Down and Out in New York City, February 11-14, 1970

This is likely the best 90 minute sequence in Grateful Dead History

 

Dark Star [30 minutes] > That's It For the Other One [30 minutes] > Turn On Your Lovelight [30 minute], the best version is Dick's Picks 4. Youtube can take you from Dark Star through the next hour and one half.

These runs are so famous there is not much to add. I'll just add some nuggets from local papers like the Voice, East Village Other, NY Times, Daily News et al.  For real analysis go to deadessays or long lost dead links where stars like Light Into Ashes, and Corry can tell you all. Also Owsley's link at the bottom is a must as well. 

http://deadessays.blogspot.com/2010/02/february-1970.html

  Deadlists
Band Grateful Dead
Venue Fillmore East
Location New York, NY
Date 2/11/70a - Wednesday posters tickets, passes & laminates
One [18:50] ; Black Peter ; Cryptical Envelopment > Drums > The Other One [#5:19] > Cryptical Envelopment [4:33] > Dire Wolf [4:21] ; Casey Jones [ 4:37]

Band Grateful Dead
Venue Fillmore East
Location New York, NY
Date 2/11/70b - Wednesday posters tickets, passes & laminates
One [1:20:46] ; Intro [0:30] ; Not Fade Away [11:58] ; [0:02] % Cumberland Blues [4:39] % [0:08] ; Cold Rain And Snow [5:16] ;[0:04] % [0:14] ; High Time [6:48] % [0:09] ; Me And My Uncle [2:58] ; [0:06] % [0:07] ; Dark Star [16:20] > Spanish Jam [9:23] > Turn On Your Lovelight [32:49] ; [0:49]
Encore [5:51] ; Intro [0:13] ; Uncle John's Band [5:14] ; [0:24]

http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2010/01/february-12-1970-unganos-new-york-ny.html

TAPES FROM FILLMORE EAST FEBRUARY 1970

Reportedly it was during this Late Show that clever and industrious Fillmore East stagecrew members including John Chester and Alan Mande managed to patch a Revox reel-to-reel deck with 15-inch reels into the PA feed underneath the stage, and the moment when our circulating SBD tape picks up the Dark Star, 10:23 after its opening, is the moment when they managed to get their jury-rigged system up and running. Circulating copies of this SBD master break off 3:41 before the end of the Lovelight; perhaps this cut is on the master. In addition to this 45 minute from 2/11/70 our enterprising heroes taped the Late Shows on the 13th and 14th (but apparently not the Early Shows), and copies of these tapes have been in circulation since the early 70s.

Bear also ran SBD masters of the 13th and 14th, and much of this material has now been released on Bear's Choice and Dick's Pick 4. However, it is unclear whether there is any SBD from the 11th in the vault. For the Dick's Picks 4 release, Jeffrey Norman patched gaps in the vault SBDs of the 13th and 14th using the surreptitious second SBD masters -- good karma all around. The GD Records / Polygram Records CD, "Allman Bros Band Fillmore East February 1970," (GDCD 4063) releases tape of the Allmans from this run and may contain tunes from this date.

Recently, SBD tapes of the Early Shows from 2/13 and 2/14 have come into circulation, in FM and pre-FM copies.


Band Grateful Dead
Venue Fillmore East
Location New York, NY
Date 2/13/70a - Friday posters tickets, passes & laminates
One [50:48] ; Cold Rain And Snow [5:27] ; [1:03] ; Beat It On Down The Line [2:01] ; [0:27] ; Good Lovin' [1:41] > Drums [2:04] > Good Lovin' [4:41] % [0:33] ; Mama Tried [2:31] > Black Peter [9:12] ; [1:50] ; Hard To Handle [6:12] % Saint Stephen [6:35] > Not Fade Away [9:02]
Encore [4:41] ; Casey Jones [4:27] ; [0:14]


Band Grateful Dead
Venue Fillmore East
Location New York, NY
Date 2/13/70b - Friday posters tickets, passes & laminates
One [2:48:09] ; Intro [1:15] ; China Cat Sunflower [2:53] > Jam [2:07] > I Know You Rider [4:13] ; [0:53] ; Me And My Uncle [3:10] ; [1:07] ; Dire Wolf [3:58] ; [0:59] ; Smokestack Lightnin' [18:00] ; [5:22] ; Monkey And The Engineer [1:37] ; [0:53] ; Little Sadie [2:45] ; [0:15] ; Wake Up Little Susie [2:36] > Black Peter [7:20] ; Uncle John's Band [6:50#] ; [3:12] ; Katie Mae [3:57] ; [2:54] ; Dark Star [29:21] > Cryptical Envelopment [1:56] > Drums [7:36] > The Other One [13:48] > Cryptical Envelopment [6:38] > Turn On Your Lovelight [30:12]
Encore [3:15] ; Tuning [0:56] ; And We Bid You Good Night [2:19#]
.

