03-29-1969
Ice Palace
Las Vegas, Nevada
This show was the Dead’s first and only one in Vegas until a night at the Aladdin Theater in 1981. It all went down at the Ice Palace, an ice skating rink on the corner of East Sahara and Maryland Parkway, a location not all that far from the strip and Fremont Street. We have no idea of who the audience consisted of, but we like to think that a few tourists from the Midwest got a taste of some lysergic acid and had a crazy psychedelic Vegas night. But whoever attended the show was in for a treat. As the announcer introduced them, “In acid rock music today, the original and still the greatest, ladies and gentlemen, the Grateful Dead;” the band was at the top of its powers.
Morning Dew, Good Morning Little School Girl, Doin’ That Rag, Dark Star-> Saint Stephen-> The Eleven-> Turn On Your Love Light
Morning Dew, in all its 1969 glory, opens the show, followed up by a top-notch Schoolgirl with Pig in full effect. Then, after Doin’ That Rag, the triumvirate of Dark Star> Saint Stephen> Eleven breaks for. All are exceptionally well played and so much fun; any Head would trade body parts – at least digits – to take it all in in the flesh. And seventeen minutes of Lovelight caps the set in fine fashion, giving another blast of Pigpen. It was a short show at an hour and a half, but oh so good.
The Dead’s condensed set was probably the result of a shared bill – with a local band, Free Circus, and Santana – and an 11:30 curfew at the rink. At this point in their career, Santana had barely played outside the Bay Area and was still a few months away from superstardom. But with Bill Graham booking both Santana and the Dead, they were sure to play the same stages, including here and in San Diego in May.
Today’s Dead of the Day:
Other March 29th Shows and Recordings:
- 1968 – Carousel Ballroom – San Francisco, California
- 1983 – Warfield Theater – San Francisco, California
- 1984 – Marin County Veterans Auditorium – San Rafael, California
- 1985 – Nassau Coliseum – Uniondale, New York
- 1987 – The Spectrum – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 1990 – Nassau Coliseum – Uniondale, New York
- 1991 – Nassau Coliseum – Uniondale, New York
- 1993 – Knickerbocker Arena – Albany, New York
- 1995 – The Omni – Atlanta, Georgia
Leave a Reply