View from the Vault Two

Filmed at RFK Stadium on June 14, 1991

Set 1:Cold Rain and Snow, Wang Dang Doodle, Jack-A-Roe, Big River->Maggies Farm, Row Jimmy, Black Throated Wind, Tennessee Jed, The Music Never Stopped

Set 2:Help on the Way->Slipknot!->Franklin's Tower, Estimated Prophet->Dark Star->Drums/Space->Stella Blue->Lovelight E:It's all Over Now Baby Blue

Filler from 7/12/90 include Box of Rain->Victim or the Crime-> Foolish Heart->Dark Star

Pros:

-Great latter-day show, with a terrific setlist

-Band is visibly having a good time

-Great Filler

Cons

 -Dull Post-Drums segment

-Venue Information and Band Bio are very unnecessary

-Bad layout, cheesy tye-dye backgrounds to the screens

-Some graphics interrupt concert footage

Overall:7/10

Another great choice for a View from the Vault, 6/14/91 shows the Dead performing a show with the new line-up including Bruce Hornsby and Vince Welnick. I'm no Welnick fan, but he's very competenant, and Hornsby is terrific.

The show starts with average versions of Cold Rain andWang Dang Doodle, but the following Jack-A-Roe has an incredible piano part played by Hornsby, with Jerry nodding his head in approval, and is a major highlight. Big River->Maggies Farm is very nice as well, with the former featuring Jerry playing well throughout, and the latter featuring nearly all of the band singing, which is enjoyable except for when Welnick seems to be putting his whole mouth around the microphone :shudders:: The rest of the first set is fairly average, except for an exceptional Black-Throated Wind, which is always a major highlight, with Bobby singing at the top of his lungs.

The second set starts out great but loses steam near the end. the opening Help->Slip->Frank is the best music played during the night, with the only complaints being the annoying graphics shown during the songs (and throughout the second set), although the rollercoaster footage is nice. The Estimated Prophet is average, but the Dark Star that follows is exceptional latter-day Dead, and was for sure one of the main reasons this show was released. It's spacy at some times, intense at others, but enjoyable throughout. Drums and Space is Drums and Space, although it is more entertaining to watch than just listening to it waiting for that long twenty minutes to end ;) The post-drums songs are less than spectatucular. The Stella Blue never seems to gain steam, and unless you are a huge Jerry ballad fan, is quite boring. Likewise, the Bob-led Lovelight is a shadow of what is was during the age of Pigpen, although watching Hornsby bang his foot on the Piano at the end ala Jerry Lee Lewis is very entertaining. The encore is Baby Blue, and is played very well.

The bonus footage of 7/12/90, one of my favorite shows, is very nice to watch, although Victim was never one of my favorite songs, and Foolish Heart seemed to much like a "let's try and write Touch of Grey again" song, the Box of Rain is enjoyable just to watch Phil sing his lungs out, and the Dark Star sounds like something out of the Seventies, and is just incredible to watch. It's also nice to see Brent in action.

There is also a bonus music video by Billy's son Justin that is enjoyable but I haven't really watched it a lot.

The Show: 7/10

Bonus Footage:8/10

Overall:7/10

Shouldn't be your first latter-day Dead purchase, but if you love the latter day Dead shows, you should pick this up.