Band Grateful Dead
Venue Fillmore East
Location New York, NY
Date 2/14/70a - Saturday posters tickets, passes & laminates
One [1:05:17] ; Cold Rain And Snow; Dark Star [23:31] > Saint Stephen [6:42#] > The Eleven [#8:59] > Turn On Your Lovelight [23:33] ; [0:33]

Band Grateful Dead
Venue Fillmore East
Location New York, NY
Date 2/14/70b - Saturday posters tickets, passes & laminates
One [2:26:05] ; Intro [1:51] ; Casey Jones [4:29] ; [0:05] ; Mama Tried [2:31] ; [1:24] ; Hard To Handle [6:06] ; [3:18] ; Monkey And The Engineer [1:32] ; [0:43] ; Dark Hollow [2:37] ; [0:43] ; I've Been All Around This World [4:02] ; [0:18] ; Wake Up Little Susie [2:22] > Black Peter [7:19] ; [0:04] % Uncle John's Band [5:#54] ; [2:30] ; Katie Mae [3:19] ; [0:20] % [2:31] ; Dancing In The Street [9:15] ; [0:25] ; China Cat Sunflower [3:09] > Jam [2:37] > I Know You Rider [4:18] > High Time [6:41] > [0:10] > Dire Wolf [4:06] ; [0:44] ; Alligator [3:44] > Drums [12:48] > Me And My Uncle [3:07] > Not Fade Away [13:59] > Mason's Children [3:53] > Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks) [14:25] > Feedback [8:42] > And We Bid You Good Night [1:39] ; [0:14]
Comments Late Show total time 2:26:05 +. Early and Late Show total time 3:31:22 +. Timings are from the SBD tape in circulation except for the tunes included in Dick's Picks 4, which are timed from the CD.

From Bear's website
Dick's Picks v.4, Grateful Dead Records (GDM)1996.
Here are more songs from the shows I derived Bear's Choice from... lacking those parts previously released in Bear's Choice. It is a kind of musical "puree" made by mix-and-match. I had little say on the format here. In fact, I was criticised for suggesting that each night be released as a whole show (with the Bear's Choice parts included) on separate albums,in a set. But then, what do I know about such things? Perhaps if there is enough interest they may eventually do it. Each show was many hours long- way to long for more than a single show per night. I don't know about Love's usual gigging habits,but the other two bands liked to play long sets. Two set changes took time- the Allmans played a relatively long set, each night filled two 45 min reels- and there were jams. Love's set was pretty short, about 45 minutes. Sat night's set went on until well after midnight, Note on the box says "ends 5:38 AM. The Dead always played long shows in those days, during which they took a break, dividing their set into two parts as was the practice for almost their whole career. There are some missing tapes from 11 Feb and of some of the jams, also for a couple of Love's sets, tape was short and Love did not impress me, and I had not real interest in keeping them in my diary- so with the vain hope each night that they would improve, I used the same reel of tape over- thus I only have the last show- all their sets were less than 45 min and thus fit on a single reel. I always recorded all the bands and all the sets I mixed on all my shows like some people keep a diary, at least so long as I had enough money to buy reels of blank tape- sometimes I didn't, but cassettes were also made of all shows. We are going to search the cassette boxes to further details on these shows.

Ok, everybody- time for a little more history. I want to correct of a bit of false information about this series of shows which originated with Dick Latvala. It was his idea there was an "early show" and a "late show" on each night, which was based on the fact that this was a usual practice at the Fillmore East at the time for other shows. He claimed I must not have recorded any of the bands first sets, or somehow (not explained), only those tapes from the series were lost. This was based on his interpretation of some remarks made by Zacherle as he introduced the the Dead's (only) show on Saturday, which began shortly after midnight on Sunday. He persisted with this nonsense in spite of my efforts to convince him otherwise- which I found odd- since I was there and did the setups and did the sound mix for all three bands, while he was not even in the hall. The truth is that the year before the Dead had told Bill Graham they would not again do two shows on a night at the Fillmore East after a double show booked in Feb '69 with Janis Joplin and her new band Cosmic Blues. The band normally played two sets (you could call it a "split set") with a short break- 30+ min average, and did not like having to play veryshort sets to two different audiences, with a break of considerable length between sets. Also we- the crew- had protested about all the extra work we had to do setting up and tearing down for two shows. At that time, NO other venue required this practice, only FE. I think this is why Bill scheduled three bands for this series of shows, perhaps as a kind of get-even for our refusal to go along with his routine.

