Let me tell you what a Day. David Lindly and El rayo ex opened around 2 ish and Then Santana came up next under the big tent and that show was HOT!! Carlos was getting off. That was around 3 when Santana started. And Then I remember we had a fairly long wait until it got a little Darker and then Bam Touch of Grey. Touch had just become a top 20 hit and it was peaking about this time. You would hear it in people cars as you drove around town. So the Dead go all out and get a Stunt Plane that Dive bombs the stage during The first chorus of TOUCH. The first set had a few stumbles from what i remember but the 2nd Set was just amazing! I am sure the Chemicals just hitting me had a little to do with it. Jerry was so On, he was having so much fun playing that night. And then when Carlos joined them Jerry was laughs and giggles, hugging and joking with Carlos. Me having lived in the Midwest was thinking how similar this venue's feel was to Alpine Valley. Anyways this was a hot show, most of the Deads California shows that summer were. A few months after this we Had Mountain View for the first time and the Band didnt disappoint for those shows either. Summer of 87 kicks ass if you were a California Dead Head. Man I loved it every second of it. I was so damn lucky. What a Hot Crazy Strange Summer, the family was out in full force!!!

favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite

What can you say about a show that starts with Box of Rain and ends with Brokedown? Or that has Carlos Santana sitting in on Watchtower?

What can you say about a Set Two that runs

Scarlet>Fire>Playin and ends with yet another heart wrenching version of Morning Dew?



Who said the 1980's were no fun? I did more acid in the eighties that I ever did before or since. But that's another tale, sigh.



This was one of the first shows from 1987 I got years ago, from GD Live I believe. Initially, I'm sure it was popular among the FTP server traders because they knew Santana was playing on it.



The previous night had some special moments, but lacks the energy and right song combination to make it a top show. This night, they return with a mission and really blow everybody's mind. The set list for the first set is a wonderful mix of old and new songs that dovetail (joint) perfectly.



High Time, L.A. Fadeaway, Box of Rain, Jack Straw and Watchtower all great. A set that's solid all the way. Jack Straw shows that Jerry is really feeling confident, the Dylan tour behind them, he can now go back to longer jamming and his guitar chops are stronger after the coma. Great gutsy tone he gets on the solo. And Phil does a great vocal job on Rain - not only hitting the notes but also in his phrasing and expression.



BTW - as other reviewers mentioned at the other SBD page, this is NOT a pure SBD. Matrix for sure of some kind. You can hear the crowd and the mix, frankly, is not that great. I would have to give this one 4 stars for sound quality. Enjoyable, but not the best. Not enough Brent and Phil for me, at least not so far.

High Time slows down the pace to a slinky crawl.

Jerry really belts it out with gusto - a warm up song for the Dew to follow later.

Curiously, it is Iko Iko that is able to transport the band to the next level, where they remain for the rest of the show. Maybe Santana coming onto stage allowed everybody to loosen up and let go? As good as the previous songs are, they sound just a bit self conscious or restrained until they hit Iko. Then look out! Wow, Brent is now up in the mix. And Santana takes a blazing solo, then Garcia who's having fun now. The crowd recognizes Watchtower immediately and again Santana reaches back to Santana III to deliver some soaring lines. Then it's Garcia and Santana dueling it out - much like Santana did with Neil Schon on Santana III (Schon was only 17 at the time BTW). Wow!



Scarlet kicks off Set Two on the same high energy that left off with Watchtower. Jerry really revs it up on Fire, a lengthy 9+ minute version that has moments of 1977 in it. Phil and the drummers keep the beat jumping, and Brent is all over the map on the electric piano. At about 6 minutes in they reach the top of the mountain, and just explode!! Jerry's voice here sounds better than in many 1984-85 shows.

Playin is taken at a fast pace, the drums driving the train with blasts of B3 from Brent. It's a three way jam with Jerry, Phil and Brent in the middle section. They don't enter the minor mode jam until after 4:00, then Jerry takes us to wah wah cosmic land. Great jazz keyboard from Brent!

After this, your mind and the band need a break.



A fairly short Drums leads to a nice long Space. This is a good sign, No? It's midi playland as Bobby provides some nice sonic pads for Garcia to create a Dark Star type of lonely far away mystical solo. Very ECM, Steve Tibbetts stuff.

Miracle provides a nice change, and brings the crowd back to a semi-physical plane. A full scale gospel shout segues into Mr. Fantasy. A short Playin reprise serves as a bridge to a mythical Morning Dew. The whole show seems to be leading to this point. Jerry is "Dead" serious and delivers a passionate vocal. With the addition of Brent, Dew is one song that really found its stride in the 1980's. At 5:00, Jerry blasts out a solo that must have lit up the sky. The poignancy of this song was not lost on this Reagan-era crowd. And Jerry shows Santana a thing or two about long sustained soaring lines! The crowd is right with the band, and all go up together in a blaze of smoke and color at the end. Whew! I'm exhausted. Time for a bowl and go looking for my face.

NFA and Brokedown are a perfect double hit to send everybody out the door singing and vibrating.

The vocals on both are superb. With this show, the band bade the west coast goodbye until October at Shoreline, so they really put their souls into it. The crowd sings the refrain at the end of NFA, then the harmonies of Brokedown ring out over the night sky and give everybody goose bumps for miles away.

Did the Grateful Dead prevent nuclear war in the 1980's?? This show would be a testament to that fact.

The SBD/Matrix gets much better in Set Two. A solid 5 stars for this gem.



cheers,

Dr. Flashback :-)

- February 22, 2012Top Ten for 1987 !!