Just for Giggles

On Deadnetcentral (DNC), there used to be ongoing banter between manly lovers of 1977 GD and sissified lovers of 1976. DNC user Chimbley made this up, with apologies to Berkeley Breathed.

(http://pages.cthome.net/chimbley/images/76Weenies-b.jpg)

IMO, it never gets old, and I wanted to preserve it here for posterity. Thanks for helping me laugh many, many times over the years, Chimbley!

JGMS: the show known variously as 1972-06-30, 1972-09-01, 1971-09-01

So for a long time I have been wanting to lay down a marker regarding the dating of the wonderful Garcia/Saunders show that circulates variously as June 30, 1972, September 1, 1972, and (less commonly nowadays), September 1, 1971. I'll concentrate on the former two dates --I have nothing to say about the '71 possibility-- and suggest to you that the correct date for this material is 6/30/72.

Let's revisit the case for 9/1/72. As far as I know, this dating derives exclusively from tape labels, sometimes very old tape labels (such as those in Pat Lee's collection) and sometimes very authoritative ones (such as the ones, I am told, in the Garcia Vault). Unless I am missing something, there has never been any other (kind of) evidence underpinning this date.

Let's also step back a bit. The Keystone Korner surely deserves a post all its own, but that's the sort of thing that others can do much better than I can. All I'll say is that it was operated by Freddie Herrera through June 30, 1972 and taken over by Todd Barkan on July 1, 1972. Soon thereafter (though not instantaneously), Barkan transformed it into an all-jazz format that proved artistically successful if, it seems, financially marginal

The September 1, 1972 dating is infirmed by three primary pieces of evidence, which seem reasonably independent of each other. The first is a "Scenedrome" (calendar) listing from the Berkeley Barb, the date of which I unfortunately seem not to have noted. I produce the scan below. It was done in 600 DPI, so you ought to be able to download and zoom it --check the circled entries-- for closer inspection. It shows Freddie Hubbard booked at the Keystone Korner from Friday, September 1, 1972 through Sunday, September 3.

Second, Todd Barkan confirmed (presumably independent of this particular listing, though perhaps not of KK booking information from 1972) that Hubbard was playing on this date.

Third, in private correspondence Barkan confirmed that Garcia/Saunders played only two KK dates (July 7-8, 1972 -- previously unknown!) under his ownership.

So far, I hope to have persuaded you that the evidence for 9/1/72 was thin to begin with and has completely fallen apart under close scrutiny.

So, what about 6/30/72?  I don't know what the Jerry Site has gathered over the years, but its listing was my initial justification for dating the material 6/30/72. Somewhat miraculously, there is a contemporary account of the show that brings a few pieces of evidence in support of the date and one not in support of it. Joel Selvin (1) reports that on the last night of Herrera's ownership (i.e., 6/30/72), the Garcia-Saunders-Kahn-Vitt-Fogerty quintet opened "their last set at Keystone with lengthy, rousing versions of After Midnight, Money Honey, and an untitled, basically unstructured instrumental" (p.1). The existing tape shows set II to begin with It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry (strike), but then indeed proceeds with After Midnight (check), Money Honey (check), and a version of "Are You Lonely For Me Baby?" (call that .5 strike) that melts into a crazy, dissonant, 20+ minute instrumental passage (check) before the tape cuts out. Selvin tells us that Paul Butterfield comes on stage and trades licks with Jerry for 40 minutes at that point, but --alas!-- there seems to be no more tape.

It's possible that these numbers were standard fare for the group around this time. But the coincidences are pretty striking. This date attaches to this music for awhile, and then a contemporary piece comes up that seems to connect them independently. I, for one, am persuaded.

Bottom line, from my perspective: I'll call it 6/30/72, thank you very much. And even if you don't buy that, don't call it 9/1/72, because that ain't it.


REFERENCES:
(1) Joel Selvin, "Jamming for the Hell of It," Night Times vol. 2 no. 20 (issue 29), September 27-October 3, 1972, pp. 1, 3. See page 1 from this post.

GD: 11/28/71, Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium, San Rafael, CA (CXL)

"The Grateful Dead will play a benefit [at the Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium] on Sunday for the benefit of Head Start."

So saith a "Newgrams" in the Pacific Sun, week of Novmeber 25-December 1, 1971, p. 17.

update: David Davis found an IJ piece indicating the Marin County supes nixed the gig. Reported by LIA in comments below. Reference: "Benefits Banned for Two Weeks," Daily Independent Journal (San Rafael, CA), November 24, 1971, p. 5.

