GOOD OL' GRATEFUL DEADCAST

Episode: Europe ‘72: The Netherlands
Release Date: May 12, 2022

Overview

This episode of the official Grateful Dead Podcast takes listeners on a vivid, detailed journey through the band’s historic 1972 concerts in the Netherlands—Amsterdam (May 10) and Rotterdam (May 11)—as part of the legendary Europe '72 tour. Through band and crew reminiscences, interviews with Deadheads who followed the band across Europe, local promoters, critical music analysis, and plenty of colorful scene-setting, the episode captures both the music and the countercultural, boundary-blurring spirit of these shows.

Main Discussion Points and Key Insights

1. The Road to the Netherlands: Arriving in Amsterdam

• The episode opens with the Dead’s journey post-Bickershaw Festival in England, describing the passage to the Netherlands (02:47).
• Donna Jean Godchaux recalls the otherworldly tulip fields around Amsterdam and the feeling of discovery (03:39):

  “All you could see was acres and acres of these beautiful tulips. And of course I had never seen anything like that before and it was just astounding to me.”

• Alan Trist (of Ice9 Publishing) describes the lively Dutch underground press scene and the “in and out” nature of the Dead family and traveling press (04:21).

2. Amsterdam: Europe's Countercultural Capital

• The city’s permissive cannabis laws and intense cannabis culture are explored; Steve Parish remembers pot being shockingly strong thanks to African imports (05:12):

  “The pot in Amsterdam at that time was so strong...after that, when we came back...they had dumbed the weed way down...so many tourists were getting so stoned and driving their cars into the canals...”

• Ben Haller (lighting crew) enthuses about Amsterdam’s liberal scene, the local Rijsttafel (Indonesian rice table), and culinary discoveries (07:32).
• Amsterdam is painted as a nexus for the European hippy trail, a meeting point for international travelers, musicians, and cross-cultural exchange (08:18).

3. The Fan Experience: Following the Dead

• Dixon Hall and Peter Swift provide evocative travelogues from the hippie trail—buying Volkswagen vans, meandering from Morocco to Amsterdam, selling vans and converging on the Dead shows after months without any live music (09:11, 12:24).
• Peter Swift recounts an accidental meetup with Steve Parish in a record store, fostering rumors of a free park concert.

4. Promoters, Venues, and the Dutch Rock Scene

• Dutch promoter Barry Visser shares stories of trying to recreate Woodstock in the Netherlands, the logistical challenges, and the Dutch festivals as the beginning of the local cannabis revolution (14:09).
• The Concertgebouw is described as an ornate venue typically home to classical music, while Rotterdam’s Grote Zaal de Doelen is a modern symphony hall (18:00, 47:41).

5. The Amsterdam Show (May 10, 1972)

• Intimate accounts emphasize the show’s acoustic splendor and the potent cloud of cannabis smoke inside (19:16):
  Dixon Hall:

  “We were asked to ask the audience not to smoke...everybody started smoking...the whole auditorium was one big blue curtain.”

• European Dead shows contrasted with more restrained Dutch concert etiquette, with Americans dancing front and center and Dutch fans mainly sitting respectfully (20:56).
• The legendary “He’s Gone” (first set, Amsterdam) is explored in depth—its origins, meaning, and place in Dead history (25:56).
  • Robert Hunter’s lyrics reference the notorious ripping-off by former manager Lenny Hart:

    “Like I told you what I said, steal your face right off your head.” (28:19)

  • The episode details its evolution post-tour, overdubs, and reinterpretation after Pigpen's death.
• Behind-the-scenes anecdotes: the lighting crew accidentally tearing down gold leaf from the concert hall, mixing mishaps, and wild nights out in Amsterdam (41:49, 42:36).

6. The Rotterdam Show (May 11, 1972)

• Contrasts with the Concertgebouw—modern, less ornate, but equally majestic (47:41).
• Tales of spontaneous mingling with the band during soundcheck (49:07), and the challenge of getting Dutch audiences to dance.
• Rotterdam witnesses the emergence of the “Good Lovin’” organ segment played by Garcia, rare in Dead history and marking some of Pigpen’s final live performances (52:45).
• The lengthy, climactic “Dark Star” in Rotterdam (clocking in at a record 48 minutes) is analyzed by musicologist Graham Boone and drummer Kid Millions:
  • Close examination of Bill Kreutzmann’s drumming and the Dead's improvisational musical philosophy—“the one is where you think it is” (66:44–68:21).
  • The segment dives deep into the band’s harmonic and rhythmic explorations, the interplay between musicians, and the spiritual/communal dimensions of their jams (60:41–73:47).
  • “The Dead kept on playing until everybody had left going home,” a testament to their marathon sets and un-European approach to concert length (57:43).

