could possibly be a Danny Thompson tape ( yeah i knew FTD fast talking Danny) and had a german cassette deck UHER CR240 (have same deck) and he made some amazing front of board AUD tapes , if conditions were right with no whistlers or screamers, these audience tapes could easily fool people into thinking they were boards. I had people label some copies of my shows boards (Firehose, Flaming Lips), just listen to the 3st from this run,there's a couple of others of his tapes on archive just look his name up in topics FOB or Danny Thompson. It's a shame cause he had so many more , not shure what happen with him? I know towards the end he was off in the deep end of drug use. I have a couple masters we did together , MSG 90 & the first year of Sam Boyd Vegas FOB

Beautiful pair of shows, the pacific behind ur backs just beyond the gently sloping hill we danced upon in the afternoon- sublime!

some people saying this show isnt as great as others are saying were you there?.for sure a very unique show,the playing in the band alone makes it a must listen but the whole show had a very edgy vibe and the boys were really letting it all hang out and having fun,everyone has a different experience at shows, some shows i think were the best ever,others might say they were ok but nothing special.its all about your personal experience at that moment in time,but with all that said def a fun unique show for that time.

Drove out from Colorado!!! What an amazing time went to all three shows...... Magical!!!!!!!

To all the so called "audiophiles/tapers" Yes, Bose sucks.. Move on and "Listen To The Music Play."
IKO opener w/Brent on keys.. 'Nuff said...

We didn't know if there would be tickets but we fired up my Sunshine Daydream yellow Toyota and headed north from Glendora anyway. .......Arriving at Laguna Seca, we were informed that tickets were available, complete with camping, for the entire weekend. We were so topped!!!!!!! This recording definitely documents that experience.

Re: Schumster's review and others - Bose headphones have distortion built in. They are your problem. The whole Bose sound is based on built-in bass EQ that presents unrealistic sound and greatly magnifies any minor problems in the lower frequencies. I'm listening to this fileset on Sennheiser headphones which are engineered flat frequency response and it sounds basically fine.

TL;DR: Bose sucks.

Show is one of the best of '88 which is saying almost nothing. It is one of the least interesting, flattest years in the canon; most shows are cleanly performed but lack the fire of the better '87 shows or the creativity of '89. My 4 star rating is relative to the era.

China > Crazy > Rider is a nice idea and the parts are well enough done but the transitions are abrupt & the second one is practically a train wreck.

However the Playin' jam is the best single-song performance of the year by approximately fifteen orders of magnitude. It's a legit jaw-dropping psych-rock mini masterpiece. WTF Grateful Dead?!?!?!

Sadly I was unable to get past Cassidy as my Bose headphones were distorting badly even at low volume. Word to the wise - distortion blows speakers not high volume.

I can't believe it's been that long. I was barely 15 and 300 miles away from home. I have so many snapshot memories of the 29th and 30th, my second and third shows. I guess I was lucky to be there. I would go on to see them 85 more times, but there will always be a special place in my heart for Laguna. I even kept the tickets.

The playing in the band on this, from So Many Roads, is worth the download alone. By far my favorite since the 70s.

Phil's bass at 3:30 - 3:35 of the playing in the band is why i love the grateful so much. They are the only band that can pull that kind of magic.

Took me years to find this tape... I drove up from PHX for these shows and remember getting my mind blown by the Playin... I was just bopping around on the hill taking a break from being in the front and then BAM! Utter Playin CHAOS! That was wild. After a few years I wasn't sure if it really happened. Thank God for archive.org.

Believe it or not, I just came to listen to Believe it or not. Actually, this turned out to be an enjoyable show. Great Queen Jane in the first set and the whole first half of the second set is just stellar. Also, well, Believe it or not which is a gorgeous tune that just didn't get enough play.

if there is a better Playing in the Band of the latter era (1979-95) Dead than this, i would love for someone to point me in the direction of it.

This could seriously make you loose ALL your marbles stone cold sober...

Recording is distorted. End of Blowaway has a lot of low end distortion. Sounds a bit ugly.

Folks need to remember there was no authorized taping allowed at these shows. With that said I love my copies. The whole China Cat>Crazy Fingers>Rider still gives me goose bumps. The Give Me Some Lovin was the capper for me having made the trip down from Missoula. Phil steady dropping bombs, not to metion the machine gun fire in the background. Great shows.

I've listened to this one a bunch of times but I just don't get why everyone is praising it so highly. Sound quality? Clear for sure but way too much bass drum and Brent, and a big hole in the midrange. Setlist? Great, never miss a Crazy Fingers and this is a good one...apart from the transition between the intro and first verse, which is almost painful. The Playin' is beautiful chaos. Otherwise, I just hear another OK late-80's show. What am I missing?

