Incredible. So versatile. They played for five and a quarter HOURS with NO break in the music, just jamming between numbers. They went from country rock to the bizarre improvisations of Dark Star and back again. Then they just stopped. Bob Weir said "Well, it's cold as shit up here. We'll do one more and then we're gone." They played what was almost a standard 3 min pop song - and then they were gone. That was one of the only 2 festivals I ever attended. As for now, you know you are old when your favourite musicians are dying of old age instead of drug abuse.
That evening has stayed with me. Bob may have been cold, but after 3 days of being damp myself, I finally dried out during the Dead's epic set - their warmth radiated among the hundreds of us who had advanced to the sides of the stage. It's a minor miracle how they managed to produce such wonderful music in the miserable conditions.
I believe Bickershaw was the longest show of the Europe ’72 tour, so even with the rain and mud and crazy divers, (in the States it was mostly crazy drivers), the boys where going to give the hearty English their monies worth. Great stuff Voodoonola, thanks for posting.
Went there with friends from Salford Tech, rain, mud, the pool burst. Billy's birthday, best Dark Star I've heard. New Riders, Captain B.Just up the road from Manchester. Best wishes to all the guys from Salford Tech wherever you may be. JBA (Detroit,MI)
In terms of the music? Jerry was absolutely right! I love seeing shows, but festival shows are generally noticeably worse than solo shows. The environment is usually not great, as Jerry says, but more than that the music almost always suffers. Because of the environmental problems.
Was there we travelled by motor up from deepest Kent not an easy feat in those days.... wet & stoned all weekend..Beefheart & New Riders Of The Purple Sage were awesome, the rest was pretty much a blur to be honest sheltering under polythene..
Somehow around 20 or so heads from Glasgow found each other & ended up on Friday night under the polythene at the scaffolding tower in front of the stage. All tripping on various microdots. With the condensation it was almost as wet under the polythene as it was outside.
There were some issues with the festival - the land was low-lying and got very wet - but I will never forget how on the last evening the grey clouds dispersed and we were treated to a glorious cloud-lit sunset during the New Riders' set, and then perfectly dry weather for the fantastic, wonderfully long Dead set. This was a really enjoyable festival: not just the Dead (I'm a UK deadhead and have only got to see them twice - this was the first time - but Incredible String Band, Country Joe, Beefheart … Um, God, I'm forgetting!
This 2 month-ish tour of europe is without even a little bit of doubt is the best tour that these guy's ever did.Period. Anyone who doesn't already have that little suitcase filled with 72 cd's might not get what i am talking about ,but those of us that do have it get the gist. And the people that don't have it by now, i guess you can go and get your vince welnick shows and listen to them
Shotguns and mixing wine that glorious pigpen was feeling fine! Europe 72 if you were there you lucky hahaha hahas,god bless you.I've got my record Europe 72 and she plays all night long,who scratches it will be on fire.
Awesome Voodoo! Thanks so much for this, even the scary bit with the flame diver! I know people who were there, but I only made it to three of the London shows!
I couldn’t take more than a couple hours of the rain, mud and freezing cold. Not my scene. I high-tailed it back to London. I had tix to two of the Lyceum shows a couple weeks later.
You’re absolutely right. That’s because the UK at the time was years behind the States in so many ways. It was a glorious time lag. Today, both countries share the same stupidity, selfishness, mediocrity, greed and violence.
Bickershaw was my only multi-day festival, and memories are badly blurred. I went mainly for the Dead, Beefheart and Family - who were all great (I think) - but I do remember being blown away in particular by the Flamin' Groovies. Like just about everyone there I was out of my gourd - something to do with the opiated resin that was doing the rounds - and for 50 years I haven't been able to get out of my system a vision of huge burning crosses, KKK-style, on the final day. Did that happen? Does anyone else have the same recall? Or was it the opiated resin? I'm confused.
Nope -- it matches the "official" streaming recording on Internet Archive, and is much better quality here. archive.org/details/gd72-05-07.sbd-aud.clugston.9193.sbeok.shnf/gd72-05-07d1t05.shn Super tight Mr. Charlie -- next best to the Europe '72 version imho.
guys i think bickershaw is half way between wigan and leigh ? i love both places ..i lived in a house that belonged to hindley borstal ...at the time of the festival
