Wake Up to Find Out: Nassau Coliseum, 3/29/90

Wake Up To Find Out is the official debut of one of the most sought-after shows in the Dead canon: the March 29, 1990 show at Nassau Coliseum, where Grammy®-winning saxophonist Marsalis sat in with the group. The entire second set is one continuous highlight, especially the breathtaking version of “Dark Star.” Blair Jackson captures the moment, writing that, “Of all the guest musicians who shared the Dead’s stage through the years—and they were many and varied—none embodied both the Dead’s adventurous, questing spirit and their obsession with beautiful melodies and accessible structures quite like Branford did.” Their performance of “Eyes Of The World” appeared on the 1990 live collection Without A Net, but the entire collaboration has not surfaced officially until now.
“When I agreed to sit in with the Dead in 1990, I didn't know what to expect, aurally or visually,” says Marsalis. “What I experienced was what I remembered music to be in my younger years, something that I'd felt was lost long ago. Process over product. No set lists, light shows and costumes required, but music first. It's an experience I will always remember with great fondness.”