• https://www.dead.net/features/73174/4th-annual-grateful-dead-meet-movies-beat-club-42172
    4th Annual Grateful Dead Meet-Up At The Movies - Beat Club 4/21/72

    We're brimmin' with Bremen over at Dead.net! That's right, the festivities surrounding the 4th Annual Meet-Up At The Movies: Beat Club 4/21/72 have started early for us. If you haven't purchased your ticket for this one-night only event featuring the never-before-seen Beat Club studio performance in its entirety, restored from the original broadcast 2” quad video and audio mixed and mastered from the original analog tapes, let us set the scene with the official liner notes plucked from the sold out Europe '72: The Complete Recordings boxed set.

    4/21/72 Bremen

    All that most of the world knows about the city of Bremen in northern Germany is that once upon a time, long ago, there were these four old animals—a cat, a dog, a donkey and a rooster—who left their farms in the countryside and headed towards Bremen, where they hoped to live out their days as musicians. Oh, wait—that didn’t really happen. That’s the old Brothers Grimm fairy tale, The Town Musicians of Bremen. Fast forward. When the Grateful Dead—which included a few cats, a bird and a pig—hit Bremen in the third week of April in ’72, the city was still a destination for traveling musicians, thanks to a popular television program that emanated from there, called Beat-Club.

    Beat-Club was Germany’s first major rock ’n’ roll TV show, on the air monthly (or so) since September 1965 (through the end of 1972). Typically, each program would feature several acts, some shot live in the rather sterile Studio 3 of Radio Bremen, and others appearing on film or video supplied from elsewhere. Basically, everyone who was anyone in rock music in the late ’60s and early ’70s showed up on Beat-Club at one time or another—and so did a lot of acts no one in the U.S. has ever heard of! Typically, a band taping in Bremen for Beat-Club would have a song or two appear on the monthly program a few weeks later, and one suspects that most acts probably came to the studio with a good idea of what song(s) they wanted to highlight, and knocked it out quickly.

    Ah, but things were a little different when the Grateful Dead rolled into town with their tie-dyed amps, their entourage of long-haired “family,” and their recording truck parked outside. Maybe the Dead knew that day that “One More Saturday Night” would be the song that would air on the May 27 edition of the Beat-Club program, but they sure didn’t act that way. Instead, after a sound check that included “Loser” and “Black-Throated Wind,” they played a remarkable 80-minute set that mixed short songs with big jamming tunes, including two charged versions of “Playing in the Band,” and a spectacular “Truckin’” > “Other One” sequence that is more than 30 minutes long. That the band could play this well in front of a bunch German TV technicians, rather than their usual sea of swaying and flailing hippies, is amazing. That it was all captured in crystal-clear close-up video is truly a gift from the Gods (and if there’s any justice in the universe, the Gods will someday allow that video to be released commercially).

    But even studying the aural document is fascinating. For one thing, the sound is recording-studio-clear, with no venue ambience or crowd seeping into the mics. And it’s not just an ordinary show: Garcia only sings two numbers, Pigpen one, and Bob six. After Jerry casually says “we’re rolling,” Bobby shouts into the microphone, “Ladies and gentlemen, the Grrrrrateful Dead!” and the band kicks into “Bertha,” crisp and energetic, but marred by a couple of lyric flaws. Then comes “Playing in the Band,” which the group pulled out at every stop on the Europe tour, and was great every single night. Jerry is all over the wah-wah pedal during the middle jam, making it growl and cry and squeal. “Mr. Charlie” is just about letter-perfect.

    That is followed by our first do-over of the day—a luxury afforded by the fact there is no audience and this isn’t a “concert” per se. About a minute into “Sugaree,” Jerry says, “Hold it, hold it. Somebody played the wrong changes in there” (cough-Pigpen-cough), so they start at the top again. A few tunes later, Bobby halts a second version of “Playing” after he blows the first line: “Some folks trust in treason,” he sings. (It’s not clear why they do “Playing” again, as the first version was excellent. But the one that comes after the flub is even better, with a more intense middle section and much mind-bending bass work from Phil. Maybe they were more warmed-up second time ’round.) The final song-stopping calamity comes on “Truckin’,” after Bob completely spaces his entrance to the first verse, leading to the band hilariously attempting a shutdown of the song that’s all discordant crashing and colliding instruments, like some catastrophic orchestra mishap in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Second time is the charm, though, and the group nails it and kicks off the long and exciting journey mentioned above.