Anyone who managed to pass 6th grade math can figure out there could not have been two shows with three bands in a night- but for those who are math-challenged I will spell it out for you: Show starts at 8PM ...actually it never in the real world started exactly at 8, The show was quite late starting on Sat, apparently due to some problems with the gear- I don't remember the details. Allmans then played over an hour, averaging approximately an hour and fifteen minutes to an houra nd a half (check out their album). They played the same set of songs in the same order each night, with some jamming on Saturday. Allmans have a large setup similar to the Dead, with two drummers. First set change takes 30 min, rushing, 45 min at normal pace. Second act Love plays a very short set, between 30 and 45 minutes. The second set change took 45 minutes due to the two large setups which had to be moved. The Dead played in a split set format as usual, with the second set starting off with acoustic, and then segueing into electric, total Dead with the inter-set break was about 2 and a half to three hours, rather a bit shorter than (the sometimes seen in those days) four full hours, except for the Sat night show- which ended at well past 5 AM- according to my note on the tape box, at 5:58 AM. Add this all up, and you get a total of an absolute minimum of 5 hours and fifteen minutes to a max of a bit over 8 hours (Saturday's show lasted ~9 hours including the extensive jams- none of which have been included on CD release- and something I am pushing for. There also were jams each night (can't find all the tapes of the jams). The second show start time at FE on nights the usual two show format was followed was 11:30, with a one hour audience clearance break, so the first show always ended at 10:30,and the FE staff were like a mob of Nazis on that timing. Even an F student in math can see that there is only two and a half hours total time for both music and set changes available between 8 and 10:30. Let me state here unequivocally, that there were NO "early or late shows" which no-one, for some unexplained reason bothered to record- (FE sound staff also made secret-from me- recordings in the basement fro a tap in the PA lines- and their tapes duplicate mine except the used larger reels and had some bits not on my tapes due to my changing reels in mid song. I say unexplained, because I even have tapes of the sound checks in my archives. Actually to be accurate there were no "late shows", since the shows all were ticket for and officially started at ~8PM during this run. Anyone who can come forward with a genuine ticket (verifiable by GDP and BGP as authentic) for any show in this run with a starting time other than 8PM will be given US $1000 cash by me personally. Hey-- why don't all those who so fervently believe (while none were there on the nights) that there was indeed two shows- why don't you all get together and start a fund by collecting $100 from each believer and put it in a trust. If I prevail on this, I get the whole kitty, and if I am proven wrong, each person gets his or her $100 back and the person who can prove it gets my $1000. Put your money where your foolish mouth is. I am tired of hearing this bloody nonsense.

As a further note, the band did not play any "other venues" in NYC during the period around the date (nor in fact, around any other date, anywhere while on tour). They were under contract to BG, and trust me, he would never allow any band he contracted to any of his venues to play anywhere else in the vicinity, especially near the date. This had been a critical factor in the demise of the Carousel Ballroom in San Francisco in 1968.

There are many tapes in circulation which claim to be of "rare" shows. The reason these shows are "rare" is usually because they never happened. In addition there are many tapes in circulation which are not as marked. The only way a person can be sure the tape in their hand is of the show written on the box is if they were at the show and recorded the tape themselves on their own machine. From the feedback I have had, and the tapes I have listened to, I estimate 30% or more of both audience and "board" tapes/CD's are either mislabeled or faked.
[liner notes]

http://www.thebear.org/albums.html

Early Utah Dead: A Color TV in Every Room, September 26, 1970: Two New Songs Played at the Gig Discovered

This show in Salt Lake City in 1970 was the second ever Dead performance in Utah (of 9) and there is no tape of the show known.  

Before today, there were certain songs that were known to have been played.This information according to DeadBase IX, which lists [acoustic] I Know You Rider; Ripple; Candyman; Friend Of The Devil; [electric] Big Boss Man; Uncle John > Casey Jones; Morning Dew. There is no SBD of this show in the vault.

But thanks to the recent addition of some 1970 Salt Lake Tribune newspapers, we have two new songs

Here are some new songs: Not Fade Away and Dancin in the Streets never before reported.

Dave's Pick 30: January 2, 1970 and The Great Tightened-Up Analysis

https://archive.org/post/1055387/guide-to-the-tighten-up-jam

http://deadessays.blogspot.com/2010/01/deads-early-thematic-jams.html


Great Pick Dave. Dave's Picks 30 is January 2, 1970. Get prepared to Tightened Up

I love finding great analysis of Grateful Dead themes. Here's

enjoy every (dead) sandwich

  and his comments from archive.org

Guide To The Tighten Up Jam

The Tighten Up was a jam that the Dead played in 69, 70, and once in 71. Similar to the Feelin' Groovy jam, it often appeared in Dark Star. However, the Tighten Up also appeared in just as many, if not more, Dancing In The Streets'. Many people have noted the similarity between this jam and Eyes of the World, calling it a "proto-Eyes jam." I think this is mostly due to the similar rhythmic chords in both of the tunes despite the different keys. The Tighten Up jam got its name from the Archie Bell and the Drell's song, Tighten Up. The rhythm guitar in the Archie Bell song is quite similar to Bob's chords. It seems that Bob first played these chords on 8/30/69. While the chords from both the Tighten Up song and jam are similar, many have considered other songs to be the Dead's inspiration.

One of these songs is Beginnings by The Chicago Transit Authority. Chicago Transit Authority's eponymous album was released in 1968 and included Beginnings. The Dead also jammed with Terry Kath on at least one known occasion. William Tell testified that Deadheads were certainly aware of Chicago early on and listened to them. This makes it pretty obvious to me that the Dead had most likely heard this Chicago record. 

Another possible source of inspiration, as pointed out by Light Into Ashes, could have been Soulful Strut by Young-Holt Unlimited. This record was also released in 1968, plenty of time for the Dead to have heard this record by the time they began doing Tighten Up and Feelin' Groovy Jams. The piano melody actually sounds a bit like Jerry's solo and the chords are quite similar as well. None of these songs really have the exact same chords or even the exact same rhythm as the Dead's "Tighten Up" jam. 

There is a specific melody that Jerry usually plays during the Tighten Up jam but I think it's inspiration is in jazz and not one of these other tunes. Some think it sounds a bit like First There Is A Mountain but I am not convinced. To me his solo sounds a lot like jazz scat singing, only using a guitar. Sure this has to do with both of their improvisatory natures but it really sounds like Jerry tries to make his guitar sing in these jams. Many have noted the jazzy sound of the Tighten Up jam. Dr. Flashback describes the Tighten Up from 11/2/69 as, "a fast 2 chord jazz riff that REALLY sounds a lot like Eyes of the World." 

