[sarraqum]

6/12/1973 is 43 minutes of pure bliss. It comes out of nowhere and after anout 10 minutes the Dark Star emerges....oh man, the whole band is just so into the it, even Keith pulls out an organ solo out of nowhere. It's simply great!

[mikeohiostate]

I agree! I also love that Dark star! However, the ultiamte would have to be Live/Dead or 1969-11-02 - Family Dog - San Francisco, CA

[mikeohiostate]

Here is a little something about Dark Stars:

Code: Select all

DARK STAR (updated 3/03)

This document consists of two parts.  The first catalogs all known Dark Star 
performances and gives timings for all circulating tapes.  It is comprised of 5 lists:

 Circulating Tapes Of Dark Star
 Dark Stars Still Missing From Circulation
 AUD Dark Stars (Dark Stars available only on AUD tape)
 Defective SBD Dark Stars
 Fragmentary Dark Stars

The second part is a note on the evolution of Dark Star.


*


CIRCULATING TAPES OF DARK STAR

The following is a list of the 219 live performances of Dark Star plus 4 studio 
versions for which tape currently circulates, including three tapes, one from 
spring '68, one from May '68 and another from Fall '68, whose venues and exact 
dates are unknown.  It gives the timing of each, an indication of what is missing 
if the tape is fragmentary, and the best tape source for each; the existence of 
AUD tapes is usually not indicated if SBD circulates.


American Studios, LA 11/14/67:  2 studio versions  2:48 & 2:41 SBD
LA Studio, late 67:  2:38  SBD   Warner Bros Single 7186

Carousel Ballroom 1/17/68:  beginning clipped  #4:48 SBD
Eureka 1/20/68:  breaks off after 3:17  FM-SBD
Seattle 1/22/68:  5:49  SBD
Kings Beach Bowl, Lake Tahoe 1/24/68:  6:49  Dick's Picks 22
Portland 2/3/68:  5:26  SBD
Carousel Ballroom 2/14/68:  5:54  SBD
Carousel Ballroom 3/16/68:  7:20  SBD
Carousel Ballroom 3/26/68:  7:14  SBD
Carousel Ballroom 3/30/68:   8:45  SBD
Alembic Studios, SF early or mid 68:  studio rehearsal 11:49  SBD -- formerly dated 11/ or 12/68
UV spring '68:  #4:04 SBD  only the end of the jam with several minutes missing before it
Unknown Venue 5/68:  16:06  SBD
Fillmore West 8/21/68:  beginning missing 14:14  SBD
Fillmore West 8/22/68:  11:19  SBD
Shrine, LA 8/23/68:  15:30  SBD
Shrine, LA 8/24/68:  11:21  SBD   Two From The Vault
Avalon 8/28/68:  10:40  SBD
Sky River Festival, Sultan, WA 9/2/68:  13:51   SBD
Unknown Venue Fall '68:  12:12.  Probably the Matrix, probably October.
Matrix 10/8/68:  11:40  SBD
Matrix 10/9/68:  13:05  SBD
Avalon 10/12/68:  15:30    SBD  Widely circulated mislabeled "10/13/68."
Avalon 10/13/68:  beginning missing  13:35  SBD.  The actual show for this date.
Greek, Berkeley 10/20/68:  10:05    SBD
Matrix 10/30/68:  two Dark Stars on this date, the 2nd with Jack Casady  17:30 & 19:24  SBD
Chico 11/1/68:  11:30  SBD
Columbus 11/22/68  beginning missing 12:47  AUD
Bellarmine College, Louisville 12/7/68:  beginning missing  13:24  SBD
Gulfstream Raceway, Hallendale, FL 12/29/68:  10:26 SBD

