On October 22, 1967 San Francisco’s Winterland Arena hosted a “Marijuana Defense Benefit” featuring three of the area’s top bands.
The Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Big Brother & The Holding Company all performed at a concert that wound up ending an era for the Dead and beginning a new one.
Heads author Jesse Jarnow often provides micro-reviews of Grateful Dead shows, and the recordings of said performances, on Twitter. Jarnow dug into the Dead’s set at the Winterland and shared interesting insight into what went down at Winterland. He notes that the band’s October 22, 1967 performance is the “last document of the Dead as a quintet before Mickey Hart joins as second drummer.” Mickey had famously sat-in with the Grateful Dead at Bill Kreutzmann’s behest on September 30, 1967. While some Deadheads think Hart joined the band immediately, Jarnow’s research has found photos and audio of the Dead continuing on for a short spell as a one-drummer band including the set at the Marijuana Defense Benefit.
The Grateful Dead’s set on October 22, 1967 ends with “That’s It For The Other One.” As Jarnow notes, the recording is the first known tape of the celebrated Primal Dead song suite. This early version had different lyrics than what the Dead would go on to record for their sophomore studio album, Anthem Of The Sun shortly thereafter. Jerry Garcia is in fine form throughout the set but especially towards the end of “That’s It For The Other One.” Other highlights include a “Turn On Your Lovelight” workout, Garcia’s solo on the “Morning Dew” opener and “New Potato Caboose,” the lone song played that wouldn’t survive the ’60s in the repertoire.
Read Jarnow’s micro-review followed by the “warts-and-all” soundboard recording:
50 years ago today, the dead on a classic san francisco bill. like all ’67 tapes, anomalous & fun. stream: https://t.co/jecod3lETx [1/8] pic.twitter.com/eZk2eTXc8E
— jesse jarnow (@bourgwick) October 22, 2017
10/22/67 winterland: crispy warts-&-all soundboard. last document of the dead as a quintet before mickey hart joins as 2nd drummer. [2/8]
— jesse jarnow (@bourgwick) October 22, 2017
legend has hart joining immediately after 1st jamming on 9/30, photos/audio suggest otherwise. definitely only 1 drummer here. [3/8]
— jesse jarnow (@bourgwick) October 22, 2017
except NEW POTATO CABOOSE, glittering psychedelia, all 7 songs will be in repertoire when they return to quintet lineup in 4 years. [4/8]
— jesse jarnow (@bourgwick) October 22, 2017
MORNING DEW opener remains high octane, purposeful but speedy garcia solo. HURTS ME TOO is warlocks quintet at intimate best. [5/8]
— jesse jarnow (@bourgwick) October 22, 2017
major: 1st recorded THAT’S IT FOR THE OTHER ONE suite. specifically, 15m CRYPTICAL ENVELOPMENT/THE OTHER ONE/CRYPTICAL ENVELOPMENT. [6/8]
— jesse jarnow (@bourgwick) October 22, 2017
blazing 3m of jerry jams before OTHER ONE vocals, both verses 1st drafts. “when i woke up this morning, my head was not intact…” [7/8]
— jesse jarnow (@bourgwick) October 22, 2017
but the real fire comes on CRYPTICAL reprise, 8m of garcia building methodically in curling psychedelic monologue. #deadfreaksunite [8/8]
— jesse jarnow (@bourgwick) October 22, 2017
Check out a soundboard recording transferred by Charlie Miller:
Setlist (May Be Incomplete)
Set: Morning Dew, New Potato Caboose, It Hurts Me Too, Cold Rain And Snow, Turn On Your Lovelight, Beat It On Down The Line, Cryptical Envelopment > The Other One > Cryptical Envelopment
[Originally Published: October 22, 1967]