Possible Jerry Gig? October 15-16, 1971, Keystone Korner, SF, CA

So, here's one that caught my eye. Nick the Greek, Merl, Tom Fogerty, Dave Getz (presumably) and John Kahn gigging at the Keystone Korner on a Friday-Saturday night in October, 1971 when Jerry is not known (to me) to have been otherwise occupied. Jerry and Merl were billed at the same place the weekend before.

Makes one wonder, doesn't it?

NRPS: June 12-13, 1971, Keystone Korner, San Francisco, CA

So, I discovered this ad for New Riders of the Purple Sage at Keystone Korner on June 12-13, 1971 when going through the Berkeley Barb last summer ... the old fashioned way ... microfilm. Makes my eyes dry up just thinking about it.

All well and good. I assume Jerry was there.and have updated my own list and TJS to reflect this.

But there is some interesting stuff that kind of goes along with this. For example, the "Scenedrome" (calendar) section of the Berkeley Barb, June 6-11, 1971, p. 20, lists Merl Saunders and Tom Fogerty for the New Monk on June 12-13, 1971. (Actually, it lists "Merle Saunders and Tom Rogarty" for the 12th and "Merle Saunders and Tom Fogarty" for the 13th, but you get the idea.) Nothing earth-shattering here: Merl and Tom Fogerty were gigging without Jerry when he was otherwise occupied. I have lots of other dates like that during these years. But it does lay the groundwork for one other little possibility, which I'll try to post about soon.

JGMS: July 10, 1973, Keystone, Berkeley, CA

I have just parsed out the officially released material by release:
Live at Keystone, volume 1 datings;
Live at Keystone, volume 2 datings ;
Live at Keystone, volume 3 (encores) datings

Turning it around, here's the perspective from the shows. This info based on most complete circulating copies. Key is below.

Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders
Keystone
Berkeley, CA
July 10, 1973

--Set I--
High Heel Sneakers (3)
Finders Keepers (4)
Harder They Come (1)
It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry (4)
It's Too Late (3)
My Funny Valentine (4)
Mystery Train (2)

--Set II--
Second That Emotion (3)
Someday Baby (2)
Merl's Tune (1)
It's No Use (1)
Positively 4th Street (1)
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) (4)

- It's No Use: album version has a piano overdub.
- 4th Street: album version has a mandolin overdub.
 - The parenthesized numbers refer to officially released (CD) material:
- (1) appears on Live at the Keystone, vol. 1 (Fantasy FCD 7701-2).
- (2) appears on Live at the Keystone, vol. 2 (Fantasy FCD 7702-2).
- (3) appears on Keystone Encores (Fantasy FCD 7703-2).
- (4) not on any of the releases.

JGMS: Live at Keystone, vol. 3 (encores) datings

Keystone Encores
Merl Saunders / Jerry Garcia / John Kahn / Bill Vitt
Initial release : 1988
Fantasy FCD 7703-2

*Hi-Heel Sneakers (Robert Higgenbotham) [7/10/73]
*It's Too Late (She's Gone) (Chuck Willis) [7/10/73]
*I Second That Emotion (William Robinson / Al Cleveland) [7/10/73]
*One Kind Favor (Traditional) [7/11/73]
*Money Honey (Jesse Stone) [unknown, presumed to be 7/11/73]
*How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) (Hollan / Dozier / Holland) [7/11/73]

JGMS: Live at Keystone, vol. 2 datings

Live at the Keystone, Volume 2
Merl Saunders / Jerry Garcia / John Kahn / Bill Vitt
Initial release : 1988

Fantasy FCD 7702-2

* That's Alright Mama (Arthur Crudup) [7/11/73, album comes in @ 5:19]
* My Funny Valentine (Rodgers / Hart) [7/11/73]
* Someday Baby (Sam Hopkins) [7/10/73]
* Like A Road Leading Home (Nix / Penn) [7/11/73]
* Mystery Train (Junior Parker / Sam Philips) [7/10/73]

JGMS: Live at Keystone, vol. 1 datings

Seeing a new torrent for 1973-07-10 at Lossless Legs reminds me that deaddisc.com has not included the information on dates from which the different performances derive. So I will post them. Here's volume one (CD release).