Santa Barbara 1/17/69:  13:18 SBD
Avalon 1/24/69:  18:59 SBD
Avalon 1/25/69:  beginning missing #14:08  SBD
Avalon 1/26/69:  9:#45 with cut in middle  SBD
St. Paul 2/2/69:  15:33  SBD
Omaha 2/4/69:  13:15  SBD
Kansas City 2/5/69:  beginning missing  11:43  SBD
St. Louis 2/6/69:  13:54 cut in the middle  SBD
Pittsburgh 2/7/69:  14:09
Fillmore East 2/11/69:  12:29  SBD   Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (Arista)
Philadelphia 2/14/69:  first bar clipped 19:23  SBD
Philadelphia 2/15/69:  22:42  SBD
Dream Bowl, Vallejo 2/21/69:  22:22.  SBD
Vallejo 2/22/69:  22:17  SBD
*Fillmore West 2/27/69:   23:05  SBD    Live Dead
Fillmore West 2/28/69:  19:50  SBD
Fillmore West 3/1/69:  22:48  SBD
Fillmore West 3/2/69:  20:37  SBD
SF Hilton 3/15/69:  19:07  SBD
Pasadena 3/22/69:  15:25  SBD
Modesto 3/28/69:  22:45  SBD.  Formerly mislabeled "Merced 3/27/69".
Las Vegas 3/29/69:  21:15  SBD
Avalon 4/4/69:  20:18  SBD
Avalon 4/5/69:  18:39  SBD
Tucson 4/11/69:  20:20  SBD
Salt Lake City 4/12/69:  #22:21  SBD
*Boulder 4/13/69:  24:01   SBD
Worcester 4/20/69:  21:12  SBD
The Ark, Boston 4/21/69:  22:51  SBD
*Boston 4/22/69:  30:42  SBD
Boston Ark 4/23/69:  21:02  SBD
Chicago 4/26/69:  1:25  SBD
*Minneapolis 4/27/69: 26:37  SBD  Dick's Picks
Polo Field, Golden Gate Park, SF 5/7/69:  22:19  SBD
Rose Palace, Pasadena 5/10/69:  20:59  SBD
Hollywood, FL 5/23/69:   18:47  SBD
McArthur Court, Eugene 5/31/69:  23:58  SBD
Fillmore West 6/5/69:  21:11  SBD
Fillmore West 6/7/69:  20:46   SBD
Monterey 6/14/69:  15:10  SBD
Fillmore East 6/21/69 Late Show:  nearly all of central jam missing  7:#43 SBD
Central Park, NYC 6/22/69:  beginning missing and with cut in middle  12:01  B+ AUD
Santa Rosa 6/27/69:  25:49    SBD
Electric Theater, Chicago 7/5/69:  18:11  SBD
*Piedmont Park, Atlanta 7/7/69:  26:58  SBD
Queens 7/12/69:  9:40   mildly degraded SBD
Woodstock 8/16/69:  17:50  SBD
Seattle 8/20/69:  6:38  SBD
St. Helens, OR 8/23/69:  1st vocals missing  26:#44 SBD.
*Family Dog 8/28/69: 63:#51  SBD  (Dark Star 31:16 # 16:03 > Eleven jam 9:49 > Dark Star 6:43)  
[*w/ Howard Wales & w/o Weir, McKernan, or Constanten]
*Family Dog 8/30/69:  28:56  SBD
New Orleans 9/1/69:  17:47  mildly degraded SBD
Fillmore East 9/26/69:  beginning missing 17:24  B AUD
Winterland 10/25/69:  21:42    SBD
*Family Dog 11/2/69:  30:06  SBD
Fillmore 11/7/69:  25:43 with a cut in the middle  SBD
*Fillmore 11/8/69:  DS 14:05 > Other 11:52 > DS 1:55 > UJB's jam 2:23 > DS 3:01   SBD    Dick's Picks
Fillmore West 12/4/69:  30:55  mildly degraded SBD
Thelma Theater 12/11/69:  19:53  SBD
Dallas 12/26/69:  26:00  SBD
Boston Tea Party 12/30/69:  19:06 with end missing  SBD

Fillmore East 1/2/70:  30:10 with the end missing  SBD
Corvalis 1/17/70:  20:51  SBD
Honolulu 1/23/70:  18:14  SBD
St. Louis 2/2/70:  21:54  SBD
*Fillmore West 2/8/70:  26:43  excellent AUD
Fillmore East 2/11/70:  17:02 > Spanish Jam 9:40  composite of excellent AUD and SBD
*Fillmore East 2/13/70:  29:46  SBD   Dick's Picks
Fillmore East 2/14/70:  23:36  SBD
Pirate's World, Dania FL 3/24/70:  4:54 + 8:54  =  13:48  SBD with cut as noted
*Denver 4/24/70:  24:39  A minus AUD
Fillmore East 5/15/70:  19:24  SBD
Newcastle 5/24/70:  21:21  SBD
Port Chester 6/24/70:   10:20 ... 7:48 ... 3:01  near excellent AUD
*Fillmore East 9/17/70:  27:10  near excellent AUD
Fillmore East 9/19/70:   24:58  SBD
Paterson 10/11/70:  beginning missing 20:19  near excellent AUD
Port Chester 11/5/70:  21:00  near excellent AUD
Port Chester 11/8/70:  24:48  excellent AUD

