16: 1968-08-23

15:28 (116193)
Variant of Main Theme at 2:22. Main theme at 3:39. First verse at 5:37. Brief proto-Sputnik beginning around 7:27. Verse melody at 8:06. Bright Star feint at 9:41. Partial return to main theme at 10:11. Bright Star at 12:29. Falling Star at 12:50. Second verse at 13:59. Goes into St. Stephen.

This is an astounding version. This one shows that there is a way in which these early versions, in which Garcia is so dominant, and there isn’t a ton of variation in the other instruments yet, at least relative to later Dark Stars, can be a revealing showcase for his guitar playing. At 2:40 Garcia starts playing some brassy lines on the bass strings that will return in several future versions, always in the introduction (see 1972-11-26, 1973-11-11). It is more striking here than ever the way Garcia seems to play with several different personalities or voices that can seem to be in dialogue (this is a conscious strategy—see the quote under 1968-08-21), and how he employs dynamics and tonal shifts to great effect. Check out the breathtaking brief arpeggiated passage that begins at 4:18, the fluid phrases Garcia plays out of the verse melody section that begins at 8:06, the choking lines at 10:28, the volume swells at 11:12, and the rolling section that begins at 11:35, and then the answering barrage that begins quietly at 12:04 and gradually, subtly, crescendos, building the tension for the release that comes in the form of Bright Star at 12:29, and the angry emphasis of the Falling Star that follows. A Garcia tour de force that can almost make one forget how far Dark Star still has to go…




What was said:

Amazing version, in a beautiful mix....the sound is totally enveloping, the guitar tone is so sweet, it melts into the ears like warm honey. Pigpen's riff kind of drifts into the background here...and I didn't notice much percussion at all, it's not very present in this mix, so this is a very guitar-heavy Dark Star.
I don't think I've heard Jerry so creatively on in any earlier Dark Stars, just the intro solo by itself is already a fascinating journey. You're right about all the tonal shifts, Jerry's pulling out all kinds of tricks I haven't heard in previous Dark Stars, like those brief surprising volume swells at 11:12. Another place where he uses the bass strings is just before the first verse at 4:50, he signals the verse with this bass riff that's neatly synchronized with Pigpen...but before the second verse, he scratches out the same rhythm on muted strings instead!
This is the first Dark Star where the jam really builds up to a climax, and the Bright Star finally shows what it can be -- this section may be my favorite part of any Dark Star up to now. (Then Jerry firmly returns to the Main Theme at 13:25.) This is the kind of thematic structure and closure that was lacking in some previous Dark Stars....everything that I found missing on 8-21-68 is here in full.
One cute moment is after 9:45 when Phil stops playing for a little while...I imagine him getting so carried away in the music he forgot he was playing, and Jerry threatening to throw him down some stairs after the show... But that was another show! Anyway, Phil's so splendid throughout, I kind of take him for granted: 'oh yeah, Phil's great like always.' But Bob's right in there too, always with a well-placed jangly chord or these little contrapuntal lines.
What's really remarkable about these August '68 versions is that they're playing Dark Star several days in a row, and each one is like a quantum leap from the day before. If I were to point out "the first great Dark Star," it would be this one.


Beautiful, powerful, magical. At multiple points throughout the journey, and especially from Bright Star through the return to the Main Theme, we are reminded of the joys of being alive. The peaks are breathtaking and the little details are wonderful too.


I didn't know of 1968-08-23 so that's nice to find as I catch up. It's also pretty quick, and strong! It sounds to me like (possibly, I may be talking out of my ass if anybody knows better or has read about their touring then) different amps than SF at the Fillmore. I know he was mostly into Fender Twins but the Shrine shows make the Les Paul Custom sound more "Gibson-y", like he gets more crunch when biting in with the pick. Or using the rolled off neck pickup with the overdrive like in the theme restatement jam, at around 8', where he's been really digging in with the bridge pickup before.