Grateful Dead - Lovelight 5/7/1972

Grateful Dead doing Turn On Your Lovelight on 5/7/1972 at the Bickershaw Festival, Wigan, England. A Betty Board recording.

[@ShakeyDarkStar]

The stretch from 8:33 - 10:33 is everything I love about the early Grateful Dead. Jerry playing loose and easy, Phil dropping bombs effortlessly, Bob carefully adding the perfect compliments, and bill giving the whole crazy mess some legs to stand on. The cowboy/bluesy feeling this song has is wonderful. Like you are flying a spaceship through the Wild West with so much to think and feel. Simply wonderful, and like nothing I’ve ever heard.

[@jeffreymcmeans1147]

I was at this festival having driven my Red VW Bug up from Portugal. Got in free, too. I convinced the guy who put the whole gig on that I was an advance electrician for the band and I wandered around onstage with a screwdriver for a few hours before the band showed up and I sauntered offstage to enjoy the show. then on to London and Amsterdam for those shows. A few days later, I saw Pig for the last time in Rotterdam. Still miss him and Jerry, Keith, Vince, Brent, Bill Graham, too.

[@oysterman12johnnybuckets3]

Love to hear stories like that! I bet that road trip... and I mean trip was incredible.

[@BroscoWankston]

Lotta guys..

[@moppi2007]

I wish I could jave lived those epic times. I missed the best years of my life cuz I was born too late :(

[@duffman7793]

That’s the most Dead thing a dead head ever deaded lol

[@trevorheadrick2185]

So Sweet. Thank you so much for sharing

[@1blastman]

This was performed about 40 days before Pigpen did his last show, and he died 10 months after this. He was the Dead's party spirit - he would always get the crowd wild and rowdy. He put the fun in FUNK!

[@billielawson361]

We love you pigpen

[@markcraven3842]

Phil's base is fricken outstanding....

[@Natashahoneypot]

Mum says I was at this festival when I was 11 mths old, and she was waving me about in the air so I could watch the stage, and took me on stage at the end to dance with everyone. that someone tuned to her and said I bet she'll be musical when she grows up. Dad said he was pushing me in the pram and the crowd parted to let us through, but that he accidentally rolled the pram over an american lady who was lying down. She said, "do you mind..am tryna sleep!!". Good times ( i remember nothing) :)

[@neildhan]

I'm surprised nobody has commented on this is 7 years. It's a great story, and it sounds like your parents are very cool.

[@KJBonly]

What a great story! Tysm for sharimg

[@artvandelay3252]

That is an awsome story! 🤙🏻

[@raphaelfritzler7799]

I never liked them. Until my friend played me this show; I was blown away. Still am. Peace and blessings from NYCity. 🙏❤️

[@oysterman12johnnybuckets3]

It only takes one... before you know it it’s 35 years later and your still listening to the one that got ya!

[@KarlKrogmann]

1972 is the gateway drug for live Dead. It only takes one.

[@tygr8fulyoyo684]

❤😢 Little late, but grew up on it,them, & ALL the above. Forever Gr8ful 🎉😂😢!!!!!

[@glennquagmire250]

i would love to see any rapper nowadays put half thier heart into a song that pigpen does in this song. So friggin' awesome

[@Darrylizer1]

My fav period of the band, late '71 and Europe '72 with Pigpen on organ and Keith Godchaux on piano! Unbeatable duo in the keys department. I love Pigpen and Keith.

[@badtexasbill5261]

No one did it like pigpen. No one.

[@Bubz-jz7ct]

This song i found at the heights of extasy in my pathetic little life, its sharp words sabbotaged my relationship slowly slowly from the inside. yet i couldnt stop listening. its been years now and i still hold this song up to one of the greatest pieces of music to ever bless my ears. i would be crying to its beauty, its ups and downs. but must of all. crying to rons honesty in his vocals. i tainted my karma with this wonderful bipolar piece of magnificence. LET IT SHINE LET IT SHINEEE OONNNN MEEE LET IT SHINEE OONNN MEEE just a little bit

[@milesmcdonough43]

Lol hahaha😂😂😂😂😂😂😂👍🏿

[@joel46n24]

What are you on ? Cause its working haha

[@davidfugatt372]

What an asshole its a great song.

[@TheMiracleproducts]

I'll have what he's having....

[@alarakoknar5591]

felt the exact same way whenever I'm on acid this is my go-to song lol

[@richardseegman803]

Great performance! Thank you Pigpen, the unknown member of the 27 Club . . .

