Dead Ahead

How could you not give this five stars!? Best Dead DVD in years..
So I netflixed this, man am I glad I did. The sound quality is incredible as is the song selection. The video is great for something that was filmed in 1980, you can tell they really cleaned it up, and the many different camera shots made me feel I was right there. The Skits in between were fun, the cameo bits with the band members.

The best part of this DVD? The special features. The 5-6 extra songs included are the best ones on the DVD!

If you're a fan just go get this. Really great show - although I think it's a compilation of different nights - not sure about that.

Either way, a very unique and entertaining Dead DVD.

The acoustic and electric marvels of the Grateful Dead
A truly rewarding concert experience that showcases the endless talents of one of rock & roll's most storied bands, The Grateful Dead. All of the concert footage is culled from a series of concerts performed at New York City's Radio City Music Hall in 1980. This film is especially vital because it offers both the avid fan and the uninitiated listener an opportunity to experience the full spectrum of the Grateful Dead experience. The first set is comprised of beautiful and highly improvisational (of course) acoustic renditions of Grateful Dead standards while the second set focuses mainly on the electric and psychedelic aspects that Grateful Dead fans are more familiar with. This film, however, is vital not only because of the superb musical craftsmanship, but also because it re-familarizes Grateful Dead fans with a period that has been much forgotten, sandwiched as it is between the earlier days of pure 60's psychedelia and the neo-hippie late 80's resurgence of the...

A rare glimpse of the acoustic Dead
This video is worthwhile for the single acoustic set that it contains. The electric sets that make of the rest of the video are pretty lackluster, with only minimal jamming. Hats off to the director for focusing on the band, though - I've seen a couple other Dead videos that focus way too much on the audience and don't even show many songs in their entirety. If you like the acoustic playing in this video, check out "Reckoning", the live album that was made from the same series of concerts from which Dead Ahead was created.

Click to Editorial Reviews