The boys come out of the break with a Touch of Grey, which segues into a Man Smart, Woman Smarter, getting everyone to really shake their bones. Following that, with fireworks going across the skyline, the boys head into a lovely Ship of Fools with Jerry killing it on vocals and guitar. The boys noodle from there into the Playin’ theme, coming around to the reprise and quickly leaving it for Terrapin with a nifty little transition. Drums and Space comes next, followed by Brent powering through an attenuated I Will Take You Home. Watchtower, which is also a little on the shorter side, is really hot as Jerry fires away on some epic runs. Morning Dew comes out next in prime form, rising to a heady, immaculate jam in the middle before going into one of the best ever later year versions of Not Fade Away. Through the latter half of the tune, Jerry and Brent trade licks, attempting to imitate and build upon each others’ riffs, making for a frenetic, rollicking experience. The crowd cannot get enough of it, continuing the cheers and chanting long after the boys left the stage. But, of course, the band comes back out for that U.S. Blues encore on the Fourth of July.

The late 80s are such a controversial period for the Grateful Dead. Many heads who had been on the bus for years stopped going to shows or at least reduced their attendance because of what they perceived as weakened music and a seriously degraded scene. It is certainly true that the popularity of Touch of Grey brought a new generation of fans, in much greater numbers than ever before. Moreover, the band responded by playing more stadium shows, like our current Dead of the Day, which often had poor sound in areas of the venue. But, at the same time, most of the members of the band have said at different points that during this period they felt like they were playing better as a group than they ever had. Not only is it hard to argue with a sentiment like that, but the music is undoubtedly damn fine at many points during this era. Albeit, the sound is different than spring ’77, 1974 and the Wall of Sound, or some primal Dead, but it is still so tasty. As always, though, each to their own; give it a listen, and share your thoughts in the comments below. And happy Fourth of July.

The Grateful Dead released the show as Truckin’ Up to Buffalo back in 2005 on both DVD, CD, and vinyl. If you have not seen the video, you really should check it out with Jerry amped up throughout.