Hiya Folks!

This episode features some really fine 5-piece Grateful Dead, stripped down - lean and mean!

April 17, 1971 - Princeton University in Princeton, NJ.

This is a band that is going through some pretty heavy changes. Mickey Hart left the band in February, and they were still crawling out from under some pretty serious financial strain. Their touring schedule had been relentless in '69 and '70 - around 140 shows each year, in '71 they played 82 concerts.

The fall of '71 would bring Keith Godchaux on board to play piano and that would begin a completely new era of GD, but for now the band is:

Jerry Garcia - Guitar/Vocals

Bob Weir - Guitar/Vocals

Billy Kreutzmann - Drums

Phil Lesh - Bass/Vocals

Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan - Organ/Vocals/Harmonica

I think it's important to listen to some of the music from this time period. They are clearly 'coming back down to Earth' a bit and re-grouping, which is great! This is a very 'stripped down' band on a lot of levels. They're not playing avant garde/psychedelia. No 11/7 time signatures. There are no harpsichords on stage. (Or gongs.) This is rootin' tootin' shoot 'em up gunslingin' bar fightin' Grateful Goddamn Dead!

The Music:

(Intro/comments) Truckin', Big Railroad Blues, Mama Tried, Casey Jones, Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad->Turn On Your Lovelight (comments/outro)

Please feel free to contact me at negdpodcast@gmail.com, Facebook (NE GD Podcast) and Twitter (#NEGDPodcast)

Thanks for tuning in, see you sometime!

Stephen Urbauer