Back at it

Barton Hall Cornell U - Ithaca, NY
May 7, 1980

Shakedown St > Bertha > Playin' in the Band > Terrapin Station

Listening to this show earlier today I was reminded of this blog and immediately felt that such an ambitious second set clearly deserved to be shared, not hoarded. The Shakedown that opens features a few Garcia flubbed lyrics but overall these '80 versions are extremely impressive and feature a few of the jams that are found in the later versions.
The Bertha is somewhat typical but still quite refreshing to find here, plus two Garcia songs back to back is always welcomed with open arms over here. I shouldn't lie... it's about average, nothing too spectacular but very good nonetheless.
Ahhh... Playin in the Barn... the barn of Barton Hall that is. As is somewhat obvious from the recording Barton Hall engulfs the band and swallows a good bit of the sound they produce. To acknowledge this phenomenon, Bobby alters the lyrics to the second chorus to "Playin in the Barn." This particular version is played extremely aggressive and all movements are performed rather quickly, with a good deal of urgency. Bobby supplements with landmark determination in his vocals. An enjoyable bit of wah-wah meandering by Garcia kicks off the jam. From here the jam moves into a quick, Spanish sounding jam (not Spanish jam) before foregoing the traditional reprise for a pleasant Terrapin Station. Garcia handles this Terrapin very well and sings it extremely emotional