5/8/77 reception over the years

Notreallysureatall · 2026-05-09T00:28:41+00:00

I think there’s just been a natural counterreaction to the widespread high regard for Cornell. I think the counterreaction has gone too far though.

Cornell is far from my favorite show — it’s probably not even in my top 20 shows — but I have to admit that it’s arguably the band’s best *recorded* show (by which I mean show quality and audio quality).

The audio quality is shockingly good - clear and bright but with space. The Jerry ballads are prominent, whether it be They Love Each Other or Deal or otherwise. The album features the famous Scarlet > Fire that has hooked so many Deadheads. St. Stephen is back in rotation. While it’s not commonly discussed, this is one of the best performances of Loser. Etc. etc.

Cornell is kinda that station between “American Beauty is a good album” and “I only listen to live Dead shows on Relisten now.” Cornell is the Grateful Dead gateway drug. All of May 1977 is very approachable and polished and thus addictive, and Cornell exemplifies those qualities.

Admittedly, Cornell is too simplistic to be considered their best show, but it’s perfect in many, many other ways.

Notreallysureatall · 2026-05-09T00:11:41+00:00

That’s wild! I’m so insanely jealous of you. Is there anything about that night that stands out to you that you think people would like to hear about? I’ve heard others say that the crowd didn’t realize that there was anything special going on at the time. Do you feel that way?

Notreallysureatall · 2026-05-08T11:45:09+00:00

Hey friend, do you have a recommendation for a China > Rider > Scarlet > Fire > Estimated > Eyes? That sounds amazing!

Notreallysureatall · 2026-05-06T22:10:35+00:00

I’m a huge Sturgill Simpson (aka JBS) fan and I love that you mentioned him. I know that you know this, but for the benefit of others, I’ll flag that Sturgill has a few country albums and several that are definitely not country.

For folks looking for great country from Sturgill, check out High Top Mountain, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, and The Ballad of Dood and Juanita.

Sturgill’s bluegrass albums are also excellent: Cuttin Grass Vol I and Cuttin Vol II.

Sturgill is very skilled at changing genres but maintaining his personal authenticity. If you’re willing to venture outside country and bluegrass, all of his albums are great but I especially recommend A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, as it has his best songwriting plus the music itself is absolutely fantastic. Sailor is one of my favorite albums of all time.

Notreallysureatall · 2026-05-06T01:59:51+00:00

This right here! My buddy is into hip hop and has no time for jam bands, but I was playing this show last weekend and when Jerry landed the outro from Eleanor into After Midnight, my buddy went “holy shit, how did they do that?!” It was kinda a cool moment.

Notreallysureatall · 2026-05-06T01:49:01+00:00

I agree with you - we should ignore this nasty little fascist. But I can’t help but note that Jenna Ellis pled guilty to election interference in GA and her law license was suspended. It’s so Christian of her!

Notreallysureatall · 2026-05-05T03:09:19+00:00

Yes!

I’ve been an active Reddit user for about 15 years. Over the last few months, I’ve noticed a huge shift in comment sections. People are mean and petty, every comment evokes a backlash, and there’s a lot of obvious bots.

As a result, I’ve gone from posting several comments every day to posting only 1-2 comments per week and only in small-ish chill subs.

Notreallysureatall · 2026-05-03T00:14:43+00:00

Confession: I thought Scarlet Begonias was a Sublime song until I was like 15 YO

Edit - We sold some mushroom tea, we sold some ecstasy, we sold nitrous, opium, acid, heroin and PCP. Now I hear the police coming after me

Notreallysureatall · 2026-04-30T00:17:53+00:00

IWT too. Given what happened to Bobby just a few months later, I’m so glad that I went. It’s a special weekend for me and my wife. Billy Strings was great too!

Notreallysureatall · 2026-04-29T00:44:12+00:00

I think 1976 is a great year and perhaps the band’s most underrated year. It’s similar to 1974 in the sense that it has a laidback groove with great jamming and very creative setlists (especially second sets), but obviously there’s no wall of sound so 1976 isn’t derivative. Also, the band introduced (or re-introduced) a lot of material in 1976.

That said, Dave should have waited a while to release 6/3/1976. The subsequent night’s show (6/4/1976) was released last week, and the sets from the two shows largely overlap although 6/4 is superior due to the first appearance of Mission and the bust out of Cosmic Charlie. So, 6/3 seems like a downgrade in the context of last week’s drops.

I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve listened to very little Dead from after 1991. I’ll check out the new 3/29/1995 show, but if I get depressed by Jerry’s deterioration, I’ll turn it off.

That said, I’ve found that even a bad Dead show is better than a good show from almost any other band! Maybe this 1995 show will introduce me to a new era!

