Stockton Civic Aud., Stockton, CA Mississippi Half-Step Mama Tried Me and My Uncle Peggy-O Jack Straw Friend of the Devil It's All Over Now Row Jimmy Lazy Lightnin' Supplication Terrapin Station Playin' in the Band Passenger Estimated Prophet Stella Blue Sugar Magnolia Around and Around

 Today we’re still crawling through California on the Grateful Dead’s 1978 winter tour, and this show from Stockton is a pretty good example of the past week’s shows – a standard first set with a few good songs and then a second set with at least one big fat jam, which in this case is Playin’ in the Band>Passenger>Estimated Prophet.You can tell from the start of this one that the boys + Donna are not mailing it in – the opening Mississippi Half-Step is raucous and raw and Mama Tried>Me and My Uncle are not throw-aways. There are some starts and stops on this recording which break up the velocity of the show, and the slower numbers here tend to drag a little, but everyone is playing off of one another nicely throughout the set. Unfortunately, the set-ending Lazy Lightning>Supplication, which can often be powerful, is pretty pedestrian tonight.The band opens the second half of the show with a strong and not too long Terrapin Station – I think this song works best on nights like tonight where they don’t push it too far. After a brief countdown, we’re into Playin’ in the Band, which begins the best part of the night. The other night in Fresno the band played an introspective, sly and spacey 29 minute version of this song. This version tonight is the opposite of that – it’s aggressive from the get go, anchored by Phil Lesh and Keith Godchaux (yes, Keith was playing his heart out here). This is the propulsive version of Playin’ that was typical of the late 70’s, and this is a good one, with Jerry and Bob bobbing back and forth on the stormy seas of psychedelica throughout the whole song. The musical lights stay on during Passenger, which breaks down into a four minute jam that hints at a Playin’ reprise but never arrives there. Instead, after a minute of Bob insisting, we pour into Estimated Prophet for a great dose of late-70’s power Dead. 

 

January 18, 1978; Civic Auditorium, Stockton, CA Grateful Dead My friends and I also attended the Wednesday evening Stockton show (well, except for the guy from Fresno). We had heard nothing about the other shows, of course, and were half-expecting a deserted auditorium and weird jamming, so we hauled ass to get there after class. We made the show minutes before it started, and naturally the place was packed to the rafters. Stockton, too, was just 90 minutes from the Bay Area, and while I'm sure there were many people from the local area it felt like a regular Winterland Dead crowd.

The Dead started out on a very high note with "Mississippi Half-Step," and despite Jerry's ragged voice, by the time he was taking us across the Rio Grande-io the place was going crazy. So much for a replay of Fresno. Still, it was a very lively show, even though Garcia's energy level gave out with his voice, as he was clearly not well. Garcia left the stage during "Playing In The Band," I believe for the drum solo, and when the band returned and started "Passenger," Garcia did not immediately come on stage. The band played the first verse without him, although he slowly made his way out there and managed to take his big solo, but it was plain that he was struggling. 

 

Reviewer: grateful phishmon - Subject: Some nice stretches, marred by patchesThis show definitely has its high points. Half-Step is one of the most intense I've ever heard, although I'll always consider Landover from later this year as my number one for that song. Playin' goes into a long, spooky jam, where for once Jerry backs off the all on, all the time sound he had with Wolf in this period. Unfortunately, the spacy part near the end of Playin' is where the audience patches start, and they continue through Passenger to where the sound is alternating between SBD and AUD. Just pick one or the other, OK? There's another audience patch in Estimated.

I kind of agree with other reviewers that Jerry's playing is a bit lazy at points, going for the cheap audience-pleasing trills for example at the beginning of his closing solo on Stella, though he settles there into some beautiful playing.

Overall it's a good but not great show. I knocked it down a star due to all the audience patches on Playin' > Passenger and Estimated.

Reviewer: njpg - favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite - January 19, 2019 Subject: -A lot of 78 shows were lazy where Garcia was concerned. This is maybe not the laziest, but compare it to 1/10 and 1/11/78. Those are five-star 78 shows.

Reviewer: Sill   ave's Pick please?Along with the previous nite at Sacramento? Please?

Reviewer: hampton87 - Subject: lazy?i am listening to the playin>passenger>space and to call this a lazy performance is probably a very bad way to describe this show. on stella blue jerry's voice is rough but that makes it so heartfelt. i really like this show. it does have some patch problems on passenger but the energy makes up for any recording problems. i think we are so spoiled to have all these recordings here and make issues out minutiae imho

Reviewer: tinyfishes - favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite - February 18, 2008 Subject: My first showBeen out of the listening loop for some time now. Thought I'd check back in and dig up my first show. Not at all as I so-called remember it, but dear nonetheless. It was a wild and wooly time, and I am glad I got to know the Dead in the 1970's. This show was the beginning of a long and fulfilling love affair. I am grateful.

Reviewer: raybo -   - his voice just gives out here and there from what, not really sure, didn't get a chance to ask him! He still does his best pulling some of the vocals off. But at least his heart and soul is still flowing through out his performace.

Anyway, the sound, at times gets wierd, and the overall show is quite mellow (not that is is a bad thing).