    “The Other One” that emerges from a short post-“Truckin’” drum solo by Billy is full of drive and fire, like snorting and snarling horses galloping through Germany’s mysterious Black Forest. But it’s the six minutes after the second verse of “The Other One” that I want to highlight. The band doesn’t seem to have any idea about what, if any, song they might play next (surely they were past their allotted taping time and the German sound and TV crew were wondering whether this jamathon was ever going to end), so the Dead just float from one musical notion to the next. Squealing feedback gives way to a brief lilting jam. At one point Billy clicks into a little groove and the others follow and it develops into one of those lovely passages that feels familiar but isn’t quite—are those hints of “Wharf Rat”? Is “Sugar Magnolia” around that bend? Instead they keep drifting about—Jerry gets into a hypnotic finger-picking pattern at one point—until it all just peters out. There’s a pause and then they suddenly build up one of their big, chaotic endings, which is a mess worthy of the laugh that follows it. And with that, the Town Musicians of Bremen were gone.

    —Blair Jackson

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  • Thin
    10 years 4 months ago
    Bremen licensing
    Someone wrote: "If there are no licensing objections to its release, then it is a very sad state of affairs". Sorry - I get frustrated with these kinds of comments…. Do you think the German TV station kept a meticulous vault for 50 years with a stack of fed-ex boxes in case the GD or Hendrix estate calls so they can just ship it to them for free? Seriously? How can you imply the GD or Rhino are a sad state of affairs? How many other bands release this stuff as regularly and professionally as the dead? Name just one band that even comes close. CSN is FINALLY releasing their first show 40 years later, and with all the fuss, you'd think they put a man on the moon. The Dead figured out how to do it and make it work - they put out anywhere from 5 to as many as 27~ shows per YEAR. They deserve huge credit for that. Can we please be just be thankful that OUR favorite band is the one that figured it out, instead of just pissing on the PTB implying they're incompetent based on limited information?
  • marye
    10 years 4 months ago
    dunno what's behind the scheduling
    but since a bunch of us are going to Warren at the Greek on the 1st, this works better for a lot of Bay Areans anyway. Also if I recall correctly there's another good show at Terrapin Crossroads that night.
  • stoltzfus
    10 years 4 months ago
    fascinating juxtaposition
    listening to a lot of Crass, Green Day, Jerry band, and some GD. interesting mix. intriguing contrasts.
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We're brimmin' with Bremen over at Dead.net! That's right, the festivities surrounding the 4th Annual Meet-Up At The Movies: Beat Club 4/21/72 have started early for us. If you haven't purchased your ticket for this one-night only event featuring the never-before-seen Beat Club studio performance in its entirety, restored from the original broadcast 2” quad video and audio mixed and mastered from the original analog tapes, let us set the scene with the official liner notes plucked from the sold out Europe '72: The Complete Recordings boxed set.

4/21/72 Bremen

All that most of the world knows about the city of Bremen in northern Germany is that once upon a time, long ago, there were these four old animals—a cat, a dog, a donkey and a rooster—who left their farms in the countryside and headed towards Bremen, where they hoped to live out their days as musicians. Oh, wait—that didn’t really happen. That’s the old Brothers Grimm fairy tale, The Town Musicians of Bremen. Fast forward. When the Grateful Dead—which included a few cats, a bird and a pig—hit Bremen in the third week of April in ’72, the city was still a destination for traveling musicians, thanks to a popular television program that emanated from there, called Beat-Club.

Beat-Club was Germany’s first major rock ’n’ roll TV show, on the air monthly (or so) since September 1965 (through the end of 1972). Typically, each program would feature several acts, some shot live in the rather sterile Studio 3 of Radio Bremen, and others appearing on film or video supplied from elsewhere. Basically, everyone who was anyone in rock music in the late ’60s and early ’70s showed up on Beat-Club at one time or another—and so did a lot of acts no one in the U.S. has ever heard of! Typically, a band taping in Bremen for Beat-Club would have a song or two appear on the monthly program a few weeks later, and one suspects that most acts probably came to the studio with a good idea of what song(s) they wanted to highlight, and knocked it out quickly.

