I hitchhiked from the east coast to CA for this show. First Uncle John's Band in two year. First Brokedown in two years. After the show I called my friends at, oh, about 4 a.m. east coast time from the pay phone across the street from the hall to yell at them: "Get out of bed you heathens! You non-believers! They DID IT! I TOLD you to go to this show!"

My friend Kathy was not amused, and passed the phone groggily to Mark:

"Uh... you better talk to Glen. I think it's for you."

Listen to the beginning of the Not Fade Away for those lovely Mona licks from Phil.

Was "on the rail" for this one -- front row. During Shakedown Street I saw Bobby moving backwards and in slow-motion; not an unpleasant experience, but I DID worry a little -- what if the lights come on and the entire world is still moving backwards in slow motion?"

Glen

I was working midnight to dawn shifts at the time.. had just come from Christmas with family and relatives, but this was the the year the epic love affair of my life came crashing to an end beyond the control of either of us. I heard the Dead were playing tonight 450 miles to the north, so I clocked off in the morning and headed off alone. A Feast Of Stephen's present to myself...
Folks were walking around outside with little bags of ripped paper and many obliged.
DP5 speaks for itself and that night the Dead spoke for me and my lost love. I was a howling wolf in the Cold Rain & Snow (my drop dead all-time favourite version), CC Rider's man had come, and just those 2 opening tunes were explosive enough to have us saying things like "Christ, we've just passed Venus!". The energy leveled off a bit but with superb playing and harmonies by Brent and fabulous Bobby guitar. There was that driving new ditty Alabama Getaway (which reminded me structure-wise of the Beatles' Get Back) which I perceived to be right-wing jibe at Jimmy Carter's inability to cut short the Iran hostage situation.
After a break that seemed to breathe (some spliced reggae riff)
came UJB welcoming tattered me to it's bosum. Speedy jams, a blown cue in Prophet, a sluggish NFA, and again, a song for me, a Brokedown Palace with a flawed beginning. Rarer yet, a pointed Shakedown (my lover's fave Dead tune) that funked then mutated into a surprise UJB reprise. No lie, Jerry was SKIPPING in place on this ending. A fabulous and poignant show. It was one of the rarer evenings where the lighting seemed to make Jerry shape-shift from a Civil War cavalier in Cold Rain and UJB in blue, and a bug-eyed insect in Estimated and Shakedown in red.
When Dick Latvala asked for requests for the series, I begged for this in any form or fragment. Wherever you are Dick, thanks from the heart. And belatedly, thanks boys for one of the most emotionally comforting evenings of my life.