Napped on a picnic table towards sunrise wrapped in a pair of extra jeans someone had. after the show but while on the highway to KC my friends (from KMNR, we were all college radio station DJs) announced that they decided to camp out instead. The plan was to drive back to home base at Rolla, MO. We spent the night camping at some nearby campground with a lake and jumping off of a dock and swimming and playing in the water all night long under the full moon. It was the only show where I came out and told people "I think I got off on the first set more than the second." Small outdoor ampitheatre with no roof on a gorgeous summer night in 1982 under a full moon with the Grateful Dead sparkling on stage. The sound was just incredible at my seat and they were playing songs where I kept thinking "Oh, I love this song." So many favorites played at this one. During the 2nd set Let It Grow jamming a guy next to me dancing on his chair lost his balance and fell and everyone grabbed him before he hit the deck. Too much coffee before the show I suppose. I remember the sparkling light reflections off of the scrollwork on Bob's fancy red Ibanez guitar during the Franklin's and his jaw muscles twitching and grinding uncontrollably during his slide guitar break in Minglewood. Big Railroad also sounded so good from my seat (I had a Row H center reserved seat-sweet spot). Still the best Half Step and the best Franklin's I've heard. Given one show to be allowed to return to, this is the one (out of 121 shows coast to coast from 1/79 thru the end). But thank you for all these shows on this forum. I would be so grateful (no pun intended) if anyone out there had a version with that quality. The sound is a little muffled and we aren’t getting the great high notes and the deep Phil notes that rattle your rib cage. The only bad issue about the concert is I can’t find a copy of the show with the brilliant crystal clear audience taping. It was fun at first, but it was time to knock your king over. Sorry Brent, you held your own very nicely but that would sort of be similar to playing chess with Magnus. You could tell that Brent threw in the flag towards the end of that moment and gave the trophy to Jerry. The back and forth duo solo between Jerry and Brent in Shake Down is priceless. Jerry was ripping the shit out of that song. Cumberland Blues and Althea and then the best Big RR Blues EVER!!! Period. Holy Cow that in my mind is the best part of the concert. What surprises me is how few people have commented on the Peggy-O song. Amazing Jerry moment and as always, Phil was following along in perfect sync. Hanging on some notes, then floating around in and out and out and in until it was time to start the shift towards Franklin Tower. He then begins a wonderful solo ballad where every note was coming from his musically gifted perfect mind. That first note Jerry hits towards the end of Mississippi Half that begins the transition into Franklins Tower just was perfect. This has been and always will be my favorite. I would have to argue that most “white collar dead heads” got that way from falling in love with GD bootleg tapes. This was also the first show that I later got a copy of my first bootleg tape, which took me to a new level of obsession. Well my previous experiences with seeing the Dead live was about 6 years and maybe 10 shows. They offered several packages with different groups and I chose the one that included Van Halen, Doobie Brothers (with Michael McDonald), Asia (ex Yes members and other players) and THE GRATEFUL DEAD!!! What a f’in no brainer. I was living in KC at the time and the Starlight theater had a package program where you could buy a group of concerts before the season started and was guaranteed your seats would be in the first three rows. This August will celebrate the 40 year anniversary of this remarkable concert.
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