Don't get me wrong, my love & respect for the boys is not in question, and I'm not expecting 69-77. I appreciate having all of this wonderful music available, and I'd give anything to be back at another show -- even this show. I just don't understand why so many believe this one to be so exceptional.

They shot the video May 9, 1987, not in 1988.

how do i download this show?

I was at all 3 of these awesome shows and they left me speechless a full 5***** show DA KINE......I do believe that they shot videos that weekend if memory serves me "Touch Of Grey"?

I grew up hearing my dad play the dead, but i never quite got it. As i got older, my mind developed quite an appreciation for the music. In time i have come to love the dead, i would go so far as to say that the music has improved my overall quality of life. I was born in 88, so sadly by the time i began to really listen to the dead Jerry had already passed away. I've seen Bobby and Phil and plenty of covers, but i know i'm still missing out. Even though i never got to see a show, i have to be grateful that we have recordings like this. I'm grateful that there are good quality audience recordings like this one that allow guys like me the chance get the feeling of being there. As for the debate over quality, well i have to say it sounds great to me, i've definately heard crisper AUD recordings, but this is def a solid recording. Thank You for sharing this and allowing someone like me the chance to escape to a place i never could have been otherwise. Thanks.

anyone who has any complaints on mp3 conversion...lossless needs to go make a phat peanut butter and jelly sandwich and thank the vapors that this even exists. I live right up the road from Laguna Seca, and was'nt at this show. Sweet. thankyou whoever pulled this off and delivered a crisp gift. Bruce in Salinas

I was at all three shows campin out. Good times and a great show. Playin' is a definite audio fractal if there ever was one. CHeck it out. Brent also broke out "Gentlemen start your engines" on Sunday I believe. All in all a great trifecta of days.

"Can anyone tell me why some uploaders do not want
their shows/music to be converted to Mp3 format?
Please try to give easy explanation. Thanks"

The issue is that seeders do not want their lossless source to be re-seeded as an mp3 lossy source. I convert to mp3 for personal ipod use only.

Agree with those that question the kind of source this is. However, disagree with all the praise about the quality. To my ears it's distorted - too much clipping.

Beyond that, some good stuff. But 1988 . . . just can't get into it, as a whole. Lacks the energetic sparkle of '87 and the incredible 'reniassance' vibe of the best of '89. '88 to me is about breaking in the new songs and otherwise pretty much just mailing it in.

This show does exceed expectations, though.

The mp3 version sounds pretty good, but when I downloaded the .shn files, almost every song has massive distortion. Sounds like the recording levels maxed out in several spots in the source recording. If you stream the .mp3, it is a good "Audience" recording, but a little distorted and overloaded in spots. Good performance from 'da Boys.

yea--the playing in the band absolutely dissolves into perfect chaos. as avant as anything. ever. too bad David Murray or Ornette Coleman weren't sitting in on this one.

Can't sneeze at this one !

Awesome power and clarity in this recording is phenomenal considering the vast open air venue.
China~Crazy~Rider~Playing UNIQUE

PLAYING IN THE BAND at one point reaches complete and utter CHAOS

Doesn't really matter SBD or Aud.. It is here and it is good. Phil drops bombs all over this one.. Add it too your collection.

we cant have boards but we can have this peace of the bolt to keep.Great set list and gig but the sound just cooks it give the taper a medal for this one i dont do reviews normaly but had to comment on this,I have been searching for a good aud and this is the very best.top stars

Could be the best?I have to go listen to the Saratoga 85 again but I think this just bumped it.Thanks for the lead.

Just listening to the China>Crazy>Rider.

I've heard this before.... always seemed disjointed to my ears.... until now.

Listen to PHil and the drums rumble their way into China Cat. They never let up.

Every verse of Crazy Fingers is handled with more confidence than most any anywhere; find another Crazy Fingers where the entire band NAILS the words and music!

The meaningful jamming is not based in length, but substance (Grateful Dead time). Check out how Phil and the drummers just lock in and stand the band upright in their psychedelic grooves.

This is a mean show, and I mean down and dirty. Phil owns here, and the band is overpowering. Consider how much higher is the energy of this concert above the usual, and that's the mellow side. They peak sharp and strong again and again. Get it!

Can anyone tell me why some uploaders do not want
their shows/music to be converted to Mp3 format?
Please try to give easy explanation. Thanks

Obviously a SBD, and a nice one at that. Five million stars.

I've had this in my Dead collection since 92. This is a SBD recording with audience audio patches. Def not a 100% audience recording. I'm glad it's labled an audience recording so folks can still download it and not just stream it.

