Grateful Dead—Municipal Arena, Long Beach, CA, December 15, 1972
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The final stand-alone Grateful Dead performance of 1972 was held at the old Long Beach Municipal Arena. The facility opened in 1962 and soon became a local hotspot for sporting events, trade shows, and concerts. In the early 70s, the arena hosted a handful of Los Angeles Sharks AHL hockey games, regular appearances of the LA Thunderbirds roller derby team, and a pair of Elvis Presley shows with his original TCB lineup that featured James Burton (lead guitar), Jerry Scheff (bass), John Wilkinson (rhythm guitar), Larry Muhoberac (keyboards) and Ron Tutt (drums). Tutt, of course, would eventually go on to play and record with Jerry in the Garcia Band and Legion of Mary, as well as play drums on three of Jerry’s studio efforts: Compliments (1974); Reflections (1976); and Cats Under the Stars (1978).
Grateful Dead—Municipal Arena, Long Beach, CA, December 15, 1972
Grateful Dead—Municipal Arena, Long Beach…
Grateful Dead—Municipal Arena, Long Beach, CA, December 15, 1972
The final stand-alone Grateful Dead performance of 1972 was held at the old Long Beach Municipal Arena. The facility opened in 1962 and soon became a local hotspot for sporting events, trade shows, and concerts. In the early 70s, the arena hosted a handful of Los Angeles Sharks AHL hockey games, regular appearances of the LA Thunderbirds roller derby team, and a pair of Elvis Presley shows with his original TCB lineup that featured James Burton (lead guitar), Jerry Scheff (bass), John Wilkinson (rhythm guitar), Larry Muhoberac (keyboards) and Ron Tutt (drums). Tutt, of course, would eventually go on to play and record with Jerry in the Garcia Band and Legion of Mary, as well as play drums on three of Jerry’s studio efforts: Compliments (1974); Reflections (1976); and Cats Under the Stars (1978).