• https://www.dead.net/features/release-info/terrapin-hartford-may-28-1977
    To Terrapin: Hartford, May 28, 1977

    And the whistle is screaming...
    ...Terrapin

    3 Disc Set


    Whether or not the fabled spring tour of 1977 was, as many Dead Heads believe, the strongest Grateful Dead tour ever, it was unquestionably a magical time stuffed-to-overflowing with amazing shows. Say the word “Cornell” to any hardcore Head and it means one thing—the 5/8/77 show at Barton Hall on the august school’s campus. But there were numerous other stops on the tour that produced monster shows, as well, from the five-night run at the Palladium in New York, to the incredible Fox Theatre in Atlanta (5/19 was part of the two-show Dick’s Picks #29), to the two Florida shows—Lakeland and Pembroke Pines (Dick’s Picks #29 and Dick’s Picks #1, respectively)—Tuscaloosa, Richmond… the tour was a scorcher from beginning to end.

    What was up? Well, by the spring of ’77, the Dead had been back on the road for nearly a year following their famous performing hiatus, so Mickey Hart was thoroughly re-integrated into the band, and the septet was hitting a new stride. There was a handful of great new songs being integrated into the repertoire, including Garcia and Hunter’s complex, epic “Terrapin Station” suite, Weir and John Barlow’s cool, off-kilter reggae tune “Estimated Prophet,” and Phil and Peter Monk’s rollicking “Passenger.” Those songs would form the core of the album that the Dead were recording in the winter of ’77 with producer Keith Olsen down in Los Angeles. Olsen was a sharp guy with good ears (as they say in the biz), and he worked the Dead hard in the studio, forcing them to play perhaps a bit more precisely than they were accustomed to. Now, one can endlessly debate whether the result of Olsen’s approach was ultimately an album that was a tad too precise—a criticism even the band leveled at Terrapin Station—but all the laboring over parts and arrangements in the studio seemed to have an extremely positive impact on how the band played live that spring.

    Which brings us to Hartford, Connecticut on the night of May 28, 1977—the final night of this Tour for the Ages, and the source of our latest release, To Terrapin. You’d never know from listening to this show that the band had been on the road for more than a month and 25 previous concerts, because it has that sparkle and intensity the band only had when it was fresh, feelin’ good and in full exploration mode. From the rippin’ “Bertha” > “Good Lovin’” > “Sugaree” trifecta opening, through the spectacular second set sequence comprised of “Playing in the Band,” a brisk and buoyant “Terrapin,” a fantastic one-of-a-kind “Not Fade Away,” “Wharf Rat,” and the “Playing reprise.” Definitely the band at its best!

    So, why put this out now? Why the hell not? And what’s with all the questions? Just enjoy it. OK, aside from it being a classic show worthy of release, we thought it might be fun to revisit a concert played in one of the venues The Dead are hitting this spring on their tour—that would be the Hartford Civic (now the XL Center) on 4/26/09… why, that’s the 31-year, 11-month, 2-day anniversary show of this epic ’77 show! Anyway, this three-disc complete show release has been lovingly mastered to HDCD specs from the original reel-to-reel tapes by Jeffrey Norman utilizing the usual array of mysterious black boxes and sonic tools unavailable to us mere mortals. Artist Scott McDougal, who’s done such a bang-up job for us on the Road Trips series, has designed a beautiful package, and the always erudite Gary Lambert has contributed a fine essay which is accompanied by glorious photos of the band in Hartford in 1977. And because we know that in these tough economic times everyone could use a bargain, we’re offering To Terrapin at the very low price of $17.98 for all pre-orders placed on dead.net before the April 7th release date. That’s $2 under the suggested retail price. For the complete track listing and ordering info, click here.

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  • Captain Stormfield
    15 years 9 months ago
    Great stuff y'all!
    May '77 is EXTRA hot! Gotta love it. I only wish I could get it sooner than April. Now, how 'bout that elusive JGB release?
  • DEADPHR3D
    15 years 9 months ago
    Hard Times and Hard Cash
    I just wanted to thank you all ! Not only is this a off the hook show , you guys have done a great thing letting us get it for such a bargin rate. Look at this : 3 cd's , awsome artwork and the ever so popular liner notes all for $20.00 (just pennies over with standard shipping ) that's like $6.66 a disc! Once again hats off to you all at Dead Central for such a super deal ! I may have to buy a couple just for gifts ! Thanks to all involved !
  • gratefuldaddy
    15 years 9 months ago
    Only one complaint
    Really, only one. Why can't any of these recent releases have download only options? I don't want the CDs, I don't want the little cardboard sleeves with all the scratch and glue problems (have experienced them firsthand), I just want the music. And I definitely want this one. I'm only guessing here, but I think less people would obtain the music illegally (friends, torrent sites, etc.) and buy the downloads if they were available at a reduced price. I'd gladly spend $15 for a 3-disc, full concert download.
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And the whistle is screaming...
...Terrapin

