update 20210526: this seems not to have happened. David Kramer-Smythe reached out to David Morgenstern, who was with Comfort at this time. He remembered this gig for other reasons, but said Garcia definitely did not join, and that, in fact, Garcia never sat in with Comfort. So this is one of those cases of .... hmmm ... how does such a specific (if uncertain) memory form? What do we do with such a memory? In the absence of other advice. I will just keep this here for posterity.
May 15, 1978 Robert Hunter and Comfort
This was a three night run, the 14, 15, 16th at the Cellar Door in Washington DC.
(The 14th we saw the Dead play in Providence, RI. We were just finishing a post spring semester Vermont > Springfield > Providence run, so my memory of this event is extremely fuzzy, but it happened.)
Anyway – towards the end of the Hunter show, Steve Parrish..what was he doing there?... helped roll a doorway sort-of-thing out on stage. It was like a big stage prop with a man-size keyhole shape cut-out. What…A giant keyhole?
Then, I remember smoke machine and a siren howling like an ambulance. Lights flashed. The Cellar Door was a pretty small and dark venue as I recall, so this was kind of jarring.
And then the PA screamed “Emergency…Emergency…Emergency” and gradually slowed to say “Emergggge an Seeeeee,” “Emergggge and See,” “Emerge and See,” Emerge and See!!!”
And a fellow in a bozo mask walked through the keyhole. The fellow was Garcia.
This is where it gets fuzzy....I forget what he played, maybe Boys in the Ballroom [sic]? Promontory Rider? Goodnight Irene? It wasn’t a standard Dead tune.
Who’s got the tape?Who, indeed? Can anyone confirm or deny?
“In 1978, the club suffered a serious blow when the D.C. Fire Department cut its seating capacity from 199 to 124 in compliance with the D.C. build-ing code. The cutback affected revenues and impaired the club's ability to book medium-priced acts. “ [2] Not sure but maybe the skit with Parish was a spoof on the Fire Department.
ReplyDelete2.) Harrington, Richard, The Door Closes In Georgetown, 1982-01-09, Washington Post.
Cellar Door
Delete9/1/80 Robert Hunter show
Garcia, Weir, and friends were in the audience but didn’t perform. The Dead had played in Maryland the night before.
I told the above story and have been researching it more lately. Three things: 1) I recently retold the story on the "new" Phil Zone discussion board (Jan 2024) and got this reply: "I was not there but had a now-deceased friend that was. He was always backstage etc. I do think he had a recording...."
ReplyDelete2. The date I originally surmised could be incorrect. I recently found two Washington Posts reviews that imply Hunter played solo at the Cellar Door in 79 and 80 -- shows which I can't find listed elsewhere.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1980/02/12/robert-hunter/1ab9adf2-6a13-46ef-8f89-696c5ae1a531/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1979/08/03/robert-hunter/85c15f1a-d534-4453-a378-15572c5145cb/
This leads me to believe it was a show post Comfort and maybe post Larry Klein that was not heavily advertised.
3) There was another show at the Cellar Door that Garcia attended but did not play -- I was there also and this is not the time I was referring to in the original story.
I thing Steve Parrish is the only person who could shed some light on this -- he said he used to carry around a Bozo mask or two in a trunk and the guy (Jerry) who came onstage thru the keyhole was wearing one before he took it off.
Thanks! Alan R
Thank you, Alan! I love these mysteries.
DeleteInteresting. If true I think I can figure out the date.
DeleteRobert Hunter did play the Cellar Door solo 3 times in 1980.
September 1 1980 is the date that is known and the recording is up on the archive with this note "Garcia, Weir, & friends in the audience"
But he also played Feb 11 & 12 1980. With no recordings.
But the Garcia Band is also in town playing Feb 12 1980 at the Lisner Auditorium. First night of winter tour. So my guess is Feb 11 1980 is the best overlap of Hunter/Garcia universes between 79 and 80 in DC.
https://jerrybase.com/events/19800212-02
Cellar Door ad [pg 70]
https://digdc.dclibrary.org/islandora/object/dcplislandora%3A30287#page/70/mode/1up
Wow - and aligns w RH sitting in w JGB that tour. Fascinating!
DeleteI wonder about the emergency skit. It might be a reference to a Georgetown hippie venue. A few blocks down on the same street as the Cellar Door. Open between 1969-1971 called The Emergency. I think "emerge and see" was part of the advertising tag line.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1991/04/05/club-emerges-from-the-past/03ae59f9-05d5-49a9-8082-d10e01679283/
Inneresting!
Delete