Grateful Dead—Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, CA, October 12, 1968
w/Lee Michaels, Linn County, and Mance Lipscomb
The fall of 1968 was an interesting time for the Grateful Dead. In September, they had their infamous meeting, in which Bob Weir and Pigpen were either threatened with being fired or fired, depending on which version you believe. Despite the unspoken possibility that the Dead could split up, they didn't. They were perpetually broke, which meant they continued to play shows with Weir and McKernan since they had no other meaningful source of income. To add a little intrigue to the mix, GD subsets with names like Bobby Ace & The Cards from the Bottom of the Deck, and Mickey Hart & The Heartbeats played some gigs, but these separate experiences only loosened and enriched the larger group, and the Dead continued. Around the time of the 10/8/68 Hartbeats show at The Matrix, Jerry told the San Francisco Examiner’s Philip Elwood, “The Grateful Dead is still alive. We may have a full Grateful Dead show someday, with girl singers, and more complex rhythms. We may even enlarge the band."
Sandwiched in between all of the offshoot musical adventuring, the three “proper” Dead shows at the old Avalon Ballroom in early October are among the best of the year. The second night has always been my favorite of the run. This show has circulated for years mislabeled 10/13/68, but more recent discoveries have revealed that it actually took place on October 12, 1968. The gig didn't have a live FM broadcast, although there was a mid-1970s KSAN unveiling (up through the jam after New Potato), which is the origin of the 10/13 tapes. Dick Latvala found the master reel in the vault of the complete second set, which was not in circulation until recently. The lost show soon became one of his favorites and, from that moment forward, always landed on his must-hear, tape list. Just one listen and it's easy to see why.
Before we get the goods, Garcia shares a few thoughts: "Hold onto your bodies and relax, everybody. Everybody relax for chrissakes, everybody just cool it. Everything's gonna be alright. We're gonna play here until uh, until we drop." Weir, the consummate emcee, follows Jerry: "Okay, we’re going to do an elementary dance number now. It’s a foxtrot, and it’s also a ladies' choice."
They dig right in and, without Pigpen, the band's sound really opens up. The three previous nights of Hartbeats’ collaborative jams at The Matrix are immediately obvious in the 38-minute first set, consisting of Dark Star > St. Stephen > The Eleven > Death Don’t Have No Mercy. The Dark Star opener is bold with soaring instrumental work by Garcia and Lesh. The rest of the set is completely off the rails, highlighted by a rapidly maturing St. Stephen, another brilliant run through The Eleven, and a massive Death Don’t Have No Mercy, with Jerry reaching in deep and fervently belting out every last lyrical phrase. Some would argue it's possibly the greatest Grateful Dead A-side out there. Having listened to the opening sequence from this night countless times, I'd have to say I'm open to such a claim.
Set two is another 42 minutes of pure pleasure. The Cryptical suite is well-developed and loaded with brilliant musicianship; it escalates to beastly heights, with Jerry peeling off notes at a dizzying rate. The Other One is thunderous, rhythmically diverse, and crests unrelentingly into the San Fransisco night with a full head of Dionysian steam. The Cryptical Reprise is equally stunning and soulful; the ensemble pushes and pulls the music, developing and expanding the various motifs before eventually dropping into New Potato Caboose. The Lesh-Peterson tune is close to perfect and, instead of quietly fading out, accelerates forward. In due time, the jam shifts gears, and a Caution theme threatens to develop before descending into a haunting 7 full minutes of glockenspiel-laced feedback to close things out.
Originally seeded by David Gans with a solid new digital transfer from Charlie Miller, this show is a must-have for fans of late ‘68 Dead. It’s unquestionably one of the heaviest bootlegs you’ll ever get your ears on.
And, I’d be remiss, if I didn’t point you to the real 10/13/68. An anomaly in Grateful Dead history, it’s the only recorded show with the exact setlist as the night before. Maybe two shorter sets or one long one, the performance is aces from top to bottom. We get another Dark Star packed with flowing momentum through the jam, a high energy That’s It For The Other One > New Potato Caboose pairing with a sparkling Garcia bridge, a lengthy drum break (and chanting), a tight Caution-themed jam, and a damn sweet feedback coda.
Another excellent night to be in Polk Gulch with the Good Ol’ Grateful Dead.
Man, I haven’t gotten through 12/31/72 yet, and here you are, shoving more delicious morsels onto my plate! I guess it’s a great day to spend in my jammies listening to the good ol’ Grateful Dead. Keep up the good work, sir.
That would have been amazing to witness.