Live at the Keystone, Volume 1
Merl Saunders / Jerry Garcia / John Kahn / Bill Vitt
Initial release : 1988
Fantasy FCD 7701-2

*Keepers (Merl Saunders / John Kahn) [7/11/73]
*Positively 4th Street (Bob Dylan) [7/10/73]
*The Harder They Come (Jimmy Cliff) [7/10/73]
*It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry (Bob Dylan) [7/11/73]
*Space (Merl Saunders / Jerry Garcia / John Kahn / Bill Vitt) [7/11/73, from 6:27-10:11 of Merl's Tune]
*It's No Use (Clark / McGuinn) [7/10/73]
*Merl's Tune (Merl Saunders / White) [7/10/73]

JGMS, August 24, 1974, venue confusion

August 1974 is one of Jerry's greatest months. Between the killer GD shows at the star of the month and all of the incredible Garcia/Saunders shows (8/31/74 is right at the top of my desert island list), it really is incredible. But I am confused about a few of the details from this month.

I'll start with my confusion surrounding the venue for the Saturday, August 24, 1974 Jerry Garcia/Merl Saunders gig, identifed as having taken place at the Great American Music Hall (GAMH).

Here is what three good sources of local listings show at the GAMH on Saturday, August 24, 1974:

• Hayward Daily Review, August 23, 1974, p. 44 (calendar listing): JGMS
• Berkeley Barb, August 23-29, 1974, p. 24 (calendar): Max Collie's Rhythm Aces
• San Francisco Phoenix, August 29, 1974, p. 9 (display ad): Max Collie's Rhythm Aces
• Oakland Tribune, August 23, 1974, p. 19 ("Weekend Scene" calendar): JGMS
  

My confusion was heightened by a reference to an Ethiopian famine relief concert at Berkeley Community Theater on this date (1), but this clearly seems like a misprint and refers to the Friday, August 23rd concert at that venue and it no longer concerns me (though it is slightly odd).

A recording (one cassette gen off the 10" master reels, presumably taped by Betty) circulates as GAMH, so I guess we should continue to believe that JGMS played the GAMH on 8/24 and remain agnostic about Max Collie's whereabouts.

REFERENCES:
(1) UPI, "Ethiopians cite famine," Hayward Daily Review, August 22, 1974, p. 37.

'On the floor like dying fish' - and NRPS w/o Jerry (5/29/71)

May 29, 1971 is infamous for the fact that lots of people had an adverse reaction to the liquid refreshments, which were apparently distributed from a 35-gallon trash container set onto the concert floor during an intermission. 35 people were sent to the hospital "with all of the symptoms of bad trips" ("Winterland on Probation")) The mayhem is described by an eyewitness ("Winterland--on the floor like dying fish"):

A girl in front of us ... fell down on the floor and started to put things in her mouth. She would pick up tin cans, papers, socks, garbage and anything else that was on the floor. She threw up all over and then tried to take her clothes off. People were freaking out all over the place. It was like people were being shot down. People would fall down and struggle to get to their feet again. One guy fell on about five people and they all fell like dominoes. ... Time actually halted as if we were dead. Jane and I were the only ones standing in a five foot radius while the people around us were squirming on the floor like dying fish.

For JGMF purposes, I just want to note that the New Riders came out sans Jerry and only played one song, "Honky Tonk Women."  So take 5/29/71 w/ NRPS off your Jerry lists if you keep it there.

REFERENCES:
! ref: "Winterland--'on the floor like dying fish'," Berkeley Barb, June 11-17, 1971, p. ?4;
! JGMF: JGMF. 2010. "NRPS: May 29, 1971, Winterland, SF," Jerry Garcia's Middle Finger, January 2, 2010, URL http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2010/01/nrps-may-29-1971-winterland-sf.html, consulted 2/3/2012.
! expost: UPI, "1,000 At Concert Drink LSD-Spiked Cider," Los Angeles Times, June 1, 1971, p. C7;
! mention: "Bay Sounds," Oakland Tribune, May 26, 1971, p. 25;
! expost: Smith 197 1 ("Bad Trips at Rock Hall");
! expost: Wasserman 1971 ("Winterland Trip");
! expost: "Winterland on Probation," San Francisco Chronicle, August 11, 1971, p. 2.

Garcia's unidentified guests

Unidentified guests on Garcia shows. Updated 12/27/2019.

LLD's post on flute players with the GD got me thinking to the vexing question of the unidentified trumpet player on the Pure Jerry vol. 4 release (Keystone, "9/1/74"), which got me thinking to other unidentified guests on Jerry (non-GD) shows. So I figured I'd post a list and see what, if anything, turns up.

