jesse jarnow
50 years ago today, #JerryGarcia & #MerlSaunders make their east coast debut in #nyc (with #BillKreutzmann on drums), playing a hells angels’ party on the s.s. bay belle, on a bill with bo diddley & elephant’s memory. some footage included in the “hells angels forever” documentary, all other audio claiming to be this show is misdated. the 1st sighting (but possibly not the debut) of garcia’s new wolf guitar by doug irwin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdPlApXtcNI #garciafreaksunite #jg090573
Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders 9-5-73 Pirates Ball NY

YouTube
Sep 5, 2023 at 10:14pmWeb
Show threadtlmooreSep 5, 2023
@bourgwick Some really funny/scary stories have surfaced from that gig. Hells Angels taking control of a boat cruising around Manhattan for a party with Jerry Garcia & Bo Diddley sounds like a fever dream before dawn that you have trouble piecing together the next morning and seems rather strange and audacious when remembered.
“They’re really good in all the violent spaces.” -a filmed quote that could be shown split screen with footage of speaking with Michael Shrieve after landing at Altamont😊
Show threadCorry342Sep 6, 2023
@bourgwick @tlmoore I remain convinced that the debut of Wolf was Sep 1 73 Keystone, will Die On That Hill. Thanks for noting the discrepancy
Show threadjesse jarnowSep 6, 2023
@Corry342 @tlmoore i mean, is there any evidence the wolf guitar didn't turn up immediately at the wake of the flood sessions? as far as i know, there's zero photo documentation between roosevelt stadium on 8/1 & the hells angels' party. still an open question for me. cc @FateMusic @InstituteJerry
Show threadCorry342Sep 6, 2023
@bourgwick @tlmoore @InstituteJerry @FateMusic Good point. I’m sure it’s live debut was 9/1, can’t prove it. Wouldn’t debut a new guitar on the road on a boat
Show threadjesse jarnowSep 6, 2023
@Corry342 @tlmoore @InstituteJerry @FateMusic to be fair, he debuted irwin's eagle guitar seemingly at a road gig in iowa, but does make more sense to me that he'd've played wolf in california before departure.
Show threadFate MusicSep 6, 2023
@bourgwick @Corry342 @tlmoore @InstituteJerry yeah, that does make sense. But it's not clear to me how much sense has to do with any of this.
Show threadMr. CompletelySep 6, 2023
@FateMusic @bourgwick @Corry342 @tlmoore @InstituteJerry 🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯 and also 😭
Show threadCorry342Sep 6, 2023
@tlmoore @bourgwick @InstituteJerry @FateMusic At a GD “stadium” show, there was a full crew, techs, backup guitars and so on (if The Eagle failed, there were other guitars). Just Parish, on a small boat in the harbor—the guitar has to be a proven commodity. I’m sure Jerry had an extra Fender, but he wouldn’t have been experimenting.
Show threadMr. CompletelySep 6, 2023
@tlmoore @bourgwick the fact that all that went down and they just signed up for another Angel drug boat party a few years later says quite a lot
Show threadjesse jarnowSep 6, 2023
@mrcompletely @tlmoore and not even the 1st angels party since '69, also the big shindig at the academy in '72; though (as i'm sure they'd all be quick to point out) the nyc angels + bay area angels weren't the same.