Aloha from Honolulu! If you are in need of a little island breeze this summer, look no further than Dave's Picks Volume 19: Honolulu, HI, January 23,1970. Our very first release from Hawaii, this one sees the Grateful Dead riding the great wave of change, with a fresh take for a career-defining new decade. Witness as they smoothly transition from the "Sound of 1969" and its chaotic psychedelia with their cohesive country-tinged, song-oriented harmonies. Yes, the yin and yang are well-balanced in these sets, with plenty of Pigpen favorites ("Hard To Handle," "Good Lovin'," a 35-minute "Lovelight") done just right, a wonderfully melodic "Dark Star," and the band breaking fertile ground on soon-to-be classics ("Black Peter," "Dire Wolf") from their upcoming and much beloved album, Workingman's Dead. We've rounded out this succinct complete show with a little over an hour of music from the following night, 1/24/70, including the rarity "I'm A King Bee," possibly the best live version of "Mason's Children" ever recorded, and a crowd-pleasing "Dancing In The Street." Just go on and say Mahalo!
Originally recorded by Owsley "Bear" Stanley and mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman, this one is limited to 16,500 individually numbered copies.
