A wonderful nite. This was a Hells Angel sponsored party (for Sonny Barger who was battling a heroin rap out West and which was finally dismissed the following year ('77) with Elephants Memory (Lennon's backup band) along with Bo Diddley opening for JGB. Beautiful Sept. early evening as we cruised over on the SI ferry (found a whole script bottle full of black hash too :-) - seeing Harleys lined up all in a roiw along "The Battery" glistening in the fading sunlight. Chapters from Mass., Nebraska, and California as I remember. On board (around 7) we made our way up the Hudson. Video screens and bars on each deck. So much Nitrous (not my bag, but you'd think Jim Morrison was up there, the way the young chicks gravitated to the balloons being given out) on top deck - and eventually tossed over the side to the yell of "Man Overboard!". At around 17:50 the crowd gets a bit ecstatic and while the film doesn't show it, the Dutchess had turned about and sailed into her own wake and the boat began to 'rock' for about 5 seconds to the delight of everyone on board. I'm sure that's what Garcia mentions to Kahn a few seconds later. Nice ride, great evening (We berthed early morning 1-2am). This show was sealed in that silver mine till this beauty of a vid appeared.
Yeah brother jack this pure dope,that would be a fuckin glorious party on that boat,everone loaded good fun and trouble.Respect and love to you and yours.Take care brother peace.
Maurice Cybervangelist Then what finally got him, lung cancer, from the most commonly used psychoactive and addictive drug in the US. Tobacco added to Garcia's early demise also.
When asked what was the most intense show I've ever attended, I always flash on this evening. I had never feared for my life at any concert before this one or since. I'd already been to over 50 Dead and JGB shows all across the country. It "event" was staged on a decrepit old harbor ferry, the S.S. Duchess, that had long been retired from public service. For good reason. We cast off from the dock hours late due to maintenance issues and a last minute FDNY "Inspection" and proceeded on an anything but a leisurely five hour cruise. I had just turned 17 five days before. Elephants Memory were scheduled to open. Rumors were persistent that John Lennon and Yoko Ono were going to perform with them as they had been showing up at the local NYC bands occasional shows. They didn't. Probably because Elephants Memory never even showed up themselves. Bo Diddly was also listed on the concert poster and in the print ads. He didn't make it to the dock either. No reasons nor refunds were offered up by the shows "hosts", the Manhattan chapter of the Hell's Angels. The whole shebang was ostensibly marketed as "Jerry Garcia's Birthday Party" although it was being held about a month after that blessed event. The boat was in deplorable condition. The one bathroom didn't function as such, it was just a place for junkies to shoot up in. Hells Angels were all over the place and none of them paid to get in. They were busy “working" by running the “security" on board. One of them had the temerity to grab the microphone and tell the band to: "Pick up the pace! We're here to see some Rock and Roll" after a couple of tunes! Fukin speed freaks. They got so out of hand that people were scared shitless. You had no place to run from their sudden outbursts of violence. I just tried to make myself as small and imperceptible as possible while tripping my brains out. The vibe was definitely not a psychedelic one though, it was more like NYC China White heroin, which had been killing junkies up and down Manhattan that whole year. I kept wondering what was splashing into the Hudson River shortly after we embarked North towards the George Washington bridge. Surely there can't be that much trash. Finally I realized that it was fellow concert goers that had somehow run afoul of the HA's. That didn't take much coaxing. A missperceived stare or not moving out of their way fast enough or maybe they simply didn't like your look and you were hustled topside and thrown overboard. Honestly, I couldn't wait for the show to end and be back at the dock.
They had a point about picking up the pace. Crikey, 1965 or 1966 Jerry could've played rings around this --- if only we could get that confounded time warp going!!
Bo Diddley did show and he did do a set. Don't know where the fck you were and there's a good possibility you weren't even on the boat with the nonsense you're speaking of. Btw, asshole, those splashes were nitrous tanks being tossed over. If a concert goer was sent overboard and drowned it would have been a big black mark in the annals of the band. I was so comfortable this night. Had an Angel slip on a wet floor right in front of us. Got up laughing, after we had asked if he was ok. You know what? You're a pansy, and you made this whole story up.
I was NOT at this show, but I did attend several Fillmore East concerts where a lot of Hell's Angels showed up. They scared the shit out of me, too, no matter how tight they reputedly were with the band. As wonderful as they were, and as much as I loved and still do love them, there was a dark underside to the Grateful Dead, which should not be romanticized away. As Donna (for whom I had no use, musically) said, after she and Keith left the band, "The Grateful Dead is not a benign thing."
in the 80s we used to go on the "Blues Cruise" dancing onboard as we sailed around NY Harbor....... is that what the SS Dutchess was this show???!!!!!!! if so wow!
