There were two festivals in Miami in 1968, both at the same venue. The smaller May festival was a two-day event, the second day of which rained out, produced by Michael Lang, and at which Frank Zappa did play. It was called the Pop & Underground Festival. The larger December festival was a three-day event produced by another team of people with no connection to Lang, featuring over thirty acts, and with weather balmy enough that many people wore short-sleeved shirts and some wore shorts. It was called the Miami Pop Festival. There has been a lot of confusion about the two events.

It was the first time I had caught the Dead, though I had bought their first album in '67, and even had their Pigpen poster hanging on my wall at home (which my mother hated and tore down!) I thought the Dead's set was just the right length, and loved that they played some music off their then-current second LP, "Anthem of the Sun." One guy next to me complained that their music was just too far out, but I loved them. BTW, I didn't think the heat was extreme at all, although admittedly I was from the South (Mississippi by way of New Orleans). Mid-80's during the days, and in the mid-70's at nite, which seems pretty perfect to me. Great festival -- well-organized, lots of great groups, excellent sound, mellow crowd, and the police presence was just fine. I didn't think they were heavy-handed at all. You knew they were there, but I saw no hassles of any kind by anyone, and I attended all three days, too.

Man Jerry is on fire at this show. Slightly out of tune but he's leads are manic. I love the set list too. Audio is a little less quality but still highly listenable music here. I love '68 Dead.

It was a day not unlike today in southern Florida...and when they played "The 11" I thot I was in heaven.

Ridiculously short show, but good! Would have been great if they coulda stretched some stuff out more. Actually, it's still great. Incredible Other One.

If only this were available for a .zip download! I would love to listen to this away from a computer.

This one burrows under your skin and just shreds. Short, but o' so sweet! Listen, and you will understand. Maybe 100°C ? So much more than 5*****

i live 5 minutes from gulf stream park and 12-29-68=beautiful balmy not to forget breezy weather for this show. what about the music,you ask? dark star and a thundering the other one/cryptical envelopment as well as st. stephen and the eleven. 5stars from this humble commentator.

Just read over Alco's interesting remembrances from this show. A few details puzzle me: I haven't been able to find any corroboration that Frank Zappa was scheduled to play at either Miami Pop Festival--the one held the previous May or this one. Also, 100 degree heat? The highest recorded temperature in Miami during December was 87 degrees in 1902, and the news clippings from the December festival mention the weather as being "balmy". I'm not doubting your sincerity but I think maybe some memories are being conflated. Did you go to both festivals? From what I understand, the first festival had brutal heat the first day, and the second day was cancelled because of heavy rain. Or maybe your body temperature was artificially inflated because of, um, certain medications that you might've taken?:)

Either way, your memory of the Dead set seems to be corroborated by this recording, which--despite it's flaws--indicates that it was indeed an incendiary show in all aspects. Now if only we could get a recording of that Frank Zappa hallucination you had afterward.....

not much i can add either, Tell. stop whatever you are doing. now. put on your shades, listen, and bask in the cosmic rays emitted from this supernova...

6 mother fucking stars!

Having discussed this one so many times on site at the forum, it is anticlimatic to post this review. There is one big reason for ranking this show so highly: Jerry's efforts on the Other One. Absolutely amazing. Sure the Eleven smokes, and others are darn good too, but just listen to the guitar work for the OOne and you'll know why this is a must have for 68 and for all time.

i thought the 11 was really hot

Yee haw...giddy up....this is special.

im not always a fan of the lovelight but this one absolutely smokes! nice exploratory dark star. an absolutely face melting eleven into a nice drums exploding into a mean other one!!

Top 3 for the year, top 20 overall. Lovelight!!!!! I'm not a fan of the 20+ minute long lovelights, so this was nice. Good short and succinct dark star. All around HOT show!

It's almost like they are rushing through the other one, and in doing so, Jerry sounds pissed! Well, not actually, but you'd be pressed to find the difference in terms of energy between this and, oh say.. I dont know, any other piece of music that has ever been written since then. Seriously it's almost like music died when this song was over. I've never anything like it before, after, or since.

Wow.

Wow.

Wow.

