Set Lists

Road Trips: Vol. 3, Number 3: 
Fillmore East 
5/15/70 

Road Trips: Vol. 3, Number 3 is culled from a historic Grateful Dead performance from May 15, 1970, at the Fillmore East in New York. There was an early an late concert with the following sequence. First, a Grateful Dead acoustic set, the New Riders (with members of the Grateful Dead), third, the Grateful Dead electric. Multiply that by two for the early and late show and you have six sets. 

The contents of the release if you include the bonus disc have nearly all of the Grateful Dead's 5/15/70 performance. I think all that is missing is an acoustic version of "Candyman" from the late show. The New Riders sets are not included. Though, on a few acoustic Grateful Dead songs, David Nelson and John Dawson of the New Riders sit in. Some of the songs are not in order to make room due to CD space limitations. For example two tracks re-sequenced from the late show electric set; between "Good Lovin'" and "Dark Star," we have "Dire Wolf" making its way to close disc two, and "Next Time You See Me" is added to the bonus disc. In the notes section at the bottom of this page, the show set lists are presented. This release includes "Deep Elem Blues," to open up the late show, which was not on the circulating bootlegs or listed there. 

The charm of this release is that it includes by far the best display of officially released 1970 acoustic material. Later in August the Grateful Dead would expand their acoustic repertoire with other covers and American Beauty material, which will hopefully be a future release. Pigpen played piano on some of it, which would be a welcome future release. 

Back to May 1970. The acoustic material is composed of a diverse mix of blues, folk, country, gospel, and unplugged versions of many original classics that would come from their two 1970 studio albums. Workingman's Dead, and American Beauty. In fact seven of the eight songs from Workingman's Dead are included on the release, "High Time" is the lone missing song. Much of this material the band is trying out vocal harmonies, you can hear it vividly throughout the acoustic sets, but also the electric material songs like "Attics of My Life," and "Cosmic Charlie." Some of it sounds quite good for a band that's not known for their vocals. 

The first disc is from the early show. The acoustic set is partial, but the remaining tracks are on the bonus disc if you were lucky enough to get it. From the five acoustic songs to open the disc, Jerry's voice sounds really good. He sings lead on "I Know You Rider" authoritatively. Bob's reading of "Long Black Limousine" is perfect, he takes the lead and Jerry adds the background highlights, reminiscent of Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman with the Flying Burrito Brothers. This worked really, really well. Next is "New Speedway Boogie" that features Pigpen on organ and Jerry on electric guitar, perhaps Nelson on acoustic guitar. 

The disc also includes most of the electric set from the early show, certainly the key parts of it. Perhaps Phil's best showcasing of the set is  during "The Other One," and the excellent sound quality really adds to the listening experience. 

The late show is spread out over discs two and three, add "Beat It On Down The Line" and "Next Time You See Me" to the bonus disc and according to my count is the whole show, less an acoustic version of "Candyman." There are a few previously mentioned songs re-sequenced. 

The second disc starts with the acoustic set in order, nice performances and a good solid track list, how sweet it is! The first version of "Ballad of Casey Jones,"  a folk blues tune, is the second song. Jerry dominates the material including a trio of classic originals, "Black Peter," "Friend of the Devil," and "Uncle John's Band." Bobby teases with "Lovelight" before launching the country classic "Silver Threads and Golden Needles," and Pigpen, sings a pair of blues songs "She's Mine" and "Katie Mae." They close the set religiously with "A Voice From On High," which features David Nelson on mandolin and Marmaduke adds bass vocals. 

Following the acoustic set, are some well executed electric fan favorites from the sixth set of the evening. The version of "Cumberland is an electric contrast to the early shows acoustic take. While I prefer the arrangements of "Morning Dew" after Keith joined the band, the vocals do stand tall here, as do the resonating bass lines.

The third disc is Pigpen dominated. "Good Lovin'" is fiery and Garcia plays lightning fast leads over a non-stop rhythm section. "Dark Star" sparkles with clarity and floats along various moods during its 20 minutes. I like the closing five minutes where they play on the "Feeling Groovy" jam some. 

A lot of energy is packed into the closing trio of songs. Out of "Dark Star" is a solid "St. Stephen." Its drum passage melts into "Not Fade Away." A nearly thirty minute "Lovelight" closer brings the show to its finale as Pigpen leads the band through various raps with instrumentals interspersed. The encore is another acoustic song, and they bring out the New Riders to sing a gospel song and bid the audience farewell. 

The sound quality is really good on this release; these acoustic renditions never sounded so good. Between the two sets the acoustic music represents a fairly definitive look at their 1970 material up to this point, especially if you have the bonus material. It would be worth making a play list on your MP3 and putting the early show in order. 

This is the fifth live concert release from 1970. It is easily the best sounding. The May 2 show featured on Dick's Picks 8 and February 13, and 14 shows featured on Dick's Picks 4 are the other 1970 live essentials. 

