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I did the work before the show so was expecting 1-15-79. Listened to it on the drive down. It was Chuck Berry's birthday hence the Johnny B. Goode. My fellow heads have covered the show and how well played it was. Lets get a shout out to Barraco. He was happy as a clam all night long and delivered with floating feather fingers all night long. Here is my .02 This is a quintessential GD show from start to finish. Shakedown Street album on display. The electricity, the vibration, the sound was simply overwhelming. Springfield Civic Center had that same vibe since it was smallest indoor arena Dead played. Loud booming sound, booming tapes. DSO recreated that. It took my high planetary. I am absolutely junk today. DSO left it all there on 21st anniversary, I left it all there on my "11" "33" day 11-11-(2+0+1+8) = 11. Until Lowell and Northampton, it had been a year hiatus creating my business, getting it licensed & established. This weekend had been on the radar like neon since tour announced. I have been jones-ing for this special day after feeling, I have today, for a year. Perma-grin in effect.

Problem in life is timing. Both great shows so no issues there but.... 69 Ark means you have a whole show without Lisa on the band's 21st anniversary. NO WAY 73 Springfield opens you up to SIX repeats when in Lowell Friday night with the $1.6M Jerry Garcia' Wolf guitar played by Jeff Mattson, they created an elective show for Wolf that was 1st set 1973 and 2nd set 1978. Wolf was updated with additional pickups in 1978 which is why 1978 was chosen for second set modeling Friday Wolf was commissioned from Doug Irwin and first played September of 1973 at a private Hells Angels party called the Pirate's Ball on a boat in NYC Harbor. It was a fundraiser for a Hells Angel member imprisoned by Nixon. You can see short clip of Jerry playing Wolf for the first time here in this clip from Hells Angels Forever a 1983 movie. Go to 16:00 mark which details the NY Boat party.

They jammed the end of Miracle out, and Jeff stepped over and hit the Mutron. They played a bit and he counted it off, 1,2,3,4, Whaaoouugghhh, crowd goes wild. There was a consensus during the break where I was standing that they would play Shakedown, but we thought it would kick the set off. Miracle was killer, too, with Skip playing a pair of stubbed off chords (bomblets?) during each line of the verse, high octane, indeed 😎😎😎

Awesome show start to end last night, Skip was on fire and sounded clear and fantastic. High energy, love the tone of the Travis Bean in Jeff's hands. Passenger, Shakedown, Terrapin and Playin were standout highlights to me from an exceptional show.

I have the shakedown on video (minus the 1st 10 seconds). I'll upload it tonight. Great show!

AGREE, Sakada, the band was seriously on fire, but the Calvin sucked for dancing this year! We've been going to the Calvin since 2010 and have never HAD to find our seats, no congregating in hallway, no dancing in hallway. Ellie couldn't even sell stickers, venue was afraid ppl would stick their $4 stickers everywhere. Had fun even with all the negatives anyways. Happy 21st DSO

.....a few of us know ALL about the revolution....no thanks..

Much speculation on how DSO would celebrate their 21st Anniversary and re-create a "classic Massachusetts" show. Had a hunch that all members of the band would be on stage so that was validated when I walked into the Calvin Theater and saw the stage arrangement. Really wanted something very special and studied the Keith and Donna setlists and spotted some great shows (ex. the June 76 run at the Boston Music Hall or 4/23/77 with the Scarlet/Fire 1st set closer or 5/7/77 with the Terrapin second set opener during the famous Spring 77 run). Unfortunately, I can't understand why this show was chosen as it seemed quite unremarkable and hardly classic of anything other than the band's fleeting last days with Keith and Donna. The first set was relatively short with only 9 songs and no truly special or big songs. I liked the second set Terrapin, Playin and even the Shakedown but was quite disappointed with only a Playin reprise and Casey Jones post-drums. First saw DSO in 2000 and after 71 shows have never written anything but glowing and favorable reviews and have been so grateful for all that they do to re-create the Grateful Dead experience. Yes, it's been a long, strange, wonderful trip and I'm still on the bus, I just didn't experience the magic last night (though did like the filler!).

Did DSO play up the Miracle->Shakedown transition? One of the more powerful segues in Grateful Dead history!

Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA (1/15/79) Jack Straw Jack-a-Roe Cassidy Row Jimmy Mama Tried > Mexicali Blues Stagger Lee Passenger Deal I Need a Miracle > Shakedown Street From the Heart of Me Terrapin Station > Playin' in the Band > drums > Playin' in the Band > Casey Jones Johnny B. Goode

the balcony was shaking

Tremendous Tour Opener. Wow. Wolfie had everyone pledged to deliver their A game but it is a tour opener at the same time. It took the improvisational lack of boundaries in Bird Song to flip the switch but then KABOOM.... Full WRS start of supercharged interspersing jams between Ron & Jeff that continued the rest of the night. Fire on the Mountain was incredibly spirited followed by a thundering Samson. Wolfie in Jeff's hands delivered searing notes on If I had the world to give, I thought I was in the Cleveland Music Hall in Fall 1978. Surprised by the St. Stephen quicky into drums but understood something special would result and we were treated to a smoking Not Fade Away wrap each with exciting Mattson-Eaton interplays but for me....the HIGHLIGHT.... Stella Blue. Jeff declared clearly to his new friend Wolf " that I have "Dust off those rusty strings just one more time" Lucy even calmed down for Stella...wow Wolf shined all night in Jeff's ever capable hands. 113 GD shows East Coast taper & archivist here.... My first dance with Wolfie ….WOW Trying to catch my breath...not quite... here comes.... not sunshine.... but an Angel.... Mr. Dino English As if this show was not burned into my soul forever, here is my bow on top. Dino gives me a drum stick. Let me tell you.... Splinters everywhere, mad work by Dino all night especially Samson Incredible gratitude & a Big thank you gift basket of hemp pain balm coming to Northampton for the "Never miss a Sunday show"