Port Chester 2/18/71:  DS 7:11 > Wharf Rat 9:59 > 7:55  SBD
Boston 4/8/71:  14:25  SBD
Fillmore East 4/26/71:  13:45  SBD
Fillmore East 4/28/71:  14:26  SBD
Yale Bowl 7/31/71:  21:20  B+ AUD
Chicago 10/21/71:  DS 14:53 > Sittin 3:14 > DS 2:16  somewhat degraded FM
Detroit 10/24/71:  20:59  SBD
Columbus 10/31/71:  23:14  SBD.  Dicks Picks
Harding Theater, SF 11/7/71:  13:15  SBD
Austin 11/15/71:  DS 12:35 > El Paso 4:35 > DS 7:40  SBD
Felt Forum, NYC 12/5/71:  DS 8:30 > My Uncle 2:30 > DS 12:56  SBD
Ann Arbor 12/15/71:  20:30   SBD

Academy of Music 3/23/72:  22:43  SBD
*London 4/8/72:  31:30  SBD   Steppin' Out
*Copenhagen 4/14/72:  29:14  SBD, FM & AUD
**Dusseldorf 4/24/72:  DS 25:15 > My Uncle 2:99 > 15:06  degraded SBD patched with AUD
Hamburg 4/29/72:  29:26  SBD  also excellent AUD
Paris 5/4/72:  40:03  SBD 
Manchester 5/7/72:  19:27  SBD
*Rotterdam 5/11/72:  47:20  SBD
Munich 5/18/72:  27:20  SBD
London 5/23/72: 31:16  SBD
*London 5/25/72:  35:08  SBD
*Jersey City 7/18/72:  28:57 SBD
Portland 7/26/72:  30:49  SBD
*BCT 8/21/72:  27:34  SBD
BCT 8/24/72  27:10  SBD
*Veneta, Oregon 8/27/72:  31:44  SBD
Hollywood 9/10/72:  34:59  SBD   w/ Crosby
Boston 9/16/72:  26:56  SBD with conclusion patched with excellent AUD
**Philadelphia 9/21/72:  37:22  SBD
*Waterbury 9/24/72:  34:13  SBD
Jersey City 9/27/72:  31:14  SBD   Dick's Picks
*St. Louis 10/18/72:  28:02  FM-AUD   Bear's AUD master, FM-broadcast; SBD
Milwaukee 10/23/72:  27:03  near excellent AUD
Cincinnati 10/26/72:  21:10  SBD
Cleveland 10/28/72:  27:43  Bear's AUD master
*Kansas City 11/13/72:  33:36  Bear's AUD master patched @ 11:17 w/ 1:35 of 2nd AUD master
*Houston 11/19/72:  31:22  SBD
San Antonio 11/26/72:  24:52  SBD
Winterland 12/11/72:  33:26  SBD
Long Beach 12/15/72:  23:03  SBD

Madison 2/15/73:  19:17  SBD
Champaign 2/22/73:  13:49  SBD
*Lincoln 2/26/73:  25:18  SBD
Nassau 3/16/73:  26:46  SBD
Utica 3/21/73:  21:41  SBD
Philadelphia 3/24/73:  25:36  SBD
*Springfield 3/28/73:  32:14   SBD (de-hummed), also excellent AUD
*Washington, D.C. 6/10/73:  26:08  SBD
*Portland 6/24/73:  26:35  SBD
Universal Amph. 6/30/73:  16:15  SBD  
Jersey City 8/1/73:  24:52  SBD
William & Mary 9/11/73:  21:42  excellent AUD, also SBD
*Oklahoma City 10/19/73:  27:12  SBD   Dick's Picks
Madison 10/25/73:  23:14  SBD
St. Louis 10/30/73:  26:59  SBD
**Winterland 11/11/73:  36:08.  SBD
Denver 11/21/73:  3:25  SBD
Boston 11/30/73:  9:08  SBD    Dick's Picks 14.
**Cleveland 12/6/73:  43:28 SBD
Tampa 12/18/73:  20:56  SBD

