This show may be the best of 1990. The band comes swaggering out of the gate with a frenetic Bertha will Phil on amazing bass. Followed by a monster Jack Straw featuring Jerry berserk leads and Phil bombs.Bobby blown backwards by his power chords. The whole band in sync. Also the best Picasso Moon in first set. Great Box opener to second set. Beautiful Eyes. Overall A well played show with Jerry tone much "heavier" than previous years.

Bertha

This show was one of the top in Dead history the energy was amazing with the best crowd you could get. Cal Expo was a phenomenal venue with camping and a river for three days. Hot sunshine and fun vibes abounding. The Last Time was symbolic of this phase for the dead, about the sacred tribal energy. The good energy was at a peak at this point in California.

The whole June '90 West Coast run was a blast! Cal Expo, JGB Warfield, Shoreline, and Eugene were all great Shows. Phil's announcement before Dire Wolf that rumors of him quitting the band after the Eugene Shows was "a bullshit lie" lit the place up. The was a lot of positive energy between the Dead and the crowd on this night.

I sang a little while and then flew on.

phil bombs rock!!

Wow, the we want Phil chant and his statement brought it all back! I totally remember that moment...

Really good show. Smooth. They really mesh well. Hard to put my finger on just what it is. Just really diggin this show. Especially Box through the Jam out of Crazy Fingers.

Brent slapping his keys at 1:15 give me chills for some reason.

The band sounds great throughout. Jerry's having one of those nights where his playing is right on but his singing falls apart by set 2. A beautifully Eyes gets kinda lost on the lyrics. Bobby's on it though. Sound quality is gorgeous and Phil is thumping at maximum bombsquad quality. The words are very meaningful when I play this material for people, so I am chucking anything sung by Jerry after set 2 but definitely keeping the rest for playback at Mad River Glen. Standouts are Jack Straw, Gimme Some Lovin', Box of Rain, Throwin' Stones and Row Jimmy. Dire Wolf also. Maybe ol' Jerr got a scratchy throat?

Well, I wouldn't say that about this performance. There have been some extraordinary performances of EOTW. This one is very good though, and the intro is especially wonderful. Very lilting and all the while searching in an insistent way that creates a beautiful tension. The show over all is consistent with that feeling. The Bertha starts the gig out in a romping way and Jerry is really on. Phil was trying out a new bass or amp or something and he had that crisp, slightly buzzy sound going on. He, too, was really bringing it all night. Brent was on fire. I never missed any Cal Expo shows as I was living in the Bay Area for a while. Terrific venue, although nothing beat a Sunday afternoon in May at Frost, eh?

This row jimmy really touches me..

In Row Jimmy- especially at the beginning, in the left channel there is some kind of chatter. WTF?

Thanks for posting!

Beautiful versions of Box of Rain and Eyes. I love the Crazy Fingers and then the jam into drums is very sweet. The show starts off with a great version of Bertha that has a great temo and then a strong version of Jack straw. Just another solid summer '90 show

my best show ever... my skull felt like it was gonna pop...

I am testing this Eyes now. One Eyes I think should be in the top of the list is 11-29-79! See whatt you think? The 2nd set Shakedown>Sampson, Hightime Estimated>eyes is nice, but the eyes blew me away!

tim leary was there as well as owsley this show was a trde mark thats why the set
it was electric we were all dosed

I can verify the aerial oddities. This spectacle was a reoccurring event @ Amphitheater and had left a lasting effect on many At first sight it was whoa! really cool balloons! But after watching how these things behaved it soon became an experience of supernatural portion that still remains to this day. You see people aren't supposed to climb out of kites or Balloons. Now this object floated about ever slightly turning and at times this kite was actually stationary, NOT moving, hanging just above the crowd. Expo was intimately special and seemed to conduct consciousness. There was a sunset to end first set that of which I have never seen equaled in my life or anywhere in pictures or postcards. The bands performance reflects the energy and vibe that was Expo. It was their backyard venue

i saw them as well. one was a vw bus

great sunday afternoon show

loved the expo shows

I remember this one opening with a kick ass Bertha---Not sure if it carries through to this recording, but if you were there you could feel the chops and confidence they exuded with this opener. Honestly, it's hard to be objective about this show...I too had fallen prey to rumors about Phil leaving, which was too much for me to bear thinking about, so when he made that announcement about the rumor being false me and my friend damn near levitated and so did half the crowd (you can hear the joy!) The boys coulda played like crap and we would've been grateful!
Get Wiretap Pro and download this whole 3-day run.

