Grateful Dead Joined By Many Guests At Rainforest Benefit On This Date In 1988

In September 1988, the Grateful Dead brought an unprecedented nine-show run at Madison Square Garden in New York City to a close with one of the more unusual performances in the band’s history. The September 24, 1988 show was a benefit to save the world’s tropical rain forest with proceeds donated to Greenpeace, Cultural Survival and the Rainforest Action Network. Jerry Garcia & Co. were joined by several special guests you wouldn’t expect the Dead to team with, and the show included four covers that were debuted that night and never performed again.

Suzanne Vega and her band played a set before the Dead took the stage as did Bruce Hornsby & The Range. The guest spots started early on when former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor emerged for renditions of “West L.A. Fadeaway” and “Little Red Rooster.” Vega came out with the Dead to start the second set with the group’s first and only versions of “Chinese Bones” and “Neighborhood Girls.” Later in the set Hall & Oates, bassist Tom “T-Bone” Wolk and saxophonist Mark Rivera sat-in with a Phil Lesh-less Grateful Dead on the lone renditions of “Everytime You Go Away” and “What’s Goin’ On” in the band’s history.

“Drums” featured contributions from Baba Olatunji and Michael Hinton. Olatunji stuck around to aid on “The Wheel” and “Throwing Stones.” The second set ended with Hornsby and Olatunji contributing to “Not Fade Away.” For the encore Phil Lesh took a seat once again as Hall, Oates, Hornsby and Jack Casady helped out on “Good Lovin’,” while Vega also came out for the “Knocking On Heaven’s Door” finale.

Watch/listen to one of the more unusual Grateful Dead shows of all time:

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[Originally Published: September 24, 2016 | Updated: September 24, 2024]