*Winterland 2/24/74:  28:54  SBD
Missoula 5/14/74:  26:41  SBD
Miami 6/23/74:   21:52    great AUD, also SBD
Chicago 7/25/74:  23:59  SBD
*London 9/10/74:  31:03  SBD   Dick's Picks
Winterland 10/18/74:  31:34  SBD

Winterland 12/31/78:  12:30 & 1:11  SBD

Nassau 1/10/79:  18:28  mildly degraded SBD
Buffalo 1/20/79:  9:16  A minus AUD

Oakland Aud 12/31/81:  14:50  SBD

Greek Theater, Berkeley 7/13/84:  16:09  SBD

Hampton 10/9/89:  18:30  SBD
Brendan Byrne 10/16/89:  11:36. 5:23  SBD
**Miami 10/26/89:  29:06  SBD
Oakland 12/31/89:  14:48  SBD

Nassau 3/29/90:  18.18 & 2:51  SBD w/ Branford Marsalis.  
*Washington, D.C. 7/12/90:  25:18  SBD with missing end patched with excellent AUD
*NYC 9/20/90:  DS 12:01 > Playin 5:00 > DS 14:37  SBD
Berlin 10/20/90:  13:07, 4:07  SBD
London 11/1/90:  10:00 ... 10:48  SBD
Denver 12/12/90:  13:46  SBD
Denver 12/14/90:  7:10  SBD
*Oakland 12/31/90:  20:39  SBD  w/ Branford Marsalis.

Greensboro 4/1/91:  23:31 & 1:16  SBD
RFK, Washington, D.C. 6/14/91:  10:45  SBD
Giants 6/17/91:  1:28 ... 1:22 ... 1:00 ... 9:48 ... 0:34  SBD
Chicago 6/22/91:  7:03  SBD
Denver 6/28/91:  1:28  SBD
Shoreline 8/16/91:  10:17  SBD
Shoreline 8/17/91:  1:18   SBD
Richfield 9/6/91:  3:18    SBD
MSG, NYC 9/8/91:  10:30  SBD
MSG, NYC 9/10/91:  12:29 & 12:40  SBD  w/ Branford Marsalis
Boston Garden 9/24/91:   14:18  SBD
Boston Garden 9/26/91:  15:50 & 6:46  SBD
Oakland 10/31/91:  11:16 & 3:18  SBD  w/ Ken Kesey.

Landover 3/9/92:  11:30 near excellent AUD, also SBD
Hamilton, Ontario 3/20/92:  14:27 near excellent AUD, also SBD
Richfield 6/8/92:  8:52  near excellent AUD, also reportedly degraded SBD
Charlotte 6/18/92:  6:00  SBD
Pittsburg 6/22/92: 4:05  SBD
Oakland 12/12/92:  12:14 & 5:44  SBD
Oakland 12/16/92:  7:09  SBD

Landover 3/17/93:  10:26  SBD
Deer Creek 6/23/93:  6:14  SBD
Philadelphia 9/13/93:  5:36 SBD
MSG, NYC 9/22/93:  7:31  SBD  w/ David Murray

Rosemont 3/16/94:  11:14.  B+ AUD, also FM-SBD
Atlanta 3/30/94:  10:21  SBD


*, **  =  remarkable Dark Stars: * & ** = Top 40.  ** = Top Five.


DARK STARS STILL MISSING FROM CIRCULATION

There are 21 dates on which reportedly Dark Star was played, but for which no tape 
yet circulates.  These dates, and the sources of the claims, are:


Shrine Aud, LA 12/13/67 -- DeadBase

King's Beach Bowl, Lake Tahoe 2/22/68 -- David Lemieux (defective vault SBD)
Carousel Ballroom 3/17/68 -- DeadBase
National Guard Armory, St. Louis MO 5/24/68 -- Latvala, but this may be a mislabel of 2/6/69
Carousel 6/7/68 -- DeadBase
Fillmore West 8/20/68 -- DeadBase
Hyde Park Teen Center, Cincinnati 11/24/68 -- DeadBase
Winterland 12/31/68 -- DeadBase

Fillmore East 2/12/69 -- Rob Eaton
Fillmore West 2/19/69 -- DeadLists
Washington University, St. Louis 4/17/69 -- Latvala
Winterland, 5/3/69 -- DeadBase
Springer's Hall, Portland, OR 5/30/69 -- Latvala; audience member
Family Dog At The Great Highway 8/3/69 -- Latvala
Fillmore 12/20/69 -- DeadBase