this show s is a gem....this is pure grateful dead...the sound is great thd mix is great....sbd /aud matrix ... row jimmy is stellar...eyes is outrageous ....the absolute most powerful standing on the moon..oh yeah space/gimme some lovin'...way above average...phil fans take notice throughout...the harmonies in box of rain are worth the price admission alone...playin is short but has a nice spacey jam did I mention phil...mind blowin'...this is one is WAY WAY above average....

This show is a smoker. Check out the Jack Straw one of the best ever. Iv'e had plenty of tapes and listen to many shows on here. Top 5 J.Straw for sure. Also, the band sounds great Brent,Phil! R.I.P. Brent

Or at least top 5 of 1990, if there is such a thing. And, it is TOUGH to be a top 5 show from 1990. Id' have to say they are-
Nassau 3/29
Cal Expo 6/10
Shoreline 6/16
RFK 7/12
MSG 9/20 (or 9/16)

I am growing fonder of many of the excellent Europe shows lately too.

In case Atlanta Tarheel is still out there, I'd like to belatedly confirm his sighting, I am one of the crew that provided the distraction. While listening to a local Dead radio show yesterday I was reminded of the flights and thought I would check around to see if anyone remembered. Or if there was any interest lingering. I videotaped most of those flights from various locations. Stills too, and I may get around to converting and posting, once i figure out where.. We also flew at Laguna Seca and GG Park, but not the Greek.

This is good stuff!

Well played, high energy show for the most part. There was one near train-wreck in the post-space intro to Gimme Some Lovin', however, that threatened to derail the rest of the show. Bob missed his vocal cues not once, but twice, the first time thanks to Brent, the second to Jerry. The first brought out the Bobscowl, but after the second, he was casting seriously dark looks all over the stage. The vibe was thick (not in a good way) throughout Gimme, and continued on into Standing. At the end of his ballad, Jerry had Bob transfixed in a link as he sang the refrain, "I'd rather be WITH you" right at him. Balance restored, the show sped to a most satisfying conclusion. Gave me serious chills then, and hearing the show again for the first time in too many years brought 'em right back.

This is the night that Phil put the rumor of his leaving the band to rest....Then Jerry in typical Garcia form has his reply that actually everybody but Phil is quitting.....Good Stuff!

This is a good show, but I wasn't terribly wowed by the eyes, sound, or playing in general...To be distinguished from Playin', btw. I'd rather listen to this show four million times before listening to another Aerosmith song on 104.3 WQRAP, though. 1st set is solid, SOTM is rockin', NFA is fun.

When you listen to two or sixty shows a week,like I do, these guys start to sound like a rock and roll band, almost. I don't know how they did it. Well, yeah I do.

If you like summer '90, there's better, and you can hear these versions have much improved incarnations by the middle of the summer. And Bobby's voice cracks more by July.

You made my day by suggesting an 'Eyes' as good as Nassau. This 'Eyes' stacks up with the best of them. Every now and then I get a major Grateful Dead Revelation. Wow! Also Promised Land is pretty strong. I'll suggest an 'Eyes' 12/29/88. This recording has alot of punch but there is a swirl to it. Maybe wind from the mics and the backdrop of the sound is dry. Other than that it's almost an excellent recording. Alpine 89 and Nassau 90 is one step up.I had to update my review. The 2nd set sounds better than the first set as far as quality goes.Not Fade Away just pounds. There are some very dangerous sub-sonics during space that could blow out your speakers if you have the volume too high also you might excell at punishing your neighbors.

