Grateful Dead Woodstock 8 16 69 Dark Star

[@lindasanson3094]

This is my Hallowed Ground.....it is part of my DNA...not good or great or bad or sucks...it just IS what it IS and this is my Testament to Spirituality....thank you to a certain Mental Health Nurse who lived in York(UK) who woke me up one morning with tomato soup and a pie - with this blasting out on his stereo - god bless you Terry, you really did add to my life

[@dougpotoksky5415]

Wow! This is a amazing Dark Star! They took the energy of Woodstock and the 60's and bingo! You can hear it in the music. That is the key of what is missing in the music now. For all the folks playing music today. It is about the vibe!!! Not playing the right notes. Peace to everyone!

[@undergroundjohnny]

I totally agree Doug. Cheers mate!

[@dr.barrycohn5461]

I was there in 1969, they were fooking great!!! So was Ten Years After and they never get any credit.

[@vagueplacebusiness8026]

Surprisingly , probably one of the most underated darkstars of all time , beautiful ☮️.

[@undergroundjohnny]

You are so right. This DS is wonderful!

[@Heretic_Hero]

HFFOFFICIAL this is my favorite dark star version

[@Kylegatzke1997]

It’s definitely their best dark star. The most together with pigpen included. If you listen to the pre 70 dark stars they are all amazing, but this one is with all of the ice cream toppings and cherry. Good acid and thousands around you while you jam. Kind of hard not to make a monumental jam with those parameters

[@undergroundjohnny]

Best song at Woodstock!! I always loved this version and it is the best that the Dead played at this show. Bravo! :)

[@munish9037]

I have no idea why people are saying this was the worst performance of the dead!! This dark Star is amazing with a brand new flavor to it. They went a little off a few times for couple seconds, but imagine taking meeting Lucy and trying to play in front of over half a million people!!! Anyone would go insane, but props to the best of the best Grateful Dead, held it together pretty good.

[@dr.barrycohn5461]

I agree.

[@beezyflippins]

Not to mention being electrocuted left and right while being told the stage is collapsing!! Definitely a respectable effort given the conditions

[@LSommer]

It was rough on them! They couldn't reach the level of engagement they normally attained. Being frustrated they basically trashed there own show and set the tone.

[@macymakesmagic]

@@LSommer it’s sad that they would allow that to bring them down. Woodstock is the most iconic hippie concert ever. If the audience was disengaged, it was likely due to them, taking acid, being exhausted, and lacking food and proper restrooms.

[@LSommer]

@macymakesmagic the pa system was fried from the rain. From what I've read everyone was uncomfortable. Bobby was literally scared for his life. Big balls of "lighting" were visible to some. The stage was moving in the muck.

[@lovebuds54]

Ahh! my favorite part is the firehouse subs ad at 8 minutes. Those guys were so ahead of their time with the well placed fast food advertisements. Amazballs!

[@DennisCampbell777]

Garcia on the SG. This was a treat. This sounds infinitely better than anything than anything else I have heard from the Dead at Woodstock. Nice to know there was a survivor! Thanks a ton Kev.

[@MikeKiker]

"Dark Star" is hands down the single greatest thing that the Grateful Dead has ever done. At least this version, Fillmore Feb. '70 and Live/Dead.

[@TheCat1dog]

Check out 3-1-69 Fillmore West. A truly majestically epic Dark Star. imo :)

[@undergroundjohnny]

I agree with you 100 percent! The Dead created allot of great improvised music over the years , but none are as great as the Dark Star platform.

[@josephdesole]

dark star 5-4-72 olympia theater. you won’t regret it.

[@RobotMillionaire]

Live/Dead is the absolute peak of music

[@dr.barrycohn5461]

Possibly you are correct. I was at this Woodstock concert and Dark Star is great always. But, Live/Dead is unbelievable. Saw it at Filmore East and other venues. Turn on you love light with pig Pen was great.

[@bryansmith9310]

Maybe not a popular opinion but despite all the technical problems with their performance at Woodstock this remains far and away my favorite Dark Star

[@sneakerfacevids441]

Mine too !

[@RobotMillionaire]

Have you never listened Live/Dead

[@bryansmith9310]

@@RobotMillionaire absolutely. And woodstock's still my favorite :-)

[@dr.barrycohn5461]

Agreed. I was there and loved it.

[@silverwolfmonastery]

Jerry said that they sucked at Woodstock. He was too hard on himself. This is wonderful

[@dr.barrycohn5461]

Well, it wasn't their best. I was there in 1969. I've seen them at the Filmore East, they were spectacular especially with with Pig Pen doing Turn on your love light.

[@XX-qi5eu]

The P.A. wasn't grounded properly and they kept getting shocked playing in the rain. That's why Jerry didn't like how they played.

