09-16-1966
Avalon Ballroom
San Francisco, California
Jerry’s slick guitar alongside Pig’s whirling organ create a carnivalesque Rider. The Dead then switch gears on a dime into the deep blues of Hurts Me Too with Pig delivering some heartfelt vocals and soulful harp. From there, the band plays a brooding, beautifully rendered Baby Blue. Pig fronts a classic Schoolgirl afterwards before the Lindy Hop brings a little swing to the show. And then it is on to Dancin’ in the Streets, which brings together pop, rock and roll, and psychedelia in equal measure on a short, but so sweet version. Then it is, arguably, the highlight of the show, an eighteen-minute Midnight Hour. It features Pig bawling and rapping away, Jerry just tearing it up, and everyone creating a funky, high-energy acid-drenched Motown sound that was inimitably Grateful Dead. A crack Stealin’ follows before a full-on country blues roadhouse masterpiece of a Same Thing.
This show comprised the Vintage Dead and Historic Dead records released in 1970 and 1971. Both albums were produced without the approval or cooperation of the band. However, they were legal releases from MGM’s Sunflower Records. Together Records had made the recording and purchased the rights with the intention of creating an anthology of Bay Area bands. When the label went bankrupt, MGM paid off the label’s debt and took possession of the tapes. In 1972, MGM released, as History of the Grateful Dead, Volume One (aka Bear’s Choice), a compilation of the tracks on Vintage Dead and two tracks from Historic Dead. So if the show sounds familiar, it should!
Today’s Dead of the Day:
Other September 16th Shows and Recordings:
- 1972 – Boston Music Hall – Boston, Massachusetts
- 1978 – Sphinx Theater – Giza, Egypt
- 1987 – Madison Square Garden – New York, New York
- 1988 – Madison Square Garden – New York, New York
- 1990 – Madison Square Garden – New York, New York
- 1991 – Madison Square Garden – New York, New York
- 1993 – Madison Square Garden – New York, New York
- 1994 – Shoreline Amphitheater – Mountain View, California
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