3 Disc Set


Whether or not the fabled spring tour of 1977 was, as many Dead Heads believe, the strongest Grateful Dead tour ever, it was unquestionably a magical time stuffed-to-overflowing with amazing shows. Say the word “Cornell” to any hardcore Head and it means one thing—the 5/8/77 show at Barton Hall on the august school’s campus. But there were numerous other stops on the tour that produced monster shows, as well, from the five-night run at the Palladium in New York, to the incredible Fox Theatre in Atlanta (5/19 was part of the two-show Dick’s Picks #29), to the two Florida shows—Lakeland and Pembroke Pines (Dick’s Picks #29 and Dick’s Picks #1, respectively)—Tuscaloosa, Richmond… the tour was a scorcher from beginning to end.

What was up? Well, by the spring of ’77, the Dead had been back on the road for nearly a year following their famous performing hiatus, so Mickey Hart was thoroughly re-integrated into the band, and the septet was hitting a new stride. There was a handful of great new songs being integrated into the repertoire, including Garcia and Hunter’s complex, epic “Terrapin Station” suite, Weir and John Barlow’s cool, off-kilter reggae tune “Estimated Prophet,” and Phil and Peter Monk’s rollicking “Passenger.” Those songs would form the core of the album that the Dead were recording in the winter of ’77 with producer Keith Olsen down in Los Angeles. Olsen was a sharp guy with good ears (as they say in the biz), and he worked the Dead hard in the studio, forcing them to play perhaps a bit more precisely than they were accustomed to. Now, one can endlessly debate whether the result of Olsen’s approach was ultimately an album that was a tad too precise—a criticism even the band leveled at Terrapin Station—but all the laboring over parts and arrangements in the studio seemed to have an extremely positive impact on how the band played live that spring.

Which brings us to Hartford, Connecticut on the night of May 28, 1977—the final night of this Tour for the Ages, and the source of our latest release, To Terrapin. You’d never know from listening to this show that the band had been on the road for more than a month and 25 previous concerts, because it has that sparkle and intensity the band only had when it was fresh, feelin’ good and in full exploration mode. From the rippin’ “Bertha” > “Good Lovin’” > “Sugaree” trifecta opening, through the spectacular second set sequence comprised of “Playing in the Band,” a brisk and buoyant “Terrapin,” a fantastic one-of-a-kind “Not Fade Away,” “Wharf Rat,” and the “Playing reprise.” Definitely the band at its best!

So, why put this out now? Why the hell not? And what’s with all the questions? Just enjoy it. OK, aside from it being a classic show worthy of release, we thought it might be fun to revisit a concert played in one of the venues The Dead are hitting this spring on their tour—that would be the Hartford Civic (now the XL Center) on 4/26/09… why, that’s the 31-year, 11-month, 2-day anniversary show of this epic ’77 show! Anyway, this three-disc complete show release has been lovingly mastered to HDCD specs from the original reel-to-reel tapes by Jeffrey Norman utilizing the usual array of mysterious black boxes and sonic tools unavailable to us mere mortals. Artist Scott McDougal, who’s done such a bang-up job for us on the Road Trips series, has designed a beautiful package, and the always erudite Gary Lambert has contributed a fine essay which is accompanied by glorious photos of the band in Hartford in 1977. And because we know that in these tough economic times everyone could use a bargain, we’re offering To Terrapin at the very low price of $17.98 for all pre-orders placed on dead.net before the April 7th release date. That’s $2 under the suggested retail price. For the complete track listing and ordering info, click here.

