On November 30, 2016, Billy Joel extended his MSG residency continued with his 35th consecutive show at the World’s Most Famous Arena. His first monthly show at the Garden was on January 27, 2014. Joel committed to playing one show a month at the Garden as long as there was a demand for tickets.
Billy broke his own 2006 record for the most consecutive sold-out shows at his thirteenth performance on January 9, 2015. On July 1, 2015, he played his 65th show breaking the record for the most shows at the Garden by a single artist.
Elton John and the Grateful Dead held the record previously. His 74th consecutive MSG monthly show was scheduled for March 2020, but had to be postponed due to COVID-19. The show was initially moved to September, but has now been moved back another year till 2021.
According to a statement on Joel’s website, “Tickets for the original show dates and initial rescheduled show dates will be valid for the corresponding new rescheduled dates in 2021 and 2022.”
Setlist: Billy Joel at MSG, November 30, 2016
Miami 2017, Pressure, Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song), Vienna, Downeaster Alexa (with Julian Rachlin), Zanzibar, Leningrad, Allentown, New York State of Mind, Root Beer Bag, The Longest Time, My Life, Don’t Ask Me Why, Sometimes a Fantasy, She’s Always a Woman, The River of Dreams, Take it Easy (Eagles Cover), Nessun Dorma, Scenes From an Italian Restaurant, Piano Man
Encore: We Didn’t Start the Fire, Uptown Girl, It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me, Big Shot, Only the Good Die Young, You May be Right
Los Lobos will perform “Still Home for the Holidays,” a live stream from the legendary Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, CA on Friday, December 11, starting at 7pm PST (10pm EST).
A themed stream to celebrate the holidays, Los Lobos fans can purchase a virtually interactive experience with the band before they hit the stage. Tickets and more information are available here.
A Chicano rock n roll band whose members hail from East Los Angeles, the group’s longevity over the last five decades is remarkable, having formed in 1973 and amassed a strong following and reputation for stand out live performances.
Rhino Records approached Los Lobos in spring 2019 to record a Latin Christmas album, leading saxophonist Steve Berlin to resesarch Spanish-language holiday songs for the album.
Llegó Navidad, which translates to “Christmas in here,” is the first holiday release from Los Lobos in their career of mixing rock n roll with blues, folk, soul and traditional Mexican music. The bilingual collection of songs from across Latin America and the U.S begins with an obscure novelty hit that was once popular in Latino households in the Southwest, “¿Dónde Está Santa Claus?”
According to NPR, title track “Llegó Navidad,” is a classic from the Fania Records catalog originally performed by the Puerto Rican composer and singer Ismael Rivera. The David Hidalgo and Louie Perez original “Christmas and You” is a ballad of loss, and closes with a scorcher in “It’s Christmas Time In Texas,” a song by Tex- Mex troubadour Freddy Fender.
In 2019, the band was able to tour later in the year in support of the release, so this year they’ll remain in Southern California to stream the event live to a wider audience than ever before. They’ve performed across New York State regularly when they are on the road, with performances at The Egg, The Capitol Theatre, and recently, the Performing Arts Center in Homer.
The Doobie Brothers have announced their release of a video of their 2018 Beacon Theatre performance to stream via longform rental and download on major video streaming platforms. The performance included playing their albums, Toulouse Street and The Captain And Me in their entirety, for the first time in 25 years.
The Doobie Brothers are a roots-based, harmony-laden, and guitar-driven rock and roll band that formed back in the 1970’s. The Doobie Brother’s have three multi-platinum, seven platinum, and 14 Gold albums. Best of the Doobies album has sold more than 12 million copies and is considered a rare “diamond record.” They are four-time GRAMMY Award winners and 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees.
The performance at the Beacon Theatre offered an opportunity for fans to hear entire albums and songs never-before performed live by the band, such as “Mamaloi,” “O’Connelly Corners,” “Ukiah,” and “The Captain And Me.” The show begins with the ten songs from the group’s second studio album, Toulouse Street. The album was released back in 1972 and is certified platinum. The performance also included songs from the third studio release, The Captain And Me. Originally released in 1973, it reached number 7 on the Album Chart and certified double platinum.