5 stars * 5 stars x five stars to the 5th star power times infinity. (Is one hundred trillion billion million stars a rating that I can actualy give?) shit, unfortunately, no. Oh well. GET THIS SHOW. It's still avalable on gdlive.com in the SHN directory. Take care.

In Dec 1968 at the Gulf Stream Race Park, site of the first Miami Pop Festival, I was introduced to the Grateful Dead. I had heard their first album several months earlier but I was completely unprepared for what I experienced that day. The festival had two stages, one in the middle of the race track for the famous bands and the other in the meadow for the less known bands. As I remember it being close to 100 degrees we were sitting in the shade of the meadows wathching James Cotton and awaiting a new band I had just heard called Sweetwater. After Sweetwater we were going to head back to the main stage to see Frank Zappa & the Mothers but I remember someone saying the Zappa was delayed so we stayed in the meadow to keep out of the extream heat. What happened next had a profound effect on the rest of my life, the Grateful Dead were announced to be the next band. As I mentioned I had heard the Dead's first album and loved the bluesy style of Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (as compared with Ten Years After more electric style)and the energetic garage band sound of New Minglewood so we stayed to hear them live. I was so BLOWN AWAY by this band that I could hardly believe my ears. Although the set's of the bands on the meadow stage were timed the crowd urged the Dead on and their set became the discussion of the day, (along with Zappa's set of Uncle Meat). Those of you who are listening to this set realize that they were playing in 100 degree heat (even in the shade) while being rushed by the concert promoters to finish their set so the next band could be set up for and the schedule maintained. It was a great show, a real eye opener for me, and a preview of the electric concert the next year at the Mickasookie Indian Reservation.

This has average sound, it is over-produced/over-mixed in the right ear. Listen to The Eleven from this night and from 1968-10-12, and you'll notice a more even crisp sound from the gig a few months ago. I can only give this show an average of 3 stars quality, and the set list is not unique in-of-itself. I think the Fillmore West show on 10-12 of the same year is better.

This must of been the last of the quicker paced St.Stephen's.
Intro rift then into the song or lyrics.

Now listen to January 17,1969's St.Stephen.

A nice, if too short, set. The Dark Star is beginning to mature and the Eleven & Other One are powerful. Can't add much to the reviews
below.

4.5 stars

Sadly, there is so little from 1968 to pick from. A year which was, no doubt, packed with great performances - now lost to the cosmic ether. Or perhaps, people on another planet are receiving them along with our old 1960's TV broadcasts?? Food for thought.
I've had this show on tape for years, and now on CD. And although there's been some new good 1968 shows available lately, this show still remains one of my favorites. The Dead seem to often play their best under pressure, or when they share the stage - both of which are the case here. Historical note: this Miami Pop festival was partly produced by one Michael Lang, who would go on to create Woodstock a year later.
The sound quality is excellent throughout, again perhaps due to the festival SBD situation. The Lovelight is shorter than some, but it gets the job done. Dark Star is also very good, already beginning to sound like 1969. Garcia explores many colors and themes in only 10 minutes.
But it's the Eleven Jam where things really get rolling and tumbling with some really focused interplay between Phil, Jerry and the drums. Then The Other One - wow, Jerry just blasts at you right out of the Drums like a fire engine with siren at full tilt!! They saved Other One until last for a reason, and it's obvious they're giving it all they've got. Then they bring you back to earth with a beautiful, well-jammed Cryptical.
The only thing wrong with this show is it's too short! But a classic you need for your 1968 collection. Crank it up.
cheers,
Dr. Flashback :-)

Great sound. Helluva performance. I understand they were playing this outdoor fest at sundown.

A set list that could only come from 68-69. And fierce, it's like a battle. Fun to hear the banter before Dark Star that "we once put this out as a single, an obscure single" when they still talked on stage. Given how Deadheads dance, couldn't Dark Star be considered a "dance track"?

Garcia once said that when Pig was on, the Dead were only his backup band. I'd say this show has some of those moments. At one point he's totally in control, and that's reason enough to download it.

This was part of the Miami Pop Festival and the sound quality is very good considering the era. The best part was the drums>Other One>Cryptical>Feedback segment (which also possibly suggests a missing Cryptical pt.1 that came prior to the Lovelight).