- NRPS 1970-07-07, Matrix, SF: "Bev" partners with Nelson for the vocals on "Long Black Veil." Corry: "I have been thinking about the guest vocalist on "Long Black Veil." My initial nominee would be Beverly Bivens, former lead singer of the group We Five (who hit it big in '65 with Sylvia Tyson's "You Were On My Mind"). The We Five are generally lumped with The Mamas And The Papas and those sorts of groups, but the band members were well connected to the Fillmore/Avalon bands. Bivens had left the We Five in 1967, despite their success, due to management issues. She had married bassist Fred Marshall in 1966, and she largely stepped away from professional music after 1967."

- JGMS 1972-12-28, Lion's Share, San Anselmo: trumpet (check which songs). Dave Tamarkin remembers this as a "trumpet player who just walked up out of the crowd."

- JGMS 1973-07-05, Lion's Share, San Anselmo: trumpet player for set II. DNC user "sl halper" says this: "The trumpet player is almost certainly the same guy who's on Pure Jerry 4; he pulls out all the same quotes and is especially heavy with his attempts to play John Coltrane's Resolution over the jam on d3t2 [Merl's Tune]."

- JGMS 1973-07-19, Great American Music Hall: harmonica player.

- JGMS 1973-10-02, Winterland, SF: trumpet player. Wolfgang's Vault says this is Bill Atwood, based on a suggestion by Corry Arnold. Bill Atwood chimes in in comments noting that Joe Ellis did the fall '73 GD tour trumpet playing (with Martin Fierro on sax), and suggests that this might be Ellis.

- JGMS 1974-02-05, Great American Music Hall: commenter extraordinaire runonguinness says in comments that there might be a second saxophonist, especially audible last three minutes of "My Funny Valentine". I need to revisit.

- JGMS 1974-02-16, Keystone, Berkeley: conga player (I guess Armando Peraza) and second guitarist.

- JGMS 1974-07-12, Keystone, Berkeley: guitar player. David Grisman shows up on mandolin and Martin is absent, so the lineup is definitely funky this night. Also on the bill is Locomotiv G.T., about which I know nothing, but which could of course have supplied the guest. I also wonder about Paul Pena, who was on the bill a lot during this period. Corry doubts either of these possibilities, suggesting it might be someone close to Grisman, possibly David Nichtern.

- JGMS 1974-08-15, Great American Music Hall: trumpet player

- JGMS "1974-09-01" (really 1974-08-28) Keystone, Berkeley: trumpet player. The Pure Jerry release (#4) is a composite of more than one show. The trumpet player is only partly unidentified, as I understand that his first name was Michael.

- JGMS 1974-09-02, Golden Gate Park: second horn player, maybe Snooky Flowers?

- JGMS 1974-10-27, Golden Bear, Huntington Beach: circulating tapes list the guests as Ringo and Maria Muldaur. I only know of one Ringo, but have no idea if this is him. Need to revisit.

- JGMS 1974-12-28, Golden Bear, Huntington Beach: attendee RD comments that a trumpeter blew some at the end of "Freedom Jazz Dance". Need to check tape.

- JGB 1977-01-29, 1977-01-30, Keystone, Berkeley: there is a rhythm guitar player. I now know who this was, but am saving it for the book.

- JGB 1977-04-09, Keystone Palo Alto: again, a second guitarist. As with 1/29 and 1/30.

- Reconstruction 1979-01-30, Keystone, Berkeley: female vocal accompanist on "Do I Move You?"

GD: September 15-16, 1972, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY (CANCELED)

Security & related concerns among the citizenry led to the cancellation of these shows in late August. Advanced ticket sales had already been underway, with ca. 4,000 ducats sold.

GD would end up at Boston Music Hall for these dates ... not a bad landing, though presumably much, much smaller.

REFERENCES

Red Wildy, "SPAC Postponing the Grateful Dead," Schenectady Gazette, August 30, 1972, p. 14 (accessed via Google News).
"2 Grateful Dead Concerts Canceled on Security Issue," New York Times, August 31, 1972, p. 27.

GD: March/April 1971, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL (CANCELED)

More early '71 scheduling stuff:

"The Grateful Dead pulled a last-minute cancellation at Northern Illinois University a few weeks ago."

This was in an article published on May 7, 1971 (1). So depending on the meaning of "a few weeks", it could have been in March, when the GD were in Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, canceled in Chicago, and Iowa. It could also have been April, but given the locations I think March seems more likely.

