By the summer of 1987, the Grateful Dead were operating at a kind of paradoxical peak — massive in popularity, riding the commercial wave that "Touch of Grey" and the forthcoming *In the Dark* album would crystallize into mainstream recognition, yet still capable of the loose, exploratory evenings that had defined them for two decades. Brent Mydland had by now fully settled into his role as keyboardist, his muscular Hammond work and earnest vocals giving the band a harder, more immediate edge than the gentle shimmer of the Keith Godchaux years. Jerry Garcia, though battling health concerns that had nearly claimed him just two years prior, was playing with a kind of grateful (if you'll forgive the word) energy in 1987 — there's a sharpness to his tone and a willingness to dig deep that makes this period genuinely rewarding for careful listeners. The Civic Arena in Pittsburgh was a fixture on the Dead's touring circuit, a big bowl of a building with that distinctive retractable roof — one of the more unusual arenas in the country at the time. Pittsburgh crowds tended to be loud and loyal, and the venue, while not the stuff of legend like Cornell or Red Rocks, served the band well through the arena era. There's something fitting about seeing the Dead in a blue-collar industrial city; the music has always had a working-class spiritual undercurrent to it, and Pittsburgh audiences seemed to feel that.
The one song we have confirmed from this show is "Big River," and it's a choice that tells you something about the evening's character. Johnny Cash's train song had been in the Dead's repertoire since the early 1970s, and by the late '80s it had become a showcase for the band's country-rooted swagger — Garcia's vocals loose and confident, Weir comping with that choppy rhythm guitar authority, and the whole thing riding on a groove that feels both road-worn and alive. A strong "Big River" usually signals that the band is locked in and enjoying themselves, and it often served as an effective first-set locomotive, building momentum for whatever came next. Recording quality for Pittsburgh '87 shows can vary, but the Dead's documentation in this era was generally solid, and there's a reasonable chance of a decent-sounding source here, whether board or a well-positioned audience tape. Either way, cue up this one with the volume up — the summer of '87 deserves to be heard clearly.