Grateful Dead—Performing Arts Center, Monterey Peninsula College, June 14, 1969
With Wayne Ceballos/AUM and Bitter Seeds
This is a very unusual and electric performance and a must-have recording for any collection. Everything the boys touch this evening is good, which tends to happen at a higher-than-average ratio when it comes to 1969 Grateful Dead.
The show both opens and closes with Turn on Your Lovelight, the only time they would ever try this, and it really works. The second helping of the Bobby Bland R&B classic emerges from the depths of a primal Dark Star suite and, gauging from the sound of the audience, the triumphant return of Pig’s falsetto is very much welcomed. The Dark Star is a barnburner, beginning innocently and then bursting into a manic pace. Alongside TC’s corybantic keyboard runs and the entirely consuming playing and screeching feedback from Garcia and Weir, Phil’s bass drives and pushes the arrangement and cadence of the tune into new, exciting territory. Of note, the pre-verse jam is extremely potent, with chunky, rhythmic Garcia leads, and aggressive hard-fuzzed bass.
A few other highlights from the night are a well-jammed St. Stephen > The Eleven, a stellar Me & My Uncle that sneaks in after the Lovelight intro with a crackling whirlwind of psychedelic power, a tasty version of Doin’ That Rag, and a solid take on the short-lived ’69 staple, He Was A Friend Of Mine, which presents Jerry in as fine a vocal form as he’s been on guitar the entire evening. Recorded and produced by Owsley Stanley, this is a performance that’ll surely fire up a few dopamine neurons.