On April 7th, 1988, a month after my sixteenth birthday,
I went to my first Grateful Dead concert. Since 1985, when I was thirteen, I’d
been asking my parents for permission to go see them, and they, filled with
misconceptions and fears about what the Dead were about, said no. So in 1988, I
didn’t ask. I got the tickets without their help or knowledge. I remember a
classmate questioned my excitement about the tickets, saying to me “They
probably won’t even play ‘Touch Of Grey,’” as if that song were the reason for
my excitement. Such a strange thing to say. And, as it turned out, he was wrong
on that score as well. Shortly after the concert, a friend gave me tapes of the
show, but those tapes had some sound glitches, mostly in the second set. Back
in the day, if you didn’t manage to get a ticket to a Dead show, you could
listen to the radio broadcast. That’s right, the Dead let public radio stations
broadcast the shows for those who were left without tickets. And several of
those radio broadcasts have since been unofficially released on CDs. Several
years ago, my first show was released in a six-disc boxed set titled
The Centrum, Worcester, Massachusetts April
7, 8, 9 1988, but that set went out of print before I was able to get a
copy. So when another company released it late last year as
Three Nights In Worcester 1988, well, I
had to order a copy. Six discs contain the three shows.
Disc 1
The first disc contains the complete first set from April
7, 1988. And, yes, the band opens the show with “Touch Of Grey.” The sound is
not great, having a bit of a hiss just like the old tapes. Clearly, these
recordings were not remastered for this release. But I’m happy to be able to
revisit my first show. And “Touch Of Grey” does always manage to lift my
spirits. “We will survive.” The sound glitch toward the end of the song
that was on my cassette is present here too. Weird, and disappointing. But I
suppose it makes it clear after all these years that the tapes I was given were
from the radio broadcast and not from an audience recording. Anyway, Bob Weir
follows “Touch” with “Feel Like A Stranger,” and this is when things start
getting really good. This version has all the right energy, and when Brent
starts singing “It’s going to be a long,
long, crazy, crazy night,” you can hear the crowd react. That is just what
we were there for, after all. And the jam after that section pops and grooves.
I had forgotten just how good this “Stranger” is. After the briefest of pauses,
Jerry Garcia leads the band into “Franklin’s Tower.” Usually “Franklin’s”
followed “Help On The Way” and “Slipknot,” but not on this night. It’s a good
choice to follow “Stranger,” keeping the energy high and cheerful, keeping us
all dancing.
We then get “New Minglewood Blues,” with Bob singing that
after a couple shots of whisky, “Worcester
fillies start looking good.” And during the jam, this one turns up the
energy as well. Things get a bit mellower with a sweet rendition of “Row
Jimmy,” with a passionate vocal performance from Jerry making this a highlight
of the first set. Bob then turns to Dylan, with a cover of “Stuck Inside Of
Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again.” Maybe Bob forgets the lyrics for a moment
near the beginning, or perhaps his microphone was off, but this is a strong and
fiery rendition nonetheless, particularly because of the way Bob sings it. He
is right out there on the edge, where the band often did their best work. “Big
Railroad Blues” then gets things hopping. This is a fun rendition, and I love
when Jerry belts out those lyrics toward the end. Bob keeps the rock and roll
vibe going with a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Around And Around,” which wraps up
the first set, with Brent delivering some great stuff on keys. Bob thinks there
might be more lyrics at the end, then realizes there aren’t, and tells the
crowd the band will be back in a little bit.
Disc 2
The second disc contains the complete second set and
encore from April 7, 1988. The band kicks off the second set with “Sugar
Magnolia,” which of course gets everyone excited. And this version cooks right
from the moment they start it, sounding like a celebration, like they want to
tear the roof from the building and let the lights from the stage answer
whatever celestial questions might be shining down on the city. That leads
straight into “Scarlet Begonias,” a song that is always appreciated. And,
that’s when those awful sound glitches return, the ones I recall from my tapes.
