Shine on, keep on shinin'

Jerry Garcia Band -- December 8, 1977
Palace Theatre, Albany, New York
aka 12-8-77 aka 12-08-77 aka 77-12-08 aka Palace Theater -- setlist & soundboard mp3 download
1st Set: They Love Each Other, That's What Love Will Make You Do,
Simple Twist Of Fate, The Way You Do The Things You Do,
Mystery Train, I'll Take A Melody

2nd Set: Love In The Afternoon, Tore Up Over You,
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Rubin and Cherise, Don't Let Go

It's interesting what a contrast there is between so much of this music and the Grateful Dead. Just a month earlier, the GD wrapped up another tour in what is considered by many to be their best year of the 1970's. Here's Jer back out on the road, doin' more of... not the same. Not quite. This is like him relaxing, it seems. Just about every song here is made for being mellow; these are hardly dancin' tunes. Reuben & Cherise maybe, but that's about it. Wrapping it all up is a mammoth Don't Let Go. It clocks in at a whopping 31 minutes and it ain't all Don't Let Go -- there's a John Kahn bass solo in there and quite a bit of Space, as well. Much of it doesn't sound like Don't Let Go at all, very much the same way Dark Stars and Playins launch into outer space and for an eternity, it can seem, the Spacey Jam never really resembling the song it's titled as. This Don't Let Go is just like that and in a way, this equals anything the Dead were doing in '77 or through most of their entire touring life (as far as Spacey improv goes.) Keith, John, Buzz and Jerry just keep it up, rambling on, never letting go. Okay, maybe it's not mindblowing but it's out there. And this whole show doesn't have a single song under 10 minutes! Good stuff!

Source: Soundboard> Master Cassette> DAT> SHN Audio Quality: (light hiss + missing opening song)	12/8/77 Jerry Garcia Band @ Archive.org: As of 11/26/08 there is no Garcia at the Internet Archive.
Download It Right Here JGB 12/8/77 Palace Theatre -- 1st Set Hi! If you download, leave a comment! Set 2 -- Jerry Garcia Band 12/8/77 Albany