The first set is 1989 in a nutshell - rowdy, popular new Bobby and Brent tunes interchanged with beloved early 70’s Garcia songs, with a poetic pinch of Dylan and a ripping Jack Straw to boot. The Grateful Dead repertoire of the late 80’s had a particular duality: current, yet classic. The boys were on the airwaves and in your uncle’s dusty record collection at the same time, leading to a broader audience and more hype, which, combined with Garcia’s good health and the level of experience and mileage that the Brent lineup had accumulated, resulted in some smoking hot performances.

I’d say the highlights here are a Phil-inspired Sugaree, the last three songs of the first set, and then the stretch starting with the rich, mountainous He’s Gone running right through the end of the second set, which closes with a lovely Brokedown Palace. It’s always nice to hear a Wolf-wielding Jerry strum out those older tunes; other than the Hey Pocky Way, the second set looks like something out of October ‘73. This was a good night for the drummers too, who chop things up with some really creative maneuvers. This show isn’t as famous as some others from the tour. If it had the bustouts of the Hampton run, or one of those cosmic Dark Stars like the ones played on 10/16 and 10/26, I’m sure it would get a lot more love. It’s more comparable to the Philly and Charlotte shows - underrated but solid. There’s a lyrical scuff or two, a couple of the MIDI gambles that don’t quite pay off, and I think the setlist could’ve used just one more little something to make it pop a bit more, like a Row Jimmy or a Crazy Fingers. This one just rounds down from a 4.4 overall rating to 4 stars for me, but sometimes a 4-star show is exactly what you prefer!