Veneta 72, cool article in the Oregonian

Forums:

 A lot of Oregonians were posting this today, including many friends who were there!  (Loved the stories I read today!!!).  I found it to be a fun read, enjoy! 


https://www.oregonlive.com/history/2022/08/grateful-deads-1972-oregon-co...
 

"Grateful Dead’s 1972 Oregon concert saved Kesey family dairy, became counterculture legend"

>>The free yogurt didn’t last long.

Chuck and Sue Kesey expected about 5,000 people to show up for the benefit concert they hoped would save their small, Oregon dairy.

No one knows for sure how many music fans ended up at the big open field in Veneta 50 years ago this week, but this much is certain: it was a whole lot more than 5,000.

The event was promoted as a “potluck picnic,” with the Keseys bringing a tranche of the creamy yogurt Chuck had spent years perfecting.

That yogurt, Nancy’s, is now Springfield Creamery’s signature brand, deemed “iconic” by Forbes magazine. But at the time it was new. And besides, in the early 1970s, only weirdos ate yogurt. Nancy’s Yogurt didn’t draw anybody to that big open field west of Eugene.

The Oregon masses turned out to see the concert’s headliner: The Grateful Dead....

(continued)

Good to see naked pole humper dude getting props.

^ Does that happen in Norway?  
 

Babbs has a great description of that event in his book.

Besides poles it's largely rumored that narry a cow was safe at that show either.

The band did have that sweet rhythm goin on that day.

E602F7E6-752A-4AAA-AA95-114CB248AC4F.jpeg
(Would have been) 30 years ago today. I was really looking forward to it, even though the "magic" of '72 was long ago....

Thanks for posting Druba.

I think i've still got the ticket stub from the 82 shows I loved...  but might have them for the 92 field trip as well.

Of curious note, I was in the first band to play out at what's his names Lumber for the replacement shows that weekend (Condi, Conty ??? the brain farteth) 

Scandinavians just like to dance around the Maypole, not hump it.

Conde.

Did he ever move to Belize?

"They secured a nearby fairgrounds for a day and recruited volunteers to build a primitive wooden stage. To save money, they printed the tickets on unused yogurt labels."

Anyone seen an original ticket?

75031E08-6F03-400E-BFC0-2B94F5D7CBA2.jpeg
Here it is.

Thanks for the link, Noodler. 

>Good to see naked pole humper dude getting props. 

lol..."No one throws a party like the GD".

I spoke to a guy on dead,net around  '12 who claimed he was at Veneta '72, and i asked him jokingly about pole humper guy.  He stated that he knew of him and this is what I was told:   His name was Gary Jensen and he was, apparently, one of the acid kings of Oregon. He also said that he had passed away a few years prior to '12. 

This is 3rd hand news, but there it is.

I was told that pole humper became a real estate agent, still in the Eugene area when that story was told

I like your story better. Alive and doing well is a happy ending. And I would rather believe an Oregonian than a story from 50 yrs ago.  Thanks

I was there, probably heard you, Noodler.

Surfdead, I did hear that Bill Conde moved to Belize but every once in a while he showed up back here (at the lumber yard).

I knew a Gary Jensen who lived up the McKenzie with his wife and kids. He was certainly interesting but I don't know if he was that Gary Jensen. When I looked around 15 or 20 years ago I didn't find him. There was a real estate agent in Lane Co. at one time with that name in the early 2000's. Don't know if it was the same guy.

Dead.net has a new 'Playing in the Band' mixer feature where you can isolate the vocals and instruments from a few songs from Veneta 72, and 'jam' along. Neat.

https://www.dead.net/playingintheband?song=chinaCatSunflower_0

recent episodes of the Good Ol' Grateful Deadcast focusing on the Veneta shows confirm "the Pole Guy" passed away about 12(?) years ago.

 

 

 

^ from splinter dick

>>>>His name was Gary Jensen and he was, apparently, one of the acid kings of Oregon. He also said that he had passed away a few years prior to '12. 

Mushroom King

They get into it on this weeks deadcast... https://www.dead.net/deadcast

The legendary 72 show was before my time.

I went to the 82 show and that was one of the great ones I was able to attend.

"Springfield Creamery Presents The Second Decadenal Field Trip" 

Setlist

I.

Bertha
New Minglewood Blues
Tennessee Jed
Me and My Uncle
Big River
Althea
It's All Over Now
China Cat Sunflower
I Know You Rider

II.

Ken Babbs intro
Day Job
Man Smart/Woman Smarter
West L.A. Fadeaway
Far From Me
Playin' in the Band
drums
The Wheel
The Other One
Truckin'
Black Peter
Playin' in the Band
One More Saturday Night

Dupree's Diamond Blues

 

notes: first "Day Job" - first "West L. A. Fadeaway" - last "Dupree's Diamond Blues"

 

A few corrections, no disrespect intended; 

It was Ken Kesey doing the intro to the 2nd set, not Ken Babbs  (Babbs did the 72 show). and it wasn't the last Duprees, but the first since the late 70's

One of my fave shows as well, such a fun site for a show!  

(and I've posted this show on this site possibly every year, lol) 

Thanks for the heads up Downtown Deb;

<<Cam Art

Celebrating what is possibly the most psychedelic show Grateful Dead ever played, which happened 50 years ago today. Every note is just drenched in acid, yet the perfection and timing of each band member is constant.

I highly recommend not just listening to the show today, but check out the latest 2 Deadcasts to hear never before heard details regarding this show. Part 2 even tells the true story of "naked pole guy".>>

 

The Good Ol' Grateful Deadcast: Season 6 - Episode 1: Sunshine Daydream: Veneta (8/27/72) Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4echGxBlspE

Part 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PTlf6-dYt0

Very cool article, and a great thread too. The zone shines.

"A few corrections, no disrespect intended"

Thanks.

I got the last Dupree's note off Dead.net. Figured it would be a source of accurate information - although I thought I remembered later performances - but did not do additional research before posting. Always good to do that, or hopefully be corrected. Looks like the last one was October 13, 1994 at Madison Square Garden.

However, second set intro was in fact by Babbs, not Kesey.

 

Maybe the literature says that, but I remember meeting Kesey that day, when he was in his black / white striped ref outfit, as was the guy on stage doing the pre 2nd set poetry intro...   matches up pretty good with the vids, no disrespect to Babbs. (my memory could be wrong, but that's how I remember it) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cBjhxmkjcQ&t=7s

Love that video. I also encountered Kesey out on the field that day. That was after I met the old guy in the lot with the big piece of blotter.

This recording of the show on the archive has the 2nd set intro listed as "Ken Babs Intro"

https://archive.org/details/gd1982-08-28.sbd.walker-scotton.miller.106749.flac16

That's what my, admittedly, no longer crystal clear memory of my lying eyes recalls.

Of course, Kesey and Babbs were one of the great comedy teams in history, and maybe only their mothers could really tell them apart.

 

 

veneta dew.jpg