tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post6012174894041950624..comments2024-03-16T07:13:50.487-07:00Comments on Lost Live Dead: May 7-9, 1968, The Electric Circus, 23 St. Mark's Place, New York, NY: The Grateful DeadCorry342http://www.blogger.com/profile/08049035074121231425noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-91163529884958187832024-02-09T11:28:28.754-08:002024-02-09T11:28:28.754-08:00Cross-posting from a reference to Micheal Grando i...Cross-posting from a reference to Micheal Grando in the Grateful Dead Guide:<br /><br />The connection to Micheal Grando would be via the Electric Circus, where he performed for a couple of years. The Grateful Dead appeared there May 7 to 9, 1968, so they would have shared the stage with him. Grando passed away on January 15, 2024.<br /><br />The insightful article "Micheal Grando - The Man and The Genius" appears on page 3 of the Sept. 25, 1973 issue of "The Quill" https://docs.rwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1093&context=the_quill Also on that page, coincidentally, is a review of the Grateful Dead concert from Sept. 15, 1973 (part of the "With Horns" tour) at the Providence Civic Center; the Sept. 14, 1973 concert there had been cancelled. More newspaper articles and posters from that date are here: https://www.rirocks.net/Band Articles/Grateful Dead 1973 09.14 - Prov. Civic Center.htm <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-11189768307444775792024-02-06T09:30:56.517-08:002024-02-06T09:30:56.517-08:00Micheal Grando, mentioned in a comment above as a ...Micheal Grando, mentioned in a comment above as a mime at the Electric Circus, passed away on January 15, 2024. He spent a number years performing at WaterFire Providence https://waterfire.org/remembering-michael-grando/ Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-62603819106036489962024-01-20T05:46:27.446-08:002024-01-20T05:46:27.446-08:00PS I also saw The Dead around the corner at the El...PS I also saw The Dead around the corner at the Electric Circus one of those nights too. Those were the days!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-17910263205647011292024-01-20T05:44:49.466-08:002024-01-20T05:44:49.466-08:00I worked as an usher at FE. (Orange jumpsuit!) Eit...I worked as an usher at FE. (Orange jumpsuit!) Either $5 or perhaps a "joint" or two would get you in a side door too. I worked that Jimi show and went into work early and got a free private concert - Jimi's sound check. Sly and FS were pretty much Boo-ed throughout their opening if I remember correctly so you didn't miss much.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-29573699618294469822021-04-24T06:15:09.000-07:002021-04-24T06:15:09.000-07:00I was at the May 7 show, a 14 year old runaway at ...I was at the May 7 show, a 14 year old runaway at the time. It was not a weekend stand. May 7 was a Tuesday. The place was not packed. I bought a ticket for the early show and there were about a dozen or two people there. They didn't run me out after the first show and so I saw the second as well. The place was about half full for the 2nd show. They opened the first show with "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" and ended the set with "Turn On Your Lovelight". Somewhere in there were "Beat It On Down The Line" and "Morning Dew". The second show/set opened with "He Was A Friend Of Mine" and closed with "Alligator/Caution". I was scarred for life!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13961103683624538762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-27527895461190181922021-02-01T10:13:00.555-08:002021-02-01T10:13:00.555-08:00Christmas 1968 Timothy Leary came to the Electric ...Christmas 1968 Timothy Leary came to the Electric Circus. I was there sitting on the floor as he taught us how to control a bad trip moving the acid down from our bad tripping friend's heads to their little toes. I was living on E7th St betw Aves A and B before moving into my apt at 99 St Marks Place. We had no idea we were an historic note later to be discussed on the interwebgenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11691980290246626190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-27538041743484728882020-04-09T11:20:23.879-07:002020-04-09T11:20:23.879-07:00While the SF Mime Troupe may have visited with the...While the SF Mime Troupe may have visited with the Dead in May '68, the Electric Circus also had its own similar (but less political) troupe. Performers like Hovey Burgess, Larry Pisoni, and Judy Finelli would appear as clowns, mimes, jugglers, acrobats & dancing gorillas at the Electric Circus, and in 1969 formed their own street troupe, the Circo dell'Arte, which was partly inspired by the SF Mime Troupe and the commedia dell'arte tradition in Europe. <br />As reviews mention, the Electric Circus regularly interspersed circus acts with their rock shows - "trapeze artists, jugglers, fire eaters and unicycles coming down a wire" - and there were mime groups in NYC who could have appeared. <br />One musician remembered, "The Electric Circus was supposed to be a circus so there were people who were there every week. There was a mime, Michael Grando. One act was a guy who walked around in a gorilla suit and he used to do tumbling and other stuff. There was a woman, she used to come out dressed as a nun [but] she had rubber balls and she would start juggling them." <br />One article on mime Michael Grando specifically said he'd appeared with the Dead, so that might have been at the Electric Circus (or the Fillmore East). <br /><br />Given the conditions at the Electric Circus, I'm amazed anybody could even identify the Dead, let alone the mimes appearing with them! Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-78203128423131058002020-04-07T11:05:02.742-07:002020-04-07T11:05:02.742-07:00There's every reason to believe this story is ...There's every reason to believe this story is true. Electric Circus saw itself as a "performance space," so the Dead sharing the stage with The Mime Troupe totally fits. Thanks for the intriguing detail.<br /><br />Incidentally, I'm pretty confident Time is playing tricks with your memory, in general, but I find the Mime Troupe/Dead pairing to be absolutely likely.Corry342https://www.blogger.com/profile/08049035074121231425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-5340719614938617942020-04-07T10:43:40.531-07:002020-04-07T10:43:40.531-07:00I saw Grateful Dead at the Electric Circus sometim...I saw Grateful Dead at the Electric Circus sometime in 1968 - don't recall the date - and though I might be totally wrong, I recall the San Francisco Mime Troupe sharing the bill with the Dead. Time playing tricks with my memory or true?MikeWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18054885850388240365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-1511662001144231632019-10-08T12:05:49.148-07:002019-10-08T12:05:49.148-07:00Met Hendrix on saint Mark's and 2nd remember i...Met Hendrix on saint Mark's and 2nd remember it , remember the Harley I had at the time, it was parked on the corner a gentleman spoke a minute Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18027011392013393620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-85552751006315024112019-08-22T04:07:08.700-07:002019-08-22T04:07:08.700-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.alisakaren9https://www.blogger.com/profile/14706348791042881242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-17535733825483417182019-06-06T18:53:08.040-07:002019-06-06T18:53:08.040-07:00I went to the electric circus a lot.. I remember s...I went to the electric circus a lot.. I remember seeing bands like deep purple Sly and the family Stone Sha Na Na the James gang.Just tons of good stuff. And yes I attended one of the grateful Dead shows. And I can tell you they were not happy campers!they couldn't understand why we were sitting on the floor just watching them.instead of flailing around and doing the patented grateful dead dance. F*** that,this was New York. I distinctly remember one of them yelling out"This is chicken shit". And I think the audience was thinking the exact same thing. Sorry boys...LAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872644510479127623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-82761887307871641542019-06-06T06:16:23.288-07:002019-06-06T06:16:23.288-07:00I think this is an informative post and it is very...I think this is an informative post and it is very useful and knowledgeable. therefore, I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article. <a href="https://buythe10.com/top-10-best-electric-blankets/" rel="nofollow">Electric Blankets</a><br />Richard H. Blackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14598058396076026111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-61238674320881939902018-01-13T11:03:50.177-08:002018-01-13T11:03:50.177-08:00Howard, this is great stuff, thanks so much. Back ...Howard, this is great stuff, thanks so much. Back then, information was sketchy, so there may have been an incorrect announcement on the radio or something. <br /><br />The timeline detail here is that the Dead were booked at Electric Circus (probably in Feb/March) when the Carousel was competing with Graham. By May, the Dead would have been booked at Fillmore East (for June), so any disputes were smoothed over.<br /><br />So the visit to Fillmore East would have been not only a chance to see Hendrix, but a chance to check out the venue. The Dead had played there in Dec 67 (as Village Theater) but it was a dump. They had to be impressed with the new venue.<br /><br />It also sounds like the Dead made some kind of connection, since Hart ended up jamming with Hendrix. Maybe the seeds were put in place for the aborted Oct 68 jam.Corry342https://www.blogger.com/profile/08049035074121231425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-14223733072319108282018-01-12T08:29:35.173-08:002018-01-12T08:29:35.173-08:00I am sure that we tried to see the Dead at the Cir... I am sure that we tried to see the Dead at the Circus (or at another village club?) and ended up bumping into them at the Fillmore instead. If the Dead were at another NYC village club that weekend then we would have tried to see them at that other club prior to the Fillmore experience, but I have seen no record of another club during that weekend so the Circus seems to be the likely venue. Given that we got the the Fillmore during Hendrix' second set, it is possible the Dead played their first set before heading to the Fillmore themselves. Can't be sure of that, unfortunately. And yes, it was a very cool experience!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08078894131537966352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-11454568396150055142018-01-12T00:40:25.368-08:002018-01-12T00:40:25.368-08:00The 5/10/68 Fillmore East show was Hendrix's o...The 5/10/68 Fillmore East show was Hendrix's only concert in New York City during that time (though he had been jamming at the Generation Club the previous month). There were two shows that day, at 8 & 11:30.