Buffalo 3/17/70 w/ symphony orchestra -- DeadBase
Fillmore West 4/11/70 -- DeadBase
Mammoth Gardens, Denver 4/25/70 -- DeadBase
York Farm, Poynette, Wisconsin 4/26/70 -- audience member Ron Ramsey
46th St. Rock Palace, Brooklyn, NYC 11/13/70 -- audience member

[Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA 4/14/71 -- DeadBase's list is probably wrong]

Copenhagen 4/17/72 -- DeadBase

*

Kokomo (Billy & Brent's band from the mid-80s) played Dark Star at least
twice:

Unknown Venue 8/19/84  12:35  AUD
Casino Club, Hampton Beach 85-86:  10:16#  AUD  breaks off before conclusion


Identification of the unknown venue & unknown date would be much appreciated



AUD DARK STARS

Of the 219 live Dark Stars currently circulating on tape, 16 circulate only or 
primarily on AUD tape.  These tapes are:


Columbus 11/22/68:  beginning missing  12:47  B+ AUD
Central Park, NYC 6/22/69:  beginning missing & cut in middle  12:01   B AUD
Fillmore East 9/26/69:  beginning missing  17:24   B AUD

Fillmore West 2/8/70:  26:43  A AUD
Denver 4/24/70:  24:39  A- AUD
Port Chester 6/24/70:   10:20 ... 7:48 ... 3:01    A- AUD
Fillmore East 9/17/70:  27:10  near excellent AUD
Paterson 10/11/70:  beginning missing 20:19  B+  AUD
Port Chester 11/5/70:  21:00  A-  AUD
Port Chester 11/8/70:  24:48  A AUD

Yale Bowl 7/31/71:  21:39  B+  AUD

Milwaukee 10/23/72:  27:03  B+/A- AUD
Cleveland 10/28/72:  27:43  A  AUD   Bear's AUD master, FM-broadcast
Kansas City 11/13/72:  32:16  A AUD  Bear's AUD master, w/ 1:42 gap patched w/ B+ AUD

Buffalo 1/20/79:  9:16  A- AUD

Richfield 6/8/92:  8:52  A- AUD



3 DEFECTIVE SBD DARK STARS

Of the 219 live and 4 studio Dark Stars currently circulating on tape, 203 
circulate in SBD.  Among these there are 3 SBDs that are markedly defective in sound quality:

Queens 7/12/69:  9:40   degraded SBD
New Orleans 9/1/69:  17:47  degraded SBD
Dusseldorf 4/24/72:  DS 25:15 > My Uncle 2:99 > 15:06 degraded SBD p/w AUD B


Dusseldorf 4/24/72 is by far the single most important Dark Star for which we 
still lack prime quality tape in circulation.  The best copies available consist 
of a rather degraded SBD cassette patched with about 2 minutes from the B grade AUD.  
The SBD cassette flips at 18:02 into the Dark Star and there is missing 2:19 in the 
flip, which can be supplied from the AUD tape.  We really need a fresh transcript 
of the SBD or, far better, a mix-down from multi-track.



FRAGMENTARY DARK STARS

Of the 219 live Dark Stars currently circulating on tape, at least 24 are fragmentary.


Carousel Ballroom 1/17/68: cuts in near the beginning  4:48.

Eureka 1/20/68:  cuts after 3:17 on the master SBD

Columbus 11/22/68:  beginning missing  12:47  AUD

UV spring '68:  #4:04 SBD  only the end of the jam with several minutes missing 
before it

Fillmore West 8/21/68:  2-5 minutes are missing from the begining of this 14:14 
fragment of SBD

Avalon 10/13/68:  This 13:35 fragment is missing its beginning (unlike the Avalon 
10/12/68, which circulated for years mislabeled "10/13/68" -- so if you think you 
have a "complete" 10/13/68 Dark Star, what you have is in fact the 12th)

Bellarmine College, Louisville, KY 12/7/68:  The first minute or two of this 13:24 
SBD fragment is missing.

Avalon 1/25/69:  beginning missing #14:08  SBD

Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco 1/26/69:  There is a piece missing in the middle of 
this 9:45 fragment of SBD.

