Grateful Dead - Dead Ahead DVD

Dead Ahead, recorded during the Grateful Dead's historic 1980 run of shows at New York's Radio City Music Hall has just been released for the first time on DVD, with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and no region encoding so it can be played on any DVD player. After being unavailable in any format for many years we think youi?1/2ll agree that iti?1/2s time to retire that old VHS copy and upgrade to this greatly improved DVD.

The eight-night Radio City stand marked the only time the Dead would play at the magnificent Art Deco landmark, one of the most famous theaters in the world. For these special shows, which came on the heels of engagements at the Warfield in San Francisco and the Saenger Theater in New Orleans, the band opened each show with an acoustic set. For the first time in more than a decade, fans were treated to this rarest of treats. Dead Ahead presents highlights of those sets (including "Bird Song," "On The Road Again" and "Ripple"), as well as some of the peak moments from the Dead's full-on electric performances (among them "Lost Sailor/Saint of Circumstance," "Franklin's Tower," "Good Lovin'" and much more). There are also bonus features not included on the original video release, including an acoustic instrumental rendition of "Heaven Help The Fool," and electric versions of "Shakedown Street," "Samson and Delilah," "He's Gone" and "Truckin'".

The "Saturday Night Live" writing/performing team of Al Franken (years before his reinvention as a progressive political gadfly) and Tom Davis, staunch Dead Heads both, are on hand to provide comic relief as the Dead's very unpopular "opening act" and as most unwelcome dressing-room troublemakers. They even manage to get Henry Kissinger into the act as an extremely unlikely bootlegger.

Part One
Uncle John's Band
Franken & Davis Intro
Bird Song
On The Road Again
To Lay Me Down
Ripple
Henry K: Bootlegger (Franken & Davis)
Me And My Uncle
Mexicali Blues
Ramble On Rose
Little Red Rooster

Part Two
Hey, Shit Head (Franken & Davis)
Don't Ease Me In
Lost Sailor >
Saint of Circumstance >
Franklin's Tower >
Drums >
Space >
Fire On The Mountain >
Not Fade Away >
Good Lovin'

Bonus Songs:
Heaven Help The Fool
Shakedown Street >
Samson and Delilah
He's Gone >
Truckin'