Customer Reviews

New Year's Eve [VHS]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This DVD captures the Dead in their late 80's peak. The show is spirited, well played, and soulful throughout. The extras (fan questions, Jerry's backstage kitchen, and Mickey as Spock/Jerry as Santa) have to be seen to be believed--they're hilarious. The band is having fun throughout. You can tell by Jerry's face on the fantastic opener "Bertha" which DeadBase (a Grateful Dead stat book) ranked as the all-time fan's favorite version, and for good reason. Here's the thing about those controversial special effects: I watched this live on pay-per-view that night, and the effects were part of the broadcast. I videotaped the performance directly off tv and had it for many years. This DVD is essentially an edited version of that broadcast. So, the DVD company did not add the effects, they were already there. The extras also were longer in the original broadcast. Why they axed the rousing Promised Land from the DVD and VHS versions, who knows, but it's a notable omission. It's still worth a purchase.

Just watched the "Ticket to New Year's" DVD and thoroughly enjoyed it. Of the four Dead DVD's out as of now, I don't know if its the best, I seem to like View from the Vault I. But hey, this well worth having in your collection. The audio is crisp and sharp and while the special effects that were added to the video may annoy some, I thought they are pretty funny. Funny in the sense that I wonder if whoever was in charge of putting the effects on the video was saying "Wow man, this is gonna trip people out..." Whatever, no big deal. I recommend getting your hand's on every Dead DVD you can, in hopes that the powers that be see that there is a demand for them. There are alot more shows that could be put out (View from the vault III in October) and I hope they come around soon. It's a great escape to tune into Jerry and the Boys for a few hours, they were a unique band that communicated a vibe that doesn't seem to be prevelant anymore... MY ADVICE TO YOU: TURN OFF THE SIX O'CLOCK PARANOIA NEWS CHANNEL OR WHATEVER OTHER JUNK THAT MAY BE ON TV, POP A COUPLE OF HEINEKEN'S, SLIDE IN A DEAD DVD AND YOU'LL FEEL MUCH BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF.

This concert DVD is one of the best things I have ever seen. The camera work is perfect and there is good visual work with the video lightshow. The setlist is basically perfect with maybe one exception. SetI Bertha//Cold Rain and Snow//Red Rooster//When Push come to shove//Masterpiece// Birdsong//Music never stopped Set II Hell in a Bucket//Uncle John's//Terrapin (2 tracks)// Drumzspace//Other 1//Wharf Rat//Throwing Stones// Not Fade Away//E:Knockin' w/Neville's. So as you can see the song selection is meaty and Jerry's face is HUGE!! This one is a must purchase and other bands such as Phish, Dave Matthews, and Widespread Panic should start makin' em like this. Enough said

What can I say , I love this DVD . Cold Rain , Terrapin , Bertha , Uncle John's etc.... This DVD has Jerry all over it . If you miss the band or just Jerry you should get this DVD . The sound is excelent . This is soul food if their ever was soul food . Do yourself a huge favor and buy this DVD and if you need to a DVD player . It is worth every penny , some like me would say it is a bargin at that price . Thank you , Grateful Dead Productions , for releasing this show ( my first New Years show )PLEASE RELEASE MORE SHOWS ON DVD . We love Jerry and miss him , nothing helps fill the whole like seeing him again , Thank you very much .

If there are any GDP people reading I am BEGGING YOU to stop putting out DVDs with those disastrously cheesy video effects which you inevitably lay on thick during the most interesting musical improvisations ("have pychedelic experience here"). They really ruin it for me. Allow me to create pictures in my own head, thanks (I recall seeing some pretty wild stuff back then but can't for the life of me remember a sailboat gliding across Jerry's axe!). As the years go by these horrible effects just seem more and more dated and embarrassing. The only way to go forward with these releases is to preserve maximum video and audio integrity, let the Grateful Dead speak for themselves and RESIST THE URGE to press the effects button. Let me try to put this as succintly as I can: NOBODY WANTS TO SEE THAT GARBAGE! In the case of this DVD it really ruins for me what is an otherwise very enjoyable experience. For those who have the disk, watch UJB again and tell me that the video retards don't go absolutely ga-ga PRECISELY when you don't want them to. Please people, get a clue. Stop the madness!

I am just glad to know that I have some great Live Dead that I know will last for years. Yeah there could be some more tunes but that just leaves us wanting more. This is great for parties, cleaning house, writing reviews, cooking, sex, relaxing, working, hanging out, drinking (if you drink), and if you smoke I guess smoking. (I quit years ago) Point is you can stick this in the player and do just about anything. I cannot wait until the Dick's picks deal comes to DVD. Oh what a long strange trip it will be again. Oh yeah, if your wondering about the picture just stick in an old VHS and compare. It's like night and day. And just think....it will never be worse if you take care of your disc. How cool is that Dead fans?

This was a great video. Everything is stellar, especially the Terrapin... only problem is, when terrapin is climaxing, they start doing the trippy effects...when i would have rather just seen the band as a whole at that point in the song...the band was psychadelic enough. The effects do work in some parts, especially the crazy flashes during Drums. There is a really good collaberation between Bill and Mickey during drums. The intermission antics are a treat too...it's all a treat (encore too with special guests)... just get it! Oh, one more gripe- I could barely hear Phil's bass well AT ALL on the vhs version...hopefully they fixed it up for the dvd version.

In reference to the editors note, there is no Dark Star on this DVD! The Dead merely trickle into The Other One coming out of Drumz. The show on the whole is well played but I agree with the other reviewer about the exclusion of a great 3rd set with the Neville Brothers! One more note, the opening Bertha is good but the editors, for some reason, lopped off the the Bobby opener of Promised! Who knows? Anyway, like any dead video, digital or otherwise, this is a must have for your libray, enjoy and keep the faith!

A great set by the Dead ruined by awful graphics that totally obscure the band, especially cut 18, intro to the Other One, and 19, The Other One. Some of the most complicated music on the DVD and the players are completely obliteratd by lousy graphics. Its almost as if someone assumed we wanted to see crappy graphics rather than top-notch playing. The music on the DVD is great, the graphics that obsucre the musicians suck.

I am not a Grateful Dead fan, but I wanted to find out more about the band. This is my first Dead concert. For me the concert got off to a slow start. As it picked up I began to become enchanted with the performance. I have the VHS copy. The quality of audio and video on the VHS is fine.