One of the most notable gigs included a brutally cold and rainy outdoor festival in Wigan, England, that earned them enormous goodwill for their professionalism. In addition to England, the Dead performed in Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Luxembourg. The six weeks they spent in April and May would be formative. And by 1972, the Dead were at the top of their game, and if they had already learned how places and audiences and venues shaped their music at home, what could a full tour of the Old World do for their celebrated improvisations? There had been a few foreign excursions before then, notably their week-long Canadian tour with an array of bands in 1970, and even quick trips to England and France, but nothing extensive. Michael Putland/Getty ImagesĮurope ’72, as both the tour and the album documenting it were known, was the first real opportunity to see what an extended sojourn might do for their music. Singer-songwriter and guitarist Jerry Garcia of Grateful Dead, London, April 4, 1972. Part of that was the caliber of the music they made, but the tour also embodied the Dead’s philosophy, from their approach to music and performance to the way they did business. In the time since, the tour has become one of the more famous chapters in the Dead’s storied history. When the Dead set off for England on April 1, 1972, on their first, full-fledged foreign tour, almost 50 people made the trip: not just the band and crew, but partners and paramours, managers and press liaisons, even a dedicated recording crew - all friends and fellow travelers. And that made the idea of choosing a core group to go to Europe more than just difficult, but also somehow wrong - which was why Garcia ended the discussion by saying, “Everybody goes.”įive years later, the band honored that promise. That was why band meetings could be a little chaotic, with not only the members and managers but also staffers, roadies and even a few stalwart fans, like Sue Swanson and Connie Bonner, who ran the band’s newsletter at the time.
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