Grateful Dead - 1971-07-02 - San Francisco, CA (FM)

Grateful Dead
1971-07-02
Last Week of The Fillmore West
Fillmore West
San Francisco, CA
KSAN-FM Recording
256 kbps (vbr)
Artwork Below

CD 1:
1st Set
01. Bertha
02. Me & Bobby McGee
03. Next Time You See Me
04. China Cat Sunflower >
05. I Know You Rider
06. Playin' In The Band
07. Loser
08. The Rub
09. Me & My Uncle
10. Big Railroad Blues

CD 2:
1st Set (continued)
01. Hard To Handle
02. Deal
03. Promised Land
04. Good Lovin'

2nd Set
05. Sugar Magnolia
06. Sing Me Back Home
07. Mamma Tried

CD 3:
2nd Set (continued)
01. Cryptical Envelopment >
02. Drums >
03. The Other One > Cryptical Envelopment reprise
04. Big Boss Man
05. Casey Jones
06. Not Fade Away >
07. Going Down The Road Feeling Bad >
08. Not Fade Away

Encore
09. Johnny B. Goode

Grateful Dead - 1971-07-02 - Fillmore West (FM)

In 1971, Bill Graham made the decision to close his two iconic concert halls, the Fillmore East in New York and the Fillmore West in San Francisco. In a UPI news article, Graham explained that he no longer wanted the pressure of owning and running an operation 52 weeks a year, preferring instead to rent space when he wanted to promote a show. In addition, with the growth of the rock music industry, it had become far too difficult to run a small concert venue when acts could easily fill arenas and even stadiums. The Fillmore East closed on June 27, with the 3rd of 3 shows featuring Albert King, J Geils and the Allman Brothers Band. The last night also featured The Beach Boys, Edgar Winter, Country Joe McDonald and Mountain. To close the Fillmore West, Graham scheduled 5 shows, each with a different line up of bands:

• June 30:  Boz Scaggs, Cold Blood, Flamin' Groovies, Stoneground
• July 1:     It's A Beautiful Day, Elvin Bishop, Grootn, Lamb
• July 2:     Grateful Dead, New Riders, Rowan Brothers
• July 3:     Quicksilver Messenger Service, Hot Tuna, Yogi Phlegm
• July 4:     Santana, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Tower of Power

This soundboard recording captures San Francisco's own Grateful Dead on the middle night of the 5 shows to close the Fillmore West, on July 2, 1971, 44 years ago this very day. The first set showcases the band's folk roots, especially evident in Ron "Pigpen" McKernan's delivery of Hard To Handle and Good Lovin'. The second set features the Dead's unique ability to jam, as Jerry Garcia leads the band seamlessly from one song to the next, sometimes nearing the brink of oblivion, but always returning home

1971 in Grateful Dead History:

• The Dead play 5 nights at The Fillmore East in April, their last shows at that historic venue before it closed in June. A large portion of that run were officially released in 2002 as a 4 CD set entitled Ladies & Gentlemen - The Grateful Dead.
• As documnted in this post, the band also played a show on July 2, 1971 as part of the closing of the Fillmore West.
• In October, the band releases Skull & Roses, a live double disc that features music from the March/April 1971 spring tour.
• From August to December, Pigpen takes a break from touring due to his failing health. 
• In October, Keith Godchaux joins the band. Wife Donna Jean would join the following year. 
• In addition to the Fillmore East run, the following live shows have been officially released: February 19, August 7, August 24, October 21, October 22, October 26, October 31, November 14 and November 15.