ca. November 1-2, 1970 fragments

Having just posted on Janis's wake, which is said to have taken place on 10/26/70, I find myself wanting to at least take a stand on a few other gigs which have left me a little befuddled over the years.

The first involves a "First Annual San Francisco Halloween Marathon Festival of the Performing Arts", running 8 PM Friday 10/30/70 through midnight Sunday, 11/1/70 at the Harding Theater. Among the artists scheduled to appear during the 40 continuous hours of music we find Thelonious Monk, Les McCann, NRPS, Bobby Hutcherson, the Rafael Garrett Circus, Shades of Joy, Beefy Red, Pemmican, the Hot Hush Puppy Rocking and Jamming Society, the Ann Halprin Dance Troupe, theater groups and filmmakers. Subtitled "Marathon '70", the event was put together by Delano Dean, Lenny Sheftman and Gerry Pearlman of the Both-And, with proceeds going toward establishment of the Harding as an ongoing center for the performing arts.

Wasserman wrote the event up in general terms on 11/4/70, though he didn't mention the New Riders. Let's assume they performed as advertised. Since they were in Stony Brook on 10/30 and 10/31, I list this as a NRPS gig on 11/1/70 at the Harding. I guess I have already written this up, so you can just consider this pinned in my own data, and enjoy the above snippet of the Chron.

! announce: "A Halloween Marathon at the Harding," San Francisco Chronicle, October 23, 1970, p. 50;
! listing: San Francisco Chronicle, October 30, 1970, p. 45;
! expost:  Wasserman, John L. 19701104. On the Town: Marilyn Maye--Zing in the Anthem. San Francisco Chronicle, November 4, 1970, p. 58;
! mention: "From the Music Capitals of the World", Billboard, November 21, 1970, p. 25 (accessed via Google Books);
! JGMF: "NRPS: ca. 11/1/1970?" URL http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2009/11/nrps-ca-1111970.html.

The second is also at the Harding, and comes from a listing I found once the digital Examiner came to my attention. From that entry: "11/2/70 (Monday): Jerry Garcia / BBHC / Ice / Cleveland Wrecking Company. Harding Theater. Benefit for A Learning Place. I don't know if this would have been NRPS or JGMS; I am listing as JGMS for no particular reason."

So, another benefit, same building, the next night. Odd, but, OK.

! listing: San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle Datebook, November 1, 1970, p. 27;

! listing: San Francisco Examiner, November 2, 1970, p. 35;

! JGMF: "New-to-The-List from the Examiner, 1970-1972," URL http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2018/10/new-to-list-from-examiner-1970-1972.html.

As a final point, I'd just note that this timeframe really shines a light both on how much our boy liked to play, and on how ready he was to fly back home between gigs in other time zones, when logistics might suggest he not do so.

October 10-12, he does three gigs in New York and Jersey, then flies home to play the Matrix for two nights, before flying back to Philly for a gig on the 16th. Then Cleveland and Minneapolis, back home to the Matrix, three nights off before gigs in DC and St. Louis on 10/23-24. Home for Janis's wake, two nights in Stony Brook, home for these two benefit gigs and, on November 3rd, a session with Crosby at Heider's as well as a Matrix gig, Heider's again on the 4th, then playing somewhere in the state of New York every night (often Dead and New Riders, sometimes two shows a night) from the 5th through the 16th (less a canceled show on 11/15/70). And on and on and on through the end of November. What a nut.