The Parking Lot scene was endless and everyone was in a most excellent and sharing mood. Quite simply, it was the biggest concert in human history. The Dead had their tower speakers they rarely used, and many of them were pointed outward so the crowd outside blended with the one inside. Let's stop for a second and consider what was going on: crowd control experts estimated that there were 250,000 people inside the speedway and another 250,000 outside the speedway. We took a busload of newbs to their first Dead Show. After Morning Dew, they tack on a very satisfying Sugar Magnolia to end the 2nd set. This version nails the quiet part, but the build seems abruptly cut off.īut not to worry! The Dead weren't finished yet.
In the best versions of this song, the outro starts off quietly and slowly builds to an insane crescendo. It peaks too early, in the guitar solo prior to the last verse. My one other criticism is that the Morning Dew, like many of the later versions, is somewhat anti-climactic. The band makes up for it, though, with a segue into a blistering version of All Along the Watchtower. The latter would be a fun set opener, but it lacks the power to really work in the post-drums segment. The former has a cool signature lick that repeats throughout the song, but the song is long and doesn't really build. I'm not a huge fan of the Dead's versions of Memphis Blues Again or Gimme Some Lovin'. And it transitions so beautifully into The Wheel. And Space from this show is as good as it gets. The Dead were unique in a lot of respects, but it was their ability to be creative during these space jams that really set them apart from every other band that ever existed. It bewilders me why so many Deadheads seem to dislike Space. I consider the Playing In the Band from this show to be one of the better versions of the era. It eventually grew on me to where I now like it a lot.
All three songs became mainstays of the repertoire, although I have to say that I wasn't sure what to make of "Victim or the Crime" when I heard it that night. I've been to concerts by other bands where the new songs grind the energy to a halt, but that doesn't happen here. The end of the first set was that place where the band breaks out the new songs. There are great versions of nearly every song. The only major flaw in the recording comes towards the end of this song, though, as the tape machine was no match for the Phil bombs. If there was any doubt about their musicianship, the smoking Jack Straw puts that to rest. The song is a simple 2 chord sing-along, and you get the impression that these are serious musicians having a great effing time. The amazement starts out right from the beginning with an Iko, Iko. I often use the word "amazing" to describe the Dead's music, and it applies here. This one has a little of everything, or at least as much as can be crammed into a 3-hour GD performance. While it's easy to argue that the Dead's best years were during the first half of their career, there's a lot to be said for what they did at their best later on. This is about as good as the band got in 1988. If you don't like this show, then you don't like the Grateful Dead.
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