I still enjoyed listening to this show as well as the others in this year. As I have been told, that 77 is one of their better years. I am amazed to find thus far (showing my newb here), how many songs have been repeated in the tour. As for me, I don't think this is a bad thing, as each show seems to render a slightly different version of how they did it before.

Overall, I give this show 3 stars.

Reviewer: Chris Freedom - Subject: Wow!I stumbled upon this planning to listen to Half Step opener, a few hours later and I am writing a review as Jerry drifts into Stella Blue. I like Jerry's vocals (Peggy-o)in the first set and the jamming is good especially closing with LL>SUPPL

Second set nice Playin-enjoyed the big jam after Passenger might even call it a mini 78 version of later day Space jam that goes into a way laid back Estimated. In fact this whole show just has a great mellow vibe.

Jerry loses his vocal chords during Stella and Donna and Bobby come in for an assist. Luckily that does not stop his guitar, always felt when Garcia hit a roadblock with his vocals he just channeled it into his guitar playing.( That will be the last Garcia tune this night.) They could have called it a night after Prophet and I would still give this show 4/5

Reviewer: sizhla - Subject: i just have to laughmight be a tad muddy sounding, but they sound plenty 'on' here. Anyone calling em lazy just doesnt get it.

Reviewer: birdsgosouth - Subject: aw irieTerrapin through Sugar Mag is awesome. Jerry leaves briefly during the Playin jam, and when he returns majestically riding on the back of a gigantic sparrow......ah forget it

Reviewer: iriedanc - ow. There is no energy and the whole show is just plain lazy. The are so many other rockin dead shows out there, this one can be skipped.

Reviewer: jillymom - favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite - September 5, 2004 Subject: goodgood sound. sweet "its all over now," slow and funky!

 

• Gr8ful Stockton - My FaveNick, Bagel & I met Mark in Berkeley to head to Stockton for this show. Mark first had to clear his charge for a moving violation at night court... judge dismissed his charge... but I digress. Pouring rain. We're running late!!! We found a miracle parking spot right outside the venue, and walked in to the half-filled venue just as the Boys and Donna kicked into Mississippi half-step uptown toodleloo. We had plenty of space about fifteen feet in front of the band, dead center. Dead Head since my first show in the summer '73, and this is remembered as the one that most blew me away! Jerry's voice was shot... and so just as I hear better with my eyes closed, perhaps he played even better with his voice gone. Who knows. I'd so love for Dave to Pick this one!  
• LundyB black throated JerryJerry could barely sing that night. He must have been sick. He and Bob Weir always switched off songs, and it seemed like in the second set he just chose to have almost all of his "turns" just be jams since he couldn't sing. So the second set had very few songs but was the usual length, with lots of long beautiful music. I was in the balcony and absolutely blown away by how beautiful the long jams were. And when Jerry squeeked out Stella Blue it just made the song even sadder, so even that was beautiful. Amazing night.

 

• First show16 year old runaway from North Cackalacky. Traveled to Stockton with my best friend and funaway partner's boyfriend. Bought two hits of *purple microdot* in line and shortly thereafter entered a whole new universe. We were veritable casualties.Spent a very long time washing my hands in the bathroom. Memory is of people sitting and lying all over the floor. Music was matter. Gypsies, sorcerers, wizards, genies "from the north" were everywhere. I never wanted it to end. Got busted arriving back in Berkeley about 4am by BPD and dragged into the station for being a runaway. Got put on a plane that afternoon by the BPD, still tripping balls, to fly back to the rage and wrath of my terribly worried family. Best trip turned into bad trip. I have never looked back.  
• guitarman93061 oblack throated Jerry?art my 4th or 5th show?Jerry sounded hoarse as his voice broke up on some of the high notes.I think that was why Bobby sang more in the second set.Somebody in the balcony would blow a whistle during the high notes on stella blue to accentuate Jerry's vocal anomally.Rude but funny. Anyone else remember this? We got a kick out of seing the dead in a place like Stockton. No matter, I was hooked by now.  
• 1ezlife First Freebie?Had a friend who's brother was friends with someone with the band....? Andy Rifkin seems to ring a bell. I don't remember ther rain but we did arrive late. Talked our way in for the 2nd set. We entered through backstage but wouldn't let us stay. Saw Mickey as we were ushered into the house. Ended up about 10ft right in front of Jerry! I swear I could have reach out and touch him. Terripin wasn't doing it for me though. I was thinking they really don't have it tonight. Then Jerry cranked it on the main phrase halfway through and I was almost knocked off my feet. Great from then on. I wish I remembered more but I could say that about EVERY show I was every at.

 

Grateful Bill

1-18-1978 My thirteenth Dead show. Spent the day in Bay Area taking girlfriend's girl friend from Philadelphia around Golden Gate Park, North Beach, and Muir woods in Marin County. Came back to Berkeley and drove alone in girlfriend's Dodge van in driving freezing rainstorm after dark for two hours to Stockton. So tired and afraid I'd fall asleep I'd roll window down throw left arm outside and let the rain and cold keep me awake. When arm got too cold I'd drag it back inside. Repeated this all the way to show. Rain pretty much stopped by showtime. Went in and danced on ground floor. For second set went up to balcony to see the show. Afterwards went around balcony collecting leftovers from balcony railings. Lasted me for weeks. Great show, by the way.