Ah, but things were a little different when the Grateful Dead rolled into town with their tie-dyed amps, their entourage of long-haired “family,” and their recording truck parked outside. Maybe the Dead knew that day that “One More Saturday Night” would be the song that would air on the May 27 edition of the Beat-Club program, but they sure didn’t act that way. Instead, after a sound check that included “Loser” and “Black-Throated Wind,” they played a remarkable 80-minute set that mixed short songs with big jamming tunes, including two charged versions of “Playing in the Band,” and a spectacular “Truckin’” > “Other One” sequence that is more than 30 minutes long. That the band could play this well in front of a bunch German TV technicians, rather than their usual sea of swaying and flailing hippies, is amazing. That it was all captured in crystal-clear close-up video is truly a gift from the Gods (and if there’s any justice in the universe, the Gods will someday allow that video to be released commercially).

But even studying the aural document is fascinating. For one thing, the sound is recording-studio-clear, with no venue ambience or crowd seeping into the mics. And it’s not just an ordinary show: Garcia only sings two numbers, Pigpen one, and Bob six. After Jerry casually says “we’re rolling,” Bobby shouts into the microphone, “Ladies and gentlemen, the Grrrrrateful Dead!” and the band kicks into “Bertha,” crisp and energetic, but marred by a couple of lyric flaws. Then comes “Playing in the Band,” which the group pulled out at every stop on the Europe tour, and was great every single night. Jerry is all over the wah-wah pedal during the middle jam, making it growl and cry and squeal. “Mr. Charlie” is just about letter-perfect.

That is followed by our first do-over of the day—a luxury afforded by the fact there is no audience and this isn’t a “concert” per se. About a minute into “Sugaree,” Jerry says, “Hold it, hold it. Somebody played the wrong changes in there” (cough-Pigpen-cough), so they start at the top again. A few tunes later, Bobby halts a second version of “Playing” after he blows the first line: “Some folks trust in treason,” he sings. (It’s not clear why they do “Playing” again, as the first version was excellent. But the one that comes after the flub is even better, with a more intense middle section and much mind-bending bass work from Phil. Maybe they were more warmed-up second time ’round.) The final song-stopping calamity comes on “Truckin’,” after Bob completely spaces his entrance to the first verse, leading to the band hilariously attempting a shutdown of the song that’s all discordant crashing and colliding instruments, like some catastrophic orchestra mishap in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Second time is the charm, though, and the group nails it and kicks off the long and exciting journey mentioned above.

“The Other One” that emerges from a short post-“Truckin’” drum solo by Billy is full of drive and fire, like snorting and snarling horses galloping through Germany’s mysterious Black Forest. But it’s the six minutes after the second verse of “The Other One” that I want to highlight. The band doesn’t seem to have any idea about what, if any, song they might play next (surely they were past their allotted taping time and the German sound and TV crew were wondering whether this jamathon was ever going to end), so the Dead just float from one musical notion to the next. Squealing feedback gives way to a brief lilting jam. At one point Billy clicks into a little groove and the others follow and it develops into one of those lovely passages that feels familiar but isn’t quite—are those hints of “Wharf Rat”? Is “Sugar Magnolia” around that bend? Instead they keep drifting about—Jerry gets into a hypnotic finger-picking pattern at one point—until it all just peters out. There’s a pause and then they suddenly build up one of their big, chaotic endings, which is a mess worthy of the laugh that follows it. And with that, the Town Musicians of Bremen were gone.

