Corry and I have been documenting some of the GD’s early 1971 logistical difficulties.
- GD: early 1971 logistical difficulties
- GD: January 31, 1971, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
- GD: March/April 1971, Norther Illinois University, Dekalb, IL
- GD: March 19, 1971 The Syndrome, Chicago, IL (LLD)
- GD: April 2, 1971 Kent State University, Kent, OH (LLD)
I might advance the argument that the March-April 1971 tour was the last peak of these kinds of problems. The tour was a big success, as far as I can tell, and thereafter the GD’s popularity was cemented in lots of different towns. The release of Skullfuck from shows from the tour probably helped reinforce this popularity. After spring 1971, scheduling seems to have become easier. That’s not to say that there still weren’t snafus, even lots of them. But it is to say that just as the GD became a more musically-competent touring unit during this period, but also a more professional one in lots of ways.
Anyway, reader Dave Tamarkin has graciously sent a photo of this extremely rare poster for a canceled GD/NRPS show scheduled for April 19, 1971 in the Gymnasium, Hofstra University, West Hempstead, NY. Thank you, Dave.
Dave also sends along this story, which I relay in case there are any connections waiting to be made.
In April of 1971, the Grateful Dead were on an extensive tour playing theaters and colleges in the northeast. A scheduled show at Hofstra University was cancelled. To make this up to the students, another show was scheduled for the evening of May 2, 1971 featuring the Alllman Brothers and my friend’s band, Boswell. My friends attended the afternoon concert at CCNY, also with the Youngbloods, and then opened for the Allman Brothers that night. The evening show had a ticket charge of $0.50! Boswell was made up of some good friends of mine from Long Island. They later morphed into the New Mississippi Sheiks and then just the Sheiks. Great local band. I used to work for them and taped them many times. John Cipollina played with them in the summer of 77 and we opened for some great acts including Vassar Clements and Dan Hicks among others.
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