Product Title: THE GRATEFUL DEAD: DEAD AHEAD Condition: Previously viewed with light edge wear to slipcase - VHS is in excellent condition with slight label wear Approximate Running Time: 114 Minutes Genre: Music Year Released: 1981 Former Rental: No Plot: DEAD AHEAD highlights the Grateful Dead's two-week run at New York's Radio City Music Hall in October 1981.Grateful Dead: Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir (vocals, guitar); Brent Mydland (vocals, keyboards); Phil Lesh (bass); Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart (drums, percussion).Commemorating 15 years on the road, in late 1980 the Grateful Dead presented a total of 25 -- or 26 if you count New Year's Eve -- concerts highlighted by a rare acoustic set. Appropriately enough, this run of shows reached an apex on Halloween with a closed-circuit TV special and FM radio simulcast throughout North America. Choice moments were then compiled and unleashed into the burgeoning home video market as Dead Ahead in 1981. Also integrated into the final presentation were "unplugged" versions of "On the Road Again" -- which was trotted out specifically for these gigs after a 14-year absence -- and a stunningly poignant reading of "To Lay Me Down" from the previous evening (October 30). The Grateful Dead are in exceptional form throughout, especially the contributions from Brent Mydland (keyboard/vocals), who had effectively replaced the husband-and-wife team of pianist Keith Godchaux and vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux just the year before. Mydland's slightly raspy tenor voice complements the ensemble with an undeniable depth of soul during "Bird Song" and "To Lay Me Down." His respective organ solos on "Little Red Rooster" and "Don't Ease Me In" hark back to the days of seminal Grateful Dead keyboardist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan. Taking into account that there really isn't a subpar selection in the lot, among the standouts is Bob Weir's medley linking "Lost Sailor" and "Saint of Circumstance" from the Dead's concurrent studio LP, 1980's Go to Heaven. Although edited, "Rhythm Devils" featuring percussionists Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann is particularly inspired, as is the funky "Fire on the Mountain" that follows. 042114-061622T-VHS3 Fantastic Finds: Your Pop Culture More Store! Buying, Selling Trading Long Lost Childhood Memories, And Helping Create New Ones Since 1998!