—Blair Jackson

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I was crying during the Sugaree. It's the first Jerry tune I remember hearing through the window pane at my first show (11/10/85). I instantly fell in love with Jerry during it. So, out of the blue, when the Sugaree started in the movie, it was just so, so sweet and I suddenly felt such a sense of loss and missed Jerry so much again. Other than that it was wonderful. I really hope they can make it available. All these current audio releases are fine and very well done, but excellent copies of most of them (spring 90, 5/74, etc) are already available. Treasures like this video should be a much higher priority as far as I'm concerned. Nevertheless, thanks to all involved for at least getting it to us for this one special night WWP
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Enjoyed the show...save for the cell phone addicts in the audience. The guy two seats away from me watched most of the film through his cell phone screen as he snapped pictures. A woman fired up her phone at the start of each song, I guess she had to text someone about what song was being performed at the moment. And the guy way down in the first row who had his phone turned on throughout the film, shining a glaring white screen at the rest of audience. There were at least a dozen other phones lighting up throughout the evening.
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That was great!! It was great see and hear PigPen again. This was 72 and he was looking really frail but his voice was still PigPen. I hope whoever has the rights decides to release this. I'll buy a Blu-Ray within the first 10 minutes it's on sale.
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That was the most immersive dead on film I've ever seen. The sound was perfect. It was a serious bobby workshop u could really see the intricacies and nuance of his immensely unique style. The focus on Jerry's guitar work was likewise illuminating gorgeous full out jerry tone using just a strat and a wah. This felt more like dead show than a lotta late 90 shows I was at. So young so healthy so on fire! Anybody who ever dumped on Donna could see how hard she had to push her voice to do her bitsNo dumb psychedelic montages faux hallucinatory rigmarole just the music and the sight of The good ol grateful dead!!!!!
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HaHaHa...This sure was a Delight.... I was surprised by the amount of people, I didn't think there'd be more than a handful, but the Grateful Dead brings a crowd no matter where your at, even in the Desert. This was probably the Best Time I've had in a Movie Theater....the sound was Awesome and the Crowd and Myself had a Good Time. It was Fun to Hear that others were enjoying themselves as much as myself...we Cheered & Clapped and put a few "woo-hoo's" after each number. I hope with Next Year being the BIG "50," we'll have a full blown spectacle.... Tonight Was Great!
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Hell Yeah! I worked most of the day with my crew on the trail then drove the 100 plus miles over to Duke City for the movie. Loved it big time. Met another person at the movie who was also at the Academy of Music three weeks before this was shot. Pigpens last NYC appearance. So after movie lit out on 66 ,drove the 130 miles back west. Will be up at 0500 revelie for work . Workingmans Dead. Never Give A Inch. Jerry -atrics kick ass. Need to form a local of the Gray Panthers. Thank you, loved the movie. That's it for the Other One.
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What was the title of the ditty that Jerry instigated when Bobby forgot the words to Truckin'? It's a classical piece that was used in cartoons to denote a character getting konked on the head or being spaced out. I'm thinking Buggs Bunny or something similar.
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7 years already logged as the Dead in the spring of 72, yet they were still all so young: Phil was the old man at 32. Then Jerry - 29; Pig - 26; Billy - 25; Bobby/Donna - 24; Keith - 23. So much talent at such an early age. Pretty mind-boggling, really. Then it hit me that my own sons are 33 and 31, and I guess that means I'm older than I thought! The music keeps me young, though. Bring on the 50th celebrations - I'm ready to shake these ol' bones!
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they get it going in a studio! great sound. We gotta do this every 6 months. thank you x3
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Great event here in Atlanta. We even had a few dancers in the aisles. Sound was good, not great -- Keith got no love, and Bob's guitar was way down in the mix -- I suspect we were not hearing the full stereo field, but still amazing to see and hear it together. Most impressed by Donna, whose exuberance made me re-think a lot of my criticism of her. Even her bellows were on-target. You could SEE where she was coming from and that made a big difference. Pigpen was so gaunt. He looked 50 years old, but was only about half that. Lots of goofing between songs. But Jerry buckled down during the tunes and achieved liftoff during TOO, despite the sterile surroundings. I didn't expect this to be so much of a revelation. I don't really need a DVD now, it's imprinted in my brain.
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In the middle of the Other One I suddenly remembered that they were in a studio, not a concert hall and was struck dumb! My mouth was already agape, but the places they drove us to in that performance brought my jaw to the floor. I agree about the mix not being great for Bobby and Keith though, and was a little surprised how much of Pig's wood-scratcher-thing we could hear in Playin'. But all in all a great time!
