tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post5470930169781539840..comments2024-03-26T23:10:34.814-07:00Comments on Grateful Dead Sources: November 16, 1970: Fillmore East, NYCLight Into Asheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-15208961099469845352017-03-22T15:31:07.269-07:002017-03-22T15:31:07.269-07:00I'm posting this a little out of order, since ...I'm posting this a little out of order, since I was excited to find this. I was looking in the Princeton University papers for a review of the 4/17/71 show - unfortunately didn't find one, but was surprised to find this excellent review of the 11/16/70 surprise show at the Fillmore East. <br /><br />Deadlists writes: "According to Corry Arnold on 11/14/70 at the Fillmore East after Frank Zappa's performance, Grace Slick came on stage and announced on behalf of Bill Graham that the Dead and the Airplane would be playing a surprise concert at the Fillmore East on Monday, November 16th. On the 16th the very pregnant Slick was unable to make the gig but Hot Tuna substituted for the Airplane. This is why this show does not appear in ads and playbills etc."<br /><br />Ross was an ideal reviewer - giving the background to the show, describing it set by set, naming performers and songs, and even giving times. He was especially impressed by Papa John Creach, who was new to audiences. <br />Ross had clearly been to Dead shows before - he knows the New Riders' usual setlist, and mentions that Uncle John was "the most vocally tight version I have ever heard." Definitely a fan. <br />"The Dead are the tightest band in the world" is a statement that might raise eyebrows, but I've seen the same claim in a number of 1970 show reviews.<br />He was a bit mistaken that the Airplane & the Dead hadn't played together in New York before (they had, in a May '68 free Central Park show).<br /> <br />I don't know whether the NRPS or Hot Tuna sets were also taped by the Fillmore crew, but one person who's seen the original reels writes, "A 1:55 snippet of Hot Tuna playing Hesitation Blues precedes the Dead's show on the first generation 10" reel." (Note that Hesitation Blues is named as the last song in Hot Tuna's set in this review.) <br /><br />Traffic was in town to play at the Fillmore on Nov 18-19. (This wasn't their first time with the Dead, as Garcia had guested with them at a San Francisco free show in March '68.)<br />Ross notes that Winwood, Capaldi & Wood all guested in the Dead's set, but doesn't name other guests, nor does he mention whether Garcia jammed with Hot Tuna in the final set, an odd omission; but we know at least Papa John & Will Scarlett played with the Dead. Unfortunately no tape of the final jam set is known. <br /><br />From the review, it's clear the Dead played longer than we have on tape, even if "three hours" might be an exaggeration. Ross lists Good Lovin' (which we have a partial AUD fragment of) and a Chuck Berry song, which was probably the newly-debuted Around & Around. He also says that Casey Jones opened the Dead's set, and Uncle John closed, as on our tape - so maybe a reel went missing from the middle of the set; or possibly he remembered the other songs from the final jam set. (Hot Tuna played Around & Around two other times with the Dead in Nov '70.)Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.com