Dead of the Day: 07-29-1988
Laguna Seca Raceway
Monterey, California
There are so many outstanding shows on this date in Dead history. You can go listen to a deep, primal 1966 show, a hot Wall of Sound show from ’74, and a solid Red Rocks show from ’82. But our Dead of the Day comes from 1988 and the Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California. The show in question begins with a standard, rocking Iko, followed up by a sweet little Walkin’ Blues. After a Candyman, Bobby really lights up the Queen Jane Approximately. Then the boys comes right back with an outrageous Althea, Jerry wailing on the guitar and Brent feeding in some very fine keys. Brent keeps it going with a lovely Blow Away, just wanting a little more help on the backing vocals to make this one absolutely extraordinary. A solid Cassidy then heads into another set-ending Deal, this one hitting all the points as the boys seamlessly come together. But it is not the first set you came to listen to. The highlight of the show, by far, is the incredible breakup of China> Rider, as the boys insert a stunning Crazy Fingers in the middle of the two. All of it is played so well with Phil really nailing the bombs and all the boys hitting it. But besides the excellent playing on the three tunes, the shear surprise of it all gives you goose bumps. As Mind Wondrin comments on Archive,
Just imagine you’re standing there getting your shake on, thinking “ok, a decent enough China going down, here comes Rider” when the microbus it’s in takes a left turn off the freeway where you could have sworn there wasn’t even an exit. When Fingers finally dissolved into Rider I wonder how many heads thought that Fingers had happened only in their minds? I can imagine out in the lot, alot of, “Hey, I see you wrote the setlist down. Can I take a peek?”
But don’t just stop listening at the end of I Know You Rider because the Playin’ that comes out is essential as well. There is also a dark and deep Space that then gives way to The Wheel with a fun shot of Gimme Some Lovin’ coming afterwards. Then we get one of only seven Believe It Or Nots, a Garcia-Hunter tune that was recorded for Built To Last, but not included. Sugar Mags then sends out the set in short, hyper fashion before a Black Muddy River encore that is even more haunting in retrospect.
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