8/23/69: pelletier farm, st. helens, OR.this fabulous soundboard recording captures the dead a week removed from their woodstock performance, doing what they most likely intended to do in bethel. bullfrog 2 was advertised as a three day affair featuring a swell line-up which included the dead, taj mahal, mixed blood, portland zoo, sabatic goat, bill feldman, and a pre-celebrity NRPS. the advertising also promoted petite mall lites, space balloons, rides, and fireworks. all this for $6 bucks in advance. from the opening bars of hard to handle, it’s very clear that the boys have brought their A-game on this evening; the version is long, raunchy, and played with plenty of swagger. following this, we’re treated to the workingman’s portion of the show: a sweet countrified mama tried > high time combo, a fine casey jones with some funky swamp-blues guitar from mr. garcia, and a red-hot easy wind with pig’s keys taking center stage. the show really turns at the dark star which is, from the very beginning, a goddamn sonic satori. it’s a version that makes you very thankful that recordings of this band were made in such abundance. the tune covers relatively standard territory through the first seven minutes or so—a melody is established, and garcia states a few thematic ideas. the playing is flawless. next, the band—led by jerry & TC—starts to explore a few riffs that advance into a daring, intrepid jam that the ensemble kicks around and develops further in a 4/4 time signature, before dropping effortlessly into a delightfully weird metaphysical space that they mine for a lengthy exploration. in time, garcia deftly returns the unit to the main theme and the second verse. out of this, st. stephen bursts forth in full fury and rages into the 11, which is equally as charged and wonderful. in true good ol’ grateful dead fashion, the set continues with a hefty 30-minute lovelight, marshaled by pig’s bawdy rapping, TC’s peppery, calliope organ, and a ton of relentless jamming. after a few relatively coy comments from a festival stage manager, the crowd is sent home with a stirring take on we bid you goodnight.the following day, the local papers reported that there were no problems or fallout from the festival. in a press briefing, columbia county DA, lou williams, was quoted as saying “if you call the open use of narcotics and drugs 'no problem,' then i guess there was no problem." another article noted that many of the st. helens’ merchants were delighted with the abundance of sales over the course of the event. the streets were packed, and business had never been so good. one store owner did complain though. he stated that “…if he played music like that, he'd be arrested.”
https://archive.org/details/gd1969-08-23.sbd.2196.sbeok.shnf
8/23/69: pelletier farm, st. helens, OR.this fabulous soundboard recording captures the dead a week removed from their woodstock performance, doing what they most likely intended to do in bethel. bullfrog 2 was advertised as a three day affair featuring a swell line-up which included the dead, taj mahal, mixed blood, portland zoo, sabatic goat, bill feldman, and a pre-celebrity NRPS. the advertising also promoted petite mall lites, space balloons, rides, and fireworks. all this for $6 bucks in advance. from the opening bars of hard to handle, it’s very clear that the boys have brought their A-game on this evening; the version is long, raunchy, and played with plenty of swagger. following this, we’re treated to the workingman’s portion of the show: a sweet countrified mama tried > high time combo, a fine casey jones with some funky swamp-blues guitar from mr. garcia, and a red-hot easy wind with pig’s keys taking center stage. the show really turns at the dark star which is, from the very beginning, a goddamn sonic satori. it’s a version that makes you very thankful that recordings of this band were made in such abundance. the tune covers relatively standard territory through the first seven minutes or so—a melody is established, and garcia states a few thematic ideas. the playing is flawless. next, the band—led by jerry & TC—starts to explore a few riffs that advance into a daring, intrepid jam that the ensemble kicks around and develops further in a 4/4 time signature, before dropping effortlessly into a delightfully weird metaphysical space that they mine for a lengthy exploration. in time, garcia deftly returns the unit to the main theme and the second verse. out of this, st. stephen bursts forth in full fury and rages into the 11, which is equally as charged and wonderful. in true good ol’ grateful dead fashion, the set continues with a hefty 30-minute lovelight, marshaled by pig’s bawdy rapping, TC’s peppery, calliope organ, and a ton of relentless jamming. after a few relatively coy comments from a festival stage manager, the crowd is sent home with a stirring take on we bid you goodnight.the following day, the local papers reported that there were no problems or fallout from the festival. in a press briefing, columbia county DA, lou williams, was quoted as saying “if you call the open use of narcotics and drugs 'no problem,' then i guess there was no problem." another article noted that many of the st. helens’ merchants were delighted with the abundance of sales over the course of the event. the streets were packed, and business had never been so good. one store owner did complain though. he stated that “…if he played music like that, he'd be arrested.”
https://archive.org/details/gd1969-08-23.sbd.2196.sbeok.shnf
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