The thing about music is it is not a stationary object. The boys got that so they did things like break-up the WRS , drop Lost Sailor , not play tunes like Casey Jones.
The Other thing was they worked on the new tunes especially in 1989-90 they worked on the harmonies. So There was a review swipe at WE CAN RUN and PICASSO MOON and your entitled to your two cents but man Garcia is working those backing vocals on WE CAN RUN
and also PICASSO MOON is like the band’s version of Sex and candy.
This is a standard first set for the period but that is fine because this is a working man’s band.
Once again Brent is fully involved and it gives the band a dynamic that helped the boys out of that 87 coma haze.
One more thing WE CAN RUN is not going to win any jam band awards but it was what they were trying to express during The Rainforest Benefit a bit more introspective than the big picture of Throwing Stones.
In my time 84-93
For my money 85 had the best first sets
but the new tunes sprinkled in 89-90
made for cool dabbling
getting primed for Set Two
A word about the Hartford Civic, A nice day outside was serious ‘typical city involved in a typical daydream’ but it sure was fun walking around that beast.
Downside-The hike to the municipal parking lots.
Set Two
Good Set list pre-drum:
A reward for the ‘We Want Phil’
With Box of Rain
Foolish-)Playin’-)Eyes
PITB is under 10 minutes but Caliente!
Post drum:
When is it jam instead of space?
Jam-) C. H I. N A D O. L. L
A man with a lot of pride
rejects the Gospel
because of works
But a humble man knows
All my righteousness
Is but filthy rags
Before The ALMIGHTY…

The combo Gimme Some-) GDTRFB
an odd pairing but swinging.
Aroundx2 makes three rockers
To close it out
Brent plays boogie woogie
and slashing organ on
Never Stop Rocking
Phil cranked to 11
If your on the fence
BROKEDOWN encore

I sang a little while and then flew on.

They remind me why I'd show up on the lot just before showtime and then run back to the hotel room during the last verse of the encore.

...a fine exhibition of the growing depth of the GD song selection by 1990. Phil is on fire the whole night and sounds awesome in this mix. Give him a listen on Deal, PITB->Eyes, and of course Box. Check out Brent on It's All Over Now and Jack-a-Roe. Love me a 77 version of the latter, but there's really something about these late-era Brent versions. Some lyrical flubs in the Foolish Heart, but the playing from its start through PITB to Eyes (check it out especially around 10 mins on) as it meanders through drums and space into China Doll is special. First of only four China Dolls in 1990. "It’s a tender song in every way—things have been fractured, but perhaps they can be, in some sense, salvaged" (David Dodd, Greatest Stories Ever Told - "China Doll"). Out of this brooding version, Brent and Phil team up to sing Gimme Some Loving as if responding to the despair. Blues medley continues with GDTRFB and Around and Around. Brokedown Palace to bid Hartford farewell. Off and onward to Ontario!

Whenever Jerry belts it out like anytime after 1990, I feel like he was looking towards to the next world.

The tape I had of this show had the between set interviews with Mickey and Bobby. Does anyone have that? I remember the questions were sometimes silly, like asking Mickey about the Phil Retirement rumors but it was interesting anyway.

This show is just 4 days prior to one of my all timers at the knick, and during a few segments this show had the same feel. I enjoyed the good time vibe I felt during several of the tunes. Although this show had it moments and I would have loved to see it live, as a whole it really came up short. I find that I have the same feeling about many, many latter era shows – The feeling of identifying with the crowd and thinking about how fun it was/would have been, but then I put my review hat on and my honest objective-as-I can-be opinion is different. So, on to the show.

