Well technically, yes … everything is Dark Star I remember (I think) this was a Shakedown Stream last year?
View From The Vault, Vol. 2: 6/14/91 RFK The second volume of the View From The Vault series pulls from a June ‘91 show, featuring the Bruce/Vince keyboard circus. I’m really only familiar with the famous shows from this era (which is not my favorite) and haven’t done a lot of digging beyond them...as such, my first time hearing this concert was this week. Notes & Highlights: The recording is clear but also pretty heavy on the high-end -- small bass boost and high cut was necessary for me. The mix is also not great, with carnival-barker-Vince and Bob-as-dental-drill often way too loud. The first set is largely forgettable from a setlist and performance perspective; was never really into Wang Dang or Maggie’s Farm, and many of the songs I like are pretty messy (i.e. Jack-A-Roe, Row Jimmy, Music). The Black Throated Wind is probably my favorite thing here. Things get significantly more interesting in the second set; the front half is easily the highlight of the show. The Help>Slip>Franklin’s opener is sloppy at points but also pretty energetic and engaging; Slipknot features interesting interplay and there are some good peaks in Franklin’s. Vince nearly ruins Estimated with his ‘sax’ break on the outro, an interesting idea that would sound infinitely better with a real horn. Then comes the Dark Star, which, while on the brief side, also features the show’s most interesting playing and winds up being a fun passage into Drums. I often find Space in this era to be one of the more engaging portions of a show, and this is a good one with lots of Jerry, suitably weird Vince sounds and Bruce noodling around. I was pleasantly surprised to hear Stella come out of it (was this common post-Brent?), and Jerry really leans into this one; it’s a fine version that also features the ascending intro chord progression on the outro, which I always liked. After that it falls flat: the Midi-heavy Bob Lovelight is limp AF, and while I love Baby Blue, Bruce’s accordion just tramples all over it. By far the best thing on this release is the filler from 7/12/90 with Brent at the same venue. I’ll never love Victim, but it’s a nice contrast to the hyper-melodic Foolish Heart that follows it. The nearly 30-minute Dark Star takes the cake here, though: it’s nice and stretched out with an intense dissonant jam between verses that isn’t excessively MIDI-driven; it’s easily one of my favorite latter-day renditions. I assume 6/14 was chosen for the VFTV series mostly due to the availability of a high-qualty video recording and I’m sure watching it would be more rewarding than just listening to it, like I did. The great filler is also on the DVD, which I didn’t realize...but I don’t have a copy and only the 6/14 portion is on Youtube, so...bummer. In terms of the soundtrack, the featured show has a few good moments but is not the best ‘91 I’ve ever heard, by a long shot; the filler circulates in high quality, so for me the straight audio release doesn’t really merit multiple revisits.
I think it has to be admitted there are a few candidates. Listening to Bless Its Pointed Little Head by Jefferson Airplane can't help myself but to put it in the same kind of league. There is Cream of course, but they can be painfully incoherent on stage. Still there could truly interact with each other on occasion - the rendition of I Am So Glad from Goodbye for example is one of my favorite pieces of live music from that period. I'd easily put it in the same league with the Dead. But in general I agree: they can't measure up with the Dead even in '68. Hendrix... Well, he is my favourite guitarist, that's for sure. But in 1966-69 Experience format he was hindered by Noel Reading, whose musical capabilities on bass precluded the Experience to truly take off on stage. Sometimes I even think I hate the guy. And his sound can be truly atrocious, he could ruin a simple song, let alone steer a band to a jammy heights (like Phil does). His presence is one of the the biggest regrets in the history of music. Cox is miles better, but even than I feel that Hendrix had never had a true peer and foil on a stage who could truly gel with him, so they could the music in the depths the Dead could. Whatever happened, it Jimi who lead the music direction. And when all depends on one soul, there would be limitations. There are some amazing heights in Hendrix live catalogue though.