Opening one of the decoded tracks in Cool Edit, then switching to spectral view, shows frequencies consistently going into the 22.05 khz range, rather than peaking at 16 khz as you would expect for an FM. I tested this out by opening up a confirmed Healy FM (not knowing if it's possible to tweak an FM signal above 16 khz) and it clearly peaks at 16 khz. So the mystery continues...

Either way, this is one helluva recording.

Wow. A gem in an off year. And one of the best quality AUDs out there

The sound quality of this recording is killer for an audience, as good if not better than many of the soundboards here. Some memorable moments China>Crazy>Rider is a highlight, as is the Sugar Mag. One of the few Drums>Space that has kept my attention and a beautiful encore with Black Muddy River. Overall 5 star sound quality, 4 star show. Great for the late '80s.

The China>Crazy>Rider>Playin is OUT OF THIS WORLD. Really a beautiful sequence, played with love and special attention by the band. It makes this show a real keeper for me.

Camped out all three days and went to all three shows. The all-night jams and dancing in Jerry-Ville - INCREDIBLE! I Wish To Thank the twin girls who led me from my seething hatred into the Everlasting Arms of the Godess up on the hill in the field after the show on 7-29-88... Thanks to all my friends who put up with my sexual energy in the Winebago trip back to Oakland (and sorry, dude about my inability to keep from seducing your girlfriend!). MUCH LOVE TO EVERYONE! This Was A Show To Remember! The Wind Actually blew the sound around at times (I'll see if this recording catches that!) --- Jerry F.

amazing energy at this show! remember the fog like it was yesterday, can feel the mist on my face!

Top Secret aud sound quality--China>Crazy>Rider!!!! I just happened upon this one---it is a GO!!! Hey Seattlehead---I live up in Twisp in the Methow Valley--just got back from Fremont-Ballard 10 minutes ago---Howdy!

Had to give it a 5. Agree with others -- sounds like a board. But the 5 is as much for the playing (and the playin') as it is for the sound. This show sings. There's a reason it's been downloaded almost 30,000 times. ENJOY!

Thank you for having this show available here. I went to Laguna Seca 88 for my first Dead experience. This was my first show. I camped and caught all three shows at the venue. Great show, great three shows. I was changed forever. Been there, done that, got the tattoo. Bobby was wonderful, screaming. Jerry was God, brilliant guitar and vocals. Brent's Hammond was moving. Phil delivered thunderous bass. Bill and Mickey were awesome. Loved the show, and thrilled to find a copy this clean. Again, thanks!

" T H A N K Y O U ! "
and
" W H A T I S Y O U R S E C R E T ? "

8*D 8*D 8*D 8*D 8*D 8*D 8*D 8*D 8*D 8*D 8*D 8*D 8*D

This show has an excellent recording and great setlist. I don't usually save aud. recordings but this is a great sounding show. Please do yourself a favor and get this one!

this show sounds really good for a aud download now
well worth it for the quality and its an excellent show too
7-30-1988 is also just as good

i heard this althea on a grateful dead hour in 1995, and it rocked me. later i realized that i'd taped only the last bit of it, and didn't know which show it was from. thanks to the grateful dead hour site, and archive, i now know where to go to find my favorite althea of all time. jerry's playing in the last guitar solo is off the charts. i've not heard any other althea where he evokes such pain & loss in the end jam. otherwise, this show sparkles for the delicate & spooky crazy fingers.

This was one of my first tapes I ever got, right after 5-8-77, 4-15-78, and a mixed tape of the Fillmore 69 run. Anyway...

A friend of mine was there and allways spoke of how Phils bass felt bouncing off everyone's bodies. You can tell hearing this that it's no joke.

This is definately not a SBD, you can hear people talking BUT the presence of all the instruments is so out front it sounds very much like a matrix to me ( which personally I think make for THE best sounding Dead mixes ).

Whatever, one of the best 80's shows by far and probably the best playing jam after 74.

Sound is great on this - some have claimed it may be a soundboard, but either way it is well worth the download.

The one time china>fingers>rider is worth the download alone, but the Playin also stands out, as well as the dark and deep space, which sounds like a plane crash towards the end.

This was the first time I'd heard Believe it or Not, and I'd like to hear that one some more.

We got to this show, with tickets supplied by a local FM radio station. This Friday afternoon concert had no openers and a smaller crowd. More than enough room for everybody.

The first set was comprised of Grateful Dead standards. The second set is one for the books. China Cat>Crazy Fingers>Rider sandwich was never heard again. Believe it or Not was a new Hunter-Garcia song. This Playing is on the So Many Road BOX SET.