Earlier this year, The Doobie Brothers rescheduled their 50th Anniversary Tour originally slated to begin this past summer to now begin July 17, 2021 in Palm Beach, FL. For more information and tour dates visit here.
The Doobie Brothers Live From The Beacon Theatre was initially released last year on CD, DVD, and Blu-ray. A video for “Toulouse Street,” featuring a live horns arrangement is available now and can be found here.
For more information onThe Doobie Brothers visit their website.
Live from The Beacon Theatre Video Track Listing:
Five Corners, Listen to the Music, Rockin’ Down the Highway, Mamaloi, Toulouse Street, Cotton Mouth, Don’t Start me to Talkin’, Jesus is Just Alright, White Sun, Disciple, Snake Man, Natural Thing, Long Train Runnin’, China Grove, Dark Eyed Cajun Woman, Clear as the Driven Snow, Without You, South City Midnight Lady, Evil Woman, Busted Down Around O’Connelly Corners, Ukiah, The Captain and Me, Take me in the Arms (Rock Me), Black Water, Listen to the Music (reprise)
Barenaked Ladies will host their streaming event called “Barenaked Ladies Presents: A Very Virtual Christmas” on December 18 at 9 p.m. ET. The virtual performance will include comedy sketches and holiday fan favorites from their popular Barenaked For The Holidays CD. Fans can purchase tickets for $15 along with seasonal merchandise on their website.
Just in time for the holiday season, the Barenaked Ladies holiday collection will include a Jigsaw Puzzle, Rubik’s Cube, Hat and Mask, Ugly Sweaters, Tree Ornaments, and the Barenaked For The Holidays CD. The 20th Anniversary of Maroon vinyl will be available to pre-order and will include a bonus, alternative version of “Green Christmas.”
Even with the unpredictability of the pandemic, Barenaked Ladies have created Facebook Livestreams with #SelfieCamJam to perform deep cuts and fan favorites from their discography with the help of special guests. They have completed 23 shows with appearances from Sarah McLachlan, Tom Greene, KT Tunstall, The Count, and Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish who performed with the band in 2019. The full performances of the SelfieCamJam series are on the Barenaked Ladies’ YouTube page.
Barenaked Ladies already have written a variety of top 20 hits like “One Week,” “Pinch Me,” and “If I Had $1,00,000” along with receiving two Grammy nominations. This year, Barenaked Ladies teamed up with Michael Bublé and Sofia Reyes on “Gotta Be Patient” with proceeds from the single going to various charities. Proceeds for Barenaked Ladies will go to the Cultural Survival organization which provides indigenous communities rights and cultures worldwide. Looking ahead, BNL plans to postpone their extensive tour plans until 2021. Their tour will include 29 stops throughout North America, including performances in Lewiston, NY, and New York City along with 10 stops in the UK.
Click here to purchase tickets for the Barenaked Ladies Presents: A Very Virtual Christmas.
The members of Taking Meds are looking forward to taking a trip out to Chicago at the beginning of December to perform on Audiotree Live.
The NYC-based indie punk band had to cut a cross-country tour short this spring when COVID hit. Shows started getting cancelled while they were on the road. “On the fourth day we were in Georgia, and 50% of the shows had cancelled,” Taking Meds frontman Skylar Sarkis told NYS Music. “We decided to head home.”
Eight months, an EP, and a music video later, and they’re excited to finally be hitting the road again. While they’ve been actively working, they haven’t been able to play some of their new songs in front of an audience since March.
“Everyone’s missing live music,” continued Sarkis. Most venues have not reopened since the start of the pandemic, due to contagion risk at gatherings. “Audiotree has a COVID-friendly way of continuing to do what they’re doing, and I think being able to access high-quality studio sessions online is really key for everybody right now.”
This will be Taking Meds’ debut on Audiotree. What started as an artist discovery platform has continued this tradition by continuing to work with emerging independent artists and artists on indie labels. The recorded sessions are just one facet of Audiotree’s footprint in the music industry, but they have become a cornerstone in the international music scene over the past decade.