7. Pigpen’s Final Bow

• The episode is shadowed by the awareness that these Netherlands shows were among Ron “Pigpen” McKernan’s last public performances.
• Colleagues, including Donna Jean Godchaux and Sam Cutler, reflect on Pigpen’s failing health and enduring on-stage charisma:

  “Pigpen was the first...freestyle singer...freestyling on that Europe tour were just spot on, just spot on.” (Donna, 82:12)

8. Tying the Dead to Europe’s Rock and Counterculture

• The Dead’s presence as representatives of “Woodstock Nation” in Europe, their role in a “Woodstock transnational” global youth movement, and the differences and commonalities between American and European Deadheads are discussed by historian Michael Kramer (104:45).
• Jerry Garcia remarks on European Deadheads in 1979:

  “They’re kind of like Deadheads everywhere, except that they have their own definition of themselves...” (110:49)

• Scene-setting with local bands, parallel tours (Beach Boys in Holland, 92:23), and Deadheads’ post-show adventures (86:07, 87:11).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Steve Parish on Dutch weed:

  “Africa is the mother of all weed, man. And so the purple weeds that we got there at that time were incredible.” (05:12)

• Donna Jean on Pigpen:

  “He was the first...freestyle singer...Pigpen was the first guy, at least in rock and roll...who had that freestyle thing.” (82:12)

• Robert Hunter’s lyrical intent:

  “I warned them about him from the beginning...that song just contained more warning.” (28:31)

• Jerry Garcia on the Dead’s musical philosophy:

  “Our policy is that you always know the one is always where you think it is. And it’s kind of a Zen concept.” (67:22)

• Fans on the transformative power of the Dead:

  “They just blew me away in a way that had never been blown away before with music.” (21:39) “It was monumental in my life...Their concerts were unlike any other I'd seen...They were here to...let's see what we get going. It's having some fun. And that just emanated out of the band.” (77:46)

• Cultural reflection, Michael Kramer:

  “Woodstock Nation wasn’t just an American phenomenon...it was starting to happen around the world in really different contexts.” (104:45)

Important Timestamps

• [03:39] – Donna Jean’s tulip fields memory
• [05:12] – Steve Parish on Amsterdam weed
• [08:18] – The hippy trail & international fan stories
• [14:09] – Barry Visser on Dutch festivals, Woodstock’s legacy
• [19:16] / [20:56] – Inside the Amsterdam show: audience, smoke, etiquette clash
• [25:56–34:00] – "He’s Gone" deep dive: origins, meaning, studio process
• [41:49] / [42:36] – Gold leaf mishap and backstage hijinks
• [60:41–73:47] – Rotterdam "Dark Star" breakdown: musical analysis, peak improvisation
• [82:12] – Donna Jean on Pigpen's presence
• [104:45] – “Woodstock transnational” and the Dead as global counterculture icons
• [110:49] – Jerry Garcia on European Deadheads

Tone and Style

• Warm, wry, and deeply affectionate for both the music and the scene; the hosts and guests speak as knowledgeable insiders but welcome the curious, with expert musical and cultural analysis balanced by down-to-earth, often funny anecdotes.
• The personal stories from fans and crew, ranging from transcendent musical moments to sleeping rough after missed trains, capture both the wildness and the humanity of Deadhead culture.

Concluding Reflections

The episode beautifully illustrates how the Grateful Dead’s journey through the Netherlands in May 1972—on stage and off—was both a musical milestone and a moment of profound cross-cultural convergence. Whether through the haze of purple Amsterdam weed, 48-minute improvisational jams, or the global Woodstock spirit, the Dead’s Europe ’72 tour in the Netherlands stands as a vivid chapter in both rock history and the story of a global counterculture.

For more stories and rare audio, visit dead.net/deadcast.