By Barry Small©
Grade A +
Order: GDM

Bobby Ace and the Cards from the Bottom of the Deck

Fillmore East 5/15/70

DISC 1 - Early Show
1. Don't Ease Me In
2. I Know You Rider
3. Ain't It Crazy (The Rub)
4. Long Black Limousine
5. New Speedway Boogie*
6. Casey Jones
7. St. Stephen>
8. That's It For The Other One>
I. Cryptical Envelopment
II. Drums
III. The Other One
IV. Cryptical Envelopment
9. Cosmic Charlie
10. New Minglewood Blues

DISC 2 - Late Show
1. Deep Elm Blues
2. The Ballad Of Casey Jones
3. Silver Threads And Golden Needles
4. Black Peter
5. Friend Of The Devil
6. Uncle John's Band
7. She's Mine
8. Katie Mae
9. A Voice From On High*
10. China Cat Sunflower>
11. I Know You Rider
12. Cumberland Blues
13. Hard To Handle
14. Morning Dew
15. Dire Wolf

DISC 3 - Late Show
1. Good Lovin'
2. Dark Star>
3. St. Stephen>
4. Not Fade Away>
5. Turn On Your Lovelight
6. Cold Jordan*

* David Nelson and John "Marmaduke" Dawson

Bonus CD: (while supplies last) 
FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY get the Road Trips Vol. 3 No. 2 bonus disc with your order. This offer is first come, first serve.

Features more selections from the 5/15/70 Fillmore East featured show plus a blistering sequence from 5/14/70, Meramec College in Kirkwood, Missouri.

5/15/70 
Early Show
1. Friend Of The Devil
2. Candyman
3. Cumberland Blues
4. Cold Jordan
5. Easy Wind
6. Attics Of My Life

Late Show
7. Beat It On Down The Line
8. Next Time You See Me

From 5/14/10
9. New Speedway Boogie
10. St. Stephen
11. Not Fade Away
12. Turn On Your Lovelight

* David Nelson and John "Marmaduke" Dawson

Grateful Dead
Jerry Garcia - lead guitar, vocals
Bob Weir - guitar, vocals
Phil Lesh - bass, vocals
Bill Kreutzmann - drums
Mickey Hart - drums
Ron McKernan (Pigpen) - organ, harmonica, vocals

Bobby Ace and the Cards from the Bottom of the Deck
The liner notes mention Bobby Ace and the Cards from the Bottom of the Deck, a band led by Weir with an emphasis on country music. I wouldn't mind hearing one of these shows (Does anyone have one they can send me???). Though, a few songs in this tradition can be heard in Dead performances in 1969. I think it began on May 31, 1969, and continued with a few songs incorporated into Grateful Dead sets like "Slewfoot," "Green Green Grass Of Home," and "Silver Threads And Golden Needles." Check out 7/11/69 that features Garcia on pedal steel "Hard To Handle" and "Silver Threads."

Deadbase has Bobby Ace and His Cards From the Bottom of the Deck listed 6/11/69, at the California Hall in San Francisco. It was billed as  Weir, Garcia, Lesh, Hart, and Constanten with John Dawson, David Nelson, and Peter Grant. 

Set 1 Let It Be Me ; Silver Threads And Golden Needles ; Mama Tried ; Cathy's Clown ; Me And My Uncle ; Slewfoot: Dire Wolf ; Games People Play ; The Race Is On ; Green Green Grass Of Home 

Set 2 Tiger By The Tail ; I've Just Seen A Face ; All I Have To Do Is Dream ; Wabash Cannonball ; Railroading The Great Divide

Wolfgangsvault has a flyer from April 17, 1970, at the Family Dog at the Great Highway, San Francisco. They also are credited on April 18 and 19, but tapes are not listed. 

From Deadlists 

Bold tracks = Main disc, italics bonus disc, regular type not included.

Early Show
Fillmore East
New York, NY
Date 5/15/70a - 
One - [58:21] [0:58 Bill Graham Intro] ; Don't Ease Me In [2:52] ; [0:58] ; I Know You Rider [7:56] ; [1:06] ; The Rub [3:06] ; [3:08] ; Friend Of The Devil [3:16] ; [0:32] ; Long Black Limousine [4:30] ; [0:53] ; Candyman [5:23] ; [1:41] ; Cumberland Blues [4:27] ; [0:22] ; New Speedway Boogie [6:00] ; [0:46] ; Cold Jordan [2:30] ; [0:51]

New Riders
Two - [45:04 +] [1:23 Intro] ; Six Days On The Road [3:33] ; [0:44] ; Watcha Gonna Do [4:09] ; [0:33] ; I Don't Know You [3:50] ; [0:33] ; Henry [3:25] ; [0:31] ; Portland Woman [4:30] ; [0:20] ; Fair Chance To Know [4:11] ; [0:45] ; Last Lonely Eagle [2:01#] % Mama Tried [3:00] ; [0:09] ; Sawmill [3:22] ; [0:39] ; Me And My Uncle [3:35] ; [1:25] ; Connection [5:06] ; [0:10] %

