Truckin' Up to Buffalo: July 4, 1989

Performer: Grateful Dead
Engineer: John Cutler
Producer: Robert Minkin
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Grateful Dead: Bob Weir (guitar); Phil Lesh (bass guitar); Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Brent Mydland. Personnel: Jerry Garcia (vocals, guitar); Brent Mydland (vocals, keyboards); Phil Lesh (vocals, electric bass); Bob Weir (vocals); Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann (drums). Audio Mixer: Jeffrey Norman. Liner Note Author: Blair Jackson. Recording information: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, NY (07/04/1989). All tracks have been digitally mastered using HDCD technology. Photographers: Susana Millman; Robert Minkin. Arrangers: Bob Weir; Grateful Dead. Among discerning Deadheads, 1989 is not generally considered one of the band's best years; in the wake of their massive success with 1987's IN THE DARK, torpor had begun to set in, and the band's legendary live sparks seemed more elusive. Nevertheless, the Dead were famed for the anything-can-happen ethos of their live shows, and it just so happened that on Independence Day of '89 they were undeniably on fire. Jerry Garcia is bursting with the energy of a man half his age, as he belts out his vocals authoritatively and delivers stinging guitar bursts that are at once concise and expository. Bob Weir, notorious for showing more reckless gusto than precision, is as spot-on as he is emotive. Brent Mydland's organ, often relegated to the shadows, frequently emerges to provide biting commentary on the proceedings. The ensemble as a whole displays a kind of group-mind, the achievement of which was always the ultimate goal for both the band and their undyingly loyal followers. Whether delivering their newer material ("Touch of Grey"), covering Dylan ("When I Paint My Masterpiece") and Buddy Holly ("Not Fade Away"), or revisiting their own classic tunes ("Ship of Fools," "Playing in the Band"), the Dead are at the top of their game on TRUCKIN' UP TO BUFFALO.

The Grateful Dead were right there at the birth of the 1960s West Coast psychedelic scene, but they handily incorporated simple folk, blues, and country sounds into their swirling, jam-oriented style. With an endless touring schedule and a huge following of devoted fans, the group fueled hippie visions well into the '90s and sparked the jam-band movement that would eventually fill the void left by the dearly departed Grateful Dead after the passing of guitarist Jerry Garcia. Since Garcia's passing, surviving members of the band have participated in various musical projects, including a reunion tour in 2003 under the shortened name of "the Dead."

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