Clickable Thread Guide List of releases By Release Date One from the Vault (1975-08-13 San Francisco, released 1991-04-15) Infrared Roses (1989-1990, released 1991-11-01) Two from the Vault (1968-08-24 San Francisco, released May 1992) Dick’s Picks 1 (1973-12-19 Tampa, released 1991-10-31) Dick’s Picks 2 (1971-10-31 Columbus, released March 1995) Grayfolded (1968-1993, released 1994 and 1995) Hundred Year Hall (1972-04-26, released 1995-09-26) Dick’s Picks 3 (1977-05-22 Pembroke Pines, released 1995-11-07) Dick’s Picks 4 (1970-02-13, 14 New York, released 1996-02-23) Dick’s Picks 5 (1979-12-26 Oakland, released 1996-05-30) Dozin' at the Knick (1990-03-24 Albany (mostly), released 1996-08-29) Dick's Picks 6 (1983-10-14 Hartford, released 1996-10-07) Dick's Picks 7 (1974-09-09, 10, 11 London, released 1997-03-04) Dick's Picks 8 (1970-05-02 Binghamton, released 1997-06-14) Fallout from the Phil Zone (Various, released 1997-06-17) Terrapin Station Limited Edition (1990-03-15 Landover, released 1997-09) Dick's Picks 9 (1990-09-16 New York, released 1997-10-19) Live at the Fillmore East 2-11-69 (1969-02-11 New York, released 1997-10-28) Dick's Picks 10 (1977-12-29 San Francisco, released 1998-02-26) Dick's Picks 11 (1972-09-27 Jersey City, released 1998-06-09) Dick's Picks 12 (1974-06-26 Providence, 1974-06-28 Boston, released 1998-10-15) Dick's Picks 13 (1981-05-06 Uniondale, released 1999-03-05) Dick's Picks 14 (1973-11-30 Boston, released 1999-06-18) Dick’s Picks 14 (1973-12-02 Boston, released 1999-06-18) Dick's Picks 15 (1977-09-03 Englishtown, released 1999-10-18) So Many Roads (Various, released 1999-11-07) Dick's Picks 16 (1969-11-08 San Francisco, released 2000-03) Dick's Picks 17 (1991-09-25 Boston, released 2000-04-28) View from the Vault 1 (1990-07-08 Pittsburgh, released 2000-06) Dick's Picks 18 (1978-02-03 Madison, 1978-02-05 Cedar Falls, released 2000-06) Ladies and Gentlemen (1971-04-25...29 New York, released 2000-10-10) Dick's Picks 19 (1973-10-19 Oklahoma City, released 2000-10-23) Dick's Picks 20 (1976-09-25 Landover, released 2001-01-23) Dick's Picks 20 (1976-09-28 Syracuse, released 2001-01-23) Dick's Picks 21 (1985-11-01 Richmond, released 2001-03-20) Dick's Picks 22 (1968-02-23, 24 King's Beach, released 2001-06) View from the Vault 2 (1991-06-14 Washington DC, released 2001-06-08) By Concert Date Various (released 1994 and 1995 on Grayfolded) Various (released 1997-06-17 on Fallout from the Phil Zone) Various (released 1999-11-07 on So Many Roads) 1968-02-23, 24 King's Beach (released 2001-06 on Dick's Picks 22) 1968-08-24 Los Angeles (released 1992-05 on Two from the Vault) 1969-02-11 New York (released 1997-10-28 on Live at the Fillmore East 2-11-69) 1969-11-08 San Francisco (released 2000-03 on Dick's Picks 16) 1970-02-13, 14 New York (released 1996-02-23 on Dick's Picks 4) 1970-05-02 Binghamton (released 1997-06-14 on Dick's Picks 8) 1971-04-25...29 New York (released 2000-10-10 on Ladies and Gentlemen...) 1971-10-31 Columbus (released 1995-03 on Dick's Picks 2) 1972-04-26 Frankfurt (released 1995-09-26 on Hundred Year Hall) 1972-09-27 Jersey City (released 1998-06-09 on Dick's Picks 11) 1973-10-19 Oklahoma City (released 2000-10-23 on Dick's Picks 19) 1973-11-30 Boston (released 1999-06-18 on Dick's Picks 14) 1973-12-02 Boston (released 1999-06-18 on Dick's Picks 14) 1973-12-19 Tampa (released 1993-10-31 on Dick's Picks 1) 1974-06-26 Providence (released 1998-10-15 on Dick's Picks 12) 1974-06-28 Boston (released 1998-10-15 on Dick's Picks 12) 1974-09-09, 10, 11 London (released 1997-03-04 on Dick's Picks 7) 1975-08-13 San Francisco (released 1991-04-15 on One from the Vault) 1976-09-25 Landover (released 2001-01-23 on Dick's Picks 20) 1976-09-28 Syracuse (released 2001-01-23 on Dick's Picks 20) 1977-05-22 Pembroke Pines (released 1995-11-07 on Dick's Picks 3) 1977-09-03 Englishtown (released 1999-10-18 on Dick's Picks 15) 1977-12-29 San Francisco (released 1998-02-26 on Dick's Picks 10) 1978-02-03 Madison, 1978-02-05 Cedar Falls (released 2000-06 on Dick's Picks 18) 1979-12-26 Oakland (released 1996-05-30 on Dick's Picks 5) 1981-05-06 Uniondale (released 1999-03-05 on Dick's Picks 13) 1983-10-14 Hartford (released 1996-10-07 on Dick's Picks 6) 1985-11-01 Richmond (released 2001-03-20 on Dick's Picks 21) 1989, 1990 (released 1991-11-01 on Infrared Roses) 1990-03-15 Landover (released 1997-09 on Terrapin Station Limited Edition) 1990-03-24 Albany (mostly) (released 1996-08-29 on Dozin' at the Knick) 1990-07-08 Pittsburgh (released 2000-06 on View from the Vault 1) 1990-09-16 New York (released 1997-10-19 on Dick's Picks 9) 1991-06-14 Washington DC (released 2001-06-08 on View from the Vault 2) 1991-09-25 Boston (released 2000-04-28 on Dick's Picks 17) This week: 1989-10-16 East Rutherford (released 2001-09-25 on Nightfall of Diamonds) Next week: 1972-09-27 Baltimore (released 2001-10-16 on Dick's Picks 23)
