The middle Hampton show is known for the first Ballad of a Thin Man and the return of To Lay Me Down. Though it's not a top 5 show of '88 overall, it's above average and does have some highlights, including a nice second set sequence. If yr new to this tour, the peak is probably the 31st, so start there. A friend of mine did most of this tour and when he got back (sans tapes) I asked how it was. Never effusive, I remember him saying "I dunno they're getting into weird shit". "Like what?" I pressed, keen for pre-internet updates. "Like starting sets with Space and playing these crazy other songs and shit."

First Set. Starts with pretty solid playing and then unveils the first sans-Dylan Ballad of a Thin Man. They played it 6 times in '87 as Dylan's backing band and then twice at Dead shows in '88. The second (4/1) is stronger, suggesting that it may have improved, if Bobby had been willing to spit out all the words and in the right order. Cumberland is yr typical '88 but Me & My Uncle has a great Jer solo. To Lay Me Down had not been played since '83. Not bad for fresh-out-of-mothballs - in fact better than the next. There were 10 in '88 and then it faded again. I dig this Let it Grow, but I'm partial to '88 and objectively it's not an ace version, so YMMV.

Second Set. This set started with a massive We Want Phil (missing from some sources) and the response from the area rug was an impromptu tuning (not really a "Space") that briefly includes Jer quoting Miles' So What. (There was an actual Space opener on 10/31/85.) Sugar Mag isn't bad, but Scarlet heads a nice set sequence that's one of the best of the tour. It doesn't seem that strong on the verses but hold on for amazing fretwork fireworks and great Brent. Jer just jumps the cliff. Maybe one of the of year's top Scar>Fires, the latter gets better and better. Estimated is average '88, but it's worth listening for Phil, who has a great set. Jer goes straight into the verses for Eyes, adding his own fills. Probably not as good as 4/1, but still hella on. Space is great, with a neat jam inside, where Bobby works a theme. Goin' Down the Road is nicely uptempo and brilliant overall; maybe better than 3/31, which also went into Miracle, just not one this good. Granted, '88 is full of great ones but this Miracle also goes into a great Fantasy, finishing the fine sequence. Brent only briefly quotes Hey Jude and only first part is played. Sunshine Daydream trainwrecks at first and almost twice. U.S. Bluesis mostly manqué.

1st Set:  B-
2nd Set: C+
Overall = 3 stars

Highlights:
Me & My Uncle - for the solo
Scarlet>Fire - latter may be year's best
Goin' Down the Road>I Need a Miracle - uptempo, great overall

SOURCES: The 141213_sbd_miller is the first complete SBD in circ (this and the 141312_UltraMatrix_sbd_miller are the same Healy "ultra" board-mic SBD). The matrix_braverman_17262 is listed as a SBD/AUD tape matrix, but it's not. It's actually the same Healy matrix-mic SBD (but slightly less complete). The mix-up comes from misunderstanding the term: confusing a Healy mic matrix (made live on a single tape) with a tape-blend matrix (made years or decades later from separate sources). The jerugim_braverman_fix-406 is that source patched with an AUD. The pasternak_mallick_107907 is the best AUD. The show was local-broadcast to the parking lots on FM band, so some of the sources are these [the grabski and probably the jerugim sources]. The official release is Download 5, which uses the more-exciting Healy ultramix for the first three songs and the uncirc basic SBD for the rest.