For their final East Coast shows of 1971, The Grateful Dead played a four-night run at the Felt Forum in New York City. December 7 marks the fourth and final one of these shows during a still transitional era for the band. Drummer Mickey Hart left the group earlier in the year and the Dead were still in the process of integrating new keyboardist Keith Godchaux who joined them in September.
Original keys player and founding member Pigpen had also recently rejoined the group after a stint in the hospital. With the band now at full strength, they unleashed a chock full two sets of music on this evening that showcased their full potential, paving the way for their legendary Europe ’72 Tour that would follow a few months later. This show in particular was deemed so good that it would later go on to become an official Dave’s Picks release, serving as Volume #22 in the series. It sees the band at their finest, mixing up a healthy blend of rock, rhythm, and blues along with a little holiday cheer.
The last show of the Felt Forum run of ’71 begins with “Cold Rain and Snow,” a song that had established itself as a common opener in this era of Grateful Dead. Garcia delivers a couple of pristine guitar licks with new keyboardist Keith Godchaux providing timely fills on organ. The newest member of the band then moves over to piano as Bob Weir takes over on vocals for a quick yet feisty “Beat It On Down The Line.” With the band seemingly warmed up on a couple of classic numbers, Pigpen then takes over on lead vocals for the first time with the fairly new “Mister Charlie,” a song that debuted just a few months ago at the Yale Bowl which would be played every night of this run and for good reason. His sultry singing combined with some more vintage Garcia guitar play make for a soulful combination that, alas, doesn’t stray too far.
The first extended play of the evening is another fairly new song that actually debuted at the same show, “Sugaree.” Garcia and Godchaux exhibit more great chemistry early on with each taking a nominal solo and bassist Phil Lesh locking down the bottom line in style throughout. An even newer song that would remain a staple of live Dead shows for their entire career then follows in “Jack Straw,” another one that made an appearance at all four shows of the run. Godchaux’s work on piano compliments Weir’s vocals perfectly and the band eases through this classic number that seems to pick up speed from start to finish. After a quick introduction from Lesh, Pigpen then returns to center stage for his typical rambunctious take on “Next Time You See Me” that includes a couple of ripping solos on harmonica. The joy that the Grateful Dead get in playing this blues cover is nearly palpable.
This carries right over into another one of the new batch of songs, “Tennessee Jed,” which has Weir and Garcia harmonizing nicely on the choruses. Another song that would remain on set lists for years, this one is peppered with an extra bluesy guitar solo from Garcia that’s dripping with flavor. After Weir leads the Dead through a lively “El Paso,” things slow down considerably with the “Brokedown Palace” that follows which gets a considerable round of applause from the Felt Forum crowd at the onset. It’s a true group effort with Lesh joining in on some vocal harmonies and another typically tender, yet brief, solo from Garcia.
With the Dead no strangers to a Chuck Berry cover, afterwards they get in the holiday spirit and bust out a cover of “Run Rudolph Run,” a song they would only play a handful of times ever this month. It’s classic 12-bar blues with Pigpen, naturally, on lead vocals for a quick song that’s melodically similar to Berry’s “Little Queenie.” The band then stays in blues cover mode with a rare take of “You Win Again,” a ballad first sung in 1952 by Hank Williams which made its live debut just last month and would never be played again after 1972. The first set then wraps up with a couple of Grateful Dead classic originals starting with a fiery “Cumberland Blues” that sees Lesh leading the way with spirited bass play and Godchaux delivering a flurry of chords on piano. That troublesome train conductor “Casey Jones” then caps off a jam packed first set that seems to cover all the bases.
With the bar set high from a rollicking first set, the momentum carries right over into the second set with a powerful opening 1-2 combination of “Sugar Magnolia” and “Ramble On Rose” that sees Weir and Garcia passionately belting out the vocals on each, respectively. The torch is then passed back over to Pigpen who leads the band through yet another classic cover, this time it’s Jimmy Reed’s “Big Boss Man.” Another soulful harmonica solo serves as the bridge to some more bluesy guitar licks delivered by Garcia on this one. A lightning quick take on the new “Mexicali Blues,” another song that found its way onto the set list all four nights, then precedes a silky smooth rendition of “Brown Eyed Women.”
This sets the stage for the last Pigpen-centered song of the evening and the most extended “jam” of the show – a 12-minute enthralling cover of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightning.” Pigpen’s iconic singing and harp play mesh perfectly with Garcia’s blues-driven guitar stylings and the band takes their time on this one, stretching it out nicely. Sadly, this is the second to last version the Dead would ever play with Pigpen, a founding member of the band. The “I been gone so long” lyrics sang in repetition towards the end of the song hit especially hard knowing that.
This is followed up by a rather mellow take, compared to later standards of “Deal” another fairly new song in the band’s catalog that made its debut at Port Chester’s Capitol Theatre earlier that year. This is succeeded by “Truckin’,” a song the Dead played at every show of that vaunted Capitol Theater run earlier in the year and one that finally sounds like it’s starting to develop an identity and jam capabilities thanks to the addition of Keith Godchaux who shines on the organ on this rendition.
The second set then comes to a triumphant finish with the classic closing sequence of “Not Fade Away” > “Goin’ Down The Road Feeing Bad” > “Not Fade Away.” Bill Kreutzmann on drums makes his presence felt early and often on “Not Fade Away” which elicits a truly blissful jam of sorts that flows effortlessly into the beginning of “GDTRFB.” For an encore, the band breaks out one last song from the new batch, “One More Saturday Night.” It would only be the second time ever used in this spot, one that it would soon become commonplace for the rest of their storied career, closing out the fourth and final show Dead show at Felt Forum in grand fashion.
Grateful Dead – Felt Forum, New York, NY – December 7, 1971
Set 1: Cold Rain and Snow, Beat It On Down The Line, Mister Charlie, Sugaree, Jack Straw, Next Time You See Me, Tennessee Jed, El Paso, Brokedown Palace, Run Rudolph Run, You Win Again, Cumberland Blues, Casey Jones
Set 2: Sugar Magnolia, Ramble On Rose, Big Boss Man, Mexicali Blues, Brown Eyed Women, Me and My Uncle, Smokestack Lightning, Deal, Truckin’, Not Fade Away > Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad > Not Fade Away
Encore: One More Saturday Night
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