1971-07-02
Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA
Wolgang's Vault Download
Set I:
d1t01 - Bertha
d1t02 - Me & Bobby McGee
d1t03 - Next Time You See Me
d1t04 - China Cat Sunflower >
d1t05 - I Know You Rider
d1t06 - Playing in the Band
d1t07 - Loser
d1t08 - The Rub
d1t09 - Me & My Uncle
d2t01 - Big Railroad Blues
d2t02 - Hard to Handle
d2t03 - Deal
d2t04 - Promised Land
d2t05 - Good Lovin'
Set II:
d2t06 - Sugar Magnolia
d2t07 - Sing Me Back Home
d2t08 - Mama Tried
d3t01 - Cryptical Envelopement >
d3t02 - Drums >
d3t03 - The Other One
d3t04 - Big Boss Man
d3t05 - Casey Jones
d3t06 - Not Fade Away >
d3t07 - Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad >
d3t08 - Not Fade Away
d3t09 - Radio Spots
Encore:
d3t10 -Johnny B. Goode
Liner Notes:
Jerry Garcia - lead guitar, vocals
"Pigpen" McKernan - vocals, organ, percussion
Bob Weir - guitar, vocals
Phil Lesh - bass, vocals
Bill Kreutzmann - drums
The Grateful Dead's last show at the Fillmore West was inherently a legendary event, and despite the fact that the group often failed to deliver their best performances at major events, on this night they cetainly rose to the occasion. This is also one of the last shows featuring the original, five-piece prototypical Dead lineup. Pigpen would become deathly ill a few days later, and Keith Godchaux began rehearsing with the band a few weeks afterwards. On this night, however, Pigpen is in remarkably strong form and Garcia seems to have boundless energy, as he also played on complete sets for the Rowan Brothers and the New Riders prior to this lengthy, final one with the Dead.
Though only their first set is presented here, the Dead played well the entire show, introducing much of the new material they'd been developing over the course of the year. In fact, the vast majority of this show is comprised of new material that hadn't been played prior to 1971. "Playing In The Band" was just beginning to be recognized as a vehicle for extended jamming. "China Cat Sunflower" and "I Know You Rider" had developed into one of their all-time classic transitional pairings, as had "Not Fade Away" and "Going Down The Road."
Pigpen, in particular, seems to be performing as if his life depended on it, and every song that he sings lead on is a standout version. He belts out a rare "The Rub," a hot cover of Otis Redding's "Hard To Handle" as well as a strong versions of "Next Time You See Me." He really cuts loose, however, on a nearly 19-minute "Good Lovin" that almost crackles with energy. Despite serious health issues, he is in top form here.
The band then takes a break before returning for an appropriately lengthy second set.
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