There were no more Laguna Seca shows after 1988. Idiots, who camped in a US ARMY firing range, got the Grateful Dead banned by the county parks commission. Thanks, a$$holes.

This could be one of Healy's low power FM "in house" recordings if it isn't a board tape.

Don't complain about the minor defects here. The Laguna seca 87 audience tapes are nothing but distortion peaks, from the beginning to the end...

Just finished listening to this and its a keeper for sure. I'm rating this a 5 to compensate for another one of "jboyaquar" idiotic reviews.

4.5/5 sound
4.35/5 performance

Great sounding AUD except for the peaks that get a wee bit distorted. I remember this AUD floating around before the internet days, minus the distorted peaks.

1st Set: A steadying "Iko" marches us into a three day stand in Monterey? Where is this location in relation to...? A minimalist little stuck in the muck "Walkin Blues." Brent's hammond makes up for the stickiness. Boy, those drummers sure are pronouncing their instruments during "Candyman." Some nice notes, but adds to the 'dazy' feel of show. "Queen Jane" is tired and Bobby's singing is shoddy. "Althea" is consistent to the show, that is to say, deliberate drumming and professional playing lacking that 'spark.' Despite Brent's best efforts during the coda of "Blow Away" this feels bland. Where's the harmonizing help? "Actually, I think we take longer now between songs than we did at the beginning, what do you think? (Phil) Wow, yes, lower Brent's mic at beginning of "Cassidy." Standard performance til the static-y final build towards the climax in early 6's...its chaos fits the increasing cresendo so it does compel. "Deal" fits the mold for a decent set-closer. It's dirty and not amazingly tight but gets the job done.

2nd Set: Who could deny a "China" offering? The song works but the transition to jammy is filled with small mistakes and awkward timings. The jam remains on a noodling level because the intent is to venture into much different territory, "Crazy." Jerry's voice sounds too loud, but some lovely end notes precede the dissembling as they allow Jerry to introduce a path back on "Rider"'s road. They could have milked the intro longer, but oh well...it's a strong version. Concluding nicely, they translate into a Phillerific "Playin." Yes to total 'funhouse' breakdown during the seven and eights which come off as twisted as discombotulating film techniques of late sixty films. Total Acid-fuck. Reprise starts up around 9:20., and it's a full turn-around dissolving into "Drums." ("Reprise" should have been more triumphant.) Anyways, "Drums/Space" are a congrous worthy experience until the notes ground themseleves for "The Wheel." Not a rocker, Jerry directs this version to more thoughtful levels, the depths of which I hold to your discretion. "Gimme" has momentum but someone's guitar is screeching. "Believe" is just fine. "Sugar" ain't much better due to lyric gaffes and a lack of pacing.

Tonight we encore an appropriately sticky-resigned, "Black Muddy."

2 4/5th stars, would have been 2 4/5ths without 'Rider' and 'Playin'

A really sweey show with some smokin' jams. Also, "Believe It Or Not" which was not played that often is nice to hear. I will say that the song alot like "Wake Up and Go Home". The only down fall of this recording is that it is taped too loud and heavier jams get distorted. All in all if you can get by that it is a good show.

I'm so glad that I have found this show. It was so freakin' hot and dusty that I watched the second set from a hill over looking the venue. Couldn't believe that they tossed Crazy Fingers between China Rider. Out of my mind. Outstanding show.

This was my 21st birthday show. Of course the 2nd set pre-drums was all for me. And half the P.A. went down during Drums as Healy dropped the octave at the same time Mickey laid into Home Plate. Very funny to watch Dan waving at the soundboard, and Mickey out of his drunken skull paying absolutely no attention. And this recording appears to be a SBD.

This is an incredible aud...if it really is an aud! yeah, this is nice. If you dont get this show Im gonna set yo tail on fyio.

I can't believe this show is not more heavily downloaded and hyped.
The pre-drums part of the 2nd set is out & out destruction. Granted, first set is rather stock as is the post-drums, but c'mon people, this has the most wicked 40 minutes of music the dead did in 1988. Without question, 5 stars.

Without a doubt in my mind, I can confidently say there is no way this is an audience...This is patched straight from the soundboard! Its crystal clear! Of course, I have yet listened to the show in its entirety, but rather felt I needed to inform the public of this gargantuan error, upon hearing the first notes of Iko; which I might add is both colorful, and playful. The Playin from this show appears on disc 4 or 5 of the So Many Roads box set, and truly is awe-inspiring. See for yourself.

I was standing next to John Barlow at the soundboard when the band went into Playing... right toward the end of it Barlow looked at me and said, "This will seperate the men from the boys!"

My birthday show as well. Really amped playing, especially in the pre drums.

the real gem of this show is Playin , short but insane!!