T right here in Virginia

So you're looking for a Grateful Dead show at the Internet Archive and there are like 8 different choices for the SAME show, which do you choose?

You probably just want the best sounding one, right?

The Lost Sailor's Pub has a section called "The Grateful Dead Source Review Guide." It's not complete, it's a work in progress, but it can help... and hey, if you want, you can help make it even more complete.

You've got to be a forum member to read it but all you need is an email address to sign up -- it's easy.

There's a bunch of cool people at LSP and a lot of Dead talk, as well as other stuff, so click on over and check it out!

The Music Never Stopped
2009 -- Volume 9.5

Grateful Dead -- October 6, 1984
Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia

10-6-84 aka 10-06-84 aka 10/6/84 aka 10/06/84 aka 84-10-06 Setlist but no SBD download @ 320 kbps

1st Set: Hell In A Bucket, Dire Wolf, Cassidy,
They Love Each Other, New Minglewood Blues,
Tennessee Jed, Looks Like Rain, Don't Ease Me In

Set 2: Scarlet Begonias-> Fire On The Mountain,
Playing In The Band-> China Doll-> Jam-> Drums-> Space->
Throwing Stones-> GDTRFB-> One More Saturday Night

Encore: (Keep Your) Day Job

A high energy, but a little lyrically sloppy, Bucket gets the kids dancing and shaking their bones in a huge way. Lyrical sloppiness continues in Dire Wolf but it's still able to achieve near-perfection, with Jerry putting excellent emotion into it that the crowd just eats right up. So brief but so nice. Cassidy, as well: a little short but so well-played; Phil and Brent are right on to really fill in the full band sound that makes this a great listen. Jerry adds some nice licks on TLEO and you can tell this show is being thoroughly enjoyed. Minglewood has gotta be the high point in the set: nice screeching Jerry, a buttload of Phil, and a rockin' sound all around. Everyone comes together here and half of Richmond must have been shaking from all the dancing in the Coliseum at this point. The rest of the set winds down, ending in a mucho lyrically sloppy Don't Ease. I swear, after hearing so many poorly sung versions, I'm not sure I know what the lyrics are supposed to be.

Before I go any further, here's what the Taper's Compendium says:

transcribed from: The Deadhead's Taping Compendium, Volume II: An In-Depth Guide To The Music of the Grateful Dead on Tape, 1975-1985 [out of print] This show illustrated the limitations that Jerry's disengagement placed on the Dead. It also demonstrated that the band was occasionally able to overcome those limitations and create interesting music. Jerry was letting it all hang out by this time: he looked terrible and didn't sound much better (his voice was little more than a tune-less rasp). The first set was eminently forgettable and did not bode well. "Scarlet" > "Fire" betrayed a few signs of life, particularly from the rhythm section. The transition jam broke no new ground, but it did serve notice that the Dead were attempting to get down to business. The "Playing" from this show has always represented, for me, an example of a "musical conversation" that's more like a domestic argument. Conflict was in the air, with Jerry giving as good as he got. "Grateful Dead soap opera," my friend Dave whispered before I could articulate a similar thought. Weir took over at the peak of the "Playing" jam with a series of heroic chords, passing through several different keys and pretty much obliterating what Jerry was doing. As happened on most shows of the fall '84 tour, there was a cool little pre-"Drums" jam. The only other things worth mentioning here are the jazz-inflected "Space" and the cool transition from "Throwing Stones" into "Goin' Down The Road" with Weir singing "all fall down" over the latter tune's intro. by CHRIS FORSHAY

He's definitely wrong about the first set. Jerry's voice ain't all there, true but it's not as wretched as he makes it sound.

Coming out of halftime, Scarlet whips everyone in a decent yet contained frenzy. At times, Phil, Mickey and Billy are really putting a charge into it. Despite Jerry's state of "disengagement," he's definitely taking an active part in helping this ramble along towards Fire. More lyrical errors there but again -- it's not bad. Playin' finds some nice space to let the band just meander a little through the cosmos before dropping down into China Doll that the fans definitely appreciate. If Jerry's not all the way into this, whatever percentage he is engaged is sufficient.

The Jam after China Doll is almost like Space Part 1. It eventually gives way to just the drummers and we're heading into the end of the show. Throwing Stones is a little ugly with Bobby forgetting lyrics here and there. It works up to a couple small peaks but there's not a whole lot there. Jerry and Phil both help make GDTRFB come alive. Jer ain't blistering but he's spot on, alive and kicking, and the crowd picks up every note of it and every ounce of emotion he puts into his singing. The final ten minutes don't even matter and they should have put the close on things right there at the end of Goin' Down The Road. Saturday Night does have more great Phil but that and Day Job are the true forgettable parts of the show. Oh well.

This recording (see link below) is pretty good. There's no chatter into the mics nor is there any overly loud cheering. There are very few cuts and those that do exist are so brief that they're barely noticed. With the exception of much of Weir's rhythm guitar, instrumentation is often heard fairly well. Finally, vocals are not horribly distant and Jerry's guitar, when he's rollin', is right there, as well.

Definitely an okay and satisfying listen.

3-31-73 aka 03-31-73 aka 3/31/73 aka 03-31-73 aka 73-03-31 War Memorial? Nope

Source: Audience (unknown shotgun mics)> Master Cassette> WAV> SHN Audio Quality:

10/6/84 Richmond @ Archive org: Sorry, NO Soundboard in circulation. There are 8 AUD sources to download ...this one is best.