Grateful Dead – Sunshine Daydream: Veneta Oregon 8/27/72 (2013) review
Grateful Dead “Sunshine Daydream: Veneta Oregon 8/27/72” (Rhino, 2013)
Twenty years ago this review would have taken on an entirely
different flavor, and back in ’72, fresh off their legendary European Tour,
most of the things that exist today hadn’t even been dreamed of. For Dead fans this was the concert that
stands as a beacon, the hallmark for which all other Dead show are judged …
though who’s had the time or the inclination to sit down and assess each and
every Dead show is beyond me. Of course,
no soon have those last words left my lips than I’m struck with the vision of
countless Dead-Heads huddled around their vintage reel-to-reels and cassette
archives, meticulously evaluating each song and event; with some shows lasting
six hours or more.
different flavor, and back in ’72, fresh off their legendary European Tour,
most of the things that exist today hadn’t even been dreamed of. For Dead fans this was the concert that
stands as a beacon, the hallmark for which all other Dead show are judged …
though who’s had the time or the inclination to sit down and assess each and
every Dead show is beyond me. Of course,
no soon have those last words left my lips than I’m struck with the vision of
countless Dead-Heads huddled around their vintage reel-to-reels and cassette
archives, meticulously evaluating each song and event; with some shows lasting
six hours or more.
No, had this visionary wonder been released in the mid
’70’s, it would have been raved about fans and the general public, because
Sunshine Daydream is more than a simple concert, it’s been turned into a HD
movie … an extensive documentary movie, a movie that many have walked out on,
saying, “It feels like one long power point presentation.” But for Dead fans, Sunshine Daydream [a name
taken from the lyrics of “Sugar Magnolia”] is a tour de force, an
unparalleled vision of a Dead show at its very best, one laced with kaleidoscope
images, bizarre animations, flower power on acid, and with more dripping tie
dye and naked dancing girls, than one can stand. Considering all this, unless you’r on some
mild hallucinatory medication, the movie may at some point click into slow
gear, and seem to drag on much too long.
Of course … if you were there, like your high school yearbook, no
matter how tedious it is, you’ll happily spend hours reading every handwritten
remark, indulge every goofy picture, and smile with a sense of satisfaction
when the last page is turned, and the book re-shelved. Though with Sunshine Daydream, it’s not
necessary to re-shelve the entire package, you’re free to explore the concert
music anytime you wish, jump in and out at any spot, and truly be treaded to a
concert recording that stands heads above all other Dead shows you may, or
think you may, have heard.
’70’s, it would have been raved about fans and the general public, because
Sunshine Daydream is more than a simple concert, it’s been turned into a HD
movie … an extensive documentary movie, a movie that many have walked out on,
saying, “It feels like one long power point presentation.” But for Dead fans, Sunshine Daydream [a name
taken from the lyrics of “Sugar Magnolia”] is a tour de force, an
unparalleled vision of a Dead show at its very best, one laced with kaleidoscope
images, bizarre animations, flower power on acid, and with more dripping tie
dye and naked dancing girls, than one can stand. Considering all this, unless you’r on some
mild hallucinatory medication, the movie may at some point click into slow
gear, and seem to drag on much too long.
Of course … if you were there, like your high school yearbook, no
matter how tedious it is, you’ll happily spend hours reading every handwritten
remark, indulge every goofy picture, and smile with a sense of satisfaction
when the last page is turned, and the book re-shelved. Though with Sunshine Daydream, it’s not
necessary to re-shelve the entire package, you’re free to explore the concert
music anytime you wish, jump in and out at any spot, and truly be treaded to a
concert recording that stands heads above all other Dead shows you may, or
think you may, have heard.
The truth being the curtain is that this event has been
around for awhile, mainly as a bootleg of the August 27th, 1972 show at the Old
Renaissance Faire Grounds in Veneta, Oregon, where in 103 degree temperatures,
and with little water, 30,000 plus fans stood strong while The Grateful Dead
ripped through twenty blistering numbers, often challenged by out of tun
instruments, but hanging tight with the audience, delivering all, and giving no
quarter.
around for awhile, mainly as a bootleg of the August 27th, 1972 show at the Old
Renaissance Faire Grounds in Veneta, Oregon, where in 103 degree temperatures,
and with little water, 30,000 plus fans stood strong while The Grateful Dead
ripped through twenty blistering numbers, often challenged by out of tun
instruments, but hanging tight with the audience, delivering all, and giving no
quarter.
On the street where I live, there have always been two types
of neighbors, those who love The Grateful Dead, and those who hate them …
with possibly a third type waiting in the wings, those who are too young to
know them. In any event, this outing has something for
everyone, and may just open the doors for a new generation to discover the
essence, splendor, and makeup of the one true jam-band.
of neighbors, those who love The Grateful Dead, and those who hate them …
with possibly a third type waiting in the wings, those who are too young to
know them. In any event, this outing has something for
everyone, and may just open the doors for a new generation to discover the
essence, splendor, and makeup of the one true jam-band.
Review made by Jenell Kesler/2013
© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2013