The sound quality is excellent, and it's a great show to hear Phil throughout the entire show. He's high in the mix, and just sounds plain great. Really nice to hear all his lines that you often can't hear. Check out Jack Straw, Box and Eyes. Absolutely worth the download to have a Phil show like this.

I true enjoyed this show. I missed most of this tour trying to focus on other things. Losing Brent this year was equally as ruff. Him being an east bay celebrity and all. It was a hard releze. Such a view he had if you listen closely.

Cal-expo was always a fun stop, but pretty tuff when first added to the rotation.

Thanks for being there. One to five stars....sometimes they weigh the same.

Just a little history; Eileen Law (voice of Grateful Dead Hotline and head of the DeadHeads mailing list) and I talked to Phil before the show and told him that we were getting dozens and dozens of calls concerning the rumour that he was quiting the band. He told us that he would put an end to that one! And he did.

Phil is straight dropping bombs throughout this show. sound quality is there, jerry sounds alive and inspired...set list nice choices, picasso moon underrated....but phil, after squashing rumors of his leaving, straight drops bombs. when phil's on, the band's on

I remember this rumour like it was yesterday.. I lived in bend oregon at the time and the rumour of phil leaving the band was running like crazy leading up to summer tour... I ended up seeing all the expo , shorline and eugene shows from that run and this was a great begginning Thanks Phil ! Hey tarheel if i remember right there where three that passed over and now like you said it was 15 years ago but im fairly sure they had pictures on them with dancing bears and so on Im fairly sure they were part of the show :)

This East Coaster attended this three day stretch of shows and agree that they were very hot...this show with the Sunday afternoon start (as opposed to an evening start) was particulary good.

My question to anyone that was there and can remember 15 years back. I remember seeing some little "hot air balloon" thingy's passing over Cal Expo during the show. They were much smaller and moved much faster than regular hot air balloons - they almost seemed like they were remote controlled. They were not carrying passengers. While I agree that I was significantly impaired at this show, I know I saw these things.

Does anyone else remember these? 15 years later I'm still trying to figure out if they were real.

This is hot from the get go whole first set is very solid and the rest of the show is as well. Love the NFA and The Last Time - The eyes at least on tape cannot touch Nassau.

Clean...clean...clean sound. I find some of the shows (and just some) sound pretty harsh with solid playing, which is a drag. This show has both. The overall playing is tight and the boys are all right on the money. A good edition to any collection, especially if you're a fan of this era. Overall, it's well worth the download.

Cheers.

The first three tracks alone make it a must-have (Bertha and Jack Straw are hot and Phil's "speech" is classic)for any Deadhead. The Eyes is also great. Much of the rest is average to good in terms of performance. The sound quality is excellent.

If I recall correctly, Standing on the Moon was one of the better I saw. I remeber liking several other tunes also but as to how they compare to other versions, well you'll just have to listen and see !

Maybe the best show from the Cal Expo - Shoreline - Eugene run. The Bertha is lightning fast and hot! A great Jack Straw is next followed by Phil's famous speech. Sweet way to open a show!! 1990 was a revival for Eyes (thanks to 3/29)and this one was outstanding. Nice Playin' also. One of the best shows of the summer.

This is an outstanding show, from top to bottom, this show rocks! easily one of the best performances from 1990,do yourself a favor and get it now.

This was my favorite of the three night run. Great Eyes of the World -- a return to a mellower 70s type of Eyes.

There is also a great FOB SHOEPS floating around that is worth checking out.

This & the 9th are the best SBD/Matrix recordings I've EVER heard!!!! Unbelievable clarity & just enuf crowd noise to remember what a PARTY these shows were. BIG energy ALL AROUND!!!! There was, and never will be, another Cal Expo!!!!!

"It's a BULLSHIT LIE!!!! Classic!!!!!