Perhaps the song most similar to this jam is a song from Bob Weir's band, Kingfish, called Hypnotize. The Dead's Tighten Up could have been easily been influenced by any number of songs. Also likely is the Dead developed it on their own, after all it's basically just two chords, and Deadheads have basically just given it a name. When asked about the Mind Left Body jam, Phil was emphatic that it was just four chords, not some attempt to recreate the original song. I would imagine we would get a similar answer about the Tighten Up, "it's just two chords, man." 

Regardless of the jam's origin it is a truly thrilling thing to listen to. If you are one who thinks that the Tighten Up sounds a lot like Eyes, it almost seems like the jam found a home in Eyes of the World even though they stopped playing the jam. Similar to the Feelin' Groovy, they no longer played it in Dark Star after 1972 but it found a home between China Cat Sunflower and I Know You Rider. If this hypothesis is correct it is a pretty fascinating look into the Dead's songwriting. A few chords could appear one day and just keep growing until is was a full song.

One thing that I have noticed is people are always talking about which song the Tighten Up Jam was inspired by and I have never heard anyone talk about what inspired the Tighten Up song. Archie Bell's song is derivative in almost every way of King Curtis' song "Memphis Soul Stew." The way the song starts with a simple bass line and slowly instruments are added are the same in both songs. In both songs the singer chooses to speak to the band and the audience instead of singing an actual song. Also "Memphis Soul Stew" seems to have a similar rhythmic guitar part as Tighten Up. Someone with more music knowledge would be able to speak to the actual similarities in the songs. Looking through the songs on King Curtis' albums it is clear that he was inspired by many of the same songs that the Dead were including Beatles songs, old blues like CC Rider, Otis Redding, the Band, and others. Also, King Curtis actually played at the Fillmore West on March 5, 6, and 7th in 1971. Dead.net says that the Dead played a benefit at the Fillmore West on the night of the 5th. To me, this band is a lot like Jr. Walker and the Allstars. Some of King Curtis' stuff is the typical, overproduced Motown sound complete with corny strings. But some of his other stuff is raw and powerful jazz funk much like Jr. Walker. You can tell both sax players were inspired by similar musicians from their honking R&B style. The Fillmore West recordings of King Curtis reveal a very tight band that knew how to command an audience. Listening to this show, it's like King Curtis understood the San Francisco music scene and the emphasis on the groove and the vibes rather than the perfect production. During the song "I Stand Accused," the crowd can't get enough of King Curtis' sax and King Curtis urges the audience to help the band "set this groove." It seems to me like the Dead could have easily been inspired by King Curtis with their Tighten Up jam just as much as the writers of the Tighten Up song. The Dead and King Curtis are certainly similar in that a concert was a group experience. One could look at bands like the Dead and Chicago as a bunch of white guys trying their best to play R&B. So perhaps both the song "Beginnings" and the Tighten Up jam are nods to R&B which definitely set the stage for rock and roll and the genres that each band basically invented, the Dead and jam band music and Chicago with their "rock with horns."

A pretty harsh, but somewhat amusing, non-Deadhead's take on the Tighten Up jam can be found here, http://www.barelybrothersrecords.com/1204/covering-the-tighten-up-a-survey-by-brother-tad/. The page is devoted to the Archie Bell song and all of the covers of the song. I am pretty impressed the Dead were even considered on this list because I don't think they ever actually acknowledged the song Tighten Up as an inspiration. The description reads,

"Tighten Up Jam. In the late 60s, the Grateful Dead played what Dead-heads refer to as the 'Tighten Up Jam' as a lead-in to the psychedelic tour-de-force “Dark Star.” This jam has apparently never been commercially released, but it can be found among the legions of recordings of live Dead shows found on the internet. The couple of versions to which I have listened consist of a two-chord vamp that sounds vaguely like it might have been derived from 'Tighten Up.' The connection no doubt becomes clearer with the aid of cannabis and magic mushrooms. This is pretty much for lovers of the Dead, not lovers of 'Tighten Up.'"

This post is wrong on a couple of levels. First off, the Tighten Up Jam has been released commercially several times. Dick's Picks 2 comes to mind as does Dick's Picks 8. I also think it's a bit unfair to discredit what the Dead did. I think if anyone listens to Dark Star from 10/31/71 they could at least be impressed by the incredible and unique sound a "mere" rock band could achieve. People who are unfamiliar with the Dead's music always mention the connection between the music and drugs. As if drugs are a key to understanding the Grateful Dead's music. I think in the right setting drugs could certainly enhance an appreciation for the Dead's music. But I think it's unfair to not give the Dead's music a chance because you don't agree with drugs, two things that are completely separate from each other.

Anyways, as lovers of the Dead I hope you find the collection of Tighten Up Jams to be informative and entertaining. I hope it inspires someone to give a Tighten Up jam a listen. 

