1st of 3-show run at the Oakland Coliseum. The shows after the NYE run, at the same venue (after 11 shows here in '91 there were 8 in '92). It was their go-to Bay Area indoor venue at the time. These shows were without Hornsby and after the March tour he wasn't full time, showing up as a guest, but almost always on accordion. The next night's the best of the run, but really, the show you want to start with from early '92 is 3/20. There's no real spark of x factor in the first set except for the 2nd half of Pitcha Wang Dang. 92's a weird year like that - shows had so suddenly become inconsistent. Though there were still great songs, and even powerful sets, there were rarely great overall shows, musically, at least until, say, December '92. Otherwise it's pick-and-choose.

First Set. After so many years with each other, how did they get so sloppy - and just a year after playing so well? Bob and Jerry are both missing cues on Bertha. Kreutzmann claims they were all listening only to themselves and expecting the band to follow them - unprofessional, but par for a famously leaderless (and then rudderless) band. Promised Land ain't quite right either, though Jer has a cool tone for Stagger Lee (the vox not so much). They suddenly warm up for Wang Dang. It's not, say, 3/31/91, but it ain't bad neither. Bobby offers "the chicken until I die" (some say "chicken head" but it's clear here. The original is "Peg and Aunt Caroline Dye"). Pitcha was often the highlight of the first set in '92-'94. So Many Roads is the 1st one ever. It wasn't a good sign that songs got into shape after a few outings in the 70s and 80s, yet this song had 50 tries and got only slightly better. Queen Jane is a bummer - to follow creaky balladry with a Bobby wordfest (my chief complaint in '92-'95, more so than sloppy playing). Pnc [below] notes the other issues. But then Bruce pwns and Vince colors him well. Wave to the Wind is the second newbie - the song with potential that nobody liked but Phil, who agreed to drop it after '93. The 90s songs had no clear arrangements, central riffs or melodies. It seems nobody wanted to work on stuff - as opposed to slinging standbys for the thousandth time. You can see why Billy said it "should have been used for the theme to 'The Love Boat'", but with a slightly different arrangement it would have worked (though nobody in the world's going to sing "Gonna wave gonna wave gonna wave to the wind" as an earworm. WTF Phil!). They tried it again a couple nights later then a bunch in March and then Sayonara until Phil tried it slightly differently in '93...14 times. I can remember a bewildered audience. Is this a cover? Gods I hope so! But it had that Phil chord progression. It seriously needed the woodshed. There was no discernible pattern or arrangement on this night and they were all just playing their own idea of the song in the same (mostly, cough, Vince) key. Two more premiered the following night and then the four make up the bulk of the 2nd set on the third night. Ouch!Dough Knees is a relief rocker and the crowd is pleased going into the lockers.

Second Set. It's cool to start with One More Saturday into Half-step and if the former is well-played, the latter sounds like band practice. Then, wtf is Vince doing on Estimated?! He's in a different key. Bobby should've power-chorded over the top of that. Jer's solo is briefly redeeming but He's Gone is chocked with miscues. Typical for the era, Drums is super crazy and super-long, Mickey determined to take the show somewhere, with 17 minutes of fun into 26 min of Space. Jer then lays some beautiful work going into The Wheel. Note how the others hang back at first. Now they're getting on track, and there are some great Bobby and Jer ensemble moments in the back half of Watchtower. Black Peter really builds for a Peter. Always take them out on a high spot.

1st Set:  D
2nd Set: C-
Overall = 1½ stars

Highlights:
nope

SOURCES: The Gardner and the Miller sound 97% the same but the Miller has the encore, a few small patches, and maybe a little less either wow or flutter, or some type of flux distortion. If you believe this is one of the best shows they ever did (or, 5-star), keep digging; you're going to be blown away (unless conceivably you only listen to '94 and '95 - but hey, to each their own).

AWESOME guitar coming from Jerry in Mississippi esp. at the end....obvi. love so many roads; the start of an evolution here on this song brings rating way up.

i admit,the show on a whole is not the ball of energetic love that bounced from the band to us and back again..as it was at many other venues on this evening...BUT..a little tune,sandwiched between"Wang Dang"and"Queen Jane"became a monster ballad,that no one could ever of imagined."So many Roads"took our breathe away from the time Jerry introduced it to the setlist.....For that reason alone,i give this night 5*,for it was the night that 1000 tears fell,because of one song.And 1000`s more each night after......i love when Jerry "thought he heard blackbird`s singing.".....We miss you Jerry...love you!

...bobby and vince (always vince) are too high in the mix. also don't like booby's tone during this period: check out queen jane; bobby sounds like a kid trying to learn a whitesnake tune or something.

worth the listen for so many roads.

I have to fully agree with the review added by 'Enlightened Deadhead'.

I travelled with several friends from the Seattle area to this show, and despite the comments left by live archive aficionados here in reviews section, this was one of the many and more fun nights I ever spent with the band and Deadheads at large.

This is a 'big time' Grateful Dead rock and roll show with the Bertha>Promised Land opener, plus One More Saturday Night to kickoff the second set. Fun, fun, fun night, never to be forgotten.

Then throw in that the band played a couple of new tunes that they'd never tried live before? Enough said. I highly recommend a listen to this show. Too bad the U.S. Blues encore is missing, that's my only reason for 4 stars, rather than 5.

the bertha>promised grooves along nicely..... jerry sounds real good for 92.... his guitar is a little too low in the mix.... vince's keys, and bobby's guitar overpower jerry...... but it's not bad.... worth the stream..

Drove from a few states away to see this show as a college student and it flipped my lid. It is funny how deadheads became so demanding by becoming addicted to the tunes rather than appreciating them for what they are/were. This was a really fun night and in case you serious computer drones forget, the band was about having fun, enjoying life. Take your tapes on a long drive or listen to drums and space while looking at the stars for gawdsake. Even this simple show from 92 will blow your socks off if you let it! Great Show.

the levels don't get fixed until about wang dang doodle, and then the band takes over and pretty much butchers that tune. Maybe it's me but they don't seem to be playing the same song. Checked this out based on 4 star reviews, but don't see it. Off to the copps cols show that everyone is raving about

Bobby's guitar and Vince's Keys are cranked on this recording and Phil is almost non-existent...Jerry's guitar slowly gets turned up throughout the Bertha but never sounds quite loud enough....Personally I wouldn't call the Bertha>Promised "raging", but vocally for '92 Jerry does sound darn good!

Wave to the wind
So many roads
1st time played.
1st show of 1992.

this show is a good performance that was recorded with a bit of hiss compared to 3-20-92.....now THAT is a clean recording!!! this is just real hissy

This show is perhaps the most underrated of 1992. A raging Bertha>Promised 1st set opener. The very tight and unusual Saturday Night>1/2 Step 2nd set opener and a great Estimated jam into drums with Phil hinting at Pink Floyd's "One of these Days." The rest of the show is standard in terms of setlist, but very tight - surprisingly so for the first show of the year. This is a good recording, but if you can find one, try the AUD.