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To Terrapin: Hartford, May 28, 1977


Whether or not the fabled spring tour of 1977 was, as many Dead Heads believe, the strongest Grateful Dead tour ever, it was unquestionably a magical time stuffed-to-overflowing with amazing shows. Say the word “Cornell” to any hardcore Head and it means one thing—the 5/8/77 show at Barton Hall on the august school’s campus. But there were numerous other stops on the tour that produced monster shows, as well, from… >>more

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To Terrapin: Hartford, May 28, 1977


Whether or not the fabled spring tour of 1977 was, as many Dead Heads believe, the strongest Grateful Dead tour ever, it was unquestionably a magical time stuffed-to-overflowing with amazing shows. Say the word “Cornell” to any hardcore Head and it means one thing—the 5/8/77 show at Barton Hall on the august school’s campus. But there were numerous other stops on the tour that produced monster shows, as well, from… >>more

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I ordered mine on amazon.com (for cheaper), and I did get a confimation email. However, I ordered RT v2n2 on dead.net since it wasn't available on amazon (at all), and I did receive a confimation. For those still waiting, all good things in all good time I guess (very easy for me to say, I know as I hold my copy of To Terrapin). I hope it's not blasphemous that I ordered via amazon.com, but I hadn't known it was available there for cheaper until I read this thread!
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I truly dislike bestbuy but today got an ink cart there and as I was walking to the register there was Terrapin,14.98 picked up that badboy and cant stop listening.
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Faultless playing, superb sound, deadly dull. It's just totally soulless to me, think I'll stick with pre hiatus stuff from now. They just lost that edge after they returned.
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15 years 7 months
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I pre-ordered back in February but I haven't received a ship confirmation and can't seem to get in contact with customer support.
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15 years 11 months
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I guess I have been lucky not to have any issues with the dead.net store. I just have issues getting my concert tickets! "When the smoke has cleared she said, that's what she said to me. You're gonna want a bed to lay your head and a little sympathy"
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15 years 7 months
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I guess there's nothin' left to do but smile smile smile ... and keep on trying to get in touch with customer support. Reading all the positive comments about the Hartford show but not being able to actually listen to it seems somewhat masochistic.
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15 years 7 months
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back on February 24th. Still no confirmation that it shipped. Although my card was charged on April 3rd. Which--if it hasn't shipped--is very uncool.
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15 years 11 months
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I have heard the customer support is a little shoddy. I'll burn a copy and send to ya :-) "When the smoke has cleared she said, that's what she said to me. You're gonna want a bed to lay your head and a little sympathy"
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I've sent two email requests to customer service at the beginning of the week and I left a voice mail asking for help but here it is Thursday and I've heard nothing from them. I'm really not sure what to do next. I guess maybe just buy it from Amazon, cut my losses and not order from Dead.net anymore. Not a big deal, just kind of disappointing.
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17 years 2 months
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I agree with you guys. Next time I'll just pick it up at my local record store. When I was waiting on the Egypt discs, I had a very good experience with customer service, but it seems that they've totally dropped the ball with this one. It seems that even Marye can't get through to them, b/c I sent her a message and haven't heard anything since Monday. I'm kind of assuming that since my card was charged, the discs have shipped and I just didn't receive confirmation. We'll see.... Jeff VanderVeen "May the 4 winds blow you safely home."
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Sorry to hear you guys are having problems too. But at least it is good to know I'm not alone on this one. :-) Peace.
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17 years 5 months
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maybe they're all following the tour on the East Coast!
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17 years 5 months
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It was brave of smokenack to speak up about this being dull. I sort of know what you mean...that superslick Dead of 77 is a rather different beast from the prehiatus monster. Its not dull for me, but for sure it's not as 'out there' or spontaneously explosive as it once was. But then nor am I :-)
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17 years 6 months
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I was told Monday your order was about to ship and am awaiting more details. Hope to have more info shortly.
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Just talked to them. They said that there had been a really big demand for Terrapin, and that's why they were late sending them out. Made we wish I had pre-ordered, say back on February 24th. Anyway, I canceled the order. Maybe I'll pick it up at Amazon. Or maybe I'll get that new Ligeti box instead.
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16 years 8 months
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I'm diggin it "In a bed, in a bed, by the waterside I will lay my head. Listen to the river sing sweet songs, to rock my soul."
