Watkins Glen 73 @Summerjamdoc

@RpsAgainstTrump Quim and The Eskimos

With Buckets of Rain' in the Northeast - how did you Summer Jammers handle the huge storm that hit in the middle of The Band's set? - must have been dangerous with lightning and all that electronic equipment; cables and water.

On July 28, 1973, over 200,000 music fans woke up in Watkins Glen (if they ever slept at all). They had already enjoyed one of the world's greatest-ever sound checks. And they were exactly where they wanted to be. Hundreds of thousands of others were on the way to join them, braving the traffic, often parking (or abandoning) their cars when it seemed they could go no further, get no closer. In our interview with the promoter Jim Koplik, he told us that the order of the acts for the Day of Show was not set contractually - he and Shelly Finkel kept it loose, intentionally, for the bands to decide among themselves. It was expected that the Grateful Dead would close the show. But after the crowd on July 28 continued to grow (and grow and grow), Garcia said he wanted to play first so that he could forever say they were the first band EVER to play before 600,000 people. The Allman Brothers Band said they'd close, so The Band, who hadn't played live in 17 months, took the middle slot.

keyboard_arrow_left Previous keyboard_arrow_right Next

IT WAS A SHARED ADVENTURE. We've interviewed and spoken to many people who attended the 1973 Summer Jam at Watkins Glen. Some had tickets. Some didn't. At the end, it didn't matter, of course. But we think it DOES matter that a whopping 450,000 people (out of the estimated 600,000) came to the event without tickets. Almost nobody thought they wouldn't get in. They just needed to be there. It was a vibe. An event. A moment in history. An adventure. A SHARED adventure. Peop… See more

keyboard_arrow_left Previous keyboard_arrow_right Next

UNSUNG HEROES ... They were a bunch of young guys from West Hartford, CT - 306 miles away from Watkins Glen who were techies and music fans. They had a dream of broadcasting live from what would be the biggest rock concert ever and broadcasting traffic reports as well. As soon as they got to the 1973 Summer Jam, they set up a pirate radio station in a Winnebago near the stage. They were credentialed under "CFR" for Concert Free Radio. John Ramsey (pictured with long hair) - who we've already interviewed for our film - brought his Korean War-era 'portable' 90 lb. transmitter. Bill Graham gave the OK for John to set up their mobile studio trailer near the stage. Word about it the radio station spread quickly, and many stuck in traffic seemed to be tuning in. Well before the event, it was live, playing music, and when they could, they brought in live guests that included Bob Weir (that's him outside the CFR trailer before his interview, getting a kick out of the whole thing). Throughout, they also broadcast helpful information, even augmenting State Police feeds with those from local chopper pilots. After the Dead's set, Graham told Ramsey he could bring his transmitter on the stage itself and broadcast The Band and Allman Brothers live on their FM frequency! They set out to do something cool, they did it, and what's more - they became a part of it, and they made a huge difference besides. kickstarter.com/projects/16160…

keyboard_arrow_left Previous keyboard_arrow_right Next

THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO ... We've all seen this awesome photo of The Grateful Dead on the way to the 1973 Summer Jam at Watkins Glen. There they are, sitting in traffic, relaxed and smiling, with fans draped around their car. It really tells the story of the event and the era and the moment in time. The photo was taken by Suki Coughlin-she jumped out of her car while still moving with a camera and ran alongside the Dead’s car to take this shot. kickstarter.com/projects/16160…

FINAL WEEK! kickstarter.com/projects/16160… 50 years ago, THIS summer, 600,000 people descended upon a tiny town in upstate New York to revel in a one-of-a-kind music experience that featured The Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers Band and The Band. THE largest concert ever held in the US. with very few altercations or arrests. The music filled the air and unity and peace prevailed. There was never a record or movie about the show. The rumored stories are legendary. FINALLY, a team of Award-winning filmmakers WILL tell the full story of this landmark event in a gripping new documentary. There's ONE WEEK LEFT in the Kickstarter campaign so watch the trailer, read the stories, be a part of it, support the effort, and claim YOUR Reward.

BACKSTAGE PASS BUTTONS Pictured are the 1973 Summer Jam at Watkins Glen "Backstage Pass" buttons for each band. This is what was handed out to band crews and other key personnel to facilitate their backstage access. I love the circular images amid the clouds in the logo - the skull for the Grateful Dead and the peach for the Allman Brothers Band are self-explanatory, and I'm guessing the corn cob pipe speaks to some of The Band's rural roots and the resourcefulness of rural folk to make good with what they had. Please click, watch trailer, read more, and support our effort to make the film. When you do, choose a cool Reward: kck.st/3rN3YTh

NEW! We just launched a new location where you can watch our 2020 film #UNFIT - MORE RELEVANT THAN EVER - absolutely FREE for all, worldwide. #UNFIT described Trump's malignant narcissism, explained gaslighting, predicted where we'd be. It's worth a watch. youtu.be/ecJ02Rg5qaE