First set opens with Helen, which was well done and the crowd really went nuts for this relatively solid opener. For the time, Im sure this killed every time they opened with it. Next up is another relatively well done tune in Bertha. Jerrys vocals are sounding good and when Brent jumps in on the chorus the house went nuts. Nice energy boys – try and keep that shit up. Uh-oh, now you guys have gone and done it – We Can Run. That tremendous sucking sound you hear at the beginning of this one is every bit of energy and momentum hauling ass outta the arena. Why? Goddamit why must they do shit like this? The remarkable part is how Jerry gets them right back with a very well done Jack-a-Roe…I love me some Jack-a-Roe and I saw it more than once live and dug it every damn time. When I hear it I have wonderful memories flood my little brain. Bravo Jerome! OK, large amount of suck on deck again with Picasso. I know saying that is slightly harsh but I hate this song. Ok, enough about Picasso. ALSO, I will make the point that I do give these shows complete listens meaning even songs such as this I never bump. Takes some discipline fo sho…Anyhows, a very tranquil Brown Eyed comes next and it was kinda weak. We need a little more outta Jer for this to work. Someone grab the stun gun and give him a shot…Brown eyed slides right into another well done song in All Over Now. Always dug it and this one does not disappoint. We round out the set with an average Deal and Im thinking this show has a nice good-timey feel but is kinda all over the place so far. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it – but only to a point.

The second set starts with a very well done Box opener and continues right on without stopping into a surprisingly well done Foolish. Not a fan of Foolish but Jerry kept my attention on this one. Next is my favorite part of the sequence and the show being Playin’>Eyes. I found myself literally wound up several times during these two. Stopping what I was doing and just thinking they were tearing some shit up here, especially around the 6 minutes mark of Playin gets really good. I was really impressed with Phil and Jerry doing what they were doing. Phil seemed to own Playin and Eyes had its own kinda thing that was a little speedy and really heavy….Again, this part of the segment had my full attention. Very nice little drift into Drums and Space, and then The China Doll on the way out did nothing for me. Nothing. Jerry almost sounded bored to me. Hey that’s just me though. I though Gimme Some sucked giant balls and GDTRFB waas really hopped up and nice. Not real impressed with Round&Round, and I really dug Brokedown just cause its Brokedown.

So, where do I stand now just finishing this one. A little disappointing really. Moments of brilliance and wonderful charisma coupled with some real dogshit – which I am not saying in a loving way today. The first set gave me many pleasant memories of shows I have seen, yet that is not enough to make me recommend this one. My enjoyment of the second set was limited as well, so – I give this effort a C, mainly on the strength of the good-timey vibe going on for most of the show. Classic 1990 right here - not the greatest, and not the worst.

What a great time we had at these shows.

Does anyone else remember Jerry and Bobby driving downtown in that van and handing out tickets to peeps hanging on the sidewalk! Talk about a class act.

I was not able to get a ticket to be inside (had other tickets for the tour), but they broadcast it on FM so there was a dude in a parking lot with big speakers pumping the ball breaking GD to the city of Hartford!!

Thank you, brothers and sisters! Keep the faith!

thats what you say now, but is that what you were saying at the show? I'm more of an early-80s animal, we used to say that Jerry could make or break any given performance of any song in the rotation. hint: it wasn't with his singing or song endings that he did that :)

And this was probably the most consistent tour of a GREAT touring year. So much happened in 1990, and March was so on. In terms of what the band had built towards since 1988. A "lean rock 'n' roll sound" as Garcia put it in some interview. but really that was such a modest way to put it.

The Foolish Heart is simply the best ever. Next to maybe 88.7.2, and 90.7.12... Sure Jer flubs a few words, but the end jam really show colour and creativity from especially Jerry, Phil, and Brent.

You gotta love where they were going with this lineup. So sad Brent went when he did. Imagine how much more focused they could have gotten if it wern't for certainly unfortunate elements.

Hartford 90. A Great show.