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You've been very responsive. It seems that the term "pre order" doesn't mean what I thought it did. I could've bought the discs a week and a half ago now, and for all I know they're still sitting in a warehouse while my bank account is down twenty bucks. I never had these kinds of problems with Grateful Dead Merchandizing. So much for the efficiency of big business! I just hope that the people who care realize that Rhino seems to be alienating a lot folks. Ok, I'm done now. It comes when it comes and It'll be a nice suprise. Jeff VanderVeen "May the 4 winds blow you safely home."
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When I got home last night there was a voice mail from Grateful Dead Customer Service. Finally. They said my order of Hartford '77 will be shipping out today (4/17). Jeez ... I pre-ordered on February 24. Well, better late than never. Although, next time I think I will go a different route in terms of ordering new Dead releases. I'm looking forward to hearing the Hartford show. I've got Pembroke Pines, FL and Richmond from the spring '77 tour and they are two of my all time favorite shows.
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16 years 3 months
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anyone know what the current pop up displayed by clicking the saturn is? looks familiar but I can't place it.
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17 years 5 months
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Pre ordered 3-9-09, billed 4-13-09, notified not yet, recieved someday I hope.Liquid Blue got me a summers worth of shirts and hats within a week of placing my order, and Sunshine Daydream filled my cupboards with mugs in 5 days. Amazon looks better and better. But the bonus disc with 2-68 was pretty cool.
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And lets not forget two ignored emails to customer (dis)service. Maybe I can wear my Boston Green SYF shirt NEXT St Patricks Day. Maybe.
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Terrapin….the only game in town © Ice Nine Publishing/Candymans Music
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I'm looking forward to getting them if they show. At least I'm content with hearing the show last night on sirius...I'll just be patiently awaiting my Hartford '77 _____________________________________________ Will you come with me? Once in awhile you can get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right!
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Ok, FINALLY got mine today, and they're well worth the wait. Whoever posted that this was a dull show is crazy. Does it have the fire of Carousel '68? Of course not. The pace of the show kind of reminds me of JGB shows from '77: laid back, but oh so sweet. If you think this show lacks "soul," check out Jerry's vocals on "Candyman." Jeff VanderVeen "May the 4 winds blow you safely home."
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thanks for the update, glad they arrived, and yeah, I admit I really love this one too. Jerry is in lovely form.
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i got my terrapin 77 today, and while getting my orders from the store have been painfully slow (i still haven't received my $170 worth of pure jerry although my card was charged 3 weeks ago! customer serivce is clearly a misnomer at the store- my emails have also gone unanswered.... ), getting the terrapin discs today was a happy moment! totally enjoying the music- i forgot what a full show could do for the soul! the packaging is nifty, the text is focused on the band and legible, the discs come out of the packaging without tearing anything- then the music sounds so incredably beautiful! sugaree is blaring at this very moment and oh how i love sugaree!!! shake it up,baby! i am going to have a hersey bar and glass of wine to celebrate! whatever will i do with myself when all 8 volumes of pure jerry arrive!??!! just a few more songs, jeff, and candyman will greet me- soulful jerry- he's reaching out to me with sugaree! a girl couldn't ask for better- i gotta go sway to the music-- have a grateful day! caroline
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I gotta say, I really never complain and I have always read these posts just thinking that you're a bunch of whiners.... BUT, after buying things from Dead.net for years, I finally had my first order problem... And I have never experienced such poor customer service in my life. I ordered Terrapin back in early March and decided to top it up with a couple from the Pick's series. Somewhere between then and now the store ran out of Picks #31 (too bad, looks awesome), and they decided to just remove it from my order without telling me. Then without explanation they just decided to double my shipping charge from the $11 that I agreed to, to $21. When I saw this error on my order history I decided to write in through the site (3 times by the way with no response). With no response, I called in a complaint. The attendant said someone would call back. They never did. So I finally decided to call back and cancel the order, but then they said it was too late and that my visa was charged. I could, however, send the merchandise back if I covered the shipping. To Canada and back would be about $40... for nothing... Absurd. After some arguing a supervisor said they'd refund $10 shipping to my visa. Never did. And, of course, since I pre-ordered, I got extra punishment because if I had just waited I could have bought it on Amazon for less money, less hastle, and I would have had it a week ago instead of sometime next month. Btw. Isn't it weird that when you're on hold at Dead.net the on hold music isn't Grateful??
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Last week when I actually received a voice mail from customer service saying that my pre-ordered Hartford was going to ship and that I would receive a ship confirmation on Friday I kinda got my hopes up. Well, tis Tuesday and no further correspondence from customer service. Has it shipped? Has it not shipped? Don't know. I'm gonna give it till Friday then I'll probably just order it from Amazon and if Hartford ever does show up from my pre-order then I'll give it to a friend.
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Hey now ... I just received a shipping confirmation that my Hartford '77 order from Feb 24 has shipped. This is encouraging news.