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Great music & video but did anyone else feel taken? First off, the map of the theater on Phantom's web site was completely off so we got in at 7:40 missing Bertha and Mr. Charlie. The credits rolled at 8:39 inciting a collective wtf groan from the rather large audience. $12.50 and 60 miles for 69 minutes? I thought it was supposed to go longer than that. Hope they don't dupe us again next year...
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i was pretty lit up after the show last night, so allow me to elaborate on my review... sunshine daydream was like a day at the park, cool grooves and feeling no pain. bremen was like an injection of the grateful dead directly into your brain with a dentists drill. to be able to experience such close-up crystal clear video, along the band's obviously intentional attempt to blow some straight minds at a german TV studio, was unexpectedly intense thats not what i was expecting from having listened to the show and seen a few clips. had they gone into warf rat>NFA>goin down the road>NFA (or something like that) after the other one, i probably wouldnt have been able to drive home thanks for that dave/rhino/etc that was absolutely a must-see
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I forgot I was in a movie theater - this was like having the Dead playing a concert in my living room. The intimacy was amazing. I would love it if this was one day released on disc. I went to the theater alone, as my wife has little interest in the Dead, but if I had known it would be this good, I would have dragged her along anyway. Highlights for me were Keith smiling, Billy's drum solo, Jerry's sublime guitar work, playful antics between songs, song restarts, Jerry's awesome leather jacket, Donna's awesome pants. I'm not normally a Pigpen fan, but I enjoyed his song as well. This was such a treat, and I thank the Dead crew for making this event happen, it was a 12 dollars very well spent.
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I would echo Chris Grand's comments-- other than not being able to handle a NFA-GDTRFB-NFA sequence at the end. I could have taken it. It was truly engrossing-- just the Grateful Dead playing some heavy music. No audience, just the boys lighting up that studio. The Other One was fantastic as it went in so many places. The buildup to the second verse really hit some high spots. The only downside for me was the fadeout-- I wonder where they went. The Other One and Truckin' were easily the highlight for me. This was the first meet up for me as I had to skip previous years for various reasons. Actually had to miss some thing to make this one. Saw it in South Bend, Indiana with a smallish crowd in a good modern theater with good sound and nice seating. I arrived late and sat behind a couple talking throughout much of the movie (moved about halfway through) and had a group of men in their 50s behind me get up grumbling at the start of Truckin' that they needed to go drink beer, this is just some studio "crap" anyway. I don't think their minds could have taken The Other One anyhow-- that was some intense stuff.
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Fathom Events listed Norman, OK as a participating theater. We showed up at the theater last night raring to go, only to be told that they had no idea what I was talking about. It was too late to make it to Oklahoma City where it was also showing, unless I wanted to miss the first 40 minutes. I've missed out on this once and a lifetime experience...as I didn't start seeing the Dead until the late 80's. I hope they don't make this mistake again next year.
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The band was terrific in this recording. Wow! The sound and video quality were awesome! So tight..the jam out of Playing into the outtro guitar harmony between Jerry and Bob was excellent...both times Mr. Charlie was solid. Every song was solid, for that matter. I loved the goofing around with the towel, etc...they were having a ball! Hopefully this gets released commercially at some point...but then again, Dave Lemieux and the gang will probably limit it to 1000 copies and sell out before they officially go on sale.
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the fast changing head shots were a hinderance rather than an asset
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Good crowd in Emeryville, as always. I think I'm liking this new tradition...
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What a funny, and really cool show. I enjoyed the band chemistry, as well as seeing Keith wail on the piano. Now I have a new appreciation for One More Saturday Night! What was up will Bill? He looked really pissed for the first half.
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Just received an email to confirm my address for the Dave's Picks Vol.11 and it included the date and venue...Century II Convention Hall, Wichita, KS 11/17/72
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There was a theater full of very angry/unhappy people in Phoenix last night - manager started the show a half an hour early! They gave everyone two free passes to any event, but still, never going to get another chance to see this awesome show. BUMMED I missed the Sugaree!
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Glad to hear that there was a good showing in E'ville, I figured there would be when I saw it wasn't showing at theater on Shattuck. I live in Vallejo and only six people showed up here. Made it pretty easy to use my vape pen the entire show though!
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First off, thanks to everyone involved in making this happen! It looked and sounded simply amazing and, as we know, this is one of the few video or film recordings of the Dead that has NOT made the rounds on the internet. In any form (with the exception of One More Saturday Night, which was the only song actually broadcast at the time). I am so thankful for the opportunity to see this. The theater in downtown Los Angeles was three-quarters empty. But the handful of us in attendance were pretty damned happy to be there! The theater had some technical snafus early on that resulted in the film starting 20 minutes late. Free passes were given out afterwards. Unnecessary, as we did get to see the film in its entirely, but a welcome and generous gesture nonetheless. I'd love to know why the film fades out where it does. Though the band did not play another song, there was an "ending" to the music and, since you were showing the warts-and-all version anyway, it would have been great to see the conclusion. Perhaps the cameras stopped rolling and that footage does not exist. However, if the footage DOES exists and this was a creative choice, I would suggest altering that for any potential future screenings. It left myself and most of the audience members I spoke with afterwards feeling like the plug had been pulled on both our and the film's groove. Seeing the boys peter out would have been preferable to the fade, which really felt abrupt to me. I was ready to go with the music and wanted to see and hear it come to its own conclusion (as it does on the Europe '72 Box Set CD). Even if the footage doesn't exist, I wish the audio were allowed to make its way to the full conclusion, even if still images or simply the credits were used as the visual. As for those who did not get to see it or are avid collectors of all things Grateful Dead film and video (like myself), an official Blu-ray release of this would be like 10 Christmases in one. Rhino and the GDP may not own the rights, but I'd love to know if permission to release a limited Blu-ray/DVD is an option. Or is someone else already planning to do this? To put this much time and energy into cleaning this up for one night only seems a shame. Especially given that we cannot access it anywhere else in any format. I have always been a big believer that there is a large and willing-to-pay audience out there for such releases. Companies like Twilight Time option the rights to movies from studios to release limited edition Blu-rays (limited to 3,000 copies). Is it possible Rhino or some other like-minded company could do that for this Beat Club release? Or is that option simply not available? Would love to know. None of this is meant in any way to diminish the level of thanks and appreciation I have for what I got to see and hear last night. I will always remember it and cherish the opportunity to have been a part of it. I would also love to see it live on for those who missed it and those (like myself) who desire to relive and share it.
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Complete imprint!
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Got mixed feelings about the film, so some random thoughts ...Felt like the fella's were playing in our living room. The background was beautiful but distracting I always prefer more hand shots than face shots Sound was good except couldn't hear Pigpen & Kieth 'til near the end Seemed like the camera was avoiding Pigpen-would have liked to see more of him How could they leave us hangin' at the end like that??? the screen went grey & we all thought the '2nd set' was on it's way. I was sure they were headed into The Wheel. We love our Bellingham WA movie nite tradition-drive down from Vancouver, find a funky g-f restaurant, then head to the theatre. Let it grow.
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About 40 deadheads in the theater in Grand Junction, CO, small but happy group. Got to see the entire concert. Stunning sound and video, felt like I was sent back in a time machine. Really nice job by David Glasser of Airshow for mastering the audio.
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I love the whole green-towel interlude, especially Pigpen.
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I went to buy my ticket and was told the show was sold out! But...I had to take a leak...so I wandered down the isle between all the different theaters in search of the restroom. When I passed the Dead meet-up door I heard the voice of the uniformed security.." You just passed it Casey Jones". So I turned on my heals and entered to find the seat on the isle midway down. PERFECT...the audio and video were awesome and the audience was great...taking me back to that summer day 1969 where I first saw the dead at a free show in Golden Gate Park! Peace
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Thank you
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Green towel and Mr. Charlie was the highlight for me. Agreed Marye!
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Looked a bit peed but that was the focus factor I'm guessing? One More, One More please!
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I watched the film from San Antonio TX (SATX).First, I want to personally Thank! all who made this release possible. Second, the visual and sound was perfect! Those guys really took pride in getting the most out of A/V gear circa 1972. Loved the whole scene. It was like having the band in my living room. Very up close and personal. I would like to know if these were the intentiional effects (trippy). I would say there were about 50 people in attendance, we clapped after every performance. Other than this, everyone was respectful and quiet during the musical interludes. Maybe, we all will get an offical release someday. I feel this was a profitable endeavor across the U.S. locations. A perfect evening w/ The Grateful Dead.