This Eyes is unreal. I've had the jam towards the end stuck in my head for the past week. Maybe someone who knows more about music can tell me is that Brent or Jerry doing those amazing sounds? It sounds like Brent on keys but I am not sure. It is easily one of the best things in 1990 - I am not exaggerating about this. Also Foolish Heart is great and an EXCELLENT Bertha. Pretty much every March 1990 show is good as far as I've gotten.

and yes it was billed as "The Warlocks". I remember hearing tickets were going on sale for The Warlocks on the radio. I was driving and it was , ok , where is the nearest pay phone. Leaving messages on answering machines, see we did survive without cell phones it would have made it alot easier but I guess that was part of the fun. Meet me here and there, go here at such and such. To me life is too predictable without The Dead!
Great show, I might be the only person on planet Earth that likes Picasso Moon? This one is real good.Anybody that thinks Brent stunk needs to listen to this All Over Now and get back to us! A great Bertha,Jack A Roe,Brown Eyed Women and Deal. Second starts with a great Box of Rain.Foolish Heart,Eyes and China Doll are awesome. I just love China Doll one of my top 10 Jerry songs and this one does not disappoint!

Adding on 8/31/10 that after a few listens on the Ipod that this is the finest electric Jack-A-Roe ever.........

Sorry folks, for all those five stars out there I had to put some balance in here.

This is a good show but by no means five stars. Bucket is ok, Bertha is good, We can run is so-so, the ending is bad/unreheased, or rehearsed and then forgotten live. Same goes for Picasso's ending. The rest of the first set is maybe four stars at best.

Ok, Box is good but, not great, and here comes the wierd part. I don't know how high you have to be to rate this Foolish as "best", it is clearly not. Missed lyrics all over the place, and an uninspired jam at the end do not make it even close to five star. Again the rest of the set is at best four stars. Good but not great.

In my opinion, ANY missed lyrics and sloppy endings immediately take a show down to four stars. Even if you were there, I'm sorry, I just can't agree. "We can run but, we can't hide from it!"

I'm giving this show three stars again just to balance out the truth! I still love you though...

We waited two days for tickets to go on sale for
these surprise shows. It was to be The Warlocks or The Bay city all-stars,or Bobby Ace and the cards off the bottom,or anything else that would
get us a ticket. After two days we went back to RI. No sooner then we got back we heard tix were
on sale. One high speed drive back and we had 2nd night. A great show well worth the wait.

killer setlist, bobby's falsetto at the end of Hell In A Bucket is by the far the best ive heard him.


update 4/26: tonight the dead play the civic center for the first time since 1990. should be a great show

I am new to the .mp5 downloads and need some help trying to figure out how to get this show downloaded. Thanks

I had just move back from San Diego a month before and had no seen the boys on the east coast in a while so I was used to the west coast scene of being relaxed and not worrying about goofs who were there because it was the cool thing to do. I remember the boys were on that night. I brought my brotha to his first show and I remember him being wrapped up in a blanket telling me that he thinks he is floating. The scene was a little weird with city parking but I was able to find a nice little parking area that had many good reliable heads who were there for the show not the scene.

Second set was tight with the Box/Foolish kickin. The China Doll out of space was a treat and the Brokedown Palace brought tears to my eyes. Two days after the show I hooked up with the tape off of the radio broadcast but as we know tapes were tapes.

I remember driving back to MA. after the show and picking up a hitchiker who would not stop talking. I turned to him and said, "dude, I am trying to concentrate here" because the weather was rainy and the driving crappy.

Those were the days. Peace

This night, mentioned by the reviewer below, was fabled as the "they are playing St. Stephen' show. It was because of the lore asociated with Hampton just 5 months earlier. In fact, I recall spending the night outside of the Hartford Civic center on a raw and cold night in early March or maybe late February and sleeping out for tickets- which were not even on sale yet. There was a rumor that this show would be billed as the Warlocks. A group of us all in some form of transition from highschool to college in various community colleges in New England, gathhered and then went to Hartford, decended on the civic center, and were convinced that tickets for "the warlocks' were going on sale. We told the staff "it is going tobe a suprise release you do not even know about it yet...its in the computers..."..we were wacked thinking tix were goign on sale. Eventually we drew staff with red jackets and bull horns yelling "there will be no tix here for sale of the warlocks, nor no grayful dead peformance.."..."please clear the mall"...

