The beginning of the Brent era is the beginning of my Grateful Dead era. I was sat down and explained to by my roommate at college. The band had high expectations and great plans for the new keyboardist, probably combined with Keith and Donna leaving. I hear a new focus when listening to the first couple, few years with Brent. Some under the radar great shows in there. I think some of Jerry’s best is in this time. Maybe Brent refocused him. Also, the drugs and life hadn’t worn on him yet. I’ve seen shows where Jerry is just staring at Brent while he’s playing his guitar. To the point that we were commenting on it. Bobby loved Brent too. Hell, he even shared Little Red Rooster with him. Can’t not mention 100,000 Tons of Steel or Dear Mister Fantasy/Hey Jude. 7/12/90 RFK, my first Dark Star after ten years of waiting. They’re spacing out, noodling away out of Foolish heart, it was Brent’s keys that let me know it was coming. He was dead three weeks later. I was running a small marina at the time. People kept coming up to me and saying, hey, you had a death in your band. I was like, its ok, I just saw them and it was incredible.