[@babyj1996]

i miss Pigpen !! i love when he did lovelight with Janis Joplin !

[@julieclifford7698]

Wonder which show… awesome 💜💝

[@bradbarnes3963]

😮.would've loved that!

[@buckodonnghaile4309]

​@julieclifford7698 7/16/70

[@roseblake5803]

The bass and drums here are out of this world !!!!! What a funking good jam.

[@sauquoit13456]

Exactly fifty years ago today on May 24th, 1970 the Grateful Dead made their United Kingdom concert debut with a four-hour show at the Hollywood Music Festival at Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Newcastle, England... They opened their set with "Casey Jones" and seventeen songs later ended with "Turn On Your Love Light"... Mungo Jerry was the opening act, and at the time his "In The Summertime" was at #13 on the U.K. Singles chart at the time...

[@stevekimberley]

I was there! I was dancing...the sun came out...!

[@davepearson276]

+Steve Kimberley me too :-))

[@robertwood4681]

+Dave Pearson And me!

[@daveyboy8907]

thats like when they play standing on the moon abd then tbe clouds break and theres the moon for tbe rest of the song... or when it rained during cold rain and snow... AMAzing things happened at these shows,, simple yet amazing....

[@davidfugatt372]

No you wernt.

[@vampireslayerslayer5501]

Steve Kimberley they always made things brighter ✌🏼

[@allanrosenwasser3810]

Yes saw pigpen my first few Dead shows. Fillmore Feb. 1970 an July at Portchester Capitol theatre 1970. Both awesome. Pig was down an gritty Turn On your Lovelights an let it shine still shing after 54 years

[@martinwall7297]

the dead closed there show at the 49th st.theather in Bklyn,NY with this song, when I went outside after the show, the sun was coming up, I was coming down, they must have played 6 or 7 hr.becaused the new riders opened for them.the shit you remember when you're having fun!

[@marcinfo3099]

For me, this is a top 3 GD song, excellent !

[@khatarootube]

This is one epic version of Lovelight! I am lovin it!!

[@eoswald203]

gaaaawwwd damn! this is goooooooood Lovelight!

[@markchacon7002]

1968 was my very first GD experience 🌉🌉🎼🎙️💖🎼🌉🌉

[@philc1968]

superb version, i love the suttle subtleties ... , mmmm

[@oysterman12johnnybuckets3]

They are on point, one of the best lovelights.

[@cdejewel]

Yessssss just went into a whole hearted interpretive dance spasm in my living room 😂💯☮️❤️💃 find your tribe

[@Jsizzler2]

And leave it on!!!

[@bradbarnes3963]

Saw em do this Santa Monica Civc Auditorium. Used a coathanger to open a back door. Saw the best concert of my life! Pigpen included!

[@charliemcintyre7564]

Make sure the grandkids know about this. When my dad was that age he was flying over hostile Berlin. When I was that age I was doing neither You were in the sweet spot and went for it

[@obsidianchao]

This one is electric!!

[@GucciTheGlacier]

This is a great lovelight!

[@contactkeithstack]

7:38 we miss you Jerry

[@codyagans1894]

I love how Jerry slowly gets into the jam, then it's so smooth.

[@joeyslick2072]

Hey leave it on ! 💜

[@johndowling3569]

Perhaps the sickest dead song ever (if one can choose one)?

[@khatarootube]

+John Dowilng I'm with you on this one!!

[@brettbillings2987]

diamond dupree is pretty sick haha

[@kundaliniization]

Tastebud was a contender ❤️

[@joshuateubanks4302]

Bob and Jerry and Phil in this are steady.

[@ghays9742]

Pigpen brought that energy like a lightning bolt, Brent had some of that as well. Mojo Kind

[@shill9315]

True true

[@96Mustang5]

Pigpen, leader of the band!!!!

[@tygr8fulyoyo684]

I was 7 yrs old ❤😂🎉!!! YOYOYO

[@rsohlich1]

Oh Yea! This is another great version of "shine on your lovelight." My fav version is on a greatest hits cassette and has a lot of soul in it, like this one too. :)

[@joshball7641]

Phillip is ripping absolute flames at 9:00

[@gratefuldingus360]

Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!

[@tonifitch3443]

Pigpen is da man!

[@thebigmoo]

Speech less.. incredible

[@pyewackett5]

Oh , this is good ...

[@indigomontoya7245]

Pigpen is still the man

[@ryanzoerner2359]

Flaming pixels, in the jumbo-tron of the eye-panel.

