![]() ![]() The shows were wonderful, lots of intensity and fun. The hall was packed to capacity however, for the Fri & Sat night gigs.Įach night opened with the NRPS, featuring Garcia on Steel. ![]() As this was Brooklyn, and the Dead were not THAT big yet, the weekday shows were barely half sold out. The shows were held four consecutive nights Wednesday through Saturday. Oddly enough, members of Hot Tuna came by to jam with the Dead one of the four nights in was quite a good night too. Also saw Hot Tuna there, their show delayed for some time while they haggled with ABC to leave a faux marijuana plant on the stage (it got the axe). I can recall seeing Jerry Lee Lewis there, putting a pair of panties tossed at him by one of his fans on his face and inhaling deeply (needless to say, it did not make the air cut of the concert). ![]() The hall, renamed Banana Fish Garden for the rock concerts put on by a local promoter, was also used for a few tapings of the ABC Rock Concert show. Too bad because it was a great hall, Fillmore sized, I'd guess it held about 2,500 people or so max. The venue was the Loews 46th Street Theatre, a classic old movie house that was converted to retail space many years ago. "I attended all four shows as the gigs were just blocks away from my home. If you know more details from this spectacular event in Brooklyn, visit and share your memories from each show! The only set list and archive that lives on from this unforgettable moment in Brooklyn history is from the first night of the run. Photo of deserted 46th Street Rock Palace It must have been because the old folks stayed for the whole thing (or else, weird as it must have been to them, it was better than going back to the home). They didn’t come to see the Dead, (but I wonder what they made of them). They had no idea what they were walking into, but the theater had a package deal with the home to get them out and about, and that must have been one of the days they were scheduled to go to that theater to see a movie. They were from a local senior citizen home and they were on an outing. Bur for years I wondered what drew them to see the Dead? A few years ago, still wondering, I told this story to a Deadhead who grew up in Brooklyn and he knew the answer. The 10+ of us noticed them, but didn’t know what to make of their presence, so we just carried on as usual (if you know what I mean). We sat in the third row…we were literally half of the audience until a few songs in when a whole group of senior citizens (at least 20) filed in and sat a few rows behind us (not your usual dead crowd!). "This was possibly one of the weirdest shows I ever saw (but enjoyable nevertheless). To recap this momentous event in Brooklyn history, we give you this blurb from the very beginning of the run: Grateful Dead played 143 shows in 1970, and 4 of them happened to be in our very own Brooklyn on November 11, 12, 13 and 14. Among the acts that landed shows during this time was the Byrds, the Youngbloods, Jefferson Airplane, and many others. Rock Palace acted as a direct competitor to Bill Graham's consistently sold out Fillmore East and West. It was 47 years ago today that the Grateful Dead we're preparing for the final night of their 4-night run at the 46th St. ![]()
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