[@michaelmohrle1773]

Absolutely, one of the better 1969 performances!

[@silverwolfmonastery]

@@dr.barrycohn5461 It wasn't one of their best. But it was solid, especially considering the logistical challenges.

[@silverwolfmonastery]

@@XX-qi5eu yes, still, it was solid. Jerry was being to critical of himself, which was pretty normal for him.

[@Sargebri]

The funny thing is that even with all the problems they had with this set they still performed fairly well.

[@mosesgarner2404]

I agree and they thought it was terrible. It's damn good even with all the problems working against them.

[@Sargebri]

Yep. Of course, it didn't help that their amps were picking up air force radio or that their instruments were shocking them.

[@mosesgarner2404]

Brian Washington Lol I likeh ow you can hear the Air Force scanners coming through their amps and then getting picked up by the mics. That's funny to me. Things were VERY different back then.

[@reeceschrock396]

the helicopters could have picked up the mics and the musicians should have told them to fuck off or sung to them

[@kimhumphrey2476]

agreed. despite all the troubles. maybe not the best set at woodstock... but this is in my opinion the best moment musically of woodstock. this melted an army of ppl.

[@daskitten1]

I concur with everyone who agrees that this is a damn good, even great DS especially in light of the fact that I had always heard the Dead were unhappy with their performance...

[@daskitten1]

in retrospect, I bet they were happy with their DS at WS

[@jefffisher4449]

really good....different vibe from the others I've listen to....... great stuff!

[@artylavigne8877]

Shocks were the order of the night as the rain fell on The Grateful Dead through out their set! Dark Star was perfect for everyone up on the Hill! Fires burning against the night sky at Max Yasgur's Farm in Bethel!

[@jimmythomas1563]

great show plus the sound is great

[@jamesm8132]

Very unique rendition, awesome

[@cjhmuller]

disclaimer 13:13 Real footage starts about 13 minutes and has a time code. because this was the worst performance of the dead!! Mostly graphics but includes 5 minutes of black and white footage.

[@michaelmohrle1773]

Great Dark Star! Do not understand all the talk how bad they played. This should have been in the movie. Time for an updated version that has the Dead set!!

[@zscheuch]

The Grand Daddy of all Jams.

[@dbellaart]

Sound engineering by Owsley Stanley.

[@UncleTravelingMatt2]

The magic really did happen at Woodstock for the Dead. Just took some technical difficulties to Wade through first. It’s as if they’re alone exploring this insane sound space, they’re just themselves, and there’s an audience of 400,000 people. Incredible. After listening to lots of Woodstock shows and coming back home to the Dead, Jerry’s guitar sound is just so distinct even for the era. His style is not like any other you hear at Woodstock, and I don’t think anyone jammed quite as intensely as them. The Airplane came close but not like the Dead.

[@tundratunes]

I am pretty psyched for the Chicago shows in July, even though my last of ca. 40 shows was in 1993 with Jerry in good form.

[@chrisgott7766]

+Bruce It was epic

[@dagmarvecernikova6658]

This music makes me free.

[@sneakerfacevids441]

Yes

[@iandudleyx9480]

My spirit animal is that person who screams when they play the opening riff. And I have to admit Tom C. is probably the most musically advanced key player the dead had. But that doesn't mean pig should play bongos

[@Heretic_Hero]

This is my favorite DS version

[@MichaelHansenFUN]

I sweatr during the 1990s or the 2000 there was a radio broadcast of some Woodstock thing where they played GRATEFUL DEAD LOVELIGHT I think it was soundboard

[@LSommer]

Beautiful drumming coming out of the first verse.

[@chrisgott7766]

damn nice dark star imho

[@tylerhornbacj113]

music at its finest folks ✌❤(~);}

[@tarzangv]

This is great.

[@dmr9767]

Es espectacular!! Cuando queria Jerry Garcia empezaba la psicodelia porque el era la psicodelia en persona. Pocos musicos pueden decir eso. Con esta cancion y un poco de yerba he llegado a volar con los ojos cerrados. Solo tengo que poner el lp live/dead , poner la primera cara del disco y vuala, empezar a volar.

[@davidovix93]

claro que si!

[@marcolascaraky5044]

There were no images of the Dead inside the Woodstock fillm released in 1970....(the first version that i have seen in 1973 end in Italy) .Apart he Garcia arrive in helicopter near and behind the stage meeting G. Slick and J. Joplin...

[@thebreathalyzer]

There was just a bit of interview with Jerry talking about all the cars in the road.. like Jack Straws!

[@itscs1175]

Even though this was one of the biggest festivals in the US, I was told many times that this was the worst performance by the Grateful Dead, Just goes to show how high they set the bar considering how good their "worst" set is. Shocked they didn't bring back the keyboard for more performances.