[@davidfugatt372]

The OG Lead singer of the dead. FACT. ?

[@riomarkz7602]

David Fugatt fact. Jerry became the frontman after pigpen passed away

[@ride2wheeled]

Oh great sound!!! I'm putting this recording on my channel, if I don't have it already. One of the best jams. I think I'll start a play list with that title. It will be nothing but great jams, of great songs, by great bands like this. Love your show.

[@Rlee1776]

Perks of being older seeing the dead when Pigpen was alive. What I remember from the concert was too large gongs and that massive piano Pigpen played.

[@MetaphysicalMusicMaven]

Happy Birthday Ron🎂⚡⚡⚡❤❤❤⚘⚘⚘

[@sunshineharris3215]

My love light is always on always loving pig pen

[@sald0717]

Couldn't pass up a recording of one of my favorite songs on my 12th birthday ;-) Thank you!

[@azaryd]

Oh yeah, this is the good Stuff!! :)

[@Lilleopea]

let it shine

[@joeryan1369]

05-07-72 Bickershaw Festival, Wigan, England (Sun) 1: Truckin, Sugaree, Mr. Charlie, Deal, BIODTL, He's Gone, Chinatown Shuffle, China Cat> I Know You Rider, B. T. Wind, Next Time, Playin, Tennessee Jed, Good Lovin, Casey Jones 2: Greatest, Big Boss Man, Ramble On, Jack Straw, Dark Star> Drums> Other One> Sing Me Back Home, Sugar Magnolia, Lovelight> GDTRFB> NFA E: Saturday Night Bill Kreutzmann's 26th birthday - also: NRPS

[@brennanc4321]

there was nothing like the dead with Pig Pen and Tom Constaten Pig pen brough his blues Tom brought a quick jazz but in 1972 even though he was still kicking Keith joined to fill Toms shoes when he left. But the deads musical eras are based of whos on the keys.

[@garyrasberryjr.552]

Never had an issue with Keith. although he preferred just playing piano and not organ. Ned Lagin would usually sit in on B3 when they needed an organ or clavicord.

[@Sachabear1]

Me Too! Wasn't that a time? So freaking wet muddy and cold for 2 1/2 days and then....and you're British. I came all the way from colonial Canada.

[@dylanjohnson-knaup1666]

Hot damn Jerry just rips right into it

[@Zopf-international]

Wonderful concert. Wonderful festival. Thanks for the time uploading Tim. Regards.

[@bhstone1]

I think they say if you remember it then you weren't there, and if you were there then you surely don't remember it. :)

[@stevekimberley]

I remember dancing in the mud in front of the stage, my flared denim jeans were coated solid damn near up to my knees. Dr John had been on the night before and had scattered handfuls of glitter sequins around during his set, so the mud was full of little shining stars... :-)

[@mjdayetube]

Rippin' it up.

[@GypsyRose333]

I hate when people say The Dead is nothing without Jerry, the Dead lost their REAL heart when Piggy left us.

[@CRITICNO]

very well said and particularly regarding those beautiful lyrics since you brought it up.

[@cdejewel]

Let your love light shine ❤💯☮️❤️

[@pevsfreedom]

*Bows before the almighty Pig*

[@JasonPatterson-jr2ww]

Badass

[@CRITICNO]

The remainder of 1972 was good, at least.

[@Sunshines771]

Wanna be there now

[@krnhersh]

hey- this starts out like Treme!!!!!

[@phil36135]

The guitar solo sounds a lot like Allman Bothers. style.I just wander if one of them were influenced by the other. but who influenced who?

[@angrybrids-t2q]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@NoRosesForMe]

♥~*``~**~~Pigpen~~**~``*~♥

[@LionelBundy]

You're right, Jerry tears it up on this track. What a stylist, what a fucking virtuoso. Don't kid-----Pigpen was great, but the Dead made one helluva lot more music after 1972, and Jerry was who everyone went to see. BTW---We saw them in San Diego once when Jerry had laryngitis, We heard every Bob Weir song they could think of, including Big Iron and El Paso, Weird, but wonderful nonetheless.

[@joel46n24]

michael darcy what was the party scene like? At the shows I mean.

[@electrickrain]

I heard Jerry made up for it with his guitar playing and solos

[@tirtha11]

Pigpen Zindabad!

[@PaulJersey]

Not that it matters now, with Pig Pen and Garcia both no longer with us, but I wonder if the Dead would of tried their Working Man's Dead & American Beauty country albums with Pig Pen around. He would of been like "we a rock band fellows, leave that country shit for Merle Haggard"...LOL!

