“It is said that, if you lined up all those who have ever been to a Grateful Dead concert head-to-toe, the line would stretch around the moon, and about halfway back. And nobody would complain!”
But before my show, here are some coronavirus resources:
Florida Department of Health COVID-19 Hotline and Email: 866-779-6121 (8am-5pm, Monday-Friday) or
COVID-19@FLhealth.gov
Sarasota Memorial Hospital COVID-19 Hotline: 941-917-8799
Grateful Dead
Rainbow Theatre, London, England
Monday March 23, 1981
Frank Streeter’s Master Audience Cassette(at the soundboard);
Sennheiser 421 > Sony TC-D5M (TDK MA90)
Transfer by Charlie Miller
(Between song transitions smoothed)
Disc 1 – Set 1:
- intro/crowd
- Jack Straw
- They Love Each Other
- Cassidy
- It Must Have Been The Roses >
- El Paso
- Ramble On Rose
- New Minglewood Blues
- Sugaree
- Lazy Lightning >
- Supplication
Disc 2 – Set 2:
- Bird Song
- Samson & Delilah
- To Lay Me Down
- Terrapin Station >
- Playing In The Band >
- Drums >
Disc 3 – Set 2 cont’d.:
- The Other One Space >
- The Other One >
- Stella Blue >
- Sugar Magnolia
Encore:
- Casey Jones
Five recordings, yet very few reviews:
REVIEW: yes yes yes
Fantastic Bird Song, and one of the longest of the 80’s after the 3/7 UMD titan. Too bad they never opened with
it again, since it definitely sets the right vibe for the second set. Good feeling, good sound, good stuff.
REVIEW: bread crumb
One of only 14 times Birdsong was played in second set. 11 of those 14 came in 1971 or 1972. The last three all
came in 1981, this being the first. One of only two times that Birdsong opened the second set, the other being
4/14/71.
REVIEW: Bird Song…..
This show has a warm ambiant feet with a little two much high end for this writer. The show is a throwback
with a Bird>Samson>To Lay Me before the meat of the second set. The first set also has nice placement of
Sugaree in the back half of the set. The bird song is spacey and full of jazzy accents very similar to the
legendary Cole Bird (3-7-81). PLayin in the Band is over seventeen minutes long and features the band gelling
together for a long journey to the Curry house following the show.
REVIEW: My first Dead concert!
Not only was this my first Dead concert – it was also the first time I had heard any music by the Dead! 25 years
later it is a pleasure to listen to this – what a long strange trip it has been! Thanks for making this available. I do
not remember much from the show after all those years. What I do remember was a stunning song, early in the
concert, where 3 or 4 of the musicians did a solo, 1 after the other (at the time I did not know who was who!).
The song built and built up to a huge crescendo – I was blown off my feet, and that is why I am still listening
after 25 years. And the song? it was the first set version of New Minglewood Blues, where Brent, Bobby og
Jerry play solos one after another and finally all hell breaks loose…. Brent’s hammond organ sounds fantastic on
this song…
REVIEW: Warming Up
Highlights: It Must Have Been The Roses, Bird Song, To Lay Me Down
REVIEW: Close to ’81 summit
I’m ready to proclaim this gig one of the best of 1981. Fantastic energy, almost perfect (to my opinion) song
selection and flawless execution. I believe this is the best first set of the spring run. And ye, pay your attention to
Stella Blue.