Damn. Still, those harsh sounds aren’t going to much lessen my enjoyment of
this song, particularly when the band is moving like it is here. The jam gets
interesting without losing the main groove. Instead of “Fire On The Mountain”
(it would take many more shows before I’d catch a “Scarlet”/“Fire”), the band
goes into “Estimated Prophet,” and there are more harsh sound glitches at the
beginning of this one. These glitches were why I rarely listened to my tapes of
this show back then, preferring the tapes of my second show, July 2, 1989.
Anyway, glitches aside, this is a good version of “Estimated Prophet,” with Bob
really tearing into it. The band segues into “Eyes Of The World,” and the
glitches at the beginning are particularly bad. “Eyes” was always one of my
favorites to see the band perform, right from my first show. A good song to
dance to, with positive and uplifting vibes.
When it gives way to “Drums,” the electronic sounds the
drummers use are present from the beginning, in rather sharp contrast to the
more fluid sounds of “Eyes.” There are sound glitches here too. The first half
of the second set is really marred by those sounds. This “Drums” sounds like
beasts toiling away inside a volcano, heaving fuel into the fire, in
some twisted attempt to effect destruction on an epic scale. It leads to
“Space,” which continues that strange, dark vibe. “The Wheel” emerges from
that, one of my favorite choices of songs to take us out of “Space.” The band
follows that with covers of “Gimme Some Lovin’” and “All Along The Watchtower.”
They then ease into a nice rendition of “Black Peter” that seems to end rather
abruptly. The second set then concludes with “Sunshine Daydream.” The encore is “Box Of Rain,” a sweet way to
send us off into the night. Bobby says “Mañana” before the band leaves the
stage. But, for whatever reason, I wasn’t there the next night.
Disc 3
The third disc contains the complete first set from April
8, 1988. The band kicks it off with a nice version of “Jack Straw,” and the
sound is much better for this one, no harsh glitches. Jerry’s voice might be a
bit weak, but the vibe is perfect, and the jam has some power behind it, giving
the impression the boys are going to go for it on this night. Always a good
thing. They follow that with “West L.A. Fadeaway.” It’s not bad, but feels a
bit flat, never really taking off. Then Bob leads the group in a cool “Little
Red Rooster,” with the crowd howling at the right moment. This version features
some good stuff on guitar, and some passionate work by Brent on keys, and it
just gains more and more energy during the jam, making it a highlight of the
first set. Jerry follows that with “Stagger Lee,” which delights the crowd.
Jerry seems to be having a fine time with this one. Just listen to his vocal
delivery of “How the hell can I arrest
him, he’s twice as big as me,” for example. And then he belts out the final
line, catching the crowd by surprise. This is a really good rendition, another
highlight of the first set.
Bob Dylan’s “Queen Jane Approximately” follows. At
moments they try to infuse it with a little fire vocally, and it ends up being
a decent version. We then get a passionate “Loser,” Jerry doing his best to
push through the cold he apparently had at the time. And that quality in his
voice works for this song anyway. “Loser” leads straight into a wonderful
rendition of “Let It Grow,” which develops a bit of a Spanish flavor at one
moment, a nice surprise. And here at the end of the first set we finally get
some serious jamming.
Disc 4
The fourth disc contains the second set and encore from
April 8, 1988. And what a short second set it is! Including the encore, this
disc is just under an hour long. Weird. They kick off the set with “Playing In
The Band,” so you’d think it’s going to be a set full of jamming, and though
they begin the song with a good deal of energy, things get a bit messy and the
jam is strangely abandoned after only a few minutes, before they can stretch
out and explore, as Jerry leads everyone into “Crazy Fingers.” “Playing” is
never finished. This has to be one of the shortest versions of “Playing In The
Band” every performed. Well, “Crazy Fingers” has a sweet sound, even if Jerry
is struggling vocally at times. “Gone are
the days we stopped to decide/Where we should go, we just ride.” And the
jam at the end is really good, if short. That leads straight into “Uncle John’s
Band,” which has an awkward start, but ends up being an enjoyable rendition
with a bright energy. There is the usual trouble with the lyrics, but no
matter. And what are those weird electronic sounds during the jam? They seem
out of place. For a moment it seems like they might attempt to go back into
“Playing In The Band,” and then things get a little stranger. And suddenly
we’re in the “Drums” segment of the show. And again, the guys are into the
electronic sounds from the start. This is an odd “Drums.”
