1987 was really a kick ass year for the Dead. They played with a ton of energy this year. Brent was really coming into his own, after 8 years, and Jerry felt and sounded good. They were even quasi-mainstream with In the Dark. This run at the Greek was insane. Bobby busted out the first Watchtower the night before and they were just ON. Nice show!! Check out 5/10/87 as well. Great Bucket>Scarlet>Fire!!

ok. there are those that would dismiss the dead after '77 as lacking creativity and uumph. oh well. i didn't get to see them until '82. compared to early '80s pop, or even punk? i digress.

no. it ain't pigpen in your face with a 30 minute lovelight. there's no dark star here. hornsby isn't making his magical runs on the keys. however, folks, this is the real mccoy.

in the fall of '88, a buddy laid this board on me. i've listened to it regularly ever since. why? muscle. it is the dead entering their latter phase, yet it's youthful and powerful. the band and the audience are PRESENT.

we've got brent, kicking the backup vocals up a notch; we've got jerry with a renewed voice; phil is bubbly; bob is aggressive; bill and mickey are on point. in short, this is a solid show from an era when a full 90 minute second set was uncommon. regardless of studying your watch, listen. this is good.

crazy fingers is vocally superier to many '70s versions. saint is standard but kicks a subtle ass. china doll is as fragile as ever, but improved by jerry's '87 vocal alacrity. masterpiece is a nice stab into the dylan song book and a refreshing twist on space.

if you're a fan of high octane '80s, it's all here: there's energy lurking where you least expect it.

i could only dream about kicking out such jams at our always already waning age.

ah, the good ole grateful dead.