Dead Ahead is a concert video by the Grateful Dead. It was recorded at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on October 30 and October 31, 1980, and released in 1981. An expanded version was released in 2005. In contrast to other Dead concert videos, Dead Ahead contains acoustic as well as electric song performances.
In September and October 1980, the Grateful Dead did a concert tour of shows with three sets each, one acoustic set followed by two electric sets. The acoustic sets were the first the band had performed since the early '70s aside from a few rare one-off acoustic sets in special circumstances. The tour comprised 15 shows at The Warfield in San Francisco, 2 shows at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans, and 8 shows at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
The following year, songs from the tour were released as two live albums, the all-acoustic Reckoning and the all-electric Dead Set.
Dead Ahead contains songs from the last two New York concerts, October 30 and October 31, 1980. Although the video was compiled from multiple performances, and is shorter than one of the three-set concerts, it follows the general format of one of the shows, starting with some acoustic material and proceeding to a longer section of amplified music, including a somewhat edited "Drums" and "Space".
The video also includes several sketches by the comedy team of Al Franken and Tom Davis. These are from the final night of the tour, October 31, which was hosted by Franken and Davis, and broadcast on radio and on closed circuit TV.
Jerry Garcia – guitar
Mickey Hart – drums, percussion
Bill Kreutzmann – drums, percussion
Phil Lesh – bass
Brent Mydland – keyboards
Bob Weir – guitar
"Uncle John's Band" (Garcia, Hunter); Studio version
Introduction (Franken & Davis)
"Bird Song" (Garcia, Hunter) — acoustic; October 31, 1980
"On The Road Again" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) — acoustic; October 30, 1980
"To Lay Me Down" (Garcia, Hunter) — acoustic; October 30, 1980
"Ripple" (Garcia, Hunter) — acoustic; October 31, 1980
Henry Kissinger Interview (Franken & Davis)
"Me and My Uncle" (Phillips); October 31, 1980
"Mexicali Blues" (Weir, Barlow); October 31, 1980
"Ramble On Rose" (Garcia, Hunter); October 31, 1980
"Little Red Rooster" (Dixon); October 31, 1980
A Visit Backstage (Franken & Davis)
"Don't Ease Me In" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead); October 31, 1980
"Lost Sailor" (Weir, Barlow); October 31, 1980
"Saint of Circumstance" (Weir, Barlow); October 31, 1980
"Franklin's Tower" (Garcia, Kreutzmann, Hunter); October 31, 1980
"Drums" (Hart, Kreutzmann); October 31, 1980
"Space" (Garcia, Weir, Lesh, Mydland); October 31, 1980
"Fire on the Mountain" (Hart, Hunter); October 31, 1980
"Not Fade Away" (Hardin, Petty); October 31, 1980
"Good Lovin'" (Resnick, Clark); October 31, 1980
