A Dark Star tale

One of our guests on Tales from the Godlen Road today was Karen Hicks (krh on DeadNet Central), who was one of the people reponsible (along with her husband, Marc Francis, and Marc’s brother Scott) for the “XXX days since last SF Dark Star” that hung from the balcony at Winterland for several years.

Thanks to Peter Lavezzoli, who also talked with us on “Tales” today, for the timely info about Karen and the banner.

Karen sent this email before the show, and I share it with you here with her permission:

Yes, Marc and I, along with his brother Scott Francis, are responsible for the banner. As I recall, it was my idea. But I’m full of great ideas that never go anywhere. There wouldn’t have been a banner without Scott, who actually painted the sheet we had to borrow from his mom, since we didn’t have any clean white sheets.

We would count the days, and before each run of shows we’d sew a new patch over the old numbers and update the banner. And of course, call out ‘DARK STAR” at every opportunity — apparently making an impression on Jerry who at one point sent word via an intermediary cautioning “those Dark Star people” to keep a civil tongue in their heads!

I wish we had kept it, but as you know it was pretty much shredded that night. (The banner, not our tongues!!)
———
Little did we know that, as we cavorted inside to DS, thieves were stealing the larger, professional banners which draped the outside of the auditorium. If I recall correctly, there had been guards posted on the roof but the television station had put their big dish up there for the remote broadcast and told the guards it wasn’t safe for them to be right next to it, so they had left, and darned if someone didn’t come along in the wee hours of the morning and steal the stealie, the joker, the Blues for Allah guy, all that stuff. Word had it that the band was totally angry at Bill Graham for letting this happen, and perhaps they would not play in SF again, ever!

Well, something had to be done! This was an outrage — who would do such a thing? Obviously, these were pretty singular pieces of art, and would be very difficult for any thief to unload. Suspecting it may be more on the order of a prank than grand theft, my husband Marc got in touch with a local radio station and announced a citizens committee of local deadheads to find and recover the banners. An anonymous supporter had pledged a $1000.00 reward for information leading to their safe return. I stayed home and fielded the phone calls while Marc raced around town with [BGP producer] Bob Barsotti and one of the BGP blue shirts (for muscle) following up on leads. Within a few days, tips led them to a gang of Sammy Hagar fans (of all people!!) who had stashed the stolen artwork and were wondering what to do with it. The tipster was escorted to a small office for a meeting with the person supplying the reward. Marc likens the experience to a scene from The Godfather. It was impressed upon the young man that he would be better off somehow if he would simply tell us where the banners could be found, rather than attempting to negotiate the reward. He was a smart cookie and understood the situation perfectly, and Marc and Bob were soon speeding through the SF night to a garage out in Visitacion Valley, from which the plundered posters were retrieved and returned to the Dead.

All were happy again, and we had tickets for life, which was better than any reward!

(Of course, it was Bill who put up the reward, and who gave the tipster the tongue-lashing instead of the money — classic Bill Graham!!)