Tune into Audiotree on Friday, December 4 at 4PM CT (5PM EST) for the Taking Meds performance. Viewers will be treated to a few songs off the band’s new EP The Meds You Deserve, released in July on Smartpunk and Near Mint. Sarkis added that they plan on debuting a new song from their next LP, which they just finished recording with Kurt Ballou at GodCity in Massachusetts.
Taking Meds is comprised of Sarkis on vocals and guitar, Ben Kotin on guitar and vocals, Jon “Steel Wolf” Markson on bass and vocals, and Alex Salter on drums. They don’t all live in the same city. It’s an occasion when they are able to gather at the studio, or go out on the road together, or shoot a music video.
Earlier this year, they got to meet up with director Luke LeCount to make a video for one of the songs on The Meds You Deserve, “Sucks To Be Me.” It features Sarkis as his narcissistic alter-ego, firing band members as he tries to impress some sleazy A&R types. He can be seen playing out this persona in a series of off-the-cuff low-budget promotional videos on the Taking Meds YouTube channel.
Leading up to the tour, they released a series of humorous videos about packing for tour, filmed by their manager/agent Alex Martin and featuring Sarkis trying to pack merch, gear, his cat, and pictures of Michael Stipe of REM. While Sarkis cites REM, Fugazi, and other bands from that era as band influences, their angular sound is impossible to pigeon-hole as any one genre.
“We’re just trying to write whatever we want,” explained Sarkis. “Lately that’s coming out sounding like it’s pretty squarely influenced by early 90s stuff. I’m trying to make songs that I would want to listen to.”
Other people are digging their sound, too. Most fans have discovered them through word of mouth or by catching a live show. “My experience with this band is that there’s not a lot of hype. We get fans when we’re on tour and they stick around. It’s cool to build a fanbase that’s loyal.”
Their recent EP The Meds You Deserve, and their full length albums My Life As A Bro and I Hate Me are available for purchase digitally. At the time of press, there are a handful of copies of The Meds You Deserve and I Hate Me on vinyl at Near Mint.
One of the better Grateful Dead shows at the Fillmore East was aided by its surprise attack. Allegedly, two nights before at the same venue, Grace Slick, on behalf of Bill Graham, announced an impromptu “pop-up” show with Jefferson Airplane and the Dead at the same venue that would take place just days later. Since Slick was still pregnant at the time, Jefferson Airplane wound up being replaced as the opener by Hot Tuna. The New Riders of the Purple Sage played an opening set as well as was customary for this tour.
There’s also some previous controversy surrounding this show. For years, it’s been misidentified as an 11/23/70 show at the Anderson Theater in New York City. After a Bill Graham introduction, the band is off and running immediately with a “Casey Jones” that ably motors down the tracks. Next, Bob Weir leads them through the traditional first set stalwart of “Me and My Uncle.”
Oddly, the house PA seems to cut in after this with a recording of Elton John’s take on “Honkey Tonk Women.” This leads into a a cut version “Friend of the Devil.” Despite this lapse, Garcia’s vocals sound pristine in the recording and the band is on point. Then, after essentially a “no huddle” transition, a short yet crisp version of “Cold Rain and Snow” takes place. Afterwards, Pigpen finally gets to take lead for a while as he leads the Dead through a cover of Slim Harpo’s blue standard “I’m A King Bee.” The opening harmonica solo and later interludes between that and guitar solos stretch this one out into a healthy, bluesy jam.
Another classic first set pairing ensues with “China Cat Sunflower,” eventually joined by its traditional partner, “I Know You Rider.” A seemingly quick transition jam later sees the band in full vocal harmony on this spirited take of yet another classic blues cover.
At this point, a special guest joins them on stage in the form of Traffic’s Steve Winwood. The blues sentiment that had been previously established seems to carry right over to the cover of Otis Redding’s “Hard To Handle” that follows. Once again, Pigpen lends his signature vocal prowess to this classic Dead cover. Winwood’s backing on Pigpen’s Hammond organ is immediately felt and can be heard throughout. This one gets into a serious jam with Pigpen taking a backseat and Winwood soloing on top of the groove. Then came the relatively new “Big Railroad Blues,” yet another cover, written by Noah Lewis of Cannon’s Jug Stompers that dates all the way back to 1928.
