Joe Russo and his bandmates are taking an aggressively electrifying approach to the Dead’s music not seen since Phil Lesh was pushing the boundaries with his cutting edge “Quintet” lineup from 2000-03.
The new album is truly a throwback to Bob Weir’s roots, making “The Campfire Tour” a rare and special chance to see a rock legend turn the clock back to show his fans how it all started.
The '90s may not have marked the Grateful Dead's creative peak, but these two DVDs, from 1990 and 1991, show that the group's continued popularity was justified.
Wavy Gravy emerges not only as a fascinating character, but as a powerful, inspiring, even heroic man. This is what the '60s always wanted to be about, but almost never were.
With improved sound and a clearer image in Blu-Ray format, the viewer gets a stronger sense of the full majesty of musicians staring into the face of fear in an hour of darkness.
Ultimately, what I am trying to say is this: The Dead can be appreciated -- indeed, probably must be appreciated -- as a kind of continuing, evolving, shifty performance of “The Grateful Dead”.
