**updated**
I made this post to ask about this show, which has always been shrouded in some mystery and confusion. It is listed, without comment, on the McNally-Arnold JG List. TJS has had a note, information of unknown provenance, that the show was canceled “due to an illness in the band.” I also had a question about the venue name. I can now report the following.
First, this show absolutely happened. There is paper from ex post reporting on specifics of the event, memories of the event, etc. Here is a ticket stub, contributed by Paul Williams, who contributes recollections below:
Second, Jerry Garcia’s Brokendown Palaces has reported out on the venue name, as North Hall, Ellis Auditorium, 255 North Main Street, Memphis, TN, 38103. That’s what’s listed at The Jerry Site. But correspondent Paul Williams confirms that it was in the South Hall. Here’s what he says, reposted with permission:
It was definitely the South Hall, which was the smaller of the two,
about 2400 seats. The stage was in between the two halls, and for really
big events, like wrestling, they would use both. Both halls were
wonderful acoustically, especially the south. When Springsteen played
there in ’76, they sold tickets for the North Hall (4500), and when it
undersold, they moved it to the smaller hall at the last minute. I’m
just about positive that was not the case with Jerry, I’ll have to dig
out my ticket stub to confirm. I used to usher there … so I remember stuff like that. I don’t
remember the size of the crowd, just that the audience was VERY
appreciative, and that Jerry was smiling a lot and seem to dig the vibe.
They did a long version of “After Midnight” that just brought the house
down.
Thank you, Paul!
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