Right after, the heavily percussive intro of “Not Fade Away” begins with. Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi of Traffic join the band on a half-hearted attempt at the vocals. This eventually evolves into a deep, drum-led jam. More splendid Winwood outbursts later lead into “Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad” with Garcia and Weir reassuming command. Surprisingly, at its conclusion, this shifts right back into one more quick take of “Not Fade Away,” albeit this time with Weir confidently taking the lead on vocals.
After more than three minutes of a break between songs, Weir once again takes lead on the “Mama Tried” that follows. This is followed by one of the better two-song sequences of the evening. The relatively fresh “Truckin’,” debuted only months earlier at the Fillmore West, follows. Hot Tuna’s Will Scarlet adds a touch of harmonica to this one. Another percussive laden jam follows that seamlessly steers itself into a mesmerizing version of “The Other One.”
The jam that ensues gets spacey midway through before settling back into its normal progression. This is followed with the unofficial encore of “Uncle John’s Band” with more early harmonica fills from Will Scarlet – a near acoustic version until the drums kick in. It’s still fairly new song at this time, but this version is flawless as it continues to build its reputation. This put the cap on the Dead’s “surprise” Fillmore East gig.
Trey Anastasio returned for another installment of The Beacon Jams last night and delivered another astounding show with a well-crafted setlist that showcased several TAB debuts.
Trey was joined by the usual suspects rounding out his band. This included Ray Paczkowski (keyboards), Tony Markellis (bass), Russ Lawton (drums) and Cyro Baptista (percussion). In addition to his backing band, Trey was also again joined by the Rescue Squad Stings. They were composed of Maxim Moston (violin), Katie Kresek (violin), Rachel Golub (viola), and Anja Wood (cello). Jeff Tanski (piano) also sat in sporadically as well. The band was rounded out by the Angels 3 backing vocalists: Jennifer Hartswick, Celisse Henderson and Jo Lampert.
Trey and company wasted absolutely no time opening up with the Phish staple “You Enjoy Myself,” a TAB debut. The opening sequence of the song featured The Rescue Squad strings adding an elegant touch of flair to the beloved number. After “The Silver Light,” Trey turned to his acoustic guitar for a beautiful version of “Winterqueen” before shifting gears to the heavy-hitter “The Moma Dance.”
One of the highlights of the evening came in the middle of the set. Trey opted for the classic Phish ballad “Billy Breathes,” another full TAB debut, where Trey delivered the song’s signature solo (even though he claimed he “messed up”). Before a percussion-heavy version of “Bouncing Around The Room,” Trey dedicated the song to his longtime friend/co-writer Tom Marshall – who recently celebrated his birthday.
The evening wrapped up with a fitting message of hope and optimism in “Rise/Come Together” which fully embraces the overarching theme of The Beacon Jams as a whole. This week’s show also raised over $100,000 for The Divided Sky Fund which provides quality care and compassionate treatment for those struggling with substance abuse issues. If fans are able to donate they can head over to trey.com/donate. The Beacon Jams will resume next Friday at 8 p.m. on Trey’s personal Twitch channel.
Set: You Enjoy Myself [1], The Silver Light, Winterqueen [2], The Moma Dance [3], Kill Devil Falls[3], Twenty Years Later[3], Mercy [4], Light [5], Summer of ’89 [6], Joy [7], A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing[3], Farmhouse, Tube[3], Billy Breathes[3], Every Story Ends in Stone, Bouncing Around the Room[3], Wading in the Velvet Sea[3], Are You There Colleen? [8], Rise/Come Together
[1] Full TAB debut. Began with just Trey with The Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano with the rest of the band and Jennifer Hartswick, Celisse Henderson, Jo Lampert joining in on vocals later. Lyrics changed to “boy, woman, god, shit.”