Soldiers & Sailors, Kansas City 2/5/69:  The opening of this 11:43 SBD fragment is 
missing.

St. Louis 2/6/69:  There is something missing from the middle of this 13:54 SBD 
fragment.

Philadelphia 2/14/69:  first bar clipped 19:23  SBD

Salt Lake City 4/12/69:  something missing at the start  #22:21  SBD

Fillmore East 6/21/69 Late Show:  nearly all of central jam missing  7:#43 SBD

Central Park, NYC 6/22/69:  The first minute or so of this Dark Star is missing 
on the AUD tape, which also has a cut around 10 minutes in before breaking off 
after 12:01.

St. Helens, OR 8/23/69:  1st vocals missing  26:#44 SBD.

Family Dog 8/28/69:  47:#19 (31:16 + 16:03) > The Eleven jam 9:49 > Dark Star 
6:43  + 63:#51  SBD w/ Howard Wales

Fillmore East 9/26/69:  beginning missing 17:24  B AUD

Fillmore 11/7/69:  The circulating SBD has a cut at 19:57, 1:35 after the 
beginning of the Uncle John's jam, followed by another almost 6 minutes to make 
up this 25:43 fragment.

Boston Tea Party 12/30/69:  This Dark Star cuts off after 18:53 on the SBD.  
Probably 2-3 minutes more are missing here on the master. 

Fillmore East 1/2/70:  30:10 with the end missing  SBD

Pirate's World, Dania FL 3/24/70:  4:54 + 8:54  =  13:48  SBD with cut as noted

Paterson 10/11/70:  beginning missing 20:19  near excellent AUD

Waterbury 9/24/72  34:13  there is a cut at 0:53



Some of these Dark Stars may be intact on the masters --  possibilities include 
1/25/69, 1/26/69, 2/5/69, 2/6/69, 4/12/69, 9/24/72, and  especially:

6/21/69 Late Show:  Rob Eaton lists 101 minutes of cassette SBD for this show, 
but only 91 circulates.  One would guess that at least 10 minutes are missing 
from the circulating Dark Star.

11/7/69:  Eaton lists 122 minutes of reel SBD but only about 103 minutes circulate.  
There is room to hope that the complete tape contains the complete Dark Star.

The rest of these Dark Stars are almost certainly fragmentary on the masters of 
the circulating tapes.


*****


DARK STAR:  THE EVOLUTION


Dark Star 'matured' -- and doubled in length -- during the October '68 Matrix shows.  
The first full-grown ripe Dark Stars are the Live Dead Dark Stars of the first half 
of '69.  There are more than 30 versions circulating on tape.  The structure of this 
Dark Star (a "Live Dead", or "First Stage" Dark Star) is as follows

DS theme & jam > 1st vocals > jam > DS theme jam & 2nd vocals > transition > another 
tune (e.g. St. Stephen)


The Second Stage Dark Star evolved during the summer of '69 -- primarily by the moderate 
expansion of the jamming before 1st vocals and the addition of "space" after the 1st 
vocals.  Its structure is as follows 

DS theme & jams > 1st vocals > space > additional jam > DS theme jam & 2nd vocals 
(or Tiger) > transition >

Family Dog 8/30/69 28:56 and Winterland 10/25/69  22:05 are fine examples of '69 
Second Stage Dark Stars.

The Third Stage Dark Star does not emerge full-blown until '72 but several performances 
in '69 and '70 anticipate it, notably; Family Dog 11/2/69 30:06, Fillmore West 2/8/70  
26:43 AUD, Fillmore East 2/13/70 29:46, and Fillmore East 9/17/70 27:10 AUD.

After 11/8/70 they dropped the second vocals.  They revive them at the Academy of 
Music 3/23/72 23:34 and once more at Portland 7/26/72 30:49, and then not again 
until the Dark Stars of '89 - '94.

The climactic Third Stage Dark Star only appears full-formed in Europe '72.  It's 
structure is

DS theme & jam > additional jams > return to DS theme jam & 1st vocals > space > 
additional jams > Tiger > more jamming > transition >

After the appearance of the Second Stage Dark Star, nearly all Dark Stars take this 
form, but after the appearance of the prototypical Third Stage Dark Star there are 
still many Second Stage Dark Stars -- 'Second Stage' because they lack the additional 
jams (plural) both before and after the 1st vocals.  For instance, the Tiger appears 
in many Second Stage Dark Stars as the climax of the post-space jamming.  What distinguishes 
Third Stage Tigers is that The Tiger is just one episode in a series of jams following 
space -- sometimes it forms the climax & leads to transitional jamming into the next song; 
other times further episodes of jamming follow it (Sputnik, Feelin Groovy Jam, Mind Left 
Body Jam, ...)

