Today we are going back to 1969. This is the apotheosis of Primal Dead. Everyone knows about the early March shows released by the band. However, the whole year is just amazing show after amazing show. I haven't had a harder time picking a show in a long while.
Yesterday, we started the "Days Between" with a concert from 1966. Today we jump through space and time to the heart of Primal Dead. The years between shows have seen the release of The Grateful Dead and Anthem of the Sun and now we are into Live/Dead territory. The intervening years shows a progression of skills and a willingness to fail that served the band well in 1969. This year is the year that saw the perfection of the classic "Dark Star>St. Stephen>Eleven>Lovelight" series that marks out the year. 1969 however, avoids the semi-stagnation of 1968 setlists of Anthem of the Sun material and the embryonic band of 1967. This year has so many great shows from March at the Fillmore to the Dream Bowl in Vallejo and the classic shows at the Avalon. An embarrassment of riches to be sure!
I chose this show because it is pure primal Dead bookended with two slow songs. One would be played through 1969 and once almost exactly a year later and retired. The other was played only six times in the entire next decade. The whole run of shows at the Ark, from the 21st to the 23rd are all amazing and it was a hard choice to pick one. The second night has a magical "Mountains of the Moon>Dark Star", that has the band each picking up electric instruments one by one and diving into the groove. Still, for me, I like the 23rd for personal reasons but I suggest listening to the whole run.
Written by: Greg Heffelfinger
Setlist:
The Ark
Boston,MA
4-23-69
Set One: Set Two:
1. Intro 1. Morning Dew
2. He Was a Friend of Mine 2. Hard to Handle
3. Dark Star > 3. Doin' that Rag
4. St. Stephen > 4. Alligator >
5. It's A Sin > 5. Drums >
6. St. Stephen > 6. Drummers Chant>
7. Cryptical Envelopment > 7. Jam >
8. Drums > 8. The Eleven >
9. The Other One > 9. Jam >
10. Cryptical Envelopment > 10. Caution (Don't Stop on the Tracks) >
11. Sitting on Top of the World > 11. Feedback >
12. Turn on Your Lovelight 12. And We Bid You Goodnight (Mtn. Jam teases)
Encore:
1. Not Fade Away tease
2. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
Highlights:
Wonderful Friend of Mine
St. Stephen Sin Sandwich
Jam > Eleven > Jam > Caution
Mountain jam teases during AWBYGN
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