Grateful Dead

Opened show with a jam into "Hide Away"

I was lucky enough to go both nights because I was riding the 24 Divisadero bus and happened to see a marquee on the Harding Theater reading "Grateful Dead — Sat and Sun". I got off the bus and bought all the tickets I had money for, then went to get more money. These were the days before ATMs; fortunately it was about two in the afternoon. There was almost no publicity for the shows; they weren't produced by Bill Graham, there was no poster, and no advertising I saw/heard except on KSAN the night before the show. I would guess the Harding held way under a thousand people, and the concert seemed more like a Dead extended family affair then a "public performance for profit". Layed way back. BTW, the notes say "first Hideaway" - is there another one? Saturday night was great. Sunday night was magic, absolutely stellar. It really seemed like they could do no wrong, everything they played just gelled beautifully — keeping up with such high energy music was exhausting work, but we were young and strong and full of Clear Light LSD. I remember walking home after the show (I lived less than a mile away) and agreeing that we all had the sensation of floating on air. In later years when the talk in our group turned to "best show we ever went to", this night and 5/26/73 at Kezar were often mentioned. It's funny, you'd think it would be a show from Winterland, we went to so many great ones. Maybe it's because there were so many great ones there; they all roll into one. This was one of my earliest, favrotist tapes, judging by the two essential factors of show quality and sound quality, plus I was there — I can tell you, it was every bit as wonderful as it sounds!

Literally. My best friend's older brother taped it on reels. Me and my buddies played it over and over again, tokin and dancin. I would never be the same.