[2] Trey on acoustic guitar with the full band and singers.
[3] Full TAB debut.
[4] Debut; with The Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano.
[5] With The Rescue Squad Strings.
[6] With just Trey on acoustic guitar and The Rescue Squad Strings.
[7] Full TAB debut; with The Rescue Squad Strings.
[8] Debut.
This performance was part of The Beacon Jams series and featured the debuts of Mercy and Are You There Colleen? and the full TAB debuts of You Enjoy Myself, Moma Dance, Kill Devil Falls, Twenty Years Later, Joy, A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, Tube, Billy Breathes, Bouncing Around the Room, and Wading in the Velvet Sea. You Enjoy Myself began with just Trey with The Rescue Squad Strings and Jeff Tanski on piano with the rest of the band and Jennifer Hartswick, Celisse Henderson, Jo Lampert joining in on vocals later. The lyrics in You Enjoy Myself were changed to “boy, woman, god, shit.” Winterqueen featured Trey on acoustic guitar with the full band and singers. Trey teased No Men In No Man’s Land in Moma Dance. Mercy through Joy featured The Rescue Squad Strings. Mercy also featured Jeff Tanski on piano. Summer of ’89 featured just Trey on acoustic guitar with the Strings. Trey quoted On the Road Again after Summer of ’89. Trey quoted She Blinded Me with Science in Tube.
Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear the latest EP from Albany’s Son of a Gun and many more!
WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.
Son of a Gun – “Call of Days Past,” “Wind of Change,” and more!
In Fall 2018 Ben Sokol (vocals/guitar), Tyler Treacy (bass) and Rob Piccola (drums) started jamming through a mutual friend who worked at a music store. Rob had a place to jam and Ben and Tyler had been playing together in another band that had gone through some lineup changes. It was time for something new. It was clear pretty quickly that the chemistry was good. Work began immediately on some songs Ben had written and as Tyler and Rob contributed their pieces to them an overall sound took shape. From there, Son of a Gun was born.
Ben would often (and still does) record rudimentary versions of his original songs with the basic structures and lyrics on an acoustic guitar, and Tyler and Rob would come up with parts. Those parts would almost always get tossed at the next rehearsal, the band preferring the material they would come up with on the fly when improvising off each other.
The songs still stay between the lines of the basic structure that was written, but they end up with a more custom paint job, and that can be true at live shows too. They wouldn’t consider themselves a jam band, but the hunt for new sonic territory is always there, and each show has moments of spontaneity. The band started to make the rounds locally, and sold out their first show at Albany’s Jupiter Hall. It was a kickoff to winning over audiences all over Upstate New York.
Crowds overwhelmingly responded positively wherever the band played, and their connection with the original songs was especially apparent, Lyrically the songs deal with subject matter that sometimes comes from Ben’s personal life, but other times the narrator of the song may be a character. Regardless, Ben doesn’t mince words. Whether he’s writing about something he’s been through, something he’s seen from others, or something else entirely, if you listen to the songs, you’re going to know how he feels about it.
The simple beauty that makes it work is that you’ve felt like that too. The band self-recorded their eponymous debut album at Rob’s studio (Sundog Sound) in Voorheesville, NY, and released it in January 2020, just in time to begin cancelling touring opportunities that had begun to materialize. The band did what the band does, and hit the rehearsal room again with a new batch of songs. As of this writing an EP has been recorded and the guys are working to get it mixed, mastered, and digitally released in the early part of 2021. The plan is to get back to torching stages as soon as possible, hopefully to support the EP that’s coming your way!
The Allman Betts Band brought their 2019 fall tour to The Paramount on November 10, 2019. The tour was supporting their latest album, Down to the River which came out earlier in the year. The supporting acts were Joanne Shaw Taylor and and Jackson Stokes. The Allman Betts Band is Devon Allman, Duane Betts, Berry Duane Oakley, John Ginty, Johnny Stachela, R. Scott Bryan and John Lum.