Nightfall of Diamonds Recording date: October 16, 1989 Recording location: Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, NJ Release date: September 25, 2001 Recorded by: John Cutler Mixed by: Jeffrey Norman Disc 1 Set 1: "Picasso Moon" (John Barlow, Bob Bralove, Bob Weir) – 7:10 > "Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodelloo" > (Robert Hunter, Jerry Garcia) – 6:40 "Feel Like a Stranger" (Barlow, Weir) – 7:38 "Never Trust a Woman" (Brent Mydland) – 7:15 "Built to Last" (Hunter, Garcia) – 5:20 "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" (Bob Dylan) – 9:20 "Let It Grow" > (Barlow, Weir) – 11:59 "Deal" (Hunter, Garcia) – 8:39 Disc 2 Set 2: "Dark Star" > (Hunter, Garcia, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, Ron McKernan, Weir) – 11:55 "Playing in the Band" > (Hunter, Hart, Weir) – 8:02 "Uncle John's Band" > (Hunter, Garcia) – 9:36 "Jam" > (Grateful Dead) – 9:15 "Drums" > (Hart, Kreutzmann) – 6:05 "Space" > (Garcia, Lesh, Weir) – 6:01 "I Will Take You Home" > (Mydland) – 4:27 "I Need A Miracle" > (Barlow, Weir) – 4:02 "Dark Star" > (Hunter, Garcia, Hart, Kreutzmann, Lesh, McKernan, Weir) – 5:20 "Attics of My Life" > (Hunter, Garcia) – 4:45 "Playing in the Band" (Hunter, Hart, Weir) – 4:00 Encore: "And We Bid You Goodnight" (trad., arr. Grateful Dead) – 3:10 The summer and fall of 1989 would prove to be very fruitful for the band as they perfected a tight, focused sound that allowed plenty of exploration. It’s surprising that this is the first official release from the period beyond the Without a Net compilation. A lot of these shows were recorded on multitrack, and Jeffrey’s mix here is excellent. The fall is where they started to open up many possibilities by re-introducing some of the older tracks, including Dark Star, and this show is a great example of the expanded setlists. The show starts with an interesting choice for an opener - Picasso Moon really divides fans. I happen to love it, and this is a strong version; the whole band is already firing on all cylinders. This leads straight into Mississippi, where the highlight is Jerry’s fine ending solo. Jerry’s also contributing lots of great guitar to a world-class version of Feel Like a Stranger. Brent gets his turn in a solid Never Trust a Woman, and then Jerry gives us another recent song with the melodic Built to Last; there’s a short, amusing section where he chooses an incredibly dissonant sound for his midi rig. The Dylan song is Memphis Blues Again, which can feel long at times. Brent and Jerry are wild in a great Let It Grow, and at the end Jerry starts up Deal; it’s an incredibly energetic way to finish this fun and varied first set. The band doesn’t waste any time getting to business in the second set, starting with Dark Star. It’s not a deep or chaotic version; it’s rather mellow, meandering around the theme for a few minutes before finding its way to the first verse. It then becomes more exploratory, although it never heads to outer space. Playing In the Band follows a similar template, leading into Uncle John’s Band. Despite a couple of vocal miscues it’s a lovely version and leads into another jam, more free-form but never chaotic. There’s nothing incredibly wild in this sequence of songs, but it all flows together into an exquisite whole, one that can completely absorb the attentive listener. Drums and Space are typical for the era. And while I Will Take You Home is a sweet song, it will never fit coming out of Space (although it’s remarkable how many excellent shows have it there). I Need a Miracle seems to point to an ordinary conclusion to the show, although Jerry’s still playing plenty of fiery guitar here. But suddenly we’re back in Dark Star for the second verse, and a completely unexpected Attics of My Life, an emotional version and very nicely performed. A Playing reprise rounds out this impressive set, and a sweet We Bid You Goodnight sends an ecstatic audience home, understanding that they’ve seen the band at its best. Liner notes are very basic, just a few photos and credits. But this one’s all about the music, and that comes highly recommended. After all these years, this remains one of my favorite Grateful Dead releases, and a great introduction to the late Brent era.
