Grateful Dead
28 August 1988
Autzen Stadium
Eugene, OR

Slipkid68 master recording
2017 transfer by JEMS

Sony WM-D3 with stock mic > Maxell XL-II 90 minute cassette > Nakamichi CR-7A azimuth-adjusted playback > Sound Devices USBPre2 > Audacity 2.0 (16/44.1 capture to .wav) > iZotope RX and Ozone > FLAC

Jerry Garcia > guitar, vocals
Mickey Hart > drums, percussion
Bill Kreutzmann > drums, percussion
Phil Lesh > bass, vocals
Brent Mydland > organ, keyboards, vocals
Bob Weir > guitar, vocals

01_intro
02_Mississipi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo
03_Little Red Rooster
04_Friend of the Devil
05_Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again
06_Foolish Heart
07_Victim or the Crime
08_Don't Ease Me In

set two

09_ambiance
10_Jack Straw
11_Bertha
12_Truckin'
13_Terrapin Station
14_Drums
15_Space
16_The Other One
17_Wharf Rat
18_Throwing Stones
19_Not Fade Away
20_Knockin' on Heaven's Door

This master recording captures the Grateful Dead performing in 1988 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. That day, the music didn’t register as special. But playback allowed me to listen in a different environment, and after 29 years, I discovered some extraordinary moments.

The first set was somewhat low-key. While engaging and well-played, it never quite caught fire, though “Little Red Rooster” had a nice spark that carried over into a fine “Friend of the Devil.” The works-in-progress “Foolish Heart” and “Victim or the Crime” showed the band's workshop ethic, and in front of a large, end-of-summer crowd that probably had more familiar songs in mind, that was laudable.

“Jack Straw” and “Bertha” opened the second set, two crowd-pleasers that usually appear earlier, giving the place a jolt. “Truckin’” sounded robust, keeping the energy up, and we all got our tickets punched for “Terrapin Station,” which tightened up considerably as it rolled to a great finish. But the high point was still to come, beginning with the jam out of “Space.” The band's focus there led to an amped-up version of “The Other One” and a stellar “Wharf Rat.” That was easily the most transcendent music the band played that afternoon. They found their collective mojo, making the last hour or so a real pleasure to hear.

I taped on the field, standing house right, perhaps 30 yards back. I had to contend with a bit of a party atmosphere and wind, too, both of which you’ll hear at times. Fortunately neither intrudes at length and both dissipated as the show progressed. By the time the music got really interesting in set two, the sound settles in nicely. In post, I made a few edits and smoothed out instances where I missed a couple tape flips (one in “Terrapin Station” and another in “Not Fade Away”). Parts of the drums segment and "Not Fade Away" feature slight volume-down fluctations, but neither is a major flaw.

Thanks to BK for the transfer from the master tapes to digital (his only show came two days before in Tacoma, where near-disastrous sound problems and a lackluster performance deflated the argument I'd been making to him in favor of the band).

It was a good day at Autzen, among friends, fellow fans, and good opening sets from Robert Cray and Jimmy Cliff. And having made a decent field recording, I'm pleased that the music sounds better than I remember.

Share it freely, and for free!

 - slipkid68

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66d7d4a663254cb3a02d1206ffe945dd *04_Friend of the Devil.flac
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6629d10700ef5b9e7bd23cc277c8a11e *06_Foolish Heart.flac
0b2028cf560caf60e669656a465204b1 *07_Victim or the Crime.flac
433f05e762b467aa3d4664e322a5adef *08_Don't Ease Me In.flac
ab23b0976f4c747d4c008feb8a80e978 *09_ambiance.flac
9773d20b7bf81ff665a7edd020a9a0bd *10_Jack Straw.flac
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f24068879c0bb24508605a9614a8668d *12_Truckin'.flac
cc31099a6f8466d1c49df3e0b32fa8b4 *13_Terrapin Station.flac
928cd74c92167492aef8748c2209375b *14_Drums.flac
a46b3f688df0b4c62aa19a6bd77621fd *15_Space.flac
55b3b0eca869cee144f054b794984350 *16_The Other One.flac
3141359295af8c13116ea77cea54ccb7 *17_Wharf Rat.flac
d47432fd020f8c56b0ab29d558b2dfff *18_Throwing Stones.flac
7e4ffc3f339c5ff80980df640737ac4e *19_Not Fade Away.flac
f546dccb6dd87ff08f738bcf7fe287bd *20_Knockin' on Heaven's Door.flac

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02_Mississippi Half-Step Toodleoo.flac:ee6d71e617d4245e2c5b0fc177163598
03_Little Red Rooster.flac:3174998af3a95d0b40f80efebde6d8d6
04_Friend of the Devil.flac:6dada641cbca184b37dd2e660ec4473c
05_Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again.flac:2d8464de6d2ee7f62d895012732d17af
06_Foolish Heart.flac:7195943c1a0a970b050ef53d375d1f04
07_Victim or the Crime.flac:2b8ae646445792d8ca7d83529aea86d1
08_Don't Ease Me In.flac:dc766a55390ccca92afcf7e1acefdb69
09_ambiance.flac:3c5c1d07e5550cc81c4cf3e719414e6b
10_Jack Straw.flac:0acd5df4ce7dbddd03d97513559eef08
11_Bertha.flac:fd5dd2448a18e0ccaed2acc9bb6408cb
12_Truckin'.flac:7bdb862ed293ea02545135f106979dad
13_Terrapin Station.flac:f29b171baa6115f6638067aa3c4e9d10
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15_Space.flac:00f80769e80ab5dd8108dc4fd912bee5
16_The Other One.flac:a9d373d862147d3af194f2c710923b4f
17_Wharf Rat.flac:8da4b026fa040885af9049ac869501a6
18_Throwing Stones.flac:704446b6a88f196e6a254bd2ce7c3c8e
19_Not Fade Away.flac:4350c0625ae40f061118fd049c5983fb
20_Knockin' on Heaven's Door.flac:99d7957e69bb0050436adb0ef8190dc6