The local staff was in awe and the line grew, and we even had a guy with a clip board taking names...(again, we were 19 then)...so the tickets never went on sale that night but we 'dropped' and stayed in line anyway and hoarsed around for like 8 hours in downtown hartford. When we disbanded we learned a week or two later that in fact tix were on sale, and this show was in the spot in the vacant 3 day period of the already published spring tour. The show rips..it really was tight..I was on the floor and had gone to Landover for the first two nights there and was stoked for these two. This copy of the show is better in that phil's voice is more blended with the sound- in the other one posted, sound is still great, yet not as well mixed- phil is way too loud, which is why I prefer this. The show is a 5 star 1990 jamfest- do not cheat yourself out of drums and space! PLayin jam is right out of '76...slim and slinky yet raw and stealthy. Enjoy them all and God bless the dead and Jerry Garcia...

All in all, this is a wonderful show once they get out of the gate.

This is one of the great second sets of 1990, and even Around and Around is huge. The band plays this one like they mean it, and there isn't a low light in the run.

just to clarify, that is not phil doing the jaco fretless sounds during the eyes jam; it's jerry on his midi. listen closely and you'll hear jerry and phil playing off of each other and phil's tone clearly doesn't change throughout, while jerry's does.

either way, phil's bass is very clear in the mix throughout the show and his playing is impeccable, as usual.

a very solid show, but to me, it doesn't live up to the shows at the end of the month, nor the cap centre run a few days earlier. but, i'm from maryland so i'm partial.

definitely a worthy download. get it. thanks archive.

Just listened to the entire show..nice sound quality and good work by Brent and Phil throughout. A very average first set was followed by an above-average second, thanks to a very nice Eyes-Jam-Drumz-Space-China Doll. I don't agree that this is "the best" Foolish Heart ever, and find that better versions of many of these songs were played at Nassau Coliseum 3/28-3/30. Still I enjoyed the second set and if you like this time period you will too.

as someone below said, you can download the sbd on nugs.net.

this is some tight shit, maings.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4128072243913103821&hl=en
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=891713712339438219&hl=en
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2891938634115553578&hl=en

Very nice AUD videos for free download.

I got a tape of this show just after it happened.
Not a good tape, but I listened to it constantly.
Then, one day when the Dead were playing locally at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, Ca., I had this and other tapes stolen from me on the Palo Alto train station by a bunch of derelict Dead Heads. These guys were living in the bushes and selling fake acid and in general destroying all the good vibes they could.
I'm fairly well-seasoned in the grim and rancid realities of life on Planet Earth, but even this cynical, grizzled Dead Head was emotionally shook up to be conned by fellow scene-lovers.
Actually, they were pretty slick. I had one of those long 15-tape zippered portable cases slung over my shoulder, and they managed to nab the tapes from it while I was trustfully talking to them.
So here it is, sixteen years later and I've got my music back. They can't steal it this time, either! Haw, haw!

Don't judge it by the set list. This show is upbeat and swinging. The Jack -a- Roe is plucky, and Brent is on, great vocals. Sound is clean.

The fretless bass effect at the end of Eyes is played by Jerry.

I'M HERE FOR BERTHA ... OH SHE IS SUCH A NICE LITTLE RUNAROUND AND A RUNDOWN.... WHOO HOO!!!!

nice way to close out the mall. slightly less apealing than the night before but solid all around. 3 1/2 supplications for this one

This show wasn't originally part of the Spring Tour as announced by GDTS. It was added later, and word came through a friend that the tickets would be on sale at the Hartford Civic Center box office. I live in CA, so we called a friend in CT to go and try to get us tickets. She was a stay-at-home mom with two small children, but she happily volunteered to go down and try to get us tickets for the two shows. She didn't know what she was in for...