Third Stage Dark Stars tend to be more than 30 minutes long.  Obvious examples are

Wembley London 4/8/72 31:30
Dusseldorf 4/24/72 42:58 (including 3:10 of Me & My Uncle)
London 5/25/72  35:13
Hollywood Pavillion 9/10/72  34:59
Philadelphia 9/21/72 37:22
Waterbury 9/24/72 34:13
Kansas City 11/13/72 32:16
Houston 11/19/72 31:22
Winterland 12/11/72 32:43
Springfield 3/28/73 32:14
Oklahoma City 10/19/73 28:49
Winterland 11/11/73 35:12
Cleveland 12/6/73 42:27


Rotterdam 5/11/72 48:38 is the longest Dark Star known besides Family Dog 8/28/69 63:#51

Winterland 10/18/74  31:34 represent the tune's dissolution into space.


Cleveland 12/6/73 42:27 is remarkable not only for its scale but for its structure, 
which turns the customary Third Stage structure inside-out, working in toward the Dark 
Star theme, rather than starting from it, and moving out into space after the 1st vocals 
rather than back from it.

Besides the Dark Star Gigantea, or Third Stage Dark Star, another remarkable species 
of Dark Star is the Dark Star Ferox.  These don't have quite the 30-minute plus dimensions 
of the Third Stage Dark Stars but they have a characteristic fierceness of attack & 
intensity that makes them stand out.  Obvious examples are

Austin 11/15/71:  26:04 (including 4:46 of El Paso)
Hamburg 4/29/72 29:26
Madison 10/25/72 24:04

[strumminsix]

I love the 60s DS's. But as for a more evolved, I'd say 4/8/72!

[qiuniu]

gd69-02-05!

About seven minutes in Jerry just tears it a new one in a way I haven't heard since. Worth a listen, the whole Dark Star is sublime!

[tigerstrat]

words can describe none of these:

6/24/73

7/18/72

2/15/69

2/21/69

11/13/72

12/6/73

10/18/72

1/2/70

5/15/70

can't submit without typing out "2/27/69"

[Shaggy]

April 8th 1972. London.

You'll also find it on Steppin Out - disc 4.

It's the last 7-8 minutes or so when Jerry with the use of wah wah takes things into something I can't describe then floats into Sugar Mag followed by Caution...a great combo, great night.

[AugustWest]

11-11-73 Dark Star-Mind Left Body- Eyes of the world-China Doll It's magic all the way! Love that dark star.

[fum84]

im gonna go with 10/19/73

darkstar>mind left body>morning dew. phil completely dominates the darkstar

[sarraqum]

Just listened to "Dark Star Ferox" from 4/29/72 Hamburg, its pretty damn good. They do that Uncle John's Band intro thingy in the middle of it, the sort of thing they did in Chinacat>Rider trnasition in 1974 period(I think it was 1974). Nice.

[tigerstrat]

The IV-I-II-I CCat jam from the 72-74 era is similar, but has an additional break on the V chord which they didn't do when the theme appeared in Dark Star (aka the Feelin Groovy Jam or UJB Jam).

[sarraqum]

The IV-I-II-I break, what key is it in? Is it in G? Does that mean its C-G-Am-G?

[strumminsix]

That's a take off of old jazz IIRC.

In music theory, capital numerals are major, lowercase are minor.

[tigerstrat]

The IV-I-II-I break, what key is it in? Is it in G? Does that mean its C-G-Am-G?

I was referring to it in D, the "destination" key:(G D Em D //...A!)

[tigerstrat]

Boy, qiuniu, you weren't just whistling dixie about 2/5/69! This could be called the "Yonder Star Cluster String Theory Band"! I can hardly believe it's taken me this long to get around to hearing this, obviously one of top shows from one of the Dead's greatest months of live music.

The Other One suite is also one of the BEST I've ever heard! Pure musical combustion!! And there are still a handful of February 1969 dates I've yet to hear... gotta save a couple for my old age, right?