You know, it's weird -- I was listening to the Listen to the River set this week, as I have been regularly since it landed on my porch, and it occurred to me how much the differing sound profiles/EQ/recording characteristics of various Dead shows contribute to the enjoyment of obsessive show collecting almost as much as the performances themselves. Earlier this year, I went on a Europe '72 kick, and listened to a bunch of the officially released shows from the box. Even though the performance standard was extremely high throughout, I found myself getting bored with a lot of them; eventually I'd just skip ahead to the big jams, where historically I've always enjoyed the full show experience, and have never really experienced that "first set burnout" that so many Dead fans describe. I started asking myself why that was, because clearly there were the same subtle performance variations as there are in most Dead shows, and the shows are obviously excellent, and yet for some reason, the experience eventually felt ho hum to me. I think a lot of it is down to lack of variance in the sound of the shows, more than the variance in the performance; the ups and downs of various recordings, across many of the Dead's releases, really contribute to the sense that every show is unique, has an ambience, etc., that is special to that night, that room, that time and place. A lot of that is sucked out of the experience when you hear a lot of shows presented in near-identical quality. This isn't meant to be a complaint at all, just an observation (after all, there are certainly more shows that exist in variable forms of "pretty good" quality than there are that exist at the exact same level of pristine). Also a comment that DiP22 is one of my very favorites in the DiP series.
Murdered by Meadowlands security a couple of nights earlier in the show run. Sadly, the East Coast didn’t have a Bill Graham to prevent sh-t like this. The Dead gave him a dedication in the liners.
I dont have this and never realized it even existed. Anyone know the difference between the original release and the rhino release from 2004? Is one preferable to the other?
Nightfall of Diamonds: 10/16/89 - The Meadowlands When this came out, ‘89 was still a total mystery to me; I’m pretty sure I had no tapes at all and this was the first full officially released show from that year. I remember being very curious to hear how it stacked up to Spring ‘90, which had by that point become my favorite late-Brent era. Notes & Highlights: The production and mix are very good, if not quite as dynamic and lively as Dozin’. The first set isn’t lacking in energy, but is a little wobbly. The less said about Picasso Moon the better, but things improve with a great Half-Step and a rocking Stranger before getting bad again with Never Trust A Woman. Jerry stumbles badly on the Built To Last solo and a 9+minute Memphis Blues is grating, even if this one is expertly played. The set gets off the mat with a searching Let It Grow (one song that the MIDI is well suited to, IMO) and a scorching Deal closer. The wild second set is of course the reason for this show’s release, and there’s a lot to unpack. The pre-D/S segment is a jam-heavy delight: the rare Dark Star opener is pleasantly engaging and mostly avoids the MIDI, even if it doesn’t get very far out before sliding effortlessly into Playin’. The jam here is more interesting, with effective Jerry-MIDI and some great keys (hammond, various synths). Uncle John’s is vocally sloppy, but the jam out of it rocks, and the excellent passage into drums quickly departs from the Playin’ theme for darker and weirder territory. While not as exploratory, the back half of the set is also a mostly good time. I don’t need the Eagles Brent > Miracle sequence out of Space, but the rest of the set is far from a total throwaway: after wrapping up Dark Star, they drop a surprising and haunting Attics (love the crowd appreciation here) before heading into the Playin’ reprise. The Goodnight encore is a perfect choice, if a little brisk and choppy in the performance. As a result of this release, ‘89 was one of the first eras I investigated more deeply after getting hipped to the Archive in 2004 or so; and as I discovered, it’s a great year that rivals ‘90 in quality. While other ‘89’s have since surpassed it in the pecking order for me (the Alpine run, 10/9 and 10/26 are a few shows I enjoy more), Nightfall is still a compelling and required listen for anyone interested in the later Brent years.
