“There was just some kind of magical connection this night between the band members and the band and the audience – some texture, or some type of cosmic or celestial force is in the room.”
“This show is, was, and always will be Mecca.”
“…the single best rock performance anywhere, anytime, by anyone.”
Today, the Grateful Dead officially premiered Cornell 5/8/77, their new 5-LP (vinyl), 3-CD special release of sound engineer Betty Cantor-Jackson‘s soundboard recordings from the storied performance. Betty’s soundboards were transferred and restored by Plangent Processcs, and the package features artwork from Grammy-winning graphic artist Masaki Koike and and in-depth essay by Greatful Dead historian Nicholas Meriwether (the author of the quotes above).
Why Is 5/8/77 Considered The Grateful Dead’s Best Performance?
The official release of this show has been eagerly anticipated since that very night, as the fateful performance at Barton Hall in Ithaca has become known as perhaps the greatest Grateful Dead show (and transitively, some would say, the greatest rock concert) ever played. You can listen to the new Cornell 5/8/77 release below via Spotify:
As the “description for the new release on iTunes notes:
The Grateful Dead played more than 2,000 concerts, but none continues to spark interest and provoke discussion quite like the band’s performance at Cornell University’s Barton Hall on May 8, 1977. It is one of the most collected, traded, and debated concerts by any band ever, has topped numerous fan polls through the years, and was a favorite of the group’s longtime archivist Dick Latvala, who stated: “Enough can’t be said about this superb show.” Even Uncle Sam got into the act in 2011 when the recording was “deemed so important to the history and culture of the United States” that a copy was added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.
Last week, at the Dead’s annual nationwide “Meetup at the Movies,” the band debuted a mini-documentary covering the historic show at the Ithaca, NY university and, particularly, the fans who were lucky enough to be in attendance. You can watch the mini-doc below: