Fate Music

Emerge and See: Hunter Hosting Garcia at the Cellar Door – May 15, 1978 (DISCONFIRMED)

update 20210526: this seems not to have happened. David Kramer-Smythe reached out to David Morgenstern, who was with Comfort at this time. He remembered this gig for other reasons, but said Garcia definitely did not join, and that, in fact, Garcia never sat in with Comfort. So this is one of those cases of …. hmmm … how does such a specific (if uncertain) memory form? What do we do with such a memory? In the absence of other advice. I will just keep this here for posterity.
Courtesy of slip at JGBP, this:

May 15, 1978 Robert Hunter and Comfort 

This was a three night run, the 14, 15, 16th at the Cellar Door in Washington DC.  

(The 14th  we saw the Dead play in Providence, RI. We were just finishing a post  spring semester  Vermont > Springfield > Providence run, so my memory of this event is extremely fuzzy, but it happened.) 

Anyway – towards the end of the Hunter show, Steve Parrish..what was he doing there?… helped roll a doorway sort-of-thing out on stage. It was like a big stage prop with a man-size keyhole shape cut-out. What…A giant keyhole? 

Then, I remember smoke machine and a siren howling like an ambulance. Lights flashed. The Cellar Door was a pretty small and dark venue as I recall, so this was kind of jarring. 

And then the PA screamed “Emergency…Emergency…Emergency” and gradually slowed to say “Emergggge an Seeeeee,” “Emergggge and See,” “Emerge and See,” Emerge and See!!!” 

And a fellow in a bozo mask walked through the keyhole. The fellow was Garcia. 

This is where it gets fuzzy….I forget what he played, maybe Boys in the Ballroom [sic]? Promontory Rider? Goodnight Irene? It wasn’t a standard Dead tune. 

Who’s got the tape?

Who, indeed? Can anyone confirm or deny?

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2 responses to “Emerge and See: Hunter Hosting Garcia at the Cellar Door – May 15, 1978 (DISCONFIRMED)”

  1. Jerry's Brokendown Palaces Avatar
    Jerry’s Brokendown Palaces

    “In 1978, the club suffered a serious blow when the D.C. Fire Department cut its seating capacity from 199 to 124 in compliance with the D.C. build-ing code. The cutback affected revenues and impaired the club's ability to book medium-priced acts. “ [2] Not sure but maybe the skit with Parish was a spoof on the Fire Department.

    2.) Harrington, Richard, The Door Closes In Georgetown, 1982-01-09, Washington Post.

    Reply
  2. Jerry's Brokendown Palaces Avatar
    Jerry’s Brokendown Palaces

    Cellar Door
    9/1/80 Robert Hunter show
    Garcia, Weir, and friends were in the audience but didn’t perform. The Dead had played in Maryland the night before.

    Reply

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