Wowsa ... Keith and Donna .... Catfish John is an awfully odd song to open with but the Donna / Jerry harmonies were pretty awesome! Really slow tempos overall ... definitely a unique and short lived lineup for JGB....
Ah the infamous Pirates Ball. Note Free Sony Barger T Shirts. Nice mellow cruise around Manhattan with the Angels hosting the party. Amazing there is video. You rock Voodoo Nola! Long live Sonny!
I can't say I'm proud of this, but then again, the dissolution of pride, ego, self, all occurred the night of one Garcia concert at the Palace Theatre in Waterbury, Ct; prob 78. On that night a man sold me 2 hits of what he said was half moon blotter acid straight from Cali. Being a young "curious trusting" Dead Head, I did one, literally saw God (white internal infinitely expansive White Light)!!!!, and put the other in my wallet only to find it mysteriously gone the next am. One shot deal with The Lord I guess, but really, that's all it took! Never the same again. Oh, & on the head phones that night in bed- Blues for Allah.
It's called half moon for a reason. I don't know about it coming from Cali as we were buying it in Times Square at about the same time. That cid rocked. We turned a whole town on to it one night and the cops were fkn baffled.
Well if it came from Owsley himself... Many years after he went to jail though?? He was the king in purification I hear. I had "experienced" many other trips which expressed themselves in a very visual, intense way. This was soooo different. As light as a gentle breeze. Felt absolutely nothing as I was driven home, just really high, and then I was gone and back, in one flash. Instantaneous. "That was weird"! Later while lying in bed in absolute darkness with eyes closed I spiraled down that internal colored lace tunnel until I somehow spun myself so small and condensed that I flew into an infinite expanse of pure white light. I seemed to have "transcended" all vibration and darkness that my mind held, showing me the underlying nature of Myself. WOW. What more can be said? Nothing will ever be the same. The "cover" of the world has been blown and I wish all my other "selves", all my brothers and sisters would wake up to the true nature of their higher self. We can all meet there. We will!
I saw a similar lineup about this same time period in Sacramento at a lovely little dive called Crabshaw Corners. At the time I was a mechanic at a little VW shop in town, and the owner of the club traded tickets to us techs instead of paying money. It was great!
Hey, how about some ah.. of that cookin' music? get on down with dat boogie beat.. what a treat this is! JG on the TB500 through the Boogie Mk1 and K120s Dat Boggie Beat indeed!
Thanks voodoonola, you're the best, these gems you keep adding, or I keep finding, make an old head extremely happy. I'm forever grateful, and the couch tour keeps on keepin on
its funny that during that gd 84 or 86 gd set bob started playing stir it up and he supposedly went up to jerry to ask if he knew the lyrics and he just shakes his head nope and then bob rusn to the mike to try and start the song....gotta love it.....tore up....yeah yeah yeah
Oh God This has made my day. Thanks so much for uploading this timeless jewl. I feel like im in a club with about 20 people watching the Jerry Garcia Band and loving the groove. Man this is GRATE! Pun intended.
And my favorite singer of all time, Roy Orbison! He is featured on the Black&White Night concert too. I'm sure he played a little more than just that night with Roy but anyway, I recommend purchasing the DVD.
Wow awsome to see such clear color video quality from an early JGB show. Theee must be so many jems in there so glad they let this one out to get some air and shine on again. Thanks so much.
The JGB were sure enof letting it all hang out that day!!! What hoodspa playing for the H.A.'s doing their version of the gong show only instead of being gonged they hadda noose hanging from the rafters lol they went on to play a heckava show tho!!Doing that boogie beat as only they could!!!😊😊😊🌹🎼✌
In spite of one of the Angels requests for "Some a dat boooogie music"..I think Jerry kept it low key on purpose....A boat in the middle of the Hudson River and The Angels at full party mode might be "Too Interesting"....Hope this chapter makes it into the movie.
Friggin sauced up Angel wants that "Boogie Beat dare!" definitely from Mass...this was a very very dangerous place to be if act stupid! But oh so nice 👍🏻
Que dogpile and ensuing smashdown for disrespect. I've learned to be ignored rather well. If I grow to comfortable feeling invisible, I will end up prematurely dead, savagely hurt or at a great disadvantage perhaps.... I am not invisible to myself ;-)
stanley was a kind guy very smart and he gave it away for the love of his brothers&sisters he said give some of that away and they will never forgot ya also told me lose lips sinks ships the real capt trips and yes that stuff was life changing for me the best time of my life be kind godance
Had a dear friend get backstage tickets and got near Jerry and just started yelling.. Jerry, Hey Jerry, hey Jerry.. Jerry.... She was removed.. Our other friend was like " No Im not with Her".. ... I'd have done the same..lol.. too many goodies and no common sense.. She was a sweet girl, passed away now.
