5/9/87


This remain, to this date, the best uploaded recording despite a VG+ FOB that also has its charms on the archive.

The first set opens auspiciously but doesn’t deliver. Both Sugar Magnolia and Sugar are a little sluggish and never get off the ground. Everything is serviceable though until the personalities begin to emerge of some of the band members and then it gets interesting. During a nicely sung yet oddly topsy-turvey Tons of Steel, Brent sings many of the lyrics with obvious and pointed conviction, even apologizing to Phil as an ad lib at one point for, possibly, taking more liberties with phrasing and throwing him off or perhaps having a few too many before the show causing this lack of duet discipline? I can’t tell from this vantage point but it actually makes for a very memorable version of the song and a plaintive one too. The new emphasis Brent gives to some of the lines in the song are interesting as well. Phil is very much alert now and he shows this in Tennessee Jed which, with a flick of his thumb, Phil takes control of the song, it’s rhythm and its destiny. Jerry willingly gives way and we get a highly unique Tennessee Jed too! Let it Grow takes advantage of all this musical wokeness and goes the distance to end the set.

Second set raises the shower thought, “would the skeleton puppet Grateful Dead forget the lyrics to Touch of Grey?” Well the real Jerry does drop parts of the second verse but otherwise it’s a state of the art 1987 Touch probably complete with windmills. Looks Like Rain and He’s Gone are rather uneventful though and we go into Drums which moves along at a brisk tempo on the traps and the talking drum before Mickey moves to the back wall and starts hammering away on the humungous middle tom. Very low tones duet with Bill’s nimble kit and then some tight roto-toms for a while and that morphs into Space with a little bit of Beam participation. Space becomes Wheel space and then again a service able post set. Other One is a short one with Bobby filtered through the harmonizer throughout, Wharf Rat is interchangeable with one or two others from the era. The Iko Iko however is charming though. More like a kick off to what must have been a long long crazy night in the lots, campground etc than an encore.

I can guarantee 100% this is a sbd cassette master. In 1987 - 1990 they ran an UltraMatrix mix for the recordings. There were two microphones at the sound booth being mixed in with the sbd feed to make the recording sound 'live'.

but judging from the way the crowd is present & ambient (it doesn't sound like they're coming through the stage microphones to me) this is not a SBD. Thanks to Charlie Miller and friends in any event.

Great sound, nice recording and uploading.

Exellent both in performance and sound quality. Thanks Charlie.

Your recordings rock.... They have the feel of the live event. Oade Bros???? Yours sound better.... thanks