2/7/69: stanley theatre, pittsburgh, PA.

the dead headline an early and late friday night show on top of an interesting triple bill with the velvet underground and the fugs. the VU kicked off both gigs and, according to a report, blasted the crowd with high volume music that was “loud enough to reach the inner core of being without shattering the transcendence of community.” sounds appealing. the fugs, led by poet-activists ed sanders, tuli kupferberg, and ken weaver, brought their usual schtick—a perfect combination of irreverence, political satire, and psychedelic grooves—to the stanley crowd.

the dead’s 48-minute early set is solid with the classic '69 sequence of dark star > st. stephen > the eleven > turn on your lovelight. the late performance is where they really get things going. similar to the velvets, the dead were innovators in using feedback as a meaningful musical statement. the late set on this evening is a goddamned holy sonic tour de force. the opening cryptical suite is stunning. the death don’t have no mercy that follows is pure blues. and just when you thought they couldn’t dial it up any further, the boys get down to business with 40 more minutes of emboldened music—alligator > caution (do not stop on tracks) > feedback > and we bid you goodnight—adroitly filled with inspired jamming, ample intentional screech, and verve. an electric monster, unleashed. recorded by bear on a portable concord F-400 cassette deck, and lovingly restored/transferred by rob eaton, this show is one of the finest examples of 1969 dead you’ll ever get your ears on.

https://archive.org/details/gd1969-02-07.137392.sbd.wise.sirmick.sbeok.flac16