What an ordeal. I had planned to post something different for today’s “On This Date in History”, but I discovered that someone posted it a couple years ago with the wrong tape info. The I was going to do a Victims Family video from 1991 and I pop the VHS in, and the band is playing in complete darkness. THEN, I looked for these tapes to digitize and they were not in the tape #1924/1925 slot. As a last resort, I searched my “On This Date” PC directory and there it was. I had already digitized this months ago and forgot I did it. Self-inflicted frustration.

Speaking of ordeal- I can’t remember how I got this equipment into Arco- I remember having help from a friendly usher (Kenny maybe?), but there was NO WAY that I got this in on my own- the deck was 10″x 6″ and weighed a ton without the 4 “D” cell batteries that it took! I also had 2 Nakamichi CM-300 mics and a ridiculous amount of microphone cord. Luckily I was in the middle of a row or security would have pounced on me- I was comically obvious.

On top of it all, one of the 2 mics would not give a signal. You hear a mic cut early on and once again later in the set- that was me trying to get the other mic to work, but I finally just settled on taping in 1 channel. Just fixed it up today so it can be heard in 2-channel mono.

It sounds pretty decent for Arco- the arena was notorious for terrible concert sound, but I was really close to the stage so the drums and bass are pretty clear, with vocal and guitar a bit echoey/distant. Not bad, probably my best sounding tape from Arco.

Youtube forced me to edit out the Star Spangled Banner at the beginning- Jimi’s estate = no bueno

Recorded by: Shayne Stacy
Equipment used: Marantz PMD430 and Namakichi CM-300 shotgun mic
Transfer Equipment used: Nakamichi Dragon and M-Audio Audiophile 2496 card