After arriving at the Civic Center, which was adjoined by an indoor mall, she went inside the mall with the kids to stay warm, it being a chilly winter day in Hartford. After loitering around the box office area for a while, some other Deadheads began to show up, and pretty soon a StaffPro yellowjacket came out to throw everyone out of the area. He was pretty effective in clearing out the area, but our intrepid friend remained behind with the kids and tried to blend in. She was approached directly by the StaffPro guy and asked what she was doing, and she said she was waiting for Grateful Dead tickets. He then very rudely ejected her from the area. But our story does not end here.....

Our despondent friend found a pay phone and called us, and we talked her into sticking it out a little longer. She marched back off into the cold to complete her mission.

Pretty soon they formed a line outside of the box office to sell tickets, and our friend got a place in line about halfway back. At this point the StaffPro guy comes back, looking specifically for our friend. He apologizes for his rudeness, and takes her and the kids to the front of the line, and inside the box office out of the cold. She buys the first four tickets off the top of the stack for each night, front row directly in front of Jerry. Unbelievable, but the truth.

We were floored. Then to top it off the shows were first class. Thank you, Jerry.

taco john loved it

How in the world has this show been kept from my ears for soo long? You would think you'd immediately latch onto any show around the 3/22 Copps show, so the fact that not having heard this until today, May, 2006 says alot about the whole archive experience. Has anyone else competlely abandoned their own archive and started using LMA strictly for streaming 24/7 ? Ohhh Let it Grow! Oh, and thanks for the nodule.net link. And, wow, total Jaco action in the Eyes. Never heard Phil like this.

I give it 5 stars to get that average up to five. This is the first show I have commented on. had it for years (i'm guessing an FM from other posts i read here) and always loved it. bonk & others are absolutely correct - BEST FOOLISH EVER. don't spring of 1990 just make you grin? out of a smoking tour like that, it's hard to pick just one. If I had to pick three, this one would be one of them!! if you've never heard this show, or never saw the dead in the spring of 90 - find out what you missed and then go enjoy it forever.

Never a real fan of Brent until this show. Watching he and Jerry interact all night from the 2nd row was an eye opener. And the guitar/keyboard tradeoff on Foolish Heart was great. My favorite Foolish Heart. And great transition into Playin'. Whole night rocked up until we were sent home to the sweet sound of Brokedown Palace :) One of those nights that made me happy I went to shows to the very end of the run instead of "retiring" after getting out of college in '80. Wife stayed home and taped the WHCN broadcast for me. Got home and she was sooooo pissed at me for going with a friend and leaving her behind. And not to suggest that women hold grudges, but 16 years later she doesn't let me forget it :)

ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT THE FOOLISH>PLAYIN>EYES IS THE BEST 42 MINUTES OF BRENT ERA DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!THIS IS A MUST HAVE!!!REALLY ITS THAT GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!

I download the SBD from nugets.net - so can you!

I think this show is probably the most underrated of the Spring '90 run. The BEST Foolish Heart the boys ever played IMO (and trust me, I've listened to them all). Phil's playing his bass like a lead guitar during Foolish - just crazy. Trippy, sick second set and the sound is awesome.

It's only after listening to a show like this gem that I really become disappointed that we can no longer download these SBDs. This is a really really good example of the peak of the Mydland-era Dead. I'd probably pay, like, several dollars if this was commercially released.

Sheik yer bouti to this show. It sounds like gold through the speakers. The other shows of the tour are even more astonishing. Dont forget to register to vote.

These guys are on. This show, like so many from 1989 to early 1991, shows how well oiled the machine was. DL this and groove to the tasty licks a plenty. Is that Jaco I hear closing Eyes? Making a big jazz noise for all of those Connecticut Americans this night.

Performance and sound a solid 4.5.

To whom do I owe my bazillion dollars for these awesome shows!? Oh, right, I gave it all to the Grateful Dead in tickets, t-shirts, books, CD's (future and past releases), and my entire early adulthood and (first) college carreer.

This one's a keeper.