8/30/69

Dark Star

20:30-25:00

This is considered to be the first Tighten Up Jam. It occurs after Jerry breaks a string at 20:00. To fill the void Weir begins strumming the TU chords around 20:30. I have suggested before that this could have been a sort of musical dialogue between Bob and Jerry with Bob saying, "Hey Jerry tighten up those strings!" similar to how Archie Bell coaxed all of his band members in the song. They start to come together again a little after 22 minnutes. It definitely seems like Garcia saw this as a nice, easy two chord jazz shuffle that was perfect for a little solo. This first Tighten Up eventually fizzles out and they head to the Dark Star theme.

10/25/69

Dark Star

12:30-15:00 (Feelin' Groovy)

15:00-17:30 (Tighten Up)

This Dark Star has sort of fledgling Feelin' Groovy and Tighten Up jams. Really neither one is fully developed but Jerry pulls off some very sweet licks. Jerry's transition from the Feelin' Groovy to the Tighten Up at 15:00 minutes is amazing.

11/2/69

Dark Star

17:30-22:20 (Feelin' Groovy)

22:20-25:00 (Tighten Up)

Another one of the times the Tighten Up and Feelin' Groovy were played back to back. This is a beautiful example of each of these themes. See 1/2/70 for this Dark Star's big brother. Thekind78 said about this Dark Star, "I gotta say of all the available Feelin' Groovy and Tighten Up jams the one from 11/02/69 at the Family Dog has Jerry playing ever so sweet. Just so soulful. I don't know if any other date has that kind of depth to the playing." I couldn't agree more. 

12/26/69

Dark Star

16:30-17:30 (Feelin' Groovy)

17:30-20:00 (Tighten Up)

As I am listening to these Dark Stars again I am being reminded how often Feelin' Groovy and Tighten Up were juxtaposed. The jams really seem to develop simultaneously. In my other post about the Feelin' Groovy I describe this whole Dark Star jam as such. However, it is pretty clear that the second half is a Tighten Up.

1/2/70

Dark Star

18:45-22:45 (Feelin' Groovy)

22:45-28:00 (Tighten Up)

The Tighten Up begins seemingly out of thin air directly after the Feelin' Groovy winds down.

3/1/70

Dancing

This Dancing is from a pretty poor sounding recording which makes it difficult to get an accurate timing for the Tighten Up. You can still hear the excitement in the jam despite the sound quality.

3/21/70

Dancing

8:30-10:00

This Tighten Up is from the famous Ken & Judy Lee recording. We are so lucky that people, like the Lee's, had the foresight to record these monumental shows. They go into a short Tighten Up jam but this is a notable Dancing for being particularly jammed out at just about 18 minutes long.

4/3/70

Dancing

5:30-8:15

Another Tighten Up from a Dancing In The Streets. I find these Dancing versions to be a little more predictable than the ones offered in Dark Stars. I would also find Dancing to be a bit boring without a Tighten Up jam tearing through the middle of it. This one hits a great peak at 7:30 and segues seamlessly into Dancing.

4/12/70

Dancing

3:45-8:00

This Tighten Up can be found on Fallout From the Phil Zone. This jam ends with some very Feelin' Groovy-esque notes and chords from Phil and Bob. 

4/15/70

Dancing

4:00-9:00

I particularly like Weir's chords that initiate this Tighten Up. Then when Jerry comes in he's fingerpicking along this fun chords quickly. This is a very exuberant example of a Tighten Up. Check out Jerry at 6:30. Also this Dancing might have convinced me to like Mickey more. Something about the bit around 8 minutes where it seems like the whole band is actually syncopated really gets me.

4/24/70

Dark Star

14:15-18:00

This Tighten Up is sandwiched in between a couple of Feelin' Groovy jams. The sound quality isn't great on this audience recording but the quality of Dark Star certainly is.

5/2/70

Dancing

4:45-10:15

From one of the best shows the Dead ever played, this Dancing has been captured on Dick's Picks 8. Starting at 8 minutes we hear a very typical Tighten Up solo from Jerry. This is a great example of the solo that seemed to be repeated from Tighten Up to Tighten Up.

5/6/70

Dancing

10:30-14:00

There are some issues with the sound quality and since a lot of these Dancing's and Tighten Up jams are fairly similar I would pick one with a better recording to listen to. But if you are someone used to audience recordings, Jerry's solo here is particularly sweet. I like how he plays the notes in the solo a bit more staccatto around 12 minutes.

5/8/70

Dark Star

The sound quality of this recording is "unbearable" and "horrifyingly bad" and "recorded from a mic encased within a tin can" according to a couple reviews. However, you can tell that this was an incredible, intense Dark Star. I can hardly imagine what Jerry's licks from 14:00-14:30 would sound like if we had a nice recording. The timing of this Tighten Up is difficult to pinpoint but I recommend giving this a listen if you are at all curious. You will be rewarded for forgiving ears and a little imagination! This Dark Star>Dancing is certainly a highlight of 1970.

5/24/70

Dark Star

14:00-18:30

This Dark Star is from the Dead's first show overseas. I think we can infer that they were going to try and make a statement for this monumental show. The timing from the Tighten Up page here (http://web.archive.org/web/20030825202854/www.stellarjay.net/timle/tighten_up_jam.htm) is way off. It claims that the Tighten Up starts at 3:30. However, to my ears it is very obvious that the Tighten Up starts well after the first verse and then after a portion of space. The Dead complained about poor playing during this show but people remember this Dark Star fondly. I could see why many people left this show mesmerized by the Dead after listening to this Star. Listen for the slight Dancing tease at the end of the jam before they start the Dark Star theme again.