[@rsohlich1]

@elric36 I meant the best of on Skeletons....your right. But this one is still really great.

[@AloysiusScrimshaw]

🦈👁️

[@themistyfyingone1335]

💃💃💃🌞

[@BroscoWankston]

Never forget what they took from you

[@elric36]

@rsohlich1 i would say this version sounds pretty much like the version from "Skelletons from the Closet"- Best Of, do you mean this one?

[@ccohen530]

@GypsyRose333 the dead IS nothing without jerry, but on a side note PIGPEN fuck yaaaah....incredible!!! @jakethesnake576 i'm pickin up what you're puttin down.

[@timothyball419]

The dead are sounding juicy here😂.

[@brianebersole422]

Pig Pin!!!!!❤

[@mikemestas9835]

to me the GD were even next to the BEATS a hippy Renassaince if you will...

[@raedaddy163]

you sound like a good kid

[@cmasseylynch]

nice footage......errr no footage.

[@johnhebert6280]

If the Dead & Phish play covers of other people's music, they means they must listen to other music than their own- maybe you should too !

[@effyoo6081]

John Hebert ..are you trying to say people only listen to music they themselves create?. This is an odd statement. Although I think you mean to say that if the dead listen to all styles of music, then you should too, which is odd in itself. How would you even know what music was if you hadn't heard some type of song before, even if it was the beating of your mothers heart in the womb, holy shit, too much acid making me overthink again...down the rabbittt hhhooolllleeeeee

[@robinsvenson3076]

There's no comparison!

[@jakethesnake576]

@GypsyRose333 the dead arent anything without Jerry, but they certianly lost quite a bit when they lost pigpen the sound COMPLETELY changed. then again, pig pen was a huge influence in turning them into the rock-ish band that they were. While he could sing the blues like nobodys business he couldnt play the organ to fit with them and while I love pigpen and think the dead wouldnt be anything if they had NEVER had him, I think they were able to grow quite a bit once he passed on

[@manthonyiovine]

Garcia is got that Dicky Betts thing only better

[@billdedman2971]

Can someone explain to me the appeal of this song? It contains exactly TWO chords.... TWO. Where is your capacity for harmonic boredom??? Is there no tendency to want to hear some root movement in the harmonic structure of this song? It is BORING..... Listen to Steely Dan's music. It was never one-dimensonal like this. I just truly don't get it.... It is so harmonically-limiting. The groove is unmistakable; they know how to put together a toe-tapping rhythm; that's for sure.... but, I miss the tone-colors and rainbow of the beautiful chord changes that are possible with a group of talented musicians like this. Guess I just always look for interesting chord changes, because I know what is possible. So did Becker/Fagen. They never recorded ONE song that was so limiited in harmonic scope, like this.

[@francoramazani]

+bill dedman That's the point, though, isn't it? The Dead could be wonderfully harmonically diverse (listen to some of their '73/'74 shows), but occasionally they tried to test how far they could push music within harmonic constraints. Turns out they could push it pretty fuckin' far. This is an excellent version; many of the '72 "Lovelight"s were comparable with the Fillmore '69 ones.

[@rebarton2]

+bill dedman but Lovelight was at its peak when the Dead still billed themselves as at least partly a dance band. The long lovelights not only allowed solos (on 2 or 3 chords), but were easily danceable by all the heads in attendance. While I absolutely LOVE the Dan, they weren't interested in that sort of live, dancing group-think kind of experience. Apples and Oranges

[@remnantsdemo6497]

I used to question the Dead and their long monotonous songs. I used to tell my friend (who turned me on to the Dead) to turn it off. He would just smile and kind of dance around to it and say "Someday you'll know." Well one night he took us to see the Dead. We all did mushrooms and smoked a good amount of bud. We are all musicians so we were ready to be entertained. over 75 shows later, I can say that I know. And unfortunately if you havent seen the Dead with Jerry Garcia live, you have no way of knowing......this is a dance song and it works.....There's a reason that they sold out every show for decades. There is a reason that many many people followed this band from show to show. I wish that i could explain it to you better but, yeah, you ARE missing something.....Sadly....YOU HAD TO BE THERE ....

[@remnantsdemo6497]

+bill dedman I've seen Steely Dan live also and was super entertained but it's a different thing...

[@bitterootfarm]

+bill dedman Just....turn on your Lovelight. Duh!

[@sams220guy3]

❤❤❤❤❤