As it segues into “Space,” we get that weird electronic
sound again. Almost from the moment “Space” begins, we get hints of “The Other
One,” which is interesting. It is almost like “Space” is part of “The Other
One,” which I actually really dig. It gives “Space” direction and gets us
excited for “The Other One.” And then, oddly, it sort of eases into the song
rather than exploding into it. “The Other One” was always one of my favorites to
see the band perform, because it was handled so many different ways. Even so,
this is an especially unusual take on it, for sure. A kind of chaotic and dark
version, with Bob’s vocals being distorted. It soon gives way to “Black Peter,”
which surprises the audience. Two nights in a row? Did Jerry forget? Or was
death just on his mind because he wasn’t feeling good? I remember word at the
time was he seemed upset with himself when he realized, but was already into
it, so figured might as well go on. The band then wraps up the second set with “Turn On
Your Lovelight.” It’s fun, but of course nothing like those early versions with
Pigpen on lead vocals. The encore is “Black Muddy River,” a song I love and one
I never got to see the Dead perform. “I
will walk alone by the black muddy river/And sing me a song of my own.”
There is a radio station identification at the end. I wonder why they didn’t
just fade it out before that.
Disc 5
Onto the third show of this three-night run, the final
time the Grateful Dead would play the Worcester Centrum. The fifth disc
contains the complete first set, as well as the first two songs of the second
set. They begin the show with “Big Boss Man,” an interesting choice. This is a
song that Pigpen used to sing lead on back in the early days, and here Jerry
delivers a really cool version. He sings the original line about wanting a “drink of water,” whereas Pigpen changed
it to whisky. Bob chooses “Walkin’ Blues” to follow it, an excellent choice
thematically. And it’s a solid rendition. By the way, the sound is really good
here, so it’s just the April 7th show that has sound problems. Brent then gets
a turn to sing lead with “Far From Me,” delivering a pretty good version. He
always brought a good deal of passion to whatever he sang, and that lent a
little more excitement to the material, as it does here, particularly toward
the end of the song. Jerry follows that with “Candyman,” the audience cheering
when Jerry sings that the “Candyman’s in
town.” This version features some really good work by Jerry on guitar. And
he reaches some heights vocally too toward the end, making this song stand out.
Bob then chooses “Me And My Uncle,” and delivers a rather exciting rendition,
going straight into “Mexicali Blues.” This first set has a really good vibe
about it, feeling well-crafted with regards to theme. Sometimes things just
happen to come together, you know? And this is a fun version of “Mexicali
Blues.” Then “Tennessee Jed” gets the crowd excited, as it tended to do. And
Jerry seems excited about it too, giving a strong performance. And who is there
to doubt him when he sings he’s going to “rock
all night”? With this kind of energy, it seems inevitable. This is the main
highlight of the first set. At each of these three shows, Bob played one Dylan
song during the first set, and on this night he chooses “When I Paint My
Masterpiece,” a song I find myself singing somewhat regularly, mostly because
of the lines “Someday everything is gonna
be different/When I paint my masterpiece.” And this is an excellent
version, with Bob totally into it. The band then concludes the first set with “Deal,”
which is completely fitting. The energy is high as they leave the crowd for the
set break.
This disc, as I mentioned, contains the first two songs from the second set.
They open the set with a rousing rendition of “Hell In A Bucket.” Ah yes, no
energy has been lost during the set break. This is a fiery, thumping version, and
I have to imagine everyone there was enjoying the ride. It leads straight into “Iko
Iko,” a song to get everyone shaking his bones and clapping along. And listen
to Jerry tearing into it! And then Brent on keys! Oh, this is a whole lot of
fun. Fantastic rendition.
