Friend David Crosby drops by, and he and Kaukonen go into a comedy bit about drugs, finally asking the cameraman if he has any. I find it’s a lot easier to focus on a girl. Screen shot from Mercury Studios “I usually like to pick a chick out of the crowd. Guitarist Jorma Kaukonen wastes not a single note throughout, and Balin’s vocal power is on full display, especially in the hard rock of “Emergency.” True to the tenor of the times, he tells the camera in one of the few spoken interview segments of his stage practice. Co-lead vocalists Grace Slick and Marty Balin shine on “Mexico” and an extra funky “Plastic Fantastic Lover” respectively. A ferocious “Volunteers” (with its “Got a Revolution!” exhortation) really smokes and is intercut with new footage of protest rallies. The revelation here is how more expansive and rocking the Airplane are, especially for those who only know their most famous hits (“White Rabbit,” “Somebody to Love”). Go Ride the Music (1969) focuses on live performances from the then white-hot Jefferson Airplane (seven songs, filmed on a soundstage) and Quicksilver Messenger Service (four songs, filmed at an outdoor festival). They provide an incredible window of the place and an era from both a musical and sociological perspective. Rarely seen since their original broadcasts more than 50 years ago (and fortunate to still exist, given the proclivity for one-off TV shows of the era to be discarded or – gasp – even taped over!), a new DVD from Mercury Studios collects three of the specials in one package. In addition to covering them in the paper, he co-produced three hour-long of-the-moment documentaries for the city’s KQED Public Television. Also there was a fenced in soccer field right next to the arena where Graham had set up speakers for those Heads who could not get in, a real nice gesture that some friends who had travelled over a 1,000 miles took advantage of.DVD cover He was an early and fervent proponent of bands like the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, and other rock groups concentrated in the Bay Area. The Oakland Auditorium Arena was also wired in this way. 5 Stars all around for this monster show!!!Īs an aside one of the things I always loved about the Greek Theater was that the whole place was wired for sound, from the stairs to the bathrooms, so you didn't have to wait for a set break to do your business, you would not miss a note where ever you were. To top all this off, this audience recording is among the cleanest and purest ones around. The only thing missing is the 2nd encore and of course, Bobby getting us all to yell "Hey Phil." to get Lesh on stage. After drums does not dissapoint either with a classic NFA followed by a Wharf Rat for the ages (apologies for the repeated superlatives, but this show deserves it!!). This is one of the rare pre-drums space jams, with the whole pre-drums lasting over one hour. The Prophet > Eyes is epic as well, (one of the greatest Eyes I have heard) with a great space jam with Jerry leading the way. The Scarlet > Fire is phenomenal and is my personal favorite, Jerry takes some great turns during the jam, slowing it down so sweetly before the Fire intro, and then we get one of the most powerful Fires I have heard. Bird Song is one of the best ever and the China Cat > Rider ranks as one of the top versions ever. Shakedown is one for the ages with Jerry an Phil soaring in the Jam. They got into the music just as much, but were more content to just let the band take them whereever they wanted to.). To me this is the gem of this great Greek run, and IMHO is one of the best shows I have ever heard, the energy is amazing, and the crowd reaction demonstrates that the fans understand that they are witnessing a special show (I always loved Bay Area audiences, they were always a lot more laid back, and not as anxious as East Coast or Midwest fans. This show absolutely rips from the first note on.
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