4/14/71: bucknell university, lewisburg, PA.

the dead and the new riders play a swell gig at the on-campus davis gymnasium. tour manager sam cutler introduces the band’s “penultimate pennsylvania performance.”

the show is a real scorcher and well worth repeated listenings. highlights include a nice truckin' opener, a sweet 9-minute bird song (the first since the port chester debut(s) in february) and a brilliant cryptical envelopment > drums > other one > wharf rat sequence. the tape also features some very early ’70s stage banter, and the dick latvala transfer from the bob mathew’s 7 inch ¼ track reel master is a damn nice recording for this period.

https://archive.org/details/gd1971-04-14.132733.sbd.matthews.wise-droncit.flac1648

11/2/69: family dog at the great highway, san francisco, CA.

chet helms opened his family dog operation to great fanfare in june of '69. helms was a clever promoter, but a poor financial manager, and despite financial support from bill graham, the family dog was in dire financial straits by august. the dead certainly helped keep the club afloat, playing a number of dates in august, september, and two shows in early november. on the whole, the family dog shows tended to be a bit more laid back as a general rule, but this particular night found the boys playing with unbridled passion and authority. all of the pigpen numbers are a gas, and the good lovin’ is as hot as any you’ll ever lay your ears on. heck, the big boss man and next time you see me ain’t no slouches either.

the intro stuff is solid, but it’s the final 60 minutes of the set that makes this gig so special. the dark star suite and the transitions into st. stephen, the eleven, and the show-ending death don’t have no mercy, is about as good as it gets for 1969 dead. recorded by bear, and digitally transferred by charlie miller, this night at the family dog is one i'm happy to return to again and again.

https://archive.org/details/gd1969-11-02.sbd.miller.32350.sbeok.flac16

12/31/72: winterland ballroom, san francisco w/sons of champlin and the new riders of the purple sage.

one of the finer new year’s, a “regular” ’72 show with slight extra edge. the performance came on the tail end of a wonderful year that found the band, as always, in development. keith had moved in, pigpen was heading out, and a whole bunch of new songs had been added. in general, they were 'little' songs, so the big jams tended to revolve around dark star or the other one during the second set. for those of you who adore the more primal dead, check out the hour-long truckin > other one > morning dew suite from the second set. holy moly.

https://archive.org/details/gd72-12-31.prefm.vernon.20559.sbeok.shnf