Grateful Dead-Veterans Memorial Coliseum

This 4 record set was culled from an 11 CD box set that was released in 2017. The set contained 4 complete shows in Ithica, Buffalo, Boston and New Haven from May 5 to 9 in 1977. The show at Barton Hall at Cornell University has achieved legendary status That show was released on 5 records in 1977 costing around $150. I have a download of it. The Buffalo show and the Boston show were released in 2020 and 2023 on Record Store Day. The last of these four shows and the first performed was released as a four record set on Record Store Day in 2024 for $100. I used my store credit at Vertigo Records to get it. The shortest of the four shows it’s a little less than 3 hours. The show started late and had to end by 11:00. Starting and ending with 2 Chuck Berry tunes record 1 starts with “Promise Land” and is followed by “Sugaree” with some nice mellow jamming. The other side has some of their more Country and Western songs, “Mama Tried>El Paso” and “Tennessee Jed”. The second record has three sung by Bob Weir with Donna Jean harmonizing on a very nice “Looks Like Rain” “Lazy Lightning>Supplication” and “The Music Never Stopped”. Also on record 2 is “Deal” and “Peggy-O”. Record three has “Bertha” and “Estimated Prophet” on side one and 23 minutes of “Scarlet Begonias>Fire On The Mountain” on side 2. The final record has only “Good Lovin'” (only 7 minutes) on the first side and “St. Stephen>Sugar Magnolia” with an insane jam before ending with “Johnny B. Goode on side 2. A great sounding recording with minimal crackles and pops on the vinyl. Comes with a four page essay by Nicholas Meriwether, a Grateful Dead archivist about the show.

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