REFERENCE

(1) Larry Lujack, "Rock: A DJ's status report," Chicago Tribune, May 7, 1971, p. B11.

GD: January 31, 1971, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (CANCELED)

Not much to say here, just another monkey wrench in the early '71 touring works for the GD.

A student committee agreed in November 1970 to try to bring the GD out for January 31, 1971. Somewhere along the line a Jefferson Airplane concert took place that offended the University administration's sensibilities. It seems that the administration pocket-vetoed the show by just never working to get the contract signed. No show.

REFERENCES

Curt Harler, "UDG Discusses Plans," Daily Collegian (Penn State University), January 12, 1971 (accessed via Google News);
Karen Carnabucci and Bonnie Shok, "Lewis' rock show committee criticized by concert sponsors," Daily Collegian (Penn State University), January 29, 1971 (accessed via Google News).

GD: July 3-4, 1970, Aragon Ballroom, Chicago (CANCELED)

Grateful Dead
Aragon Ballroom
Chicago, IL
July 3-4, 1970

CANCELED

The Aragon Ballroom, at 1106 Lawrence Avenue, Chicago, was reportedly leased by American Tribal Productions in spring 1970 in order to put on "monster rock shows" (1). A mention is made of restoring the venue to its "pre-Cheetah" condition, leading me to wonder if this same location was one of the Cheetah venues. (I had thought LLD or Rock Prosopography or Rock Archaeology had posted on the Cheetahs, but I can't find it if so.) Shows under the new management were to have begun on May 1, 1970.

The Grateful Dead, It's a Beautiful Day, Aum and Rare Bird were said to be appearing on July 3-4, 1970 (1). A second article mentions that a Dayton, Ohio band called Green Lyte Sunday will appear with the GD (2), though this band is not mentioned in later listings of summer music events (3). As late as July 3rd (4) the show is still slated to happen. On July 4, 1970, the Tribune runs the following item (5):

The Grateful Dead, originally scheduled to headline the monster rock concert at the Aragon last night, was delayed by customs at the Canadian border. American Tribal Productions continued with the curtailed bill --It's a Beautiful Day, Aum, and Rare Bird-- at reduced price and promises a special Grateful Dead concert soon.

I have no postscript to this. I couldn't find any reference to a makeup show, though of course the GD did come back to Chicago for a show at the Syndrome on November 27, 1970. No idea whether that's related in any way.

Two further things to say, one small and one big.

First, small: the context of the above suggests that the July 4th show was canceled, too.

Second, bigger: weren't the GD in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on July 3, 1970? Isn't a bunch of the footage from "Festival Express," including Jerry sitting in with Ian & Sylvia, from that date? There is nighttime footage, IIRC. If that's true, then how could the GD have been expecting to play in Chicago on July 3? Either we have something wrong about the Festival Express dates, or the GD double-booked themselves for this night (perhaps also implying that the alleged border problem was concocted to cover some asses), or something else is screwy. Thoughts?

(1) Peter Gorner, "Rocking at the Aragon," Chicago Tribune, April 25, 1970, p. S12.
(2) Peter Gorner, "Some Competition for B,S & T's Spot," Chicago Tribune, May 24, 1970, p. F4.
(3) Linda Winer, "The Long, Rockin' Summer," Chicago Tribune, June 21, 1970, p. G3; see also entertainment calendar in Chicago Tribune, June 28, 1970, p. G2.
(4) Chicago Tribune, July 3, 1970, p. B2.
(5) "Music Note," Chicago Tribune, July 4, 1970, p. S10.

GD: July 4, 1974, Titan Stadium, Oshkosh, WI (CXL)

A mention in the Chicago Tribune of June 20, 1974 (1) notes that tickets are still available for the GD's July 4th show at 10,000 seat Titan Stadium in Oshkosh, WI. I had though Corry had written this up over at Lost Live Dead, but I don't see it there so I thought I'd at least put down a marker.

This would have been a reasonable time for Jerry et al. to swing through Wisconsin, having ended the GD June tour in the northeast Nice easy stop to make on the way back home. A very perceptive local account (Branigan 1974) explains that the GD had dropped out of a prospective "July 4th superconcert" in Columbus, OH, with The Band and Eric Clapton, potentially dropping them into the laps of some industrious young Oshkosh promoters, who had been chasing Three Dog Night.


