who surprised and who disappointed

In every case when I have had the opprotunity to hear live someone I have on recording and then go home and listen to their recording, the recording has always won, no question. While I have a great system, i think it has more to do with the PA that is omnipresent in most concert halls today. Th e exception is when I attend my local symohony orchestra which is unamplified- a rairity today except in the better halls.

The Grateful Dead! I didn't understand what the big deal was until I went to a show. Even if I hadn't eaten a bag of mushrooms and spent much of the time wandering around the bathroom trying to find my way back to my friends and our blanket I think it would still have been one of my most favorite experiences. Really.

Haha Kublakhan - that's funny. But I agree with you. And there is a great streaming archive of live Grateful Dead concerts at:

http://www.archive.org/details/GratefulDead

Over 3000 concerts to choose from - make sure you listen to the good ones! Cheers, Peter