By the fall of 1988, the Grateful Dead were deep into one of the most commercially successful and musically complicated stretches of their career. "In the Dark" had broken them wide open the previous year, sending "Touch of Grey" up the charts and flooding arenas with a new generation of fans. Brent Mydland was firmly established as the band's keyboardist, bringing a soulful intensity and a distinctly harder-edged rock feel that set this era apart from the floating psychedelia of the Keith Godchaux years. The band was playing bigger rooms than ever, and Reunion Arena in Dallas fit that mold — a mid-sized NBA and hockey venue that the Dead had been visiting regularly through the '80s, part of their reliable circuit through the Southwest. Dallas crowds tended to be loud and deeply committed, and the arena's configuration, while not always the most acoustically forgiving, could generate serious energy when the band locked in. The one song we have confirmed from this night is "Believe It Or Not," which is something of a curio in the late-'80s Dead catalog. The tune, credited to Brent Mydland, appeared in the repertoire during this period as one of his original contributions to the band's songbook.
It's not among the most celebrated of Brent's songs — that honor tends to go to "Far From Me," "Tons of Steel," or "Just a Little Light" — but it offers a window into how the band integrated his writing into the live show, and a good performance can reveal the interplay between Brent's keyboard lines and Garcia's guitar in a way that rewards close listening. The arrow notation suggesting it flows into the next song is worth noting, as these transitions are often where the magic lived in this era — the band using momentum from one piece to launch into something unexpected. For listeners exploring this recording, pay attention to how tight or loose the band sounds in the ensemble passages — 1988 could go either way on a given night, with some shows finding the band absolutely locked and others feeling more mechanical. Brent's organ work is always worth tracking in this period, and Bob Weir's rhythm playing had a particular crunch to it through the late '80s that you can hear clearly when a good source is available. The recording quality for this show is not fully documented here, so approach it with open ears — even an audience tape from a good taper in Reunion Arena can capture the room's energy and give you a genuine feel for what it was like to be on the floor that October night in Dallas. Pull it up and let it tell you what kind of night it was.