Jackson Stokes, who is the first artist signed to Devon Allman’s new record label, Create Records, opened up the show with songs from his new self titled album, released on October 25, 2019. He was also the guitarist for The Devon Allman Project from 2016 to 2018. Joanne Shaw Taylor is a British blues rock guitarist and singer. Her sixth album, Reckless Heart, was released on May 17, 2019.
The Allman Betts Band set consisted of songs from their latest album including “Down to the River” and “Southern Accents,” plus a covers of Tom Petty’s “You Got Lucky.” The Allman Brothers Band “Elizabeth Reed,” “Midnight Rider” and The Grateful Dead’s “Friend of the Devil,” rounded out the bill. They also brought back Taylor for a cover of John Lee Hooker’s “Dimples” and Jackson Stokes to play on “Mahalo.” The two-hour set ended with “Long Gone” from the new album.
The Allman Betts Band @ The Paramount Theater on Huntington, Long Island, NY November 10, 2019
Setlist: All Night, Shinin’, Autumn Breeze, Down to the River, Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More, Blue Sky, You Got Lucky, Good Ol’ Days, Melodies Are Memories, Dimples*, Friend of the Devil, Mahalo^, Jessica, Down to the River.
Encore: Long Gone * with Joanne Shaw ^ with Jackson Stokes
If the Grateful Dead had an East Coast base outside of New York City, odds are it would be at The Capitol Theater in Port Chester. By November of 1970, the Dead had already done two previous runs at The Cap earlier in the year. This would be the third one and the show they would play here this year. This would be no typical show though. Tonight, they would be joined by fellow West Coast troubadours the New Riders of the Purple Sage. Along with a full acoustic opening set, the last Capitol Theater show of the year certainly leaves a mark.
A knowledgeable crowd greets the show opening “Dire Wolf” with approval. The second verse seems to trip Garcia up a little but he makes up for it with a bit of an extended instrumental bridge. A true acoustic and relaxed version of “I Know You Rider” follows. This one is played on its own, with no “China Cat Sunflower” lead in, and at about half its typical speed, if not slower. Garcia takes the helm on vocals and leads the rest of the band through a really interesting take on this Dead staple that has the audience clapping along in time at parts.
Bob Weir then takes the lead on vocals and leads the group through the relatively new-at-the-time “Dark Hollow,” which debuted earlier in the year at New York City’s Fillmore East. After some bizarre group banter about Godzilla, it’s Garcia’s turn once again for “Rosalie McFall.” This was another new number at the time, also debuted only months earlier at the Fillmore East. The band does their best to steer around some feedback issues for this little bluegrass jaunt that’s ideal for an acoustic set.
The (new) hits keep coming, courtesy of Weir-led “El Paso,” only the seventh one ever. Performances number five and six took place the prior two evenings at The Capitol Theater. Afterwards, Pigpen finally gets a chance to lead and sings the last ever performance of the American Beauty gem “Operator.” Short harp solo – short time left with band? Another Beauty cut, “Ripple,” follows this, with the audience instantly engaged. And it would be a Beauty trilogy with the acoustic “Friend of the Devil” that followed. It certainly made sense from a promotional standpoint. The seminal Grateful Dead album was released exactly one week ago. It would later peak at No. 30 on Billboard’s Pop Albums chart.
A boisterous cover of The Everly Brothers’ “Wake Up Little Susie” then follows, with even more additional audience “percussion.” It’s the last time the Dead would ever play this one in a live setting. The opening acoustic set then comes to a close with another Dead classic that was still a relatively new song at the time, “Uncle John’s Band.” This officially has the Capitol Theater crown whipped up into a frenzy before Garcia mentions they’ll be back shortly with the New Riders.
For the second set, the New Riders of the Purple Sage delivered their unique brand of acid-washed country and rock tunes. At this point in time, Garcia and Mickey Hart are still involved in the band along with its co-founders David Nelson and John “Marmaduke” Dawson. Jerry plays the pedal steel guitar throughout and adds some beautiful interludes on “All I Ever Wanted.” “Fair Chance To Know” also has a “Teach The Children Well” feel to it, likely due to the aforementioned pedal steel and the same man playing it on each. “Cecilia,” though not the Simon & Garfunkel cover, features some legitimate yodeling. But the set does end with a cover, a rollicking take on The Rolling Stones’ “Honkey Tonk Women.” It’s a lively set that adds a totally different dimension to a Grateful Dead show and certainly worth a listen.
