By the spring of 1988, the Grateful Dead were deep into what might be called their unlikely second act as arena rock giants. Brent Mydland had by this point been in the band for nearly a decade, and his muscular Hammond B3 and forceful vocals had long since become central to the group's identity — lending the '80s Dead a harder, more keyboard-forward sound than the Keith Godchaux years. Garcia was playing well through much of this period, and the band was drawing enormous crowds across the country, riding a wave of renewed mainstream interest that would crest even higher with the "Touch of Grey" breakthrough from *In the Dark* the previous year. The Rosemont Horizon run in April 1988 came as the band was pushing through the Midwest on a busy spring tour, playing the kind of massive suburban arenas that had become their natural habitat. The Rosemont Horizon, just outside Chicago in the near northwest suburbs, was one of those mid-size arenas — seating around 18,000 — that the Dead could reliably fill in this era. Chicago and the surrounding region had always been strong Dead territory, and shows at the Horizon tended to draw tight-knit Midwestern Deadhead communities alongside touring tapers and traveling fans following the band across multiple nights. The room wasn't a legendary acoustic showpiece by any means, but the Dead knew how to work these arenas, and Chicago-area crowds had a reputation for being engaged and vocal.
The songs we have confirmed from this date give a nice window into the show's bookends. Bertha, a Garcia-Hunter rocker from *Skull and Roses*, was one of the band's most reliable show-openers through decades of touring — its surging, almost breathless energy makes it a perfect table-setter, and a strong Bertha often signals the band has arrived ready to work. Don't Ease Me In, the traditional blues closer that became a Dead staple on the other end of a set, is one of those songs where the whole band leans in together, a joyful if loose send-off that leaves the crowd grinning as the lights come up. Recording quality for Rosemont Horizon shows from this period can vary — soundboards from this era exist for many dates, and Midwest shows were often captured by well-positioned tapers — so it's worth checking the source notes before diving in. However you come to this one, there's something genuinely warm about a night like this: a road-tested band hitting their stride in a packed Chicago suburb, with Brent cooking and Garcia leaning into every phrase. Cue it up and let the Bertha rip.