As Passion of the Weiss Chief Hippie Correspondent, Ace Cowboy points out at his Hidden Track hempfest, today is the 30th anniversary of the Grateful Dead’s 5/08/77 show at Cornell University, often regarded by Deadheads as the best show in the band’s 30 year existence. Picking the “best” Dead show is like picking out the worst episode of Everybody Loves Raymond: an impossible task. But it’s hard to argue against 5.08.77’s brilliance, with Jerry Garcia & Co. churning out effortlessly spellbinding renditions of “Scarlet Begonias/Fire on the Mountain,” “St. Stephen,” and “Jack Straw.” among others.
Tonight, the Dark Star Orchestra, are replicating the 5.08.77 experience and I wish I were there. Instead, I’m stuck in Los Angeles with the Ithaca Blues again. The only time that statement has ever been uttered. So in honor of this hallowed anniversary, hollow out an apple, light it up and enjoy the strongest defense for hippies being totally okay. The Grateful Dead.
Download:
Zip: The Grateful Dead-5/08/77 (left-click)
Track List
Set 1:
New Minglewood Blues
Loser
El Paso
They Love Each Other
Jack Straw
Deal
Lazy Lightnin’
Supplication
Brown-Eyed Women
Mama Tried
Row Jimmy
Dancin’ In The Streets
Set 2:
Scarlet Begonias
Fire On The Mountain
Estimated Prophet
St. Stephen
Not Fade Away
St. Stephen
Morning Dew
Encore:
One More Saturday Night