6/6/70

Dancing

5:30-11:00

This is a very energetic Dancing and a smoking Tighten Up. Jerry's solo at 6:15 is absolutely stunning, what the hell is the melody he plays here?? This Dancing held my attention, I really like this one. The Tighten Up really dominates the majority of this one. They build to a really nice climax before going back into Dancing.

6/24/70

Dark Star

20:20-23:30

This is a famous Dark Star from an equally famous show at the Capitol Theater. The Tighten Up is at the end of the second Dark Star right before the transition into Sugar Mag.

7/12/70

Dancing

7:00-9:00

I like this audience recording a lot. I love the yelling when the Tighten Up begins to take shape, I would be doing the exact same thing. 

9/17/70

Dark Star

17:00-22:00

I like to think of this Dark Star as 9/19/70's brother. They are very similar but the one on 9/17 has a Tighten Up where the Feelin' Groovy is on 9/19. If you're a Tighten Up kinda guy this will probably be your preferred Star of the run. But, if you're a Feelin' Groovy kinda guy, 9/19 might be your favorite. It's interesting how highly I hold 9/19 but then the Dark Star Document (http://www.shallwego.net/deadlists/darkstar.htm) notes 9/17 as being one of the best and doesn't mention 9/19. Is that blasphemy or what William Tell? Different strokes I suppose... I will say the recording from 9/19 is considerably better sounding than the one from 9/17.

9/18/70

Dancing

9:00-11:00

This is a pretty short and sweet Tighten Up jam. Nothing too special honestly.

10/5/70

Dancing

This Tighten Up is somewhat hidden in the Download Series Family Dog at the Great Highway. The album cover says 2/4/70 but the Dancing In The Street is from this date. 

10/24/70

Dancing

7:00-10:00

Jerry hangs back as Phil and Weir clearly initiate this Tighten Up. Instead of really weaving around the theme Jerry just sort of enters awkwardly already doing the Tighten Up solo. The solo is better executed starting just before 9 minutes. I will say this jam is eventually redeemed but I wouldn't consider this one of my favorite Dancing's.

10/30/70

Dancing

5:00-7:00

I definitely recommend checking this show out. Smokestack Lightning opener... enough said. Anyways about this Dancing, I really like the sound of the recording. Jerry has a great tone and Weir's guitar sounds nice and crisp. With that being said, Phil is a bit lower in the mix so you might want to boost the bass on your speakers. This is a quick Tighten Up. They segue back into Dancing quickly but they are on tonight so the Dancing jam is every bit as inspired as the Tighten Up.

11/8/70

Dancing

4:00-7:45

This is an incredible sequence of songs starting with Truckin' then going into Dark Star. The Dark Star goes into a cool Main Ten jam (think of an almost Playin' jam), into a Dancing jam before a full blown Dancing In The Street. The Tighten Up jam is very energetic tonight which is no surprise as this is an excellent show altogether. Jerry's tone is incredible for the Tighten Up, it has that fabulous, slightly echo-y sound that is found in shows like 9/19/70. I kind of like the change to the audience source in the recording I'm listening to. It really seems like the crowd loved the Tighten Up jam and always greeted it with cheering. 

12/17/70

Dancing

My understanding is that this show has been mislabeled and the Dancing is actually from 10/5/70.

10/31/71

Dark Star

13:00-19:00

The final Tighten Up Jam can be found on Dick's Picks 2. Dick Latvala said of this jam, "This happens in '69 'Dark Stars,' about 16-18 minutes into it. The only thing it reminds me of is Donovan's song, 'First there is a mountain...' It's the most thrilling jam, on the level of 'Spanish Jam' or what DeadBase calls the 'Mind Left Body Jam.' Please, somebody in the world, name that jam better! I've heard it in many forms. It's similar to the transitions they used to do in 'China Cat > Rider' they used to do in late '73 and '74, and some 'Dancing in the Streets' in '70 had this theme. On this Halloween show, they do it, but it's a little bit different - it's a little jazzier. I don't know what to call it, but it's definitely a theme." I think we now know that the China>Rider transition is the Feelin' Groovy and the theme from Dancing is the Tighten Up. This Tighten Up from Dark Star may be the last but it certainly isn't the least inspired. I would say that this is the most jammed out and also one of the most exuberant Tighten Up jams they ever played. This jam is the reason I hold this Dark Star so highly on my list of favorites. The first time I heard this, I had just put it on in my car because I knew I had about a 30 minute long drive. Let's just say I nearly drove off the road when this jam began. It was the most thrilling and exciting things I had ever heard the Dead play. 

