07-29-1966
P. N. E. Garden Auditorium
Vancouver, British Columbia
This show was the Dead’s first appearance outside the US, and the first of a three-day run in Vancouver. Their performance was all part of the Trips Festival, modeled on the Trips Festival at San Francisco’s Longshoremen’s Hall in January 1966. The Vancouver version was organized by Sam Perry, a Vancouver-based writer, filmmaker, and artist, who had put on film and image projections as part of events in the area. The goal of the festival was to change the consciousness of the attendees through music, light shows, film projections, poetry, LSD, and more. Big Brother and the Holding Company, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and others bands played along with the Grateful Dead. And there were over fifty projectors showing film slides, and liquid.
The music itself is all inventive, lysergic, and one-of-a-kind. But the music still shows the Dead as they were still finding their own original sound. For instance, the I Know You Rider is still an early rendition with hints of that high lonesome sound from the Mother McCree’s days and a bit of Dick Dale on that stalwart tune. Big Boss Man is probably the band at their tightest, backing Pig in peak early form. And the Cream Puff War has the band pushing their psychedelic boundaries with Phil bounding out the bass line while Jerry jams purposefully. But all the tunes here are worth the listen.
The Dead released a CD recording of the show in 2017 as the bonus disc of the 50th anniversary deluxe edition release of the band’s eponymous first album. The day’s show was also released later in 2017 on vinyl as part of Record Store Day.
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