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I'm still waiting for my order that I placed over six weeks ago. Has anyone else had this problem?
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Hi Pelts. I would say a few of us here have experienced a delay in shipment of the Hartford cds. I preordered on 2/24 and just received mine yesterday (4/23 ... the day after I received a ship confirmation email on 4/22). Don't waste your time trying to ask customer service. All that will get you is frustration. So, all I can say is try to be patient. The cd's will eventually arrive. And now that I've had a chance to listen to the entire show I can say that it was well worth the wait. Although next time I will order from Amazon instead. Peace.
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if your order's still MIA, send me a PM with the order number etc. and I'll pass it to the folks who can tell us what's what. Sorry for the delay. As others have noted, this really is a lovely show and the sound is pretty stunning, so it is a drag that you're going without.
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Is a veritable jewel box of a show & document.If there was ever anything to love about this band, it's all on display in spades here. With every player giving it his (or her) all, all night long & the strength of the material, this is why we ever cared at all, & kept coming back for more. & the recording quality & sound profile of this particular outing is about as good as we could hope for. Yup, they really were as good as I thought they were at the time, it wasn't just the drugs;-o Great job all around--one for the ages.
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1977 was a really good year...kind of like 1971 but '71 featured raw power whereas '77 was a polished power. My one drawback of '77 was a general lack of real exploratory jamming thus keeping the second sets significantly shorter than other periods. The pre-'76 jams seemed to be a vehicle to break in new song structures as much as space exploration. The above comments not withstanding, this was one fine show. Thanks to the powers-that-be for releasing it!!
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I've always been kind of partial to 5/5, probably because it has been so easy to get (in good quality). I do hope that one is on the horizon at some point, but this show may be the cream of the crop from May '77. What an awesome tour that was. The Sugaree alone on this set is worth the price.
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I've only listened to the previews on Amazon, but what a show!!! The sound is great, and they really played it tight (and loose I guess). I'm putting together a best of 2000's list, and I want to throw in a token Grateful Dead show release. This might be the one.
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YES! I can't wait to get my discs so that I can have my own personal flashback to the shows at the Hartford Civic Ctr. Only 2 shows, days and nights but they were phenominal . I was lucky enough to get the second to the last room at the Holiday Inn directly behind the Civic Ctr; a little pricey but well worth it. the entire hotel was rocking all day/night Friday and Saturday. 12 floors and the Dead playing from every room on every floor. Deadheads were all over, partying on the roof, at the indoor pool and jecuzzi, even the lobby but only while the bar and restaurant were open. Drinking champagne poolside.........Yeah. What really made these shows were all the friends I was able to hook up with again, so many heads that Id lost track of and hadn 't seen at any shows since Fall 75 tour. It was GREAT!!!!! Partying and tripping all the way through to Sunday morning, when we all enjoyed a massive breakfast buffet put out by the hotel restaurant.................and cheap too! After loading up on the fantastic grub most people (myself included) decided it was time to grab some zzzzzzzzzzzzz's before starting the drive south and home. Some friends were not done yet and were getting ready to cruise to Boston, actually Worster for the next two shows at the Centrum, and some friends were were goin g onward after the Centrum(I think Cumberland, Maine was nexT on this SPRING TOUR! I wanted to go so b adly, but alas life gt in the way for me; These shows do hold a special place, as the second best, favorite shows so far. The first place were three shows, days and nights at the Spectrum in Philly;the parties at the hotel(I could remember the name but.........) were unbelievable; simply a GREAT THREE DAYS!!!
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YES! I can't wait to get my discs so that I can have my own personal flashback to the shows at the Hartford Civic Ctr. Only 2 shows, days and nights but they were phenominal . I was lucky enough to get the second to the last room at the Holiday Inn directly behind the Civic Ctr; a little pricey but well worth it. the entire hotel was rocking all day/night Friday and Saturday. 12 floors and the Dead playing from every room on every floor. Deadheads were all over, partying on the roof, at the indoor pool and jecuzzi, even the lobby but only while the bar and restaurant were open. Drinking champagne poolside.........Yeah. What really made these shows were all the friends I was able to hook up with again, so many heads that Id lost track of and hadn 't seen at any shows since Fall 75 tour. It was GREAT!!!!! Partying and tripping all the way through to Sunday morning, when we all enjoyed a massive breakfast buffet put out by the hotel restaurant.................and cheap too! After loading up on the fantastic grub most people (myself included) decided it was time to grab some zzzzzzzzzzzzz's before starting the drive south and home. Some friends were not done yet and were getting ready to cruise to Boston, actually Worster for the next two shows at the Centrum, and some friends were were goin g onward after the Centrum(I think Cumberland, Maine was nexT on this SPRING TOUR! I wanted to go so b adly, but alas life gt in the way for me; These shows do hold a special place, as the second best, favorite shows so far. The first place were three shows, days and nights at the Spectrum in Philly;the parties at the hotel(I could remember the name but.........) were unbelievable; simply a GREAT THREE DAYS!!!