Grateful Dead* – Capitol Theatre, aic, NJ, 4/25/77

Finally I've found a nearly mint copy of this box. Beside the nice cover art, the promising setlist, the great sound quality, the music is outstanding. Great show. And the best part: found this as a bargain.

I've always thought that 1977 was a bit of an overrated year because Cornell didn't blow my mind but, the more I venture out, the more I realize this year was astounding. The band is especially tight and this is presumably due to the insane amount of rehearsing they did following Terrapin Station.

This is quite possibly my singular favorite show by the Dead. That's essentially impossible to determine but, dear lord, are they on fire. Jerry is especially on point and I don't think I've heard him perform quite this tightly before or after this show.

The artwork for this show is my favorite of any Dead boxset, hands down. I am a little bummed because my box arrived with seam splits. If anyone has just the box (I know that's a long shot), reach out to me. But the music is what really matters and this performance, recording, mixing, mastering, and pressing are all top-notch.

Amongst the panoply of live Dead vinyl, this one's a true gem. The set list speaks for itself - pretty special captures of Looks Like Rain and Terrapin, and Scarlet/Fire is here in a sort of unique, primordial form. Flat, silent wax. The intimacy of the performance and venue comes through clearly, and there's the right level of crowd noise for my taste. I'm really blown away by this one, and put it right up there with my copy of Buffalo '77.

What a fantastic live set recording! The capture is very warm and has personality that even other records of the era. I also own the Live/Dead record from 1969 with Dark Star on it, and this is a much much better vinyl representation of what the band was and still to some point is. Highly recommended for Dead lovers.