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Hello, gentlemen. I've been researching the
Monterey Pop Festival for almost 10 years now, trying to compile setlists and
recordings of all the performers. If you look on setlist.com, you'll see a
page dedicated to Monterey and all the setlists I've gathered thus far.
The mystery of the Grateful Dead setlist for this show has been discussed for
years, mainly with regards to Alligator->Caution and whether Bill Graham
handled their outro. I believe I have solved this mystery.
I've confirmed that Bill Graham was most definitely
handling outro's that evening. The band that played immediately
before the Dead was The Who. At the conclusion of My
Generation, their last tune, you can hear Bill say, "let's hear it
just one more time for The Who". He was also behind the stage that evening
speaking with various performers as documented in "Monterey Pop" by Joel Selvin.
I can also confirm that Alligator->Caution was
part of their set that evening. Apart from the outro by Bill Graham, the
greatest evidence lies in the sound of the recordings of the Festival.
It's tough to describe in words, however, if you listen to the
recordings of all the performers, there's no doubt. The recordings of the
applause after each performer have a very unique cadence (for lack of a better
term) that is evident throughout each performance over the three days.
This holds true at the end of "Caution" during which Bill Graham's outro states
"let's do it just one more time, let's hear it again...the Grateful
Dead".
In regards to Alligator being a very
primordial version without vocals, the issue was actually an
equipment malfunction. This was an ongoing problem with many of the
performances throughout the Festival. Jerry and Bobby's backup vocals are
evident, but Pigpen's microphone is initially not functioning. A few
minutes into Caution, the issue is resolved and Pigpen can be
heard.
I can point out other unique similarities to
confirm my theory, but the ones I've outlined above are the
strongest. Hope this puts to rest once and for all the mystery surrounding
their performance. If you have any questions, or comments, I appreciate
all feedback. Thanks for your time and keep up the great
work.
Best regards,
Endre Pady
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