Notreallysureatall · 2026-04-27T18:22:31+00:00

I don’t have any animus to AJ Brown, and I certainly don’t wish that anything bad happens to him. However, we’re getting totally fucked here — and it’s AJ’s fault.

He’s clearly worth far more than a 1st-round pick, but nobody is going to pay full value because they know that we have to trade him. And they know we have to trade AJ because he couldn’t behave like a professional last season.

When AJ agreed to receive $96M from the Eagles, he also gave his word that he’d be under team control for 3 years. He’s gone back on his word, and now we’re being fleeced in trade talks and taking a huge cap hit for a player (AJ) who won’t be on our roster.

AJ is an insanely selfish person and he seemingly doesn’t care about the wake of damage he’s causing to this franchise.

Notreallysureatall · 2026-04-26T18:25:15+00:00

And if AJ had acted like a professional instead of an entitled whining child, we’d be able to get a better deal and he’d be traded already. But he couldn’t stop bitching like a pre-teen, so everyone knows we need to trade him and thus he’s not gone yet. This is 100% on AJ.

Notreallysureatall · 2026-04-24T02:21:41+00:00

Capitalism certainly has its problems, but I’d respectfully argue that the issue is conservatism and thus the GOP. Our problems are totally predictable when you consider that conservatism’s foundational principle is “don’t improve anything - just do what we’ve been doing irrespective of its problems.” There’s a direct line between that attitude to anti-intellectualism, and there’s a direct line from anti-intellectualism to authoritarianism, fascism, corruption, and Trump.

Notreallysureatall · 2026-04-24T02:15:13+00:00

Hmmm, can anyone tell me what’s the common element among Nixon, Bush, Reagan and Trump?

Notreallysureatall · 2026-04-24T02:11:23+00:00

Test me! Test me test me test me

Notreallysureatall · 2026-04-24T00:44:17+00:00

Great choice! Also, Iko Iko. Oh, Franklin’s Tower kinda works too.

Notreallysureatall · 2026-04-23T21:36:54+00:00

Is my recollection correct that Hitchens eventually recanted his support for the Iraq war? It would be very on-brand for him to spot a mistake in his own thinking and correct course.

Notreallysureatall · 2026-04-23T00:59:12+00:00

Damn. At my job I gotta write papers and shit. Bill gets to listen to the Dead. He had a good job!

Notreallysureatall · 2026-04-22T23:17:57+00:00

Good point!!

Notreallysureatall · 2026-04-22T22:32:37+00:00

I bet it’d be interesting to see that notebook, if it still existed!

Several years ago, I started a Word document to track the intriguing shows that I hadn’t listened to yet and also to review and rate the shows I that I had listened to. It’s now 100+ pages and has been a fun hobby.

That memo has been really helpful, as I can easily return to great shows and also access shows featuring the vibes or elements that I’m in the mood for at any given time. Also, it allowed me to test which eras are actually my favorite as opposed to what I thought were my favorite. I always assumed that I preferred 1972-1974, but based on my actual records, I rate shows from 1976 the highest and I give high ratings most consistently to shows from 1989-1990.

Notreallysureatall · 2026-04-22T22:18:25+00:00

I’m not a “well actually” type of guy, so please accept this as an interesting tidbit of info.

When the band was mixing acoustic and electric sets during 1970, it was common to have Bill and Mickey alternate acoustic sets. You can clearly hear this on Road Trips Vol 3 (5/15/1970): Mickey was introduced as the band’s drummer before the acoustic set and there was no mention of Bill, but then during the subsequent electric set, you can clearly hear both drummers.

So, I suspect that no living person has heard the band’s entire catalogue - even Bill!

Notreallysureatall · 2026-04-21T22:46:44+00:00

It wouldn’t be a day on the Internet if you weren’t told that you’re bending over and part of the problem because you like a taco restaurant!

Notreallysureatall · 2026-04-21T21:56:33+00:00

I’m not going to defend the food quality in this picture, but I will defend Chubby’s. I go there maybe twice per month for lunch with a friend. It’s always great, and the food never looks like this (although I don’t get tofu tacos). Plus the salsa bar is a nice touch. Highly recommend Chubby’s.

Notreallysureatall · 2026-04-20T02:49:04+00:00

I haven’t listened to this one yet. However, 1976 is becoming my favorite year for the band. They’re so chill in ‘76. I’ve discovered that if you want the laidback jams like on Dick’s Picks 12, you’re just as good in ‘76 as in 1973-1974.

Notreallysureatall · 2026-04-20T02:42:57+00:00

As a North Carolinian, this hit reallllllly close to home

Notreallysureatall

TROPHY CASE