The internet is filled with things. Here is one of them.
The Grateful Dead, Helicopters, and More Power2025 Feb 22
Linked is the webpage of Janet Furman, founder of the brand bearing her name. Furman lead her firm in creating audio and power gear for musicians. But before all that, she was a Grateful Dead roadie, traveling along with the band in order to help capture recordings of their live shows, most famously for the Europe '72 album. But while that's interesting, far more wild is the crazy way Furman helped the Dead achieve their awesome sound at the Watkins Glen Summer Jam, the first festival New York State allowed after Woodstock. Held in 1973 on a racetrack, 600,000 people showed up – a double-digit percentage of all young people in the area, and twice as many as Woodstock – and more power was definitely needed.
Detouring briefly, Watkins Glen is also famous for the debut of digital delay lines, a new technology created by Eventide which was needed to keep the sound in sync as it was played through a series of PAs for a crowd that stretched far, far away from the stage.
But back to Furman and the Dead's power needs, in her own words since she's a captivating storyteller:
The Dead would need a massive amount of amplification to reach all those people. At the time, they insisted on using only McIntosh 2300 power amps, an audiophile rather than pro audio product, made in small quantity and hard to find on short notice. The McIntosh factory happened to be near Watkins Glen, in Binghamton in upstate New York. We were already backstage at the concert, and every road in the area was clogged with concert traffic. My assignment was to get five more of those giant amps, any way I could. Sam Cutler, the former Rolling Stones road manager now working for the Grateful Dead, handed me $6000 in cash and the use of a helicopter and pilot. Though it was a weekend and the McIntosh factory was closed, I tracked down the owner at his home. The pilot flew me from the venue to downtown Binghamton. Helicopter landings there were not an everyday affair, and there was great media interest. Flashbulbs popped and reporters stuck microphones in my face. In the summer heat, I was wearing only shorts and a concert T-shirt, with the cash wadded up in my pocket. I met up with the owner, who drove me to the factory and sold me the amps off the production floor. We drove back to town in his station wagon, his wife and kids aboard on their way to a summer vacation, and transferred the amps into the copter. At over 100 lbs each plus two people, it was a heavy load for a small helicopter. We had a very scary moment as we took off, coming within inches of crashing into a highrise building. But back at Watkins Glen, the sight of that enormous crowd from the air was unforgettable. In the moment I landed, delivering the goods, I became an instant hero.
Linked is the webpage of Janet Furman, founder of the brand bearing her name. Furman lead her firm in creating audio and power gear for musicians. But before all that, she was a Grateful Dead roadie, traveling along with the band in order to help capture recordings of their live shows, most famously for the Europe '72 album. But while that's interesting, far more wild is the crazy way Furman helped the Dead achieve their awesome sound at the Watkins Glen Summer Jam, the first festival New York State allowed after Woodstock. Held in 1973 on a racetrack, 600,000 people showed up – a double-digit percentage of all young people in the area, and twice as many as Woodstock – and more power was definitely needed.
Detouring briefly, Watkins Glen is also famous for the debut of digital delay lines, a new technology created by Eventide which was needed to keep the sound in sync as it was played through a series of PAs for a crowd that stretched far, far away from the stage.
But back to Furman and the Dead's power needs, in her own words since she's a captivating storyteller: