1/23/70: honolulu civic auditorium.

the dead play the first of two shows on the hawaiian island of oahu. this was the band’s inaugural trip to hawaii and they don't disappoint. of note, the dead were so into playing on the island state that they did so for a mere $6000 bucks per night. i’ve read a few places that they even paid for their own airline tickets, which is impressive because they had so little money at the time.

of the two shows, it is the first night that completely reeled me in. from the opening jammed out china > rider, you can feel the boys are completely on their game. the sound quality is superb, with bear dialing the system into just the right amount of shrieking feedback and beyond. other first set highlights include one of the best played black peters of the era and a tasty good lovin’ infused with great harmonies. things really start to heat up in the second frame, and the band has the gall to lay down both an incendiary cryptical suite and an absolutely unhinged dark star > st. stephen combo. and if that isn’t enough, they tack on a 36 ½ minute lovelight just for kicks. all this for 3 buckeroos in advance, $4 at the door. aloha.

https://archive.org/details/gd70-01-23.sbd.fixed.connor.18153.sbeok.shnf