THE GREATEST SOUND CHECK IN HISTORY!! About one in every three people who attended the 1973 Summer Jam at Watkins Glen got there early enough the day before (Friday, July 27), to experience a sound check that is now LEGENDARY! The Grateful Dead were absolutely BLOWN AWAY by the size of the crowd THE DAY BEFORE the show. When it came time for them to do their sound-check, they decided to give the already-huge crowd a real show. When the Dead started playing, and got the thumbs up on the sound, they got into the moment. They decided to play FOR 2 HOURS. It became a bonus performance for an estimated 200,000 fans. And many who were there fondly remember Jerry going up to the mike between songs and smiling as he said - "This is only a test" and "Remember folks ... this is just practice." It brought loud cheers from a very large, and very happy crowd. The Band and The Allman Brothers Band got into the spirit as well, and did longer than usual sound checks. kickstarter.com/projects/16160…

keyboard_arrow_left Previous keyboard_arrow_right Next

@dougdugan Happy Birthday Doug!

We'd like to wish a very happy birthday to Galadrielle Allman. She was born on August 25, 1969, in Macon, GA. She was the only child of Duane Allman, who died at 24. In 2014, Galadrielle published a reflection on her father, family, and the culture of the 60s, called Please Be With Me: A Song for My Father. She was 2 when he died. kickstarter.com/projects/16160…

50 YEARS AGO, TODAY ... Brothers and Sisters by The Allman Brothers Band was listed as a new release on the Billboard Top 200. This of course was less than a month after the 1973 Summer Jam at Watkins Glen. The new lineup for the Allman Brothers Band was already in place at Summer Jam, and on the day of show, they played Come and Go Blues, Wasted Words, Southbound, Ramblin Man, and Jessica - even though Brothers and Sisters had not yet been officially released. Brothers and Sisters went gold within 48 hours of its release. It sold over 7 million copies worldwide. It was an extraordinary achievement for the band who had tragically lost two key members. Brothers and Sisters is also the name of the NYT bestseller by acclaimed author Alan Paul, which chronicles the musical and cultural influence of that album, and in so doing, speaks to 1973. As such, we considered Alan Paul as a must-interview for our upcoming documentary. To quote guitarist Warren Haynes - “No journalist knows the Allman Brothers Band’s ins and outs better than Alan Paul.”kickstarter.com/projects/16160…

keyboard_arrow_left Previous keyboard_arrow_right Next

Jim Koplik, one of the promoters of the Watkins Glen concert, said he was reluctant to call the event Summer Jam because, while he knew the bands would jam on their own as was their style, he didn't have any agreement with them that they'd jam together. He only knew they did it at Dillon Stadium the year before. Jim approached Weir and Garcia at 10A day of show and mentioned "it would be really nice if you stuck around until the end of the show and played with the Allman Brothers Band." Jim knew that would be asking them to stick around for 10 hours. Bob and Jerry said they'd think about it, so Jim figured - "hey, at least they didn't say no." Then when The Dead stayed on site after the rain during The Band's performance, Jim figured it would happen. And it did. kickstarter.com/projects/16160…

We'd like to wish a very Happy 76th Birthday to Donna Godchaux. Donna Jean Thatcher Godchaux-MacKay (forever "Donna Jean") was a member of the Grateful Dead from 1972 until 1979. She performed with them at the 1973 Summer Jam at Watkins Glen (bottom right). She also performed with the Jerry Garcia Band. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Grateful Dead in 1994.kickstarter.com/projects/16160…

keyboard_arrow_left Previous keyboard_arrow_right Next

A few notes about this documentary: First, it WILL contain never-before-seen footage and WILL relate never-before-shared stories. Second and MOST important, the film WILL be independent - serving no masters but the truth. Third, as you know - there's never been a film or album made of this event, which has led to it being shrouded in mystery and legend. This is more than a film, it's our lives, our youth, and the memorialization of an era. kck.st/3rN3YTh

@TheBandPodcast Sure. Email me at [email protected]

To all the Deadheads and Jamheads around the world influenced in one way or another by the Grateful Dead.  The music is as important as the philosophy of inclusion promoted by the Grateful Dead. Watkins Glen Summer Jam would never have happened had it not been for the Dead’s desire to collaborate with The Allman Brothers Band and The Band. Full trust and respect for the artistic expression that endures today. kickstarter.com/projects/16160…

keyboard_arrow_left Previous keyboard_arrow_right Next

After 50 years the story of the Summer Jam At Watkins Glen will be told visually via the @Summerjamdoc. The 1st documentary about the 1973 @AllmanBrothers/@GratefulDead and @TheRealTheBand concert that drew 600K is now being made jambase.com/article/summer…