I know I have missed some Tighten Up jams but I wanted to at least get this out there. Like my post about the Feelin' Groovy jam, I am simply trying to synthesize the information about these jams that I have read in several different places. All of the information here can be dug up on the internet but it is pretty dispersed. I also wanted to bring up the different theories on the Tighten Up jam's origin that I have read or considered. Light Into Ashes mentions on his site that there may be some Tighten Up jams in Lovelight but I don't have the patience to sift through the countless, and sometimes seemingly endless, renditions the Dead did. If anyone knows of any Tighten Up jams that have not been listen here please share them with me.

http://deadessays.blogspot.com/2010/01/deads-early-thematic-jams.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20030825202854/www.stellarjay.net/timle/tighten_up_jam.htm

https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~./gdead/latvala.html

https://archive.org/details/gd69-11-02.sbd.goodbear.1125.sbefail.shnf

http://www.shallwego.net/deadlists/darkstar.htm

http://www.barelybrothersrecords.com/1204/covering-the-tighten-up-a-survey-by-brother-tad/

http://solidhitsoul.com/tsutoronados.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_at_Fillmore_West

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick%27s_Picks_Volume_2 

http://deadessays.blogspot.com/2010/03/dark-star-1971.html

http://deadessays.blogspot.com/2009/08/half-hour-of-heaven-in-off-kilter-show.html

http://archive.org/post/1050940/chicago-and-the-dead

http://deadsources.blogspot.com/2013/06/may-10-1970-atlanta-sports-arena.html

http://207.241.226.61/post/393751/feeling-groovy-jam

http://www.thestripproject.com/a-bus-stops-in-piedmont-park-july-7-1969/

Halloween at the Gym at Stonybrook: 51 Tunes with the Dead and the New Riders (and 44 the Night Before)

Til the Morning Comes Happy Halloween Kiddies and 5am Greetings from California. Come back with me 48 years to the SUNY Stonybrook shows on October 30 and October 31, 1970 where the Dead and the NRPS combo delivered  95 songs over 2 nights. Two shows with two bands each night, Hope I got it all here.

Bobby looks boss here.  Here is the music

Alot of repeats during the shows, includsing three St Stephen's, but in the first show on 10-31 that play Viola Lee Blues>Cumberland Blues > Uncle John's Band , which is the last Viola ever.  The last early period St Stephen also disappeared after Halloween the next year 10-31-71 until my first show in Boston 6-9-76.

From Deadlist

Band Grateful Dead
Venue University Gymnasium - State University of New York
Location Stony Brook, NY
Date 10/30/70a - Friday posters tickets, passes & laminates
One [[53:58 +]] ; [53:39 +] Workin' Man Blues [3:59] ; [1:21] ; Whatcha Gonna Do [4:06] ; [0:06] % Truck Drivin' Man [3:16] ; [0:37] ; Hello Trouble [3:12] ; [0:34] ; Portland Woman [5:08] ; [0:14] ; Sweet Lovin One [4:47] ; [0:09] % Dirty Business [9:37] % The Weight [7:18] ; [0:10] % Louisiana Lady [3:42] ; [0:29] ; Honky Tonk Women [4:47] ; [0:07]
Two [[45:54 +]] ; [1:41:13 +] Smokestack Lightnin' [7:54] ; [0:24] ; Beat It On Down The Line [1:46] ; [0:18] ; China Cat Sunflower [3:04] > Jam [1:45] > I Know You Rider [4:10] ; [0:13] % [0:04] ; Friend Of The Devil [4:12] ; [0:03] % Truckin' [7:13] ; [0:13] % [0:05] ; Candyman [6:18] ; [0:26] ; It Hurts Me Too [4:22] ; [0:02] % Dancing In The Street [11:48] ; [0:47] ; Big Railroad Blues [4:52] ; [0:07] % Saint Stephen [7:55] > Drums [0:15] > Not Fade Away [3:13] > Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad [4:54] > Not Fade Away [1:10] > Turn On Your Lovelight [21:54] ; [0:09]

10/30/70b - Friday posters tickets, passes & laminates
One [[53:39 +]] ; [53:39 +] Workin' Man Blues [3:59] ; [1:21] ; Whatcha Gonna Do [4:06] ; [0:06] % Truck Drivin' Man [3:16] ; [0:37] ; Hello Trouble [3:12] ; [0:34] ; Portland Woman [5:08] ; [0:14] ; Sweet Lovin One [4:47] ; [0:09] % Dirty Business [9:37] % The Weight [7:18] ; [0:10] % Louisiana Lady [3:42] ; [0:29] ; Honky Tonk Women [4:47] ; [0:07]
Two [[1:41:13 +]] ; [1:41:13 +] Smokestack Lightnin' [7:54] ; [0:24] ; Beat It On Down The Line [1:46] ; [0:18] ; China Cat Sunflower [3:04] > Jam [1:45] > I Know You Rider [4:10] ; [0:13] % [0:04] ; Friend Of The Devil [4:12] ; [0:03] % Truckin' [7:13] ; [0:13] % [0:05] ; Candyman [6:18] ; [0:26] ; It Hurts Me Too [4:22] ; [0:02] % Dancing In The Street [11:48] ; [0:47] ; Big Railroad Blues [4:52] ; [0:07] % Saint Stephen [7:55] > Drums [0:15] > Not Fade Away [3:13] > Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad [4:54] > Not Fade Away [1:10] > Turn On Your Lovelight [21:54] ; [0:09]