Wow. What a show. The boys are smoking the whole night here. Download this show. Key songs are Hell in a Bucket, Deal, Foolish Heart, EYES!!!!, China Doll, GDTRFB, something seemed to happen to the sound at the end of Around and Around. The rest is beautiful sound. Thank You to Archive and Uploaders.

The Foolish Heart is very, very nice. Beautiful pre-last-verse solo, upbeat and skippy with several catchy Garciaphrases. From there, what can one say? The Eyes is sick; it's akin in a way to the intro from 10.15.89 - the boys are drumming HARD and Eyes begins tumbling and cascading - a nice version without a doubt. Box of Rain to finish the first set, Bucket opener, definitely a satisfying download.

this show is worth the download for the eyes alone the pre drums jam is by far the best example of what the dead could do at any givin moment.

This is a fine show, full of jamming that reflected the group dynamic the band had this tour. The Foolish and post-Eyes jams are some of the most professional and focused out there. This show is overshadowed by some real monsters, but make no misktake this is an excellent performance don't miss it

Wow this show just has the vibe that the previous night lacked. I really love the first set. One of the coolest Browneyed women ever. Deal is hot. Second set is fantastic. Phil opens with Box and his Base is Heavy all through the set especially Foolish Heart which is one of my favorites. Might give a slight edge to 3-28 Nassua though. Nice 80's style fast paced Eyes into the Drums. Out of Space China Doll-Gimme Some Lovin-GDTRFB-Around And Aound is killer. After Brents Death you never got those high energy post Drumz segments. Brokedown Encore capps of a great show. Hartford had good sound To Bad the boys were banned from some of those smaller areanas like Hartford and Hampton

From the FM feed it was awesome sounds.....my hometown shows...........Box-foolish rules...me love this show long time!

Anyone at this one might remember the ridiculous buzz (you know how lot-talk can be!!) that the Dead were going to bust St. Stephen out this night (the last East Coast one was in Hartford), that they'd been practicing, waiting, etc. et al., ad nauseum. Of course it didn't happen (the tension was THICK during space and you could the crowd deflate when Jer started China Doll) but we were gifted with a tight thick show which was very well played and had some nice moments. A faster 80s-ish Eyes into drums at a time they were opening 2nd sets with it. And the China Doll was pretty great too. Had the FMs for some time.

Thank you, whoever, for downloading this! This is still tied for first for Best show I saw. It was the first time I ever went to a concert alone, leaving my ticketless friend at the motel to tape the show on the radio. My original (and worn-out) tape has an interview with Mickey and I think Bobby during intermission. They knew they were much more on than the 18th. The stems I ate kicked in a little early, during Deal, and 4 min. into intermission I was nervously asking someone how long they'd been off stage. Not a good sign. But once they came back out and opened with Box I was good to go. Foolish Heart surprised me as to how good it could be(and still does) and I remember diamond shaped light patterns bathing the stage during Playin, and the Eyes...well, you just have to listen to it. That jam at the end...
I played this tape at work once and a customer commented on how great the music was and then asked "who is this?" His response was"This is the Grateful Dead? To think what I've missed all these years."
Yeah, yeah, everyone loves the later shows this tour, but I thought this was a smoker.
And my buddy Still curses me for being there for the China Doll.

AN excellent high energy show especially the second set. A stellar jam out of Eyes into drums pure bliss and heaven! Check out Jaco Lesh!

These shows were just warm ups to the end of the month, as everyone knows, but the Box o' Rain is a wonderful, wonderful version and the Foolish Heart is probably the best one out there--really: Just listen to the beginning intro. to the song...When you have the headphones on with this one, you can hear the Billy and Mickey come in individually onto the beat (actually one is even on the odd beats for the first four bars or so, and then so slightly blends right in on the snare and bass rythem). Epic! Jerry flubs once or twice on the song, but it is a monster of a version and Phil is just going on this one too...worth the price of admission just to hear that beginning over and over again.