[@davidscott1052]

The dead were ahead of their time compared with the other acts that appeared

[@johnsabino3444]

Could someone please tell me who is playing organ on the Woodstock dark star while pig is playing congas?

[@undergroundjohnny]

That would be the illustrious Tom Constanten.

[@kevinthaynes]

Tom Constanten. The first in a long line of Dead Keyboardists who is still alive.

[@bob733333]

This had to have been a high point of the evening...but it got buried..?? WTF is wrong with people?

[@MPM.Mikus.P.]

"Dark Star" a jazzy acid number, mystified by dead heads.

[@UncleTravelingMatt2]

Phil talks about Woodstock in his autobiography, he was coming down from acid during this set, and he talks about all the issues mentioned. This is the highlight of the show, they opened with St. Stephen but halfway through they went into Mama Tried, then the PA cuts out. Had it not, they mighta gone back into St. Stephen later and finished it. Technical difficulties ruined their set. Lovelight was solid though after this.

[@ChihuahuaChappie]

chills

[@JAIMEHERNANDEZ-cg7ly]

No era necesario distorsionar el video. Esto es psicodelia pura.

[@kingplush4749]

Man it was all part of it. I miss your bad, but all these punks these days fucked it up.rip jerr

[@DRIPMOSCATTO]

Dude… cooked as cook. Rough year, bad times. New year, fluctuation of spirituality and everything is a win. The Galaxy gives and takes. But so good when it gives after a bad take.

[@nyclass22]

The woodstock performances sound fine to me. I know they didn't enjoy the experience very much because of technical issues but the only weak performance to my ears is a some-what belabored "Lovelight"; it sounds like they are trying to whip up some excitement that they are not feeling.

[@reeceschrock396]

Neil Murphy I agree. It's good. From beginning to what they tried to get out

[@stefanrandall8345]

Neil Murphy yeah I can hear that.

[@lizlalove6171]

This is a pure instrumental? Pretty wild that Jerry didn't sing for this. Just jammed. But it's some jam--

[@nyclass22]

a little mic feedback on the otherwise excellent "Dark Star", unfortunately.

[@tarzangv]

Sounds good to me. Light up another doobie.

[@mikesaunders4775]

Dark Star is to The Dead what A Love Supreme is to John Coltrane,why were they left out of the film?

[@Bethunel]

mike saunders Is

[@drmlabs]

Dead didn't like their performance, so choose not to give their permission

[@sneakerfacevids441]

Most of the footage was way too dark. But they did get in the bonus footage of the Director’s Cut, years later- Mama Tried and Lovelight

[@mikesaunders4775]

@@sneakerfacevids441 That explains it. I'll have to check out the Directors Cut. Thanks.

[@sneakerfacevids441]

@@mikesaunders4775 I think to get Mama Tried AND Lovelight you have to get The Amazon Prime version….otherwise just Lovelight. But it is an amazing complete 38 minute version !

[@RobertIsraelKabakoff]

Is this from Woodstock?

[@sweetpeajunglebean]

Yeah, I don't get the band's hatred of the Woodstock set. This one is a bit more lurching in places, but still magnificent. I guess it's like the 'pushed Phil down the stairs' story. It's hard to be objective about your own creation sometimes.

[@dreamwell2020]

I'd heard that at Woodstock they never got it together at all. Not true, apparently.

[@sneakerfacevids441]

Dreamwell Clearly not true.This was an amazing Dark Star.

[@josiahgreen242]

The main reason why Woodstock was a bad performance for them was more due to equipment and sound failures. No matter how good you are, when speakers and mics blow out and people can’t hear, it throws your rhythm out of wack. Some of this stuff has been remastered over the years ti disguise the real sound.

[@MPM.Mikus.P.]

Ghost Storm.

[@TheRelentlessness]

Is it true Grateful Dead didn't like this performance?

[@sneakerfacevids441]

KD Gray They claimed their performance sucked, but obviously if you just listened to this you know it didn’t. They had a lousy time, and apparently projected those feelings about it onto their false claims that they didn’t play well. They created this underdog notion that “we blew it at all the big ones.” Just not true.

[@ellencalabrese5308]

Crosby and nash n stills did this too in the 80s I went on the road for a week with them was alotta fun

[@vitorugo]

LSD ;D

[@ZavnorZ]

As stoned on acid as they were at the time it's a wonder they could play at all. Read the book by their head roadie.

[@reeceschrock396]

ZavnorZ you mean Parish?

[@benjamincox4211]

69

[@lithograph-yx2ds]

Bobby’s rhythm playing at 3:08 sounds dope

[@josiahgreen242]

The main reason why Woodstock was a bad performance for them was more due to equipment and sound failures. No matter how good you are, when speakers and mics blow out and people can’t hear, it throws your rhythm out of wack. Some of this stuff has been remastered over the years ti disguise the real sound.