David Lemieux on What’s Inside Spring 1990
Listening Parties
3/30/90 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
Iko Iko
Playing In The Band>
China Doll>
Uncle John's Band>
Terrapin Station>
Drums
3/26/90 Knickerbocker Arena, Albany NY
Built To Last
Victim Or The Crime>
China Cat Sunflower>
I Know You Rider>
Man Smart, Woman Smarter>
Drums
3/22/90 Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, ON, Canada
Space>
The Other One>
Hey Jude>
Dear Mr. Fantasy>
Hey Jude>
Sugar Magnolia
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
3/19/90 Civic Center, Hartford, CT
Space> China Doll> Gimme Some Lovin'> Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad> Around and Around
3/16/90 Capital Center, Landover, MD
Scarlet Begonias> Estimated Prophet> Ship Of Fools> Man Smart, Woman Smarter> Jam
Spring 1990 Listen & Look
David Lemieux on 3/30/90
David Lemieux on 3/26/90
Profiles
Rick Griffin: His Memory and His Art Live On A Spring 1990 Profile
By Blair Jackson
It seems fitting that some of the last work the great San Francisco artist Rick Griffin did before his tragic death in a motorcycle accident in 1991 was connected to the good ol’ Grateful Dead. During 1990, he produced the front and back cover illustrations for the group’s 25th Anniversary Tour Book (reproduced in the Grateful Dead: Spring 1990 box set), plus posters and advertisements for the Dead’s fall ’90 European tour and the cover of the 2-CD live album that came out while they were in Europe, Without a Net. Read more.
Lights, Camera, Click! A Profile of Spring 1990 Photographer Jim Anderson
By Blair Jackson
If Jim Anderson isn’t as well-known as some other photographers who chronicled the Dead, it’s not because of a lack of quality in his shots. On the contrary, the Connecticut-based photographer has an exceptional eye and has taken thousands of great photos of the Dead and other bands since he started shooting concerts in the early ’70s. In just the past few months, his historic Dead shots dominated the booklet for Dave’s Picks No. 2 (from Hartford 7/31/74) and are spread throughout the book included in the new Grateful Dead: Spring 1990 box. And he’s had many of his photos appear in earlier Dick’s Picks and other releases. Read more.
Art of the Backstage Pass: A Profile of Spring 1990 Artist Tony Reonegro
By Blair Jackson
The Grateful Dead have been credited with all sorts of innovations through the years, from numerous big and small developments in sound equipment and musical instruments, to the first live 16-track recording (Live Dead), to pioneering the rock T-shirt business. The Grateful Dead is also responsible for turning the backstage pass into an art form. Read more.
Skulls and Indians and Choppers, Oh My! A Profile of Spring '90 Artist Wes Lang
By Blair Jackson
The original artwork gracing the cover of the new Spring 1990 box, and others spread throughout the beautiful and informative book included in the package, are the work of a Brooklyn-based artist named Wes Lang. The images range from rapier-wielding and chopper-riding skeletons, to rough-hewn variants on familiar Dead iconography, girls and whimsical treatments of song titles and lyric fragments. His work combines a loose “fan art” approach with a skilled draftsman’s eye for detail, and the emotional underpinnings of his art—grim to light—speak to his influences, from biker and tattoo art, masters of ’60s San Francisco rock posters and artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Francis Bacon. Read more.