Phish The preeminent jam band of the 1990s and early 21st century, Phish have built not only a wide-ranging and inventive body of work, but also inspired a unique and devoted fan culture similar to that of their forebears, the Grateful Dead. Formed in Vermont in the mid-'80s, Phish nurtured an ever-expanding grassroots audience who were drawn to their sterling musicianship, quirky personality, and spontaneous free-form improvisations, which included elements of psychedelia, jazz fusion, funk, progressive rock, folk, country, and blues. Building on the Dead's template, the quartet placed a greater emphasis on live performance than studio work and encouraged fans to tape and trade recordings of their concerts.

Widely considered one of the most exciting, inspired, and greatest shows of the Dead's final decade of performing, the magnificent 6/17/91 show features relentlessly excellent performances, and is filled withsurprises. Opening with a shocking Eyes Of The World, the Dead were firing on all cylinders from the opening notes of the show. Featuring beloved classics such as Truckin’ and Uncle John’s Band. Rarities played at this show included Saint Of Circumstance, Might As Well, New Speedway Boogie, and China Doll, but the real standout in regards to the setlist choices was the recurrence of Dark Star, which wove in and out of the setlist throughout the show, including during the first set, making no less than six distinct appearances during the show. With an encore of The Band's The Weight, the Dead cap off one of their most highly regarded shows ever with a perfect song choice to send the crowd on its way. Bruce Hornsby and Vince Welnick join Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart & Bill Kreutzmann to round out this stellar line-up.

Phish had a busy year in 1994 with the release of their fifth studio album, ‘Hoist’, on March 29th followed by extended U.S. and Canada touring from April through New Year’s Eve. ‘Hoist’ was recorded in Los Angeles County the previous October and November of 1993, when the band was evacuated from ‘Hoist’ sessions at American Recording Company due to the Old Topanga Fire. On May 16th, 1994 during their spring tour, Phish returned to Los Angeles to play The Wiltern Theatre – a landmark Art Deco vaudeville and movie palace built in 1931 with a capacity of about 2,200 and located in Koreatown at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue. It was a Monday night, tickets cost $17.50, and the band had invited The Simpsons creator Matt Groening to the show, catalyzing a long relationship that eventually found Phish on The Simpsons in 2002. The Wiltern ’94 was a nearly non-stop show with an easy flow and adventurous jamming woven around a creative setlist that elevated all those fortunate enough to bear witness.

Phish The preeminent jam band of the 1990s and early 21st century, Phish have built not only a wide-ranging and inventive body of work, but also inspired a unique and devoted fan culture similar to that of their forebears, the Grateful Dead. Formed in Vermont in the mid-'80s,

The Allman Brothers shared the bill with the Grateful Dead on several notable occasions. This release recalls the Brothers in support of the Dead and Love in February 1970 at the fabulous Fillmore East. No specific dates for the performances are noted, so it is presumed this release is a composite from recordings made at some point during the two sets per night that the Allman's performed on February 11th through the 14th. There is no mistaking the unbridled fervor of the original line-up of the band. Rising to the challenge of exploratory psychedelia – while remaining ever faithful to their Southern blues roots – blues standards such as "(I'm Gonna Move to The) Outskirts of Town" and "Hoochie Coochie Man" are strengthened and extended beyond their typical assertions. No longer are they relegated to the inadequately rendered thrashings of garage rock. Betts and the Allman's understand the dynamics of blues. It is out of this respect for the art form that the band is able to pull off such authentic psychedelia-tinged Delta sounds.

