May 29, 1971 is infamous for the fact that lots of people had an adverse reaction to the liquid refreshments, which were apparently distributed from a 35-gallon trash container set onto the concert floor during an intermission. 35 people were sent to the hospital “with all of the symptoms of bad trips” (“Winterland on Probation”)) The mayhem is described by an eyewitness (“Winterland–on the floor like dying fish”):
A girl in front of us … fell down on the floor and started to put things in her mouth. She would pick up tin cans, papers, socks, garbage and anything else that was on the floor. She threw up all over and then tried to take her clothes off. People were freaking out all over the place. It was like people were being shot down. People would fall down and struggle to get to their feet again. One guy fell on about five people and they all fell like dominoes. … Time actually halted as if we were dead. Jane and I were the only ones standing in a five foot radius while the people around us were squirming on the floor like dying fish.
For JGMF purposes, I just want to note that the New Riders came out sans Jerry and only played one song, “Honky Tonk Women.” So take 5/29/71 w/ NRPS off your Jerry lists if you keep it there.
REFERENCES:
! ref: “Winterland–‘on the floor like dying fish’,” Berkeley Barb, June 11-17, 1971, p. ?4;
! JGMF: JGMF. 2010. “NRPS: May 29, 1971, Winterland, SF,” Jerry Garcia’s Middle Finger, January 2, 2010, URL http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2010/01/nrps-may-29-1971-winterland-sf.html, consulted 2/3/2012.
! expost: UPI, “1,000 At Concert Drink LSD-Spiked Cider,” Los Angeles Times, June 1, 1971, p. C7;
! mention: “Bay Sounds,” Oakland Tribune, May 26, 1971, p. 25;
! expost: Smith 197 1 (“Bad Trips at Rock Hall”);
! expost: Wasserman 1971 (“Winterland Trip”);
! expost: “Winterland on Probation,” San Francisco Chronicle, August 11, 1971, p. 2.
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