Rating: 
Summary: Excellent performance, so-so video work
Review: June 14,1991 was one of the high points in an exceptional summer tour. The performance is excellent - it is obvious that the band is having a very good time and that they are all listening very closely to one another. The set list is also exceptional, with rare favorites like "Help on the Way" and "Dark Star" giving the band plenty of room for their inspiration to take hold. Any Grateful Dead fan should be happy with this video just for the performance.
The video work itself, however, is less than stellar. The focus often seems misguided, with closeups of drummers during a heated guitar jam, or of a keyboardist taking a smoke break during the final crescendos of "Dark Star." The camera operators also seemed to have some technical difficulties on this night, and some shots that start off tightly focused end up careening all over the stage as if the cameraman were tripped. Finally, the excessive use of "psychedelic imagery" or whatever it's supposed to be is just downright annoying - especially on the filler. It seems to come at the worst times: right when the band starts to loosen up and jam, the display turns into something resembling an early "Windows" screensaver. This type of imagery sometimes persists for several minutes at a time, which is maddening for those of us who would like to actually watch the band.
All in all, I have enjoyed the video and would recommend it to anyone who simply loves the Grateful Dead and treasures their performances. To the "uninitiated," I would recommend starting with "The Grateful Dead Movie," "Dead Ahead" or "Downhill From Here" before purchasing this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Great -- Better than View From the Vault I
Review: The first View from the Vault was a great concert captured on video, but this surpasses even that. Here, Jerry doesn't seem as remote. His hair is longer and he seems to be in a much better mood than he did in Vault I. This video kicks off with a nice Cold Rain and Snow, one of my favorite Dead covers, goes into Wang Dang Doodle and then generally follows a typical Set I scenario, closing with The Music Never Stopped. The reason to buy this (and the three-CD "soundtrack" that also is available) is Set II, which opens with Help>Slipknot>Franklins, then blasts off for a transcendental Estimated>Dark Star>Drumz>Stella>Lovelight and closes with It's All Over Now, Baby Blue. There's filler from another RFK show (Victim>Foolish Heart>Dark Star) -- so, yes, you get TWO Dark Stars on this! The boys were on, and it's fun seeing Hornsby along, switching from piano to accordion, and to see Vince Welnick settling in after Brent's untimely death a year earlier. There's some silly psychedlic imagery during Drumz, just as there was on Vault I, but if you're a Deadhead, you'll probably enjoy it. Now the question remains: When will the Dead get around to putting the classic '70s "Grateful Dead Move" out on DVD? The audio and video on Vault I and II are both top-notch, and this is essential owning for any Deadhead. (Still, isn't there ANYTHING from the '70s on film? That would be a real treat!)
Rating:
Summary: Good Ole Grateful Dead
Review: There's nothing like a Grateful Dead concert, and unfortunately, that includes GD concert videos. It amazes me how such a boring band on stage could have such amazing live performances. This video is testament to the fact that the dead were boring to watch. However, when they got into the "zone", the music just couldn't be touched. That is why this DVD gets four stars. Jerry's gravely, weathered, strained, voice fits perfectly with the lamentations of the opening Cold Rain & Snow and sounds great on the Stella Blue (she needed the money ;). The Maggies Farm is fun as everyone takes their turn on the vocals. The 2nd set powers open with the Help on the Way->Slipknot->Franklin's Tower, and the Dark Star is really good. Jerry is on, Hornsby is on, Bobby's guitar sounds great throughout, Phil is thumping, and the rest of the band is following suit. As I said earlier, the boys stage antics aren't much to talk about, but there are some interesting subtleties to watch for. Jerry's hair blowing in the wind should bring back memories to anyone whose been to an outdoor Dead concert. Jerry also just can't seem to stop cheesing a grin at Hornsby. Mickey on the beam during Drums is great to watch, and it reminds me of times I was convinced the band was trying to summon the mother ship ;). The dynamics of the band are in full display during the opening of the lovelight, when Bobby is emphatically nodding towards the drummers, Mickey shrugs and smiles, and Hornsby gives Bobby the "what the heck are you talking about?" look. Cool stuff, but subtle. Overall, this was a great dead show. Having the video available takes a back seat to the music, but it is worth it nonetheless. The bonus material from 7/12/90 is great also, with the foolish heart and Dark Star especially good. With special effects, the video allueds to the fact that it was pouring at the show (thus the Box of Rain), but the video doesn't show the rain, or the soaked crowd. If you're a fan of the boys, you'll want this DVD, as it brings back some great memories. If you've never seen the Dead, well, this video is nothing like being there, not even close. But it is still good.
