tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post8271310365836335140..comments2024-03-26T23:10:34.814-07:00Comments on Grateful Dead Sources: July 8, 1970: Mississippi River Festival, Edwardsville ILLight Into Asheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-46739778664241192232020-07-09T22:06:08.943-07:002020-07-09T22:06:08.943-07:00The light show was mentioned in a newspaper pictur...The light show was mentioned in a newspaper picture caption: <br />"More than 8,400 young electric rock fans showed up at Wednesday's night's Mississippi River Festival show by the Grateful Dead in the first rock concert of the 1970 season. Above, a long-haired young girl, carried away by the music, is silhouetted on stage against a backdrop of colored lights in a light show performed by the Electric Rainbow. The concert, which started about half an hour late, lasted until almost midnight, with the audience shouting for more, more, more." <br />The show was scheduled for 8:30, so the Dead played for almost three hours. (They probably kept the break after the acoustic set short.) But three hours wasn't enough for this crowd! Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-33920384432341366602020-07-08T18:01:43.031-07:002020-07-08T18:01:43.031-07:00Fifty years ago tonight - my first show!! Glad to...Fifty years ago tonight - my first show!! Glad to see and read the stories here.Sandy Maschanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01808318076538108926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-57137659684202859102019-06-20T02:45:08.290-07:002019-06-20T02:45:08.290-07:00Too Bad this archive gone. Even the university pa...Too Bad this archive gone. Even the university paper, the alestle did not keep it's front page photos of the "battle of the bands" during the summer of 1970. 2Kaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12903231916186322042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-35742940205779904202015-07-09T00:01:33.438-07:002015-07-09T00:01:33.438-07:00I found a photo of the Dead playing acoustic guita...I found a photo of the Dead playing acoustic guitars at this show, which confirms that there was an acoustic set. <br />Added the photo.Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-79519652534281501702013-07-29T11:26:34.876-07:002013-07-29T11:26:34.876-07:00It's really mind blowing that you pose the que...It's really mind blowing that you pose the question,I wonder who did the light show and get a response from the gentleman's brother who actually did the light show.I would guess you are sometimes quite surprised by who and the quality of responses you receive here at your site.jerlouvisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-49351164064172692972013-07-29T09:32:29.113-07:002013-07-29T09:32:29.113-07:00No NRPS for this one. The light show was local...E...No NRPS for this one. The light show was local...Electric Rainbow, which was basically my older brother, Brian Harvey, and a group of family and friends. Brian was one of the real pioneers of the scene in the St. Louis area and founded Electric Rainbow originally to provide environmental lighting for a small club/converted theater down the road in Belleville, IL called the Palace. Over a stretch of a few years we did, I think, five shows with the Dead, two full seasons of the MRF (including a couple shows with the St. Louis Symphony), a whole load of other touring bands and lots of local bands. For a while there we were the go-to light show for pretty much any promoter bringing in music from SF, California generally or most stuff that seemed even vaguely psychedelic. We lost Brian in late 2004.Patrick Harveynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-30910665419441985082013-06-19T00:56:16.785-07:002013-06-19T00:56:16.785-07:00Another lost show...
It sounds like the Dead lik...Another lost show... <br /><br />It sounds like the Dead likely started with an acoustic set, as in their other summer 1970 shows - "a low-key start with folk songs and country based tunes." <br />But the only song noted is Good Lovin', since the drum solo caught the reporter's attention & he recognized the song. <br />Music seems not to have been his beat, though - this reads like he would be more at home reporting a fashion show! The girls in the crowd get lots of attention. <br /><br />He did speak to the nurse - but instead of the tales of acid casualties you might expect at a Dead show, she surprisingly reveals that there's "nothing serious" (just bruises on the spectators falling down in their excitement at seeing the Dead!).<br /><br />Note the young girls asking for autographs from the Dead. "Told to wait until after the show," you can imagine the rest... <br /> <br />For this reporter, the Dead are clearly part of some strange alternate "underground" world he isn't familiar with. "Progressive rock" and "new musical forms" don't sound like his bag! "They limit their recording mostly to albums" reads like a strange statement today, but through most of the '60s, singles ruled.<br /><br />The Dead came directly from San Francisco, but still managed to be late.<br />Nothing is said of NRPS. They were probably accompanying the Dead to the Fillmore East shows on July 9-12, but they may not have played here. I wonder who did the light show, though; did the Dead bring their own light crew?<br />The Dead would play the Mississippi River Festival again in 1980.Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.com