Dead of the Day: 06-24-1970
Capitol Theater
Port Chester, New York
There are great shows from across the years on this day in Dead history, but our Dead of the Day comes from 1970 at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, New York. With two shows – an early and a late one – and both acoustic and electric sets in each, there is so much unbelievable music from this day in 1970. Almost all of the tunes from the two shows seem to be out there on the internet, but nobody has compiled the entire day’s music on Archive.
In the first electic, we get an incredibly rocking, Pig-centric Good Lovin’ that includes both an opening and a mid-song drum solo. Pig is relentless on the vocals, and the band backs him up with funky, down and dirty blues rock. Following a couple more tunes, the boys bust out The Other One suite, which is unreal and surely would have had people rushing to snatch up available tickets for the second round.
In the second electric set, things really get started with the hysterical lead up to Dark Star, with Jerry explaining that Mickey is looking for his gong so they can go into Dark Star, evoking raucous cheering from the faithful. The Dark Star that follows strikes one as tribal, bringing the fellow travelers together and binding them through ritual and a brilliant, epic incantation followed by mesmerizing space. Then the band segues directly into a lovely Attics of My Life and right back into Dark Star again. The second Dark Star is less spacey and more of a romping ride, driving into a beastly jam at the end before going seamlessly into a short and dirty Sugar Mags. This too ends by returning once again to Dark Star. And just as this final Dark Star finishes, the boys roll into a Saint Stephen that is so full of energy it almost falls off the rails in the latter jam before gathering itself and coming back for the final chorus. Without even stopping for a breath, the band follows that up by unleashing a blistering, psychedelic China Cat, which transitions beautifully into a sensational I Know You Rider. Closing with a sweet and rocking Uncle John’s, the boys come out for one final encore of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, putting a soulful cap on the evening and all the wonderful music they put forth over the course of the day.
Yesterday’s Dead of the Day:
Other June 24th Shows and Recordings:
- 1973 – Portland Memorial Coliseum – Portland, Oregon
- 1976 – Tower Theater – Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
- 1983 – Dane County Coliseum – Madison, Wisconsin
- 1984 – Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs, New York
- 1985 – River Bend Music Center – Cincinnati, Ohio
- 1990 – Autzen Stadium, University of Oregon – Eugene, Oregon
- 1991 – Sandstone Amphitheatre – Bonner Springs, Kansas
- 1994 – Sam Boyd Silver Bowl, UNLV – Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1995 – Robert F. Kennedy Stadium – Washington, DC
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