Rating: 
Summary: not what i expected
Review: This DVD didn't deliver what I'd expected. The music is fine, sound quality/mix o.k., there are times when things click and groove -- it's a representative show, if plodding at points. I've listened to this DVD several times but watching it made me restless. I saw several shows from the mid '80s to the end of the run. The experience of being at a show -- the people, the colors (the clothes, not the people!), the unpredictable but usually rewarding performance, hearing a favorite tune or enjoying an energetic or inspired improvisation -- was what I'd hope to recall through the DVD. I was at this show. I think Dwight Yoakam may have opened, which was excellent if under-appreciated. My beef -- visually it's too tight on the band, too much of the deer-in-the-headlights head shots of Bruce, of Phil's lovehandles, Bob spitting at the mic, Jerry's hair blowing solar-flare like and poignantly quivering lip as he stumbles through some lyrics, Bill chewing gum, mickey looking sweaty and diabolical. Up close, too close, these guys seem old and not-so-together, noodling through the tunes. And thus a big thing missing from the dead show experience is the light show -- the camera was so tight on the band it misses the spectacle of the lights, always a compelling part, maybe the only compelling part of their stage presence. The visual 'effects' that are added... are downright cheesy and an unwelcome distraction. What I'd hoped to get from the video was a sense of what it was like to be at a show. The fact that the dead were often stock-still performers may have had something to do with the fact that it was about the music and the rapport with the audience, the rise and fall. The scene cuts are rough, the shots of the band members downright unflattering, seems roughcut and amateurish, and not in an indie-film way. I'll hang on to this DVD to remind me of what I miss, but in the future I'll spend money on the music and rely on memory for the visuals, also the 'extras' on the DVD menu, on the venue, the band, etc. are flat or nothing special. I agree with others that the add-on at the end, of the previous year's second set with Brent, makes me wish that show was the DVD I'd bought, something darker, charged, rougher (same cheesy effects intervene), growlier, amazing what a year did to Jerry (Brent's dilated-eyed but energetic contributions are engaging and chilling). This is a fan's product, not for the uninitiated. In fact, it sort of made me, a fan, wonder (just a little) why I'd been so into deadshows all those years...
Rating:
Summary: A Must for Music Fans
Review: This DVD is a personal favorite. The band is very tight throughout the show and two of them had been wih them for less than a year. Hornsby sounds great on the piano. The sound quality is better than the other two View DVDs. Other highlights include: the best Music Never Stopped, a good Estimated into Dark Star, and the bonus material is fantastic. There are some blemishes, but what Dead show didn't have them. It was all part of going to a show. This DVD is a must for Dead and music fans alike.
