tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post60104724863742006..comments2024-03-26T23:10:34.814-07:00Comments on Grateful Dead Sources: September 28, 1975: Golden Gate ParkLight Into Asheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-17494451816900931322023-02-19T23:32:33.998-08:002023-02-19T23:32:33.998-08:00It was a fine day, I was new in town and living th...It was a fine day, I was new in town and living the dream...New England Water Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04565626449101099702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-69111637486133085372022-05-04T14:02:02.526-07:002022-05-04T14:02:02.526-07:00Yep. This was Sept. '75. I was there. Great da...Yep. This was Sept. '75. I was there. Great day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-43569837392273136122018-02-16T23:19:04.671-08:002018-02-16T23:19:04.671-08:00Record World was a music-industry magazine that fo...Record World was a music-industry magazine that focused on record-label news, industry figures, tour info, charts, etc. from a business perspective, so this is a pretty square review, but still a good overview of the day. <br />The same issue had a little review of the 'Music Never Stopped' single: "One of the more commercial sounding tunes from the 'Blues for Allah' album, the Dead have finally come up with a song that can be given serious AM consideration. Despite the title, programmers should find no trouble fitting this one in." <br />The concert reviewer has kind of the same commercial slant on the Dead: they used to be a "cult" band but now they're getting more popular and have a "new musical accessibility." (Yes, the famously accessible chart hit 'Blues for Allah.') They even play hit singles in their shows! No mention that they're no longer touring... <br /><br />Starship manager Bill Thompson spoke a bit about putting together this short-notice show in a 12/20/75 Record World interview: <br />"We had wanted to do a free concert before we left and we have some people in San Francisco known as the People's Ballroom - they usually put it together and then just pass the hat around to pay for all the labor and everything. It's groovy to do it that way. We were looking for an opening act on the show and a week beforehand somebody from the People's Ballroom called me and said, 'Who do you want to open?' I said, 'I don't know - maybe Jerry Garcia, maybe Kingfish, maybe the Sons of Champlin, somebody.' She called back and said, 'What would you think about the Grateful Dead?' I said, 'Incredible, but would they do it?' They hadn't played in such a long time. So Paul got in touch with Garcia. He wanted to do it, and so...we kept the publicity down very low, we tried not to mention them at all. The day before we just said Starship was going to do it with friends. And I still think we had 40 or 50 thousand people there. It was good. There's some talk of us playing dates with the Dead next summer, which we might do."<br /><br />The People's Ballroom put on a series of free shows in San Francisco (that was their main purpose) - I found it odd that this show is here called a "benefit," but they raised money by asking for donations. Some more info from one of the coordinators is here (in which Bill Thompson appears in a very different light): <br />http://www.djpreskool.com/blog/2016/1/29/paul-kantner-a-memory <br /><br />My own hiatus is over, and while I have time I'll try to post as much as possible. Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.com