show - an incredibly good Scarlet > Fire & this Sugaree is so smoking hot & intense and fabulous! and a outstanding Lazy Lightning > Supplication, if i'm not mistaken.

This show offers an incredible Scarlet -> Fire. That alone makes the show worth checking out.