Campus and athletic department officials approved the event, and it was ticketed:

(from psilo.com)

Tickets were going quickly: 15,000 tickets sold over 11 days in Chicago alone, thousands more in other upper midwest towns. Attendance expectations rose to 30,000, and apparently the good burghers of Oshkosh got worried about lots of Dirty Fucking Hippies coming to town. Bratigan (1974) gives some great color. Local homeowners threatened to block an awaiting rezoning petition that would have held up some university athletic facilities -- how that's kicking 'em where it hurts! The local Kiwanas worried about the impact on their annual bratfest and fireworks beerbash. "We don't have enough brat for 30,000 hippies and us too!", said one local.

The university caved. Those town-gown relations can be very delicate. Apparently an alternative venue, the Loft golf course and nightclub in Fitchburg, was selected, agreed, and advertised at some point, but that one, too, was blocked when a local neighbor sued to stop the show. According to (3), "on the eve of the Fourth of July, the promoter [Zoom Productions of Chicago] apparently decided to abandon the whole idea." A column (2) the day of the show says that "Today's Grateful Dead concert ... has been postponed until Saturday [ed: July 6th] at 2 p.m. and relocated at [sic] the Ridgewood Trace Park in Madison." This doesn't seem to have happened, either.

In the end, Bratigan reports that "The Grateful Dead spent four wonderful days and nights in the Pioneer Inn" watching the lightning, victims of "a complicated dance of politics and home-grown fear". We know that Jerry was in NYC playing with Merl on the 1st-2nd-3rd (see Corry, nick), and I doubt the band was stuck in Oshkosh (though the roadies, quippies, and bag-men might have been). But who knows?

By way of unhappy postscripts to this saga, later we get reports (4, see left) that the GD is suing the promoters .




REFERENCES
(1) Gold, Aaron. Tower Ticker. Chicago Tribune, June 20, 1974, p. B2.
(2) Gold, Aaron. Tower Ticker. Chicago Tribune, July 4, 1974, p. C2.
(3) Boxoffice, July 22, 1974, p. 49, via issuu.com.
(4) "Grateful Dead Seeks Damages," Billboard, v87 n1, January 4, 1975, p. 3 (via Google Books).
(5)  Branigan, Brian. 1974. A Dead 4^th of July. Unknown publication (WI).

GD: April 12, 1971, Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA

Funny ... I didn't have this show in my spreadsheet, came across it and wrote a post, only to see that it's listed at Deadlists and boasts a gorgeous Miller sbd over at the LMA.

Heh Heh.

I guess all I can salvage is that tickets were still available as of the day of the show (1).

Heh heh.

REFERENCES:

(1) George Anderson, "Stage and Screen: Valdez is Coming at Gateway," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 12, 1971, p. 22. Accessed via Google News.

GD: ca. December 27, 1970, canyon east of Laguna Beach, CA

It seems that a rather loosely organized hippie gathering took place in a Canyon (presumably Laguna Canyon) east of Laguna Beach, CA starting on Christmas in 1970 and ending on Monday, 12/28. It was broken up by city police, who in good Orange Curtain fashion sang "Here Comes Santa Clause" as they rousted sleeping hippies and dropped them off at the city limits.

According to the report (1), the Grateful Dead came to play, but were "not permitted through the barricades, which were set up to halt the heavy flow of traffic into Laguna Beach." The report isn't clear about the day on which this occurred. The GD were playing Legion Stadium in El Monte, about 60 miles away, from 12/26-28, so whatever day it was --I'll assume Sunday, 12/27-- they presumably came out during the day time. I bet it would have been a good ol' time, but, alas, it was not to be.

REFERENCE:

Gordon Grant and William Endicott, "Stragglers Sound Final Notes at Laguna Beach Rock Festival," Los Angeles Times, December 29, 1970, pp. A1, A3.

GD: December 18-20, 1970, Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY, reschedule for February 1971

I guess these are famously canceled Dead shows, so nothing really new here. The (IMO terribly overrated) February 1971 GD run at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY was actually rescheduled from December 18-20, 1970. According to Deadlists, "There is tape in circulation of a radio ad announcing and apologizing for the cancellation ("The Port Chester Apology").


The reasoning laid out in the display announcement posted to the left, whereby the GD feels that "they cannot return east without new music for the people,"  sounds a little bit specious to me, but maybe I am being too cynical. It's certainly true that they busted out a whole host of new tunes when they did get to Port Chester in February.


And as a Jerry-on-the-side guy, I am just as pleased to contemplate David and the Dorks at the Matrix on 12/20 than just another GD show, especially if it was to be as tedious as I find the 2/71 Port Chester shows to be.