First things first; the pianist in this concert was Keith Godchaux. I had to look it up, because Keith didn't appear on camera until 57 minutes into the film. Donna Godchaux was in the band, too, and she didn't make her first appearance until one hour and 28 minutes in.
The quality of the music recording was very good all the way through, and the quality of the singing and playing was excellent. The highlight for me was "Bird Song". I can take or leave "Dark Star", but the version here was excellent; if you're a "Dark Star" fan, this film falls into the "must see" category.
Another highlight of the original concert was "Playing In the Band", but it didn't make it into the film.
Now, about the video footage: if you're a student of guitar or bass playing, there's plenty of closeup footage of Jerry, Bob, and Phil that you can learn from.
I could have done with less audience footage. There was obviously a lot of acid going around, and I was left with the impression that the audience was missing a great concert; it could just as well have been the Doobie Brothers on the stage. They did seem to start paying attention from "Dark Star" on.
Author Ken Kesey was identified. Owsley Stanley was identified only as "Bear". Poet Neal Cassady was in the film, but was not identified.
Author Ken Kesey was identified. Owsley Stanley was identified only as "Bear". Poet Neal Cassady was in the film, but was not identified.
