The thrilling conclusion of our visit to the record-breaking Watkins Glen Summer Jam, featuring John Belushi crashing the backstage, a super jam onstage, a teen-run pirate radio station, & the birth of a new generation of Dead Heads.
by Jesse Jarnow
Alan Paul wrote the deep new book, Brothers & Sisters: The Allman Brothers and the Inside Story of the Album that Defined the ‘70s.
Dag Braathen’s authoritative guide to The Band’s music in 1972-1973 has details about their performances at Watkins Glen and Roosevelt Stadium, as well as the semi-faked live album Is Everybody Wet, originally prepared for release in early 1974.
John Ramsey helped mastermind the pirate radio station, Concert Free Radio, maintains the Connecticut Radio History site, and is the author of the Hartford Radio entry in the Images of America series.
Erik Nelson hosts the Dead Zone on KSQD in Santa Cruz.
Comment
Excellent history of the Watkins Glen Summer Jam!
Very nice two-part episode on the history of the Watkins Glen Summer Jam!
I’ve been very lucky to spend a lot of time at a Tibetan Buddhist Dharma Center in the Catskill mountains of NY. From Nashville, TN, the “easiest” route with no tolls and less traffic is to drive north through Ohio to Erie, PA and then HWY 86 East to the Catskills.
Along the way on this route on HWY 86, is Watkins Glen and then Binghamton, NY before heading up in elevation. The folks in the car were laughing at how excited I got when passing through these spots as they were well etched into my brain as places of amazing Grateful Dead shows…I upgraded cassette versions of 7/28/73, the sound check and 5/2/70 every chance I got…Doesn’t everyone smile big and say: “Wow! We’re in Binghamton!” when you arrive there?
Although I was going into the Catskills to a beautiful Tibetan Buddhist dharma center, the drive there was a pilgrimage trip through major Grateful Dead “holy” places and spaces…
It always kinda surprised me that a lot of folks haven’t heard of the Summer Jam but there was not a movie and “official” album like Woodstock. These episodes of the Deadcast are definitely getting the word out with some fascinating stories and interviews from folks that were there.
Thank you Jesse & Rich and everyone involved it keeping this great podcast going!
Great Photo Archive by Jean-Pierre Laffont
After listening to the Summer Jam episodes, I discovered a remarkable trove of 108 photos, almost exclusively of the crowd, taken by Jean-Pierre Laffont. They can be found by Googling JP Laffont Watkins Glen. Do it!
It includes confirmation of several stories told on the Deadcast, including a picture of the "security" team with baseball bats in hand, hordes on top of the port-a-potties, and dancing in the mud puddles by the stage. Great stuff.
After listening to the Summer Jam episodes, I discovered a remarkable trove of 108 photos, almost exclusively of the crowd, taken by Jean-Pierre Laffont. They can be found by Googling JP Laffont Watkins Glen. Do it!
It includes confirmation of several stories told on the Deadcast, including a picture of the "security" team with baseball bats in hand, hordes on top of the port-a-potties, and dancing in the mud puddles by the stage. Great stuff.
Very nice two-part episode on the history of the Watkins Glen Summer Jam!
I’ve been very lucky to spend a lot of time at a Tibetan Buddhist Dharma Center in the Catskill mountains of NY. From Nashville, TN, the “easiest” route with no tolls and less traffic is to drive north through Ohio to Erie, PA and then HWY 86 East to the Catskills.
Along the way on this route on HWY 86, is Watkins Glen and then Binghamton, NY before heading up in elevation. The folks in the car were laughing at how excited I got when passing through these spots as they were well etched into my brain as places of amazing Grateful Dead shows…I upgraded cassette versions of 7/28/73, the sound check and 5/2/70 every chance I got…Doesn’t everyone smile big and say: “Wow! We’re in Binghamton!” when you arrive there?
Although I was going into the Catskills to a beautiful Tibetan Buddhist dharma center, the drive there was a pilgrimage trip through major Grateful Dead “holy” places and spaces…
It always kinda surprised me that a lot of folks haven’t heard of the Summer Jam but there was not a movie and “official” album like Woodstock. These episodes of the Deadcast are definitely getting the word out with some fascinating stories and interviews from folks that were there.
Thank you Jesse & Rich and everyone involved it keeping this great podcast going!