Rating:
Summary: Great show, only OK production
Review: This is a great DVD, and a lot of the reviews here really point out all that is great with this show. So, what's not (beside the special effects stuff)? Two things. One, frequently through the DVD the soundtrack and the video are significantly out of sync. This is really a disappointment on a vocal closeup or watching the fingerwork on a solo. Second, a produced 5.1 mix would have been very nice. Yes, I know there was originally only 2 channels, but you can produce some very good effect in post-production. At least put two (or three) audio versions on the disk and let people pick. The way my (and many I would guess) home theater is set up, the two little left and right satellites are there for movie directional fill, and really don't do the soundtrack justice when in two channel mode. Yeah, yeah, I know - I need to go buy those towers instead ;)
Rating:
Summary: Great show, only OK production
Review: This is a great DVD, and a lot of the reviews here really point out all that is great with this show. So, what's not (beside the special effects stuff)? Two things. One, frequently through the DVD the soundtrack and the video are significantly out of sync. This is really a disappointment on a vocal closeup or watching the fingerwork on a solo. Second, a produced 5.1 mix would have been very nice. Yes, I know there was originally only 2 channels, but you can produce some very good effect in post-production. At least put two (or three) audio versions on the disk and let people pick. The way my (and many I would guess) home theater is set up, the two little left and right satellites are there for movie directional fill, and really don't do the soundtrack justice when in two channel mode. Yeah, yeah, I know - I need to go buy those towers instead ;)
Rating:
Summary: 1991 was a good year for the Dead
Review: This is better than View I, I attended alot of the Summer Tour 1991 shows, including this one and the 1990 filler on this DVD. I must say that whoever decided to release this show on DVD did a good job. I have stated before that I have been very "surprised" at some of the Dicks Picks CD selections, and the first View From the Vault. As some one else already stated the reason to buy this DVD is for set II, the band is hitting on all cylinders as the did for almost every show in 1991. I was not a "big" Brent fan, I did like him, but in late 1990 and 91, with Hornsby and Welnick in the band the shows were a little different, the new sound of a grand piano and a keyboard was awesome. The band only really had Jerry and Bob songs to sing at this point and they started playing some songs they hadn't played in a while and looked liked they had been reharged for alot of this year to year and a half. This DVD captures one of those shows and was a good choice to release, I can only think of one or two shows from this tour that would have been better, maybe Sandstone(Kansas), or the Ginats Stadium show on 6-17-91 (my birth-day). So I recommend this DVD to anyone who would like to see the Dead at the end of thier last great run as a band. The filler from RFK 90 on this DVD is really good also, look at how different Jerry looks from both of these shows only a year apart. I also do not like the silly background and graphics that seem to come at the worst time, but remember they take the direct feed from the concert, so whatever you see on the DVD is what was on the screen at the show.
Rating:
Summary: Good show, average video.
Review: This show cooks, but beware of the excessive video effects. It s true, the Dead played a very good show on 14.06 '91 as were many of the summer 91 performances but we get a not so welcome surplus of trippy or artsy video during some of the best song passages during the show.
It s not fair to criticize the video like this, but we all know that these dvd s and vhs s are as they were at the actual concert. So, really there's not much one or anyone can do.
Actually the effects start toward the second set, but careful, they irritate a bit. The bonus footage from RFk '90 is very good. I have to congratulate the person or probably team of engineers or archivists who decided to add that to this VFTV II.
All in all though (cheesy effects and all) this is worth owning and buying it or recommending it to any friend that will know how to appreciate it.
Rating: 
Summary: The special effects ruin this DVD
Review: Which would you rather watch: Jerry's solo on Franklin's Tower or stock footage of a roller coaster. Sorry, the roller coaster is what you will get. I realize that some of these "View from the Vault" shows are from the video feeds that were set up for the giant display screens that were used at the larger venues in order to accommodate the lawn seats. GD productions decided that along with the shots of the band some interesting "Psychedelic footage, like they used to use at the Acid tests, would be amusing to the audience members who might be tripping.
Unfortunately these bland computerized outdated special effects often replace shots of the band! Would you like to see Jerry do some fine picking on his solo in "Estimated Prophet" sorry instead you will find some banal stock footage.
Also note that almost all of the shots are extreme close-ups. There are no group shots and very few two shots, so that the documentation of the creative interplay is lost! I'm afraid the creative department in GD productions, these days, is greatly lacking. Gone are the inspired days of Kelly and Mouse. I think we may have to look forward to more lame album cover art and poor creative decisions in regards to the packaging of documented damn fine jamming by the Grateful Dead. :(
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