By the spring of 1988, the Grateful Dead were operating at a level of cultural momentum that few bands their age could claim. Brent Mydland had by now fully shed the "new guy" label and was a genuine force at the keys — his bluesy, gospel-inflected playing adding a muscularity to the band's sound that gave this era its own distinct personality. Garcia's guitar work in '88 had a warm, searching quality, and the band was moving between arenas with practiced ease, drawing the largest and most fervent crowds of their career. The year would eventually see the release of *Built to Last* and continued mainstream crossover interest, but on the road in April, the Dead were simply doing what they always did best: showing up night after night and finding the thread. The Rosemont Horizon, just outside Chicago near O'Hare, was a classic mid-size arena that the Dead visited regularly through the '80s. The Chicagoland faithful were always a vocal, rowdy bunch, and the Horizon had a way of generating crowd energy that translated well to tape. It wasn't a legendary room in the way that a Knickerbocker Arena or a Greek Theatre might be, but it was a reliable house that the band treated with respect — and Chicago crowds returned the favor in kind.
The fragments we have catalogued from this night offer some tantalizing glimpses. "Deal" is one of Garcia's great showcase pieces — a tight, swinging workout that rewards a band firing on all cylinders, and in this era Garcia was delivering it with real confidence and grit. "Candyman," on the other hand, asks for a different kind of commitment: slow-burning and melancholy, it's one of the more emotionally weighted items in the Garcia-Hunter canon, and a strong version in front of a warm crowd can stop the room. The presence of "Memphis Blues>" is a treat — Weir's loose, rollicking take on the Bob Dylan standard was a favorite tease and vehicle for the band's collective sense of humor and groove. It's the kind of song that puts a grin on your face. The recording quality available for this date appears to be in decent shape for the era, with the soundboard sources from late '80s arena shows often capturing Brent's keys and Garcia's lead with pleasing clarity. Whether you're a longtime Chicago Dead devotee or just working your way through the '88 run, this one's worth dropping the needle on — pull it up and let the night unfold.