Grateful Dead—McArthur Court, Eugene, OR, May 31, 1969

When the Grateful Dead headlined Mac Court 54 years ago today, the 9000-seat capacity arena was certainly one of the biggest rooms that they had ever played for. The Dead were always immensely popular in Oregon, partially due to mystical connections by way of Ken Kesey. In perfect form, Kesey and his pals were having some sort of Prankster reunion on this weekend, and Mr. Further, Ken Babbs, and a slew of others were in attendance at this show, appearing on stage in some capacity. In between songs and during the customary equipment malfunctions, the crowd is entertained by Babbs’ stand-up babble), the collective Grateful Dead slide whistle impressionists, and, much to Jerry’s chagrin, Bobby Weir’s telling of his Yellow Dog Story. Again.

Hard to handle kicks off the set, with some downright nasty slide work from Jerome. Cold Rain and Snow is completely unhinged and played at a blistering pace. The next 11 minutes are all about Prankster shenanigans and a quick presentation of the highly regarded yellow doggy tale. The Weir-sung Green, Green Grass of Home follows, with a fine pedal-steel imitation by Mr. Garcia. After this, the boys finally get to stretch out and dive into a Cryptical Suite that has just the right amount of bedlam. The segue into a full-speed-ahead Sitting on Top of the World is handled beautifully. Pig marshals the band for the remainder of the first set with an emotional Hurts Me Too, and an outstanding, animated Turn on Your Lovelight.

The second set opens with a beautiful, lengthy run through He Was a Friend of Mine. This traditional folk tune didn’t have much of a future in the band’s setlist, but performances like this one are an absolute treasure. From here we’re greeted with a Dark Star that easily rivals any they played all year. If early 1969 was a time for strengthening the Dead’s achievements, the rest of that year was a period of using those successes as a springboard into parts unknown. This Dark Star voyage is an excellent example of the collective growth of the ensemble. Fired by the hyperventilating presence of Ken Babbs and company, it really serves as the perfect aural holograph of the Grateful Dead. The night concludes with a Doin’ That Rag > Cosmic Charlie (cut) pairing and a heartfelt It’s All Over Now Baby Blue > We Bid You Goodnight double encore, a fine ending to a performance rife with surprises.

A distressed announcer at the show’s close tells the crowd, ‘‘Lots of people snuck in, and they only sold 1500 tickets, and they’re $400 dollars short.” Word is that he asked the audience to make a donation at the door when they left. Given the splendor of this performance, a few departing bucks at the exit seems apropos.

Owsley Tape