Grateful Dead—Euphoria Ballroom, San Rafael, CA, July 14-16, 1970
w/the New Riders of The Purple Sage and Rubber Duck Company
In the late 1930s, San Rafael entrepreneur Whitey Litchfield built a motel/restaurant complex called the Bermuda Palms. The Palms hosted musical acts through the years, eventually transitioning to rock acts in the 60s with a diverse roster of international talent gracing the stage, including Pink Floyd, Captain Beefheart, Chuck Berry, and many others. By late June of 1970, the dance hall at Litchfield’s was renamed Euphoria and would remain so until the end of July when it would close its doors for a major remodeling overhaul only to emerge as Pepperland.
On July 14th, the ragged but right 1970 Grateful Dead pulled into club Euphoria with the New Riders and pantomime Joe McCord’s Rubber Duck Company. The Rubber Duck band had a history with the Dead, opening shows as far back as the August 29-30, 1969 Family Dog run. The band’s founder, Joe McCord, was a talented mime who collaborated with many Bay Area musicians including Peter Rowan and Richard Greene when they were in the band Seatrain. A hidden fact to many is that Jerry Garcia was the regular guitar player for Rubber Duck until a 19-year-old Berkeley guitarist, Paul Dresher, joined the group in July 1970. Dresher played his first official concert as part of the Rubber Duck at these Euphoria Ballroom shows. Tom Constanten played keys for Duck at these gigs, as well.
The Dead’s night opens with a slew of acoustic numbers. Don’t Ease Me In is in the first position and, unfortunately, is a choppy audience mix. The board comes in for Friend of the Devil and it’s a beautiful take. Jerry chats while some stage adjustments are made before we get a New Speedway tease that morphs into Dire Wolf. Cowboy Weir then marshalls a peppy Dark Hollow followed by the newly penned Candyman. A long, leisurely Black Peter is next and sets up the only surviving soundboard of the sweet Garcia version of How Long Blues. Another traditional song, Deep Elem Blues, is next out of the gate and it’s oh-so-funky. The acoustic set ends with David Crosby joining the band for two numbers—Cumberland Blues and New Speedway Boogie—on semi-audible 12-string acoustic. Both tunes have some kick, especially the latter which cuts loose after the verses.
The plugged-in portion of the show begins with a solid Casey Jones and the first taped electric version of El Paso, followed by a compact, energized China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider pairing. Easy Wind, unfortunately, suffers from a major tape cut. Too bad, because the jamming—complete with a big Down By the River riff—is fierce, and only makes me want more Pig boggie. But hold tight. If it’s a full-tilt choogle you need, look no further than the big jamming that follows in the Cryptical > Drums > Other One > Cryptical > Cosmic Charlie sequence. It’s undoubtedly the big electric highlight, a rambling excursion with blaring lead guitars that, eventually land on a deliberately played, ace take on Cosmic Charlie. After an abbreviated Good Lovin’ (owing to another harsh tape cut), they close out the show with a sweet Uncle John’s Band. It’s a fitting ending to an excellent night of music.
On July 16, the Grateful Dead and the New Riders of the Purple Sage returned to the Euphoria for an impromptu performance. The gig is significant for two reasons—it was the final time the Dead would share a stage with Janis Joplin, and it served as Bear's pre-prison farewell following a bust the day before with housemates Bob Matthews and Betty Cantor. A few eyewitness accounts suggest that Janis and Pigpen sat in with the NRPS and duetted on possibly both Merle Haggard’s The Bottle Let Me Down and Swinging Doors. No tapes of that New Riders’ set are in circulation at this time. We can only hope that one turns up because that would be a gas to hear. The partial electric sets come to us from two sources—the first via the Owsley Stanley Foundation in 2017 (Bear’s original reel notes above), and the second from Ken Babbs' son, Simon, who, in 1998, uploaded them from Garcia's personal stash of tapes.
What we have of the Dead’s two sets is quite good. The first tape cuts into China Cat Sunflower just prior to the I Know You Rider bridge jam. The band is locked in and Garcia’s singing is impassioned and moving. Candyman is next; it’s a beautiful take with solid harmonies and a measured, bluesy feel. Some off-mic amusements ensue as Janis enters and they dive into an 18-minute Turn On Your Lovelight. The version is messy but completely adorable. Garcia adds some nice Wah-wah touches after Joplin departs.
The second set soundboard is short but very sweet. After a first-rate Casey Jones kicks things off, we get what may be the preeminent live version of Attics of My Life. Just two months after its live debut at the Fillmore East, they’ve made the tune sound almost as good as the American Beauty studio sessions. A stunning take. Bear’s last 1970 recording ends with a bang—a drippingly fantastic 22-minute Not Fade Away > St. Stephen > Uncle John’s Band. Weir drives the unusual Not Fade Away groove, with cool ebbs and flows, before the lads sneak their way into a nice St. Stephen. Uncle John’s drops neatly in place of the “William Tell” ending.
These two nights at the old Euphoria Ballroom are a blast. There’s a bit of something for every taste and a truckload of tasty jamming to boot. The Owsley recordings sound terrific and stand as superb examples of how well the Dead executed even the most basic material on a good night in 1970. Queue ‘em up and see for yourself.
Sounds like a killer night with Janis. Saw Janis open for the Dead at the Fillmore East. My God! Incredible. As a teenager, I was in love. She was in her hot red skin tight jump suit and I did not think the Dead could surpass this set. They played well, but this was her night. Great article as usual Steve.