I had a pretty good cassette SBD of the 10/16/89 second set a few years before the official release, but it was still a very nice release. A top candidate for best second set from the last decade of the GD.
Previously on … Nightfall Of Diamonds: Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ, 16/10/89. I’m curious, is it Meadowlands Arena or Brendan Byrne Arena? According to Wiki it was Brendan Byrne Arena from 1981-1996 before changing names, so wouldn’t that make it Brendan Byrne Arena when the Dead played there? It’s named that on other “official” releases. Is Meadowlands the area? Or am I wasting time and thinking too hard about this?! Anyway … No lengthy post for this one, as it’s a (quite bafflingly*) massively popular show … “it’s bigger than a drive-in movie, oo-wee” … and everyone here probably knows it. It was Bobby’s 42nd birthday so there’s a brief “Happy birthday to you” sung towards the end of the 1st set, right before a scorchin’ Let It Grow > Deal closer, which is the set highlight. The whole of the 2nd set is built around one big and jammy Dark Star / PITB sandwich—it’s a MIDI-fuelled nightmare trip with those themes woven in, around and throughout. It doesn’t always work, as there’s some rough segues and some lyrical flubs—but on the whole, it’s a fun and interesting listen. “Shall we go You and I While we can?” . . . I: Picasso Moon > Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo > Feel Like A Stranger, Never Trust A Woman, Built To Last, Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again, Let It Grow > Deal. II: Dark Star > Playing In The Band > Uncle John’s Band > Jam > Drums > Space > I Will Take You Home > I Need A Miracle > Dark Star > Attics Of My Life > Playing In The Band. E: And We Bid You Goodnight. *That’s not to say, it ain’t a damn good time! I do dig it
You’re correct - it was called Brendan Byrne Arena, but it was part of the Meadowlands sports complex (along with Giants Stadium), so the confusion is understandable. It really should’ve been referred to as Brendan Byrne for the archival release. When you called the Dead hotline for ticket information (remember that?), they referred to it unambiguously as “Brendan Byrne Arena”. Edit: note the language on the Adam Katz flyer above as well. ^^^^
As someone who has never paid a great deal of attention to the Brent years (I really struggle with his vocals), can someone explain why people are differentiating between later Brent years and the earlier ones? Ta
Yeah, I posted this in The Grateful Thread and I’m not sure if everyone came to a conclusive conclusion I’ve tagged all my Dead collection played at this venue as Brendan Byrne.
The early and the late years were/are best Edit—I’m just kidding around. Some love, some hate the Brent years. You’re gonna need someone far more knowledgeable than me to explain it though.
You’re correct in doing so. I’m a local - born in Jersey, lived there 40 years before leaving. In conversation, we called the arena “Brendan Byrne” and the stadium “Giants Stadium”. Bzfgt gets it exactly right in the other thread…
I don't think Brent changed a lot (other than losing some of the Doobie Bros. yacht rock style he had when he started with them) but Jerry's coma happened in the middle of Brent's time with the group.
2004 is when I “got on the bus”. Well, perhaps it stretches back to Spring 2003 when I bought the (massive at the time - I had never owned a box set with more than ten discs) Golden Road box with its plethora of live bonus tracks. Really though it was May or June 2004 when I started to explore The Archive and my mind began to be blown by the live tapes. I also started scooping up used copies of Dick’s Picks that summer. It was a journey of love for this band that will never end! * Before buying The Golden Road box, my entire GD collection consisted of two CDs: Skeletons from the Closet and Live/Dead.
Yes, you do. As does @SJR since he was “baffled” as to why folks enjoy this show after his last spin.