Afterwards, the Dead come out swinging with a “Morning Dew” third set opener. They slowly glide through the composed section to an appreciative Cap crowd with Garcia’s dynamic vocals seeing it through. It’s a wonderfully patient and patiently evolving “Dew.” After things settled dow a bit, Weir takes over for a run through of “Me and My Uncle.”
This is followed by the one and only live performance of “Mystery Train” with Garcia on vocals, resembling a NRPS song in nature. Then it’s right back to an early cover of Chuck Berry’s “Around and Around,” the first time the Dead would play this longtime crowd pleaser. More rarities would ensue with “New Orleans,” only the second of four ever played. Still led by Weir on vocals, this ambles into “Searchin’,” the first of the only two ever played, with Pigpen reassuming vocal lead duties.
A Bob Dylan cover on the back end of this elicits yet another positive crowd reaction and the Northern California troubadours are off and running again with “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue,” with Garcia, once again, re-establishing lead vocal duties. Dylan covers were certainly no stranger to the band at this point. But this would be the last “Baby Blue” performed in nearly 20 years.
“Casey Jones” with yet another Cap Theater clap-a-long follows, another song tested earlier the last few nights. Speaking of “new” songs, the Dead would then roll out a song that would soon become synonymous with second sets, “Truckin’.” This Dead staple had only been debuted a few months earlier at the Fillmore West in San Francisco. This was another one the band decdided to “test run” the previous few nights at The Cap. It’s safe to say, by Sunday, they had this instant classic worked out.
The instant the fledgling “Truckin’” comes to a close, the longtime Dead classic “Dark Star” wastes no time in starting up. It would also return at their next show at the fabled Port Chester venue, 2/18/71. This one gets way dark and spooky, rewarding the folks that have stuck around for this long for some visual and aural trickery.
“The Main Ten,” is an incredible look at an instrumental version of the early renderings of a Grateful Dead classic. It’s a primordial and slower version of “Playin’ In The Band” before it ever came to fruition. This would be the last ever “beta” version of it before it would fully bloom into the first official PITB ever at this very same venue slightly more than three months later in February of 1971.
Amazingly, this seems to trigger a particularly early closing sequence. An early drums fakeout segues into “Not Fade Away” and the Port Chester crowd is alive. After some impressive interplay, the jam soon lends itself to NFA’s running mate, “Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad,” another new song at the time that was just starting to develop as a show closer. Eventually, this steers itself back into “Not Fade Away,” and a close to this thunderous late second set sequence.
One last abbreviated “Drums” sequence leads to the last song and de facto closer this evening, a rendition of The Rascals’ “Good Lovin’” that sees Pigpen get one last chance to lead an ecstatic Capitol Theater crowd through one last cover. Another “Drums” sequence serves as one last percussive explosion before “Good Lovin’” eventually rounds back into form, capping off the last Grateful Dead show in Port Chester for 1971.
Grateful Dead w/ New Riders of the Purple Sage Capitol Theater – Port Chester, NY 11/8/70
Set 1: Dire Wolf, I Know You Rider, Dark Hollow, Rosalie McFall, El Paso, Operator, Ripple, Friend Of The Devil, Wake Up Little Susie, Uncle John’s Band
Set 2: Six Days On The Road, Superman, Whatcha Gonna Do, Glendale Train, All I Ever Wanted, Fair Chance To Know, Portland Woman, Cecilia, Truck Drivin’ Man, Last Lonely Eagle, Louisiana Lady, Honky Tonk Women
Set 3: Morning Dew, Me And My Uncle, Mystery Train > My Babe, Around And Around, New Orleans > Searchin’, It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue, Casey Jones, Truckin’ > Dark Star > Dancing In The Street, Drums > Not Fade Away > Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad > Not Fade Away > Drums > Good Lovin’ > Drums > Good Lovin’
