This was my first show. Baltimore had just been hit with a pretty massive snow storm and my parents almost didn't let me go but I begged them. My girlfriend's dad insisted on dropping us off at the front gate and picking us up right away after. It's ok because there was no parking lot scene tonight due to it being like 10 degrees or something. Anyway, I could not have asked for a better intro to the Dead. I was already a huge fan of Live Dead, Skullfuck and the Vault series,...especially of the jams... so this show was totally perfect for me. Shakedown would also be the opener at the final show I saw, a mere 2 years later... needless to say, when it comes to the Dead, I totally drank the Kool Aid and tonight was a major initiation. Everything from Crazy Fingers on was just pure bliss and Dark Star was such a treat, I couldn't believe they were playing it... Drums and Space was also a benchmark experience for me that seriously influenced my future musical interests and development. As I recall, the segue into the Other One had us jaw-dropped. All I can say is, THANK YOU GOGD!!!!!!!

This was all in all a great show. Shakedown and Wang Dang got things off to a fast start and it just kept going all night. The Crazy Fingers was out of this world, and the Phil Bombs for Other One were intense. Last time I ever saw an old college buddy, wonder where he is now. Anyway, the band was on and they were tight!! This is the Grateful Dead I want to remember!!

His job is to shed light, not to master.

This show will always have a special place in my heart. I went with Jen K and we got hooked on the Dead in a big time way. Thanks for all the memories, but especially this one!

The jam out of Space was NOT Two Soldiers jam, it was the Handsome Cabin Boy jam. Though similar, the two are definitely not the same (just listen to the first Garcia-Grisman for one, and Shady Grove for the other. You can't really mistake them for each other.)

The night before, Jerry had woefully aborted Morning Dew after flubbing the final verse (that's right, there was no finale jam). Perhaps the only time a boo ever left my lips at a show (if only audible to my brother next to me, who uttered it in chorus). So we felt Jerry was going to make it up to us the next night, and darned if he didn't with a hot Shakedown opener. Not sure how long it actually was, but felt like 15 minutes (very satisfying in any case and all was forgiven).

This was the first time I'd heard these new songs. Eternity and especially Days Between were the ones that grabbed me. This was a great show, and the set-opening Picasso Moon was cranked to 11 out of the gate.

As for that Handsome Cabin Boy jam......I'd been in love with the 9-22-87 Spectrum one out of Space for several years, so I couldn't believe my ears and was absolutely overjoyed when Jerry started in on it here. Most people just thought it was another turn of Space (as I had on 9-22), and it was still years more before I found out what song it actually was.