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| Dead debut here at the MUSC Dance, not mentioned here but JGMF found this Sacramento Bee clip  |
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| "MUSC Dance and Show" |
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| wtf? funny college student i suspect |
Editor: Regarding the review of the Grateful Dead in Wednesday’s Aggie: Who was that crazy reviewer? First of all, he doesn’t even know that the title of one of the Dead’s best songs is “Casey Jones,” not “High on Cocaine.” (Not to mention that “Reelin’ and Rockin’” is actually “Round and Round”-a vintage Rolling Stones/Chuck Berry cut.) And he can’t even see straight—the only member of the Dead that is also a member of the New Riders is Jerry Garcia, not “many of the same musicians.” Finally, there were at least two strobe lights-I was sitting and dancing in one. As for the quality of the review, that, too, leaves much to be desired. Why didn’t he say anything about what it was
really like that night in Freeborn—hot and stuffy and, for those in the middle and front, VERY crowded? And the incredible pedal steel guitar that Jerry Garcia played in the New Riders set, that took us so high? And the Dead getting it on, and turning us on? But they didn’t play long enough. In spite of his apparent condescending attitude toward “teeny-boppers” and “high school cools,” the audience was very mellow, that is, very good. I notice he didn’t even give his name. Why? He certainly wasn’t a Grateful Dead fan. Jerome Callens P.S. And in case anyone else turns up, I demand to review the John Sebastian/Poco Show.
Something has been bothering me for some time, now, and for lack of anything better to write about, I might as well unload. The subject is conduct of three of four groups concerned with staging the Grateful Dead concert held in Freeborn January 21. While it may be old news now, it has some definite connections to the John Sebastian/Poco concert set for Saturday night. First of all, I think some sort of line arrangements should be made for those people waiting outside for the doors to open. People started arriving for the Dead before 6 pm -a good two hours before the first set. Once there, they began forming into a large, amorphous glob of humanity outside the doors. When the place finally did open, there was a natural rush toward the front, resulting in a rather painful pressure on the bodies of many people - particularly those up front Hopefully some sort of strict line formation will be set up for Sebastian, thus avoiding the big push-shove hassle. Next, I hope somebody will be able to open side doors while the concert is in progress. I realize that people try to slip in through these doors for a little gratis viewing, but the place was almost unbearably stifling last time - even before the Dead first appeared. So much for logistical complaints. What really bothered me about the whole Grateful Dead Concert was the "law and order" power play staged by Chief McEwen and the campus police. Corky Brown and the so-called Police Advisory Board and the Student Activities Off ice. Standing outside in line was a rather irritating procedure. People were looking forward to the concert, but they were also more than a little aggravated about the hassle in getting through the doors. So when you finally make it through the main outside doors, two things happened which struck an already raw nerve in the collective student body. Initially, there was this big sign in the main foyer: "Mr. Natural says smoking dope can be harmful to your freedom." Well, that's okay, you said to yourself, they can't help themselves. But then, as you headed towards the inner doors to the hall itself, you found yourself confronted by Corky Brown,
member of the Police Advisory Board. Brown was busily handing out little slips of paper which told everyone that if they smoked any dope, they were running a big chance of getting busted. Well, even then, you said to yourself that it was okay - it was his trip if he wanted to pass out that information...maybe it was a good thing to know. All this time you were still intent on getting through those inside doors and settling down to a good show. Fantastic music, lights and all those people... But those two incidents out in the foyer sort of lurked at the back of your mind. They were a very sour note in an otherwise mellow atmosphere. So you get into the hall and who was waiting just inside the doors but Officer Randy Selby. Now this is just a personal opinion, but it seemed to me that Selby, who sports a rather negative reputation, was doing his damnedest to look the part of an overzealous pig. There he was: hat pulled low over his eyes, small challenging smile on his face. Randy Selby on display. ’'' There were quite a few other cops patrolling about the place, and around this time, I began asking myself just what the hell was going on. These three incidents, along with a verbal warning just before the first group came on, had everybody in the place a little uneasy, or just slightly hostile. The thing that was strange about it was that no one could possibly have gotten away with a bust in there. The place was packed, and there was that little sour note playing in the back of everybody's mind. That pushing and all those warnings and all those cops automatically put you in a defensive position...an adversary position. One attempt at a bust and the place would have gone wild. I don't think there was any real intent to bust anybody. Chief McEwen isn't that stupid, although I know he's been getting pressured by the Yolo County District Attorney for being "soft on dope." But the way the whole thing was staged - the implicit intimidation - created a tense atmosphere. One false move from one uptight person (spectator or cop) and Freeborn could have gone up in smoke. A few changes seem to be in order.
by Jim Dooley
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