Formed by Phish drummer Jon Fishman as a kind of all-star experiment from local players in Burlington, Pork Tornado delivers a mismatched set of solo noodles, tight rhythm jams, spacy synth pads, saloon laments - songs set in styles that have nothing much in common other than the spirit of the musicians as they hopscotch from genre to genre. Their authenticity on country cuts like "Home Is Where You Are" and "Blue Skies" makes it almost impossible to believe that the same guys are responsible for the funk track "Kiss My Black Ass," which they execute with a street energy, crisp backbeat, virtuoso stuttering bass, and collage mentality that reach back to James Brown and War for inspiration. There are enigmatic moments as well, which range from Dan Archer's somewhat stiff solo guitar fragment "Fellini" to a few seconds of Fishman goofing around on the keys in "Organ"…

Live Trax Vol. 60 takes us back to 1995, finding the band in the middle of forging a now classic sound; with a twist. David Ryan Harris, who was touring in support of DMB as part of Dionne Farris’ band, sits on electric guitar to add some firepower to Rhyme & Reason and Jimi Thing. Near the end of a segue way laced set, Dave gives a glimpse into the future with a solo acoustic version of an early Raven, with Little Thing folded in throughout. Listening back to this era, with its equal parts intimacy and intensity should be a joy for fans of any era of the band!

Dave Matthews Band wrapped up touring in the Fall of 2000 with a run that took them through Gund Arena in December. At this point in time songs like JTR and Bartender were still new to fans but developing into fast favorites. Those songs coupled with proven crowd pleasers from the band’s catalogue make for a very strong setlist that plays out beautifully onstage.

Recorded in the fall of 2023 at the band’s studio The Barn, Evolve (the 16th studio album by Phish) was produced by Vance Powell and Bryce Goggin with the 12 songs emerging from the band’s dynamic live performances. Some, like fan favorite “A Wave Of Hope,” have become springboards for Phish's most soaring improvisation. The songcraft and production are confident and taut, with Phish’s distinct musical language on vivid display; still pushing boundaries, still very much continuing to evolve.

At Fillmore East is the first live album by American rock band the Allman Brothers Band, and their third release overall. Produced by Tom Dowd, the album was released in July 1971 in the United States by Capricorn Records. As the title indicates, the recording took place at the New York City music venue Fillmore East, which was run by concert promoter Bill Graham. It was recorded over the course of three nights in March 1971 and features the band performing extended jam versions of songs such as "Whipping Post", "You Don't Love Me" and "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed." At Fillmore East was the band's artistic and commercial breakthrough, and has been considered by some critics to be one of the greatest live albums in rock music. In 2004, the album was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress, deemed to be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important" by the National Recording Registry. Rolling Stone included at number 49 in their 2003 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, describing it as "rock's greatest live double LP." The album was also included in the books 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2005) and 1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die (2008).

In 2002 DMB embarked on a lengthy tour (with guest Butch Taylor on keys) that lasted all the way into December. In May, they arrived at Shoreline Amphitheatre to play a solid set of tunes from their most recent release, Everyday, and their upcoming release, Busted Stuff, with some old favorites sprinkled in. LeRoi’s inspired playing is present the whole set, most notably on So Right and Raven. A classic sounding Lover Lay Down fades into The Stone, which features some incendiary drumming from Carter. This recording highlights a unique vibe the band finds at this beloved venue and is a truly enjoyable listen.

GarciaLive Volume 21 showcases the Jerry Garcia Band’s February 13th, 1976 performance at the legendary Keystone in Berkeley, California. The nearly complete two-set performance was originally captured to 1/4" analog reels by Betty Cantor-Jackson.

We're easin' on into the last Dave's Picks of the 2022 series with the complete show from AUTZEN STADIUM, UNIVERSITY OF OREGON, EUGENE, OREGON, 6/23/90 and you're going to need your sunglasses because the forecast for this one is bright. Doors were at noon with Little Feat opening (fun fact: Little Feat's Lowell George produced SHAKEDOWN STREET) and the Grateful Dead taking the stage at 2pm to deliver what is surely one of their longest performances and what can most certainly be classified as an upper-echelon late-Brent era show.

Dave's Picks Volume 23 is a live album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It contains the complete concert recorded at McArthur Court at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon on January 22, 1978. It was produced as a limited edition of 16,500 copies, and was released on August 1, 2017.

"And with this incredibly tight batch of prime 1987 Grateful Dead, we’re thrilled to bring you Dave’s Picks Vol. 36, matching the number that will be forever tied to Dick’s legacy. Thanks for sticking around this long, and for joining us through these past nine years of archival live Grateful Dead releases." - David Lemieux