<br /><br />I'm a little skeptical that there was any Dead show at the Electric Circus on the 10th... The ad we have states only May 7-9. It's possible that the Dead added an extra show on the 10th, if the Circus was available (I don't know if any other Circus ads exist for that week). But cancelling a just-added show is an odd move. In theory they could just have played an 8:00 show, though.<br /><br />McNally says that at the end of the New York trip, Mickey jammed with Hendrix & others at Hendrix's studio. As noted in a comment above, I'm doubtful of the details (the given date & place can't be right). But now hearing that the Dead were spotted at Hendrix's May 10 show, I'm thinking there's an untold story here... Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-69828494050496090942018-01-11T18:33:25.461-08:002018-01-11T18:33:25.461-08:00That is so cool.
I don't list shows for May 1...That is so cool.<br /><br />I don't list shows for May 10th. How sure are you of the date, and do you suspect the GD did play an early show?Fate Musichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05648291938690043423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-44256768669259039142018-01-11T08:56:12.560-08:002018-01-11T08:56:12.560-08:00"Yet the Grateful Dead played six largely for..."Yet the Grateful Dead played six largely forgotten shows in three nights in Manhattan, on the weekend of May 7, 8 and 9, 1968." <br /><br />On May 10, my buddies and I went to the Circus to see the Dead. Posted on the door was a note that the late performance that night had been cancelled. So we then went over to the Fillmore and bribed the guard ($5 per head and a common practice then) to get in to see Jimi Hendrix and Sly and the Family Stone. Hendrix was already playing by that time (we missed Sly). At the rear of the auditorium we bumped into the Dead...who had elected to cancel their show so they could see Hendrix. One could say that the Dead's first appearance at the Fillmore East was that evening. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08078894131537966352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-55465576655301381602017-11-01T10:42:19.665-07:002017-11-01T10:42:19.665-07:00wonderful post and comments, thanks.wonderful post and comments, thanks.Kevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16000073793284050902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-40414883438050702632014-01-13T17:35:04.364-08:002014-01-13T17:35:04.364-08:00I assume this Comment goes to the Apr 25 '81 p...I assume this Comment goes to the Apr 25 '81 post, but that's OK. The putative date I have is Dec 6 '80, which Deadbase lists as "Mill Valley Rec Center." I have always assumed this to be the Ronald McDonald House show, but it has been impossible to confirm.Corry342https://www.blogger.com/profile/08049035074121231425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-63940938732029278072014-01-13T17:18:06.183-08:002014-01-13T17:18:06.183-08:00"Yes, there were touching stories about the D..."Yes, there were touching stories about the Dead performing at the Ronald McDonald Children's Hospital in San Rafael.<br /><br />Do you have a date that this event took place?Jerry's Brokendown Palaceshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06451361448230329754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-18558208758942443912013-10-14T08:07:21.731-07:002013-10-14T08:07:21.731-07:00We are a small non-profit that is giving away a Gr...We are a small non-profit that is giving away a Grateful Dead Alpaca blanket to promote our FB page come and check us out http://a.pgtb.me/fsjZVbLeon @ 211jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05221490639677113655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-86002275915878101822013-10-05T11:34:59.650-07:002013-10-05T11:34:59.650-07:00Here's even more detail regarding specific eve...Here's even more detail regarding specific events at the Electric Circus, including Morton Subotick's "Electric Ear" series (which featured John Cage, among others);<br /><br />http://www.therestisnoise.com/2013/04/electric-circus-electric-ear.htmlPosterevolutionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12117755875087673464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-72103664924139788922013-10-04T22:30:59.196-07:002013-10-04T22:30:59.196-07:00I am not sure if the Generation was still open; th...I am not sure if the Generation was still open; there are tapes of Hendrix jamming there with BB King, the Butterfield Blues Band, etc in early April '68, but nothing from May. It was sometime around then that Hendrix decided to buy the Generation (his initial plan was to keep it open as a nightclub). <br />At any rate, as of May '68 his favored jamming spot was the Scene. Typically he jammed there in the evenings, then often took musicians back to the Record Plant with him when the Scene closed, and kept jamming at the studio all night & into the morning. <br />On the other hand, McNally & Hart could have thrown us a false trail.Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-39046197309656004182013-10-04T05:32:55.254-07:002013-10-04T05:32:55.254-07:00What was to become Electric Lady Studios was bough...What was to become Electric Lady Studios was bought by Hendrix in 1968 as the recently closed Generation Club. Jimi had jammed there so, assuming that it was still open in May 1968, that could be where Mickey went.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com