Three - [59:04] [0:06 Intro] ; Casey Jones [4:20] ; [1:30] ; Easy Wind [7:52] ; Attics Of My Life [5:13] ; [1:22] ; Saint Stephen [5:49] > Cryptical Envelopment [1:56] > Drums [6:54] > The Other One [11:09] > Cryptical Envelopment [4:22] > Cosmic Charlie [7:31]

Encore [2:28] ; New Minglewood Blues [3:20] ; [0:54]

Late Show
Fillmore East
New York, NY
Date 5/15/70b - 

One -[45:24] The Ballad Of Casey Jones [2:25] ; [0:40] ; Silver Threads And Golden Needle [3:29] ; [0:20] ; Black Peter [7:01] ; [0:24] ; Friend Of The Devil [3:47] ; [2:00] ; Uncle John's Band [6:18] ; [0:32] ; Candyman [5:05] ; [2:16 Intro] ; She's Mine [2:40] ; [0:17] Katie Mae [4:00] ; [1:26] ; A Voice From On High [2:41] ; [0:09]

New Riders
Two - [1:15:26] [3:22 Intro] ; Brown Eyed Handsome Man [3:51] ; [0:32] ; Louisiana Lady [5:50] ; [0:26] ; Can't Pay The Price [4:38] ; [0:04] % Truck Drivin' Man [3:33] ; [0:30] ; All I Ever Wanted [7:34] ; [0:51] ; Workin' Man Blues [4:10] ; [0:42] ; Henry [3:27] ; [3:34 broken string] ; I Don't Know You [3:52] ; [0:25] ; Lodi [3:45] ; [0:38] ; Last Lonely Eagle [6:05] ; [0:45] ; Mama Tried [2:58] ; [0:09] ; Sawmill [3:#09] % [0:09] Me And My Uncle [3:32] ; [1:26] ; Connection [5:10] ; [0:21]

Three [1:55:50 +] [0:06 Bill Graham Intro] ; China Cat Sunflower [2:24] > Jam [2:06] > I Know You Rider [4:13] ; [0:09] ; Cumberland Blues [4:45] ; [1:02] ; Hard To Handle [5:05] ; [1:41] ; Beat It On Down The Line [2:47] ; [0:47] ; Morning Dew [10:25] ; [0:30] ; Drums [0:58] > Good Lovin' [1:49] > Drums [3:13] > Good Lovin' [7:01] ; [1:12] ; Dire Wolf [3:42] ; [0:39] ; Next Time You See Me [3:21] ; [1:21] % Dark Star [19:29] > Saint Stephen [4:#02] > Drums [0:25] > Not Fade Away [6:28] > Turn On Your Lovelight [26:#16]

Encore [3:52] ; Cold Jordan [2:15] ; [2:37]

Meramec Community College
Location Kirkwood, MO
Date 5/14/70 - 

One - [28:21 + ] [1:51 Intro] ; Don't Ease Me In [2:54] ; [1:35] ; Friend Of The Devil [3:27] ; [0:42] ; Deep Elem Blues [6:07] ; [0:13] ; Silver Threads And Golden Needle [3:36] ; [1:55] ; Candyman [5:26] ; [0:34 broken string] % [0:06 announcement]

Two - [56:55 + ] Six Days On The Road [3:23] ; [0:42] ; Whatcha Gonna Do [4:38] ; [1:16] ; Brown Eyed Handsome Man [3:59] ; [2:31] ; I Don't Know You [4:00] ; [0:41] ; Cecilia [4:04] ; [0:22] ; Can't Pay The Price [4:27] ; [0:33] ; Henry [0:33# first attempt] % [2:25] ; Henry [1:11# second attempt] % Garden Of Eden [6:21] ; [0:35] ; Fair Chance To Know [4:09] ; [0:11] ; Last Lonely Eagle [5:50] ; [0:20] ; Lodi [4:05] ; [0:11] ; Honky Tonk Women False Start [0:20] ; [0:10] ; The Weight [0:16#]

Three - [1:44:29 +] [0:06 Intro] ; Casey Jones [4:43] % China Cat Sunflower [3:02] > Jam [2:00] > I Know You Rider [4:03] ; [0:04] % Mama Tried [2:28] > High Time [6:41] % Drums [0:22] > Good Lovin' [1:36] > Drums [3:20] > Good Lovin' [6:16] ; [0:08] % Good Morning Little Schoolgirl [10:47] ; [0:10] % Me And My Uncle [3:19] ; [0:02] % Dire Wolf % Cold Rain And Snow [5:59] ; [0:18] ; Attics Of My Life [5:09] ; [0:09] ; Cumberland Blues [4:14] % New Speedway Boogie [6:25] > Nobody's Fault But Mine Jam [1:13] > New Speedway Boogie [1:29] > Saint Stephen [6:26] > Not Fade Away [6:44] > Turn On Your Lovelight [17:11] ; [0:05]

Encore Cold Jordan

Per Deadlists.