Disc 6
The set’s final disc contains the rest of the second set
and encore from April 9, 1988, beginning with “Looks Like Rain.” It used to
strike me as strange when Bob chose to follow “Iko Iko” with this pretty song,
but it doesn’t take us long to switch gears and get into this one, especially
as Bob’s passion for it is so clear. Jerry then leads the band into “Terrapin
Station,” a fan favorite. And, yeah, maybe Jerry’s voice is a bit rough here,
but this is “Terrapin,” and there is always an amount of magic in this one.
That leads to the “Drums” segment, which this time begins with a solid beat,
and takes a moment before things get into stranger territory. And there is that
odd electronic sound again from the previous show. This “Drums” is like some
alien life form is slicing into our reality, pulling our strings, curious as to
how we function. And their strong pulse becomes ours. Where does one end
and the other begin anyway? No matter, just keep moving forward, that’s the
thing, even through the fires, the explosions, even into those pockets of
nothingness, where a single thought can hold sway and dominate a universe. And,
yes, we are now into “Space,” at first a lonely void, but soon light divides
the darkness, makes it palatable, gives us something to strive toward. The
light is coming from a vessel driven by an entity that is part spirit, part
fire, but without intending harm. Still, there is something behind it, pushing
it, powering it, encouraging it. And it seems capable of moving in infinite
directions all at once, though we, being limited, have to pick a single
direction. And so we do. And soon we are going down that road, feeling good,
cooking along, and far from alone. We find everyone else has chosen this same
road, and it becomes a party. Oh yes, we’re all in this together, and so
everything is lighter for each of us. Still, that doesn’t mean we are without
our needs. “I need a woman about twice my
age/A lady of nobility, gentility and rage,” Bob sings. And that sounds
just about right. The road has become train tracks, and this freight train is
burning across the landscape. “I need a
miracle every day.” And that leads naturally to “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” with
Brent as some kind of spiritual guide taking us over the hill and around the
bend. “Hey Jude” eventually emerges. It has the feeling of a climax, but the
band isn’t done yet. Bob leads them into “Throwing Stones.” The band goes at it
full force. “Full of hope, full of grace,
is the human face/But afraid we may lay our home to waste.” And when Bob
shouts “On our own,” you know he means it. That leads straight into “Not Fade
Away” to wrap up the second set on a positive, optimistic note. “You know our love will not fade away.”
So great to hear the crowd singing that at the end. The encore is “One More
Saturday Night.” Well, it was a Saturday, after all.
CD Track List
Disc 1
- Touch Of Grey
- Feel Like A Stranger
- Franklin’s Tower
- New Minglewood Blues
- Row Jimmy
- Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
- Big Railroad Blues
- Around And Around
Disc 2
- Sugar Magnolia
- Scarlet Begonias
- Estimated Prophet
- Eyes Of The World
- Drums
- Space
- The Wheel
- Gimme Some Lovin’
- All Along The Watchtower
- Black Peter
- Sunshine Daydream
- Box Of Rain
Disc 3
- Jack Straw
- West L.A. Fadeaway
- Little Red Rooster
- Stagger Lee
- Queen Jane Approximately
- Loser
- Let It Grow
Disc 4
- Playing In The Band
- Crazy Fingers
- Uncle John’s Band
- Drums
- Space
- The Other One
- Black Peter
- Turn On Your Lovelight
- Black Muddy River
Disc 5
- Big Boss Man
- Walkin’ Blues
- Far From Me
- Candyman
- Me And My Uncle
- Mexicali Blues
- Tennessee Jed
- When I Paint My Masterpiece
- Deal
- Hell In A Bucket
- Iko Iko
Disc 6
- Looks Like Rain
- Terrapin Station
- Drums
- Space
- Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad
- I Need A Miracle
- Dear M. Fantasy
- Hey Jude (Finale)
- Throwing Stones
- Not Fade Away
- One More Saturday Night
Three Nights In
Worcester 1988 was released on October 13, 2020 through Stray Cat Records.
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