Ideal Summer/Fall 1989 Setlist

Welcome back! Let’s get back into the Brent Era with an ideal setlist from 1989.  If you’re new to the ideal setlist series, I compile a bunch of my favorite performances from a particular year/era, into what I would consider to be a “dream” setlist if I were attending a show on a given night within the time period.  Similar to my other ideal setlists, these selections are definitely geared towards the more accessible shows (on Spotify and Youtube), so please leave heaters that I’ve missed in the comments.

Thanks to @lotmart for inspiring me with these crispy ‘89 memes (Berndawg, Randy Bobandy).

We’ll start with the funky Shakedown that they opened with at Giants Stadium on July 9th, 1989, and stay right there for a rippin’ Jack Straw and a juicy West LA Fadeaway.  After being featured on this year’s box set release, 7/9/89 has quickly become one of my favorite shows.  Treat yourself to the video experience for these, the energy onstage is just unreal.  My favorite moment is when Bobby is finishing his verse in the middle of Jack Straw, Jerry just gives a look back at the drummers, as if to say “ok, we’re doing this”.  And he proceeds to launch into a high powered solo, building up with Brent, and peaking in a thunderous final chorus.  Really just gives you goosebumps watching them kick it into another gear like that, I can’t even begin to imagine what it would have been like to be at either of those Giants Stadium shows.  As Grateful Dead archivist Dave Lemeuix describes, “there was something juiced about that place… they were able to make this concrete structure - 66,000 seats - into something intimate”.  Truly a band beyond description.

Built to Last is next from one of the unbelievable Alpine Valley shows on 7/17/89.  Really an underrated song for me, and they were just ON this night.  Now we’ll go back in time 10 days to 7/7/89 at JFK stadium to hear an awesome Bob Dylan song in Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again.

Strap up my friends, we’re headed to the MOTHERSHIP to another stellar Dylan cover - Queen Jane Approximately - on 10/8/89.  Bobby does an incredible job of singing these songs in an authentic way, and this version features some especially sublime work from Jerry and Brent.  There really have been some incredible moments in this venue, for both the Dead and Phish.  Let’s pop over to Meadowlands Arena for a deliciously weird Let It Grow on 10/16/89 (what the heck is that effect on Jerry’s guitar in the middle??) and finally, we’ll close the first set by coming back to JFK Stadium on 7/7/89 to for Blow Away.   Truly a rousing performance from Brent - that dude straight up poured his heart and soul into these songs and Blow Away really gave him a chance to shine.

To open the 2nd set, we’ll return to JFK Stadium for the hottest Iko Iko I’ve ever heard.  You can tell that Jerry loves playing this song and the interplay with Brent is so much fun.  (I know it was played in the first set at this particular show, but I’m taking some creative liberties here as it was sometimes a 2nd set song.)  We’ll continue with a relatively concise Playing in the Band into a really nice Uncle John’s Band at the second Giants Stadium show on 7/10.

Find your seat in the Mothership for a totally spacey Rhythm Devils/Space, and we’ll depart on a journey to our favorite lunar mass (or stage the landing, whatever you’re into) to hear a really gorgeous version of Standing on the Moon on 7/7/89.  After we come back down to Earth, we’ll hear Brent shine on Traffic’s Dear Mr. Fantasy into the crowd favorite Hey Jude at Alpine Valley (7/18).  The Not Fade Away from (7/4/89) will close out the set for us - yet another one that deserves the video treatment, the Jerry/Brent connection is goosebump-inducing. 

For the encore, we’ll get all up in our feels with And We Bid You Goodnight from the 7/17 Alpine Valley show of the summer, and head back to October to finish the show with Black Muddy River.  Something something something I don't like to be the guy that complains but would love to hear this more from Dead and Company instead of Ripple :)

Set 1

Shakedown Street >
Jack Straw >
West L.A. Fadeaway (7/9/89)
Built to Last (7/17/89)
Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again (7/7/89) 
Queen Jane Approximately (10/8/89)
Let it Grow (10/16/89)
Blow Away (7/7/89)

Set 2

Iko Iko (7/7/89)
Playing in the Band >
Uncle John’s Band (7/10/89)
Rhythm Devils >
Space (10/8/89)
Standing on the Moon (7/7/89) 
Dear Mr. Fantasy > 
Hey Jude (7/18/89)
Not Fade Away (7/4/89)

Encore

And We Bid You Goodnight (7/17/89)
Black Muddy River (10/14/89)

Honorable Mention

Little Red Rooster (7/13/89) [1]
Quinn The Eskimo (7/18/89)
Hey Pocky Way (6/18/89)
Feel Like a Stranger (10/9/89)

[1] I don't particularly love this song but this version is a certified 🚨🚨BRENT SPECIAL 🚨🚨.  It sounds like it’s gonna be a Bobby snoozer but Brent comes in LIKE A TRAIN at about the 3:30 mark and holy smokes is it awesome. Bring back RFK Stadium!!!!!

And here’s a Spotify playlist that includes the honorable mentions, with the best substitutions I could find based on what’s available.  Enjoy!