Troy, NY (27-Oct-89)

I'm giving this video three stars because it is an "average" video capture, but please read on before you dismiss it. (Oh, and it has an on-screen counter…, so if you can’t remove it, use it.)

The show opens with Gotta Serve Somebody, but Bob’s mic stand is serving nobody and gets pounded into the stage a couple times (at 00:02:25). I’m not sure if that’s meant to fix it or show it who is chief, but when a stagehand comes out to help with the battle Bob looks terrified and nearly drives Tony into the amps backing away. Very funny. With the stand having been professional adjusted Bob still avoids it and opts for the piano and harp for a few bars (I think he played piano on this song after this night of terror).

The sound is raw and powerful and crowd noise adds to the feel. I'm sure we all know how important a good audio track is to a video (and this one is good), and when the upgraded audio stops during Maggie’s Farm (01:27:48) that fact is painfully demonstrated. It’s so painful, in fact, that if you are playing it loud you might want to turn it down before the change. Fortunately that is very near the end.

The video is clear but a little shaky. The band is often in the dark so it has a very different look than recent shows. The camera changes sides late in the show and that brings G.E. into view in time (hold on… 01:21:17) to see his failed attempts at ending LARS (drummer Christopher Parker was beyond queues). Also very funny. And finally, not content with having provided two angles with one camera, we end up on the floor after the stage rush. Sure there’s a price for providing three angles with one camera, but it seems fitting here.

So if you’re looking for a nice clean capture with that full sound of recent years, this is not your show. But if you turn this one up and spill a little beer on yourself, you might just … really miss 1989.

Hope that helps.

a good '89 audience recorded show. Particularly liked Hollis Brown. worth a look I think.