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...at this time of the movie--I was only 3 yrs. 'on the bus"--& getting ready for full tilt!! This was great-for me-because---seein most of my shows on the East coast--getting close up--while flaming--was alittle intense---to see this magic--from the last seat in a movie theater--with the miscues--I'm so Grateful!!----miss Pigpen,Jerry--miss em all----just keep truckin on.....one last thing---I did prime up for the movie--not like the good ole days--but this was the first time I saw the Dead--& had popcorn & red vines!!!!
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I agree with a lot of the comments here. This was amazing and intense. I really enjoyed this movie. Hearing ths sound over a decent theatre system was a treat as well. Small turnout in eastern CT but an enthusiastic bunch with some dancing in tha aisles. Jamming was revelatory. Again-just amazing music.
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Standing room only in Santa Cruz. Seats filled, people dancing in the aisles and lining the walls on both sides and in the back. The theater was filled with a smoky haze. Was given a cookie by the person next to me before the movie began. An enjoyable time was had by all.
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11 years 1 month
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Except I didn't take any. But I enjoyed it about as much as I possibly could any 90 minutes. In 1972 the boys were hitting on all cylinders. To be able to see them play, yes, really see them: You could actually watch their fingering, not just a little, but really well. Amazing. I never figured I would be able to see footage of them from the pre-hiatus era that good. Most footage, even later stuff it seems like you typically have either head shots or distant views, neither of which is what you want. Fantastic. Can't thank you enough for this. Early footage is so rare. Please release this so I can watch it again and again. Then please find something else as close to this as you can. And do as good a job on that as you did this: It looked and sounded totally excellent. I was just floored at how good it was. My compliments to the boys for originally preparing that superb dish and my compliments to all the other chefs whose work resurrected that 42 year-old dish and made it fit for a king. The mix was just excellent. You could distinctly hear pretty much every note that Jerry, Bob, and Phil played. That's all I ask. That is all the mix has to do, but so many don't manage that well. Please find us more early footage. Even if it is only half as good as this, it will still be superb. Thank you everyone who made it possible to watch something so cool. I know it took a lot of work. Thank you Bob, Phil, and Bill. I went with 4 friends, one of who first saw you all in 1969, one who first saw you in 1971, one who first saw you in 1977, and me, who first saw you in 1981. We are all still with you--when we can listen to you or see you play, that is our first choice of anything-- and still loving every minute of it. Oh, the 4th guy who went? He will now be attending our monthly listening party: A nascent Deadhead.
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17 years 4 months
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Amazing show! I'll bet the producers/director saw some shows on the Europe tour prior, as they cut to different shots perfectly. The audio and video were glorious. Please, please do everything possible to make this a DVD release. NRPS did, same venue, same tour. The theater in Stony Brook seemed sold out, great audience, we clapped after every song, more enthusiastically as the show went on. Just magical, seeing this band at their peak, sad though that it was Pig's last hurrah.
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10 years 11 months
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Amazing, please somehow release this on DVD or partner with the owners to release this. The Other One was awesome!!
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15 years 6 months
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I seem to remember seeing bootleg TV footage where the band was wearing their "bozo", "bolo" disguises during the playing of one song. Or am I mistaken? If not, why wasn't this footage included in the "Meet Up" movie?
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10 years 4 months
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Lafayette, LA had a small crowd, maybe 20 people. They were VERY QUIET and heads are far and few between in these parts. This is NOT the Bay Area if you know what I mean. But there was a couple sitting right behind us and the I could hear the girl singing in a whisper and heads were bobbing to the rhythms. I loved the show. Great video and audio in the theater. I probably should not have indulged in a pitcher of beer next door before the show because my bladder was screaming but my SOUL was being filled too nicely to accommodate it's release.... I kept saying "it's only 80 minutes!!" Looking forward to more of these events and I agree with the poster that said maybe they should happen more frequently.
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12 years
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For the little time that she was in the Beat Club, I thought she was great. I think it was on the reprise in "Playin..", she strummed that air guitar like Pete Townsend.