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Listen To The Grateful Dead Celebrate Christmas On This Day In 1970

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1970 was a very good year for the Grateful Dead. Having released their first two “proper” studio albums, Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty, the Dead were picking up fans in the scores. By embracing their psychedelic roots and channeling them into creative songwriting and emphatic performances, the year remains one of the band’s peaks.

On this date in 1970, the Dead headlined the Winterland Arena in their hometown, San Francisco, CA. The performance has become something of a source of confusion among loyal Deadhead archivists, as a group of songs performed at the Winterland on 12/17 were mislabeled as part of 12/23. Furthermore, the 12/23 show advertised as an acoustic set, but the Dead donned their usual electric instruments for the performance. New Riders of the Purple Sage and Hot Tuna also performed.

In the recordings, Jerry Garcia clearly says, “Thanks for helping us bail out the Bear!” The “Bear” is Owsley Stanley, renowned for his chemical synthesis of LSD throughout this era. Bear is responsible for the lightning logo and the Wall of Sound design as well, and must’ve been incarcerated at the time, on account of his synthesis of an illegal drug.

Either way, any Grateful Dead show from 1970 is a treat, showcasing the band’s original lineup in their healthiest form. Listen to the show below:

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