10/31/70a - Saturday posters tickets, passes & laminates
One [45:37] ; [45:37 +] Six Days On The Road [2:35] ; [0:31] ; Long Black Veil [4:13] ; [0:57] ; I Don't Know You [3:33] ; [0:37] ; Lodi [3:52] ; [0:36] ; Superman [3:28] ; [0:41] ;Glendale Train [4:54] ; [0:19] ; Cecilia [4:22] ; [0:10] ; Henry [3:46] ; [0:28] ; Rainbow [2:56] ; [0:06] ; Louisiana Lady [3:57] ; [0:22] ; Honky Tonk Women [3:12#]
Two [1:07:06] ; Till The Morning Comes [3:24] ; [0:31] ; Hard To Handle [7:53] ; [0:45] ; Mama Tried [2:28] ; [0:35] ; China Cat Sunflower [2:55] > Jam [1:56] > I Know You Rider [3:11#] % Dire Wolf [3:47] ; [0:39] ; Cold Rain And Snow [6:06] ; [0:33] ; Me And My Uncle [3:19] ; [0:35] ; Dark Hollow [2:53] ; [0:41] ; Brokedown Palace [5:11] ; [0:29] ; Viola Lee Blues [9:00] > Cumberland Blues [4:16] > Uncle John's Band [5:48] ; [0:03]

10/31/70b - Saturday posters tickets, passes & laminates
One [[49:10]] ; [49:10] Workin' Man Blues [3:40] ; [0:45] ; Watcha Gonna Do [3:25] ; [0:50] ; Glendale Train [5:10] ; [0:44] ; Portland Woman [5:16] ; [0:11] ; Dirty Business [9:32] ; [0:16] ; Fair Chance To Know [3:56] ; [0:13] ; Last Lonely Eagle [6:18] ; [0:09] ; Louisiana Lady [3:39] ; [0:16] ; Honky Tonk Women [4:57] ; [0:07]
Two [[1:32:33 +]] ; [1:32:33 +] Casey Jones [4:40] ; [0:25] ; Sugar Magnolia [4:55] ; [0:28] ; Next Time You See Me [3:30] ; [0:09] % [0:07] ; Cryptical Envelopment [1:56] > Drums [7:04] > The Other One [9:53] > Cryptical Envelopment [3:42] > Cosmic Charlie [6:07] ; [0:07] % Big Boss Man [4:12] ; [0:13] ; Mama Tried [2:38] ; [0:13] ; Hard To Handle [7:17] % Drums [0:54] > Good Lovin' [1:50] > Drums [5:14] > Good Lovin' [6:33] ; [0:38] ; Saint Stephen [5:53] > Drums [0:14] > Not Fade Away [4:54] > Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad [6:28] > Not Fade Away [1:53] ; [0:06]

September 20, 1970, The Rare and Beautiful Magical Perfect Creature Show at the Fillmore East

Please Welcome The Acoustic Dead
Just click play  or get music here

Magical Sound
A Magical Acoustic Set
Acoustic Ripple, Truckin, New Speedway Boogie, Everything You Want
Big Boy Pete
Sitting on Top of the World
Easy Wind
Attics of My Life
Not Fade Away>Caution>Feedback<Goodnight

David Grisman and Dave Nelson Guest Appear
Many Lovely Photos
Just a beautiful show

Set 1

Uncle John's Band, Deep Elem Blues, Friend Of The Devil, Big Railroad Blues, Dark Hollow, Ripple, To Lay Me Down, Truckin', Rosalie McFall, Cumberland Blues, New Speedway Boogie, Brokedown Palace

Set 2

Casey Jones, China Cat Sunflower-> I Know You Rider, Candyman, Sitting On Top Of The World, Good Lovin'-> Drums-> Good Lovin', Big Boy Pete, Me & My Uncle, Easy Wind, Sugar Magnolia, Attics Of My Life, Mama Tried, Not Fade Away-> Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)-> We Bid You Good Night

First set acoustic with David Grisman and David Nelson on mandolin Other artist(s) on bill: NRPS

Obscure Little Santa Monica Show with 30,000 Downloads, March 7, 1970

Between Fillmore East February and Harpur in May, there is this quirkly incomplete rare look at March 1970 in Santa Monica. I kind of really like audience tapes of this era with Black Peter leading the way.  So fun to hear it from the fan point of view.  Who knows the whole set? Wish I did
Crowd is sure quiet for a rock n roll show in 1970.

I recommend the one recording of this show, its here

Even weirder is that was promoted by Concert Associates, A Filmways Company (as in The Beverly Hillbillies, a Filmways presentation)

Presented some Daily Bruin and LA Times information, and currrent industry flavor

Same Night Downton about Ten Miles Away from SM Civic

From Deadlists

3/7/70 - Saturday posters tickets, passes & laminates
One [27:57] ; Black Peter [8:54] % China Cat Sunflower [3:18] > Jam [2:01] > I Know You Rider [4:28] > High Time [5:48] ; Tuning (1) [3:16] ; Dire Wolf [0:12#]
Two [47:23] ; Not Fade Away [#5:13] > Drums [4:59] > Good Lovin' [2:53] > Drums [0:13] > The Other One [6:#48] > Not Fade Away [2:26] > Turn On Your Lovelight [24:51#]
Comments This tape has circulated for years mislabeled "3/8/70" but Joey Newlander's archival research demonstrates that this show actually took place on 3/7/70. There are probably songs missing before and after Black Peter; on the circulating copy the Dire Wolf breaks off and the tape cuts in on the beginning of NFA. There must be tunes lost after Dire Wolf as well. (1) Includes New Speedway Boogie Tease.
It is impossible to tell whether the two fragments come from one set or two. There is a tape flip 3:27 into The Other One; probably not much is lost here.