By the fall of 1985, the Grateful Dead were deep into one of their most underappreciated stretches — the mid-'80s arena era with Brent Mydland firmly established as the band's keyboardist, having joined back in 1979. Brent brought a muscular, gospel-inflected energy to the keyboard chair that pushed the band in harder, bluesier directions, and by '85 the Dead were a well-oiled machine capable of both sprawling psychedelic excursions and punchy, direct rock and roll. Jerry Garcia's guitar tone was thick and authoritative in this period, though fans debate whether his playing had the same effortless fire as the peak years of '77 or '72. Phil Lesh remained an anchor and an adventurer simultaneously, and the rhythm tandem of Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann gave the band a percussive depth that few live acts could match. This was also the year the Dead released their long-delayed studio album *In the Dark* was still two years off — the band was living almost entirely on the road, deepening their relationship with an ever-growing cult following. The Fillmore Auditorium holds a place close to the heart of anyone who knows the Dead's history.
The original Fillmore and its successor, the Fillmore West, were essentially sacred ground for the San Francisco psychedelic scene that birthed the band in the mid-'60s, and returning to play a room with that kind of resonance always carries weight. A smaller, more intimate setting than the arenas and sheds the Dead had been filling, the Fillmore offered the band a chance to stretch out and connect with a crowd that was right there with them — no nosebleed seats, no distance between the music and the people receiving it. The one song we have documented from this show is "Big Boy Pete," a loose, good-humored R&B novelty number that traces its roots back to the early rock and roll era. In the Dead's hands it belongs to that tradition of jovial, off-the-cuff covers that Pigpen once anchored and that the band never entirely abandoned — a reminder that these guys grew up on jukebox music as much as they did on folk and blues. When the Dead pull out something like "Big Boy Pete," the room tends to loosen up and grin. Whether you're coming to this recording for historical curiosity or just love hunting down the rare and unexpected corners of the Dead's catalog, this Fillmore show is worth a spin — put it on and let 1985 San Francisco come alive.