Fillmore Auditorium

San Francisco, California

https://archive.org/details/gd1969-11-08.sbd.wise.17433.shnf 

We have some of the evening’s music on the soundboard recording here. For the entire show - plus the Lovelight from the previous night - you have to go to Dick’s Picks volume 16. But what we have here is more then enough to realize this is a deep and heady night of music. Our recording starts off with Easy Wind, which has Pig balling in prime form, Phil laying in the bass, and the rest of the band dealing. Then Good Lovin’ comes out, beginning with a tasty run in and dripping throughout with ridiculous drumming, deep layers of Pig-led vocals, Lesh filling, TC keys, and beatific Jerry guitar. Dark Star starts off bright and promising topping out with a finely polished vocal delivery by Jerry then descends into utter, haunting madness before climbing back out and into The Other One, which is masterful as Jerry sets off, soaring outwards and leading the band onwards over desert plains, swirling just above mist-filled marshes, and through every other landscape imaginable before Phil drives it right back into the first verse. Then Jerry takes the whole band off again, joyously arriving back at Dark Star for a moment before they jam out Uncle John’s - if that is the right thing to really call it - in a truly one-of-a-kind fashion and then fold right back into Dark Star again. They finally leave Dark Star behind for good, heading into a raging - except for the serious calm of the ladyfingers section - Stephen. The sing-song, calliope loveliness of The Eleven comes out next, keeping the amazingly inventive and powerful jamming going. This continues through a monstrous Caution before the boys sweetly send out the show with We Bid You Goodnight. This show was purportedly Dick Latvala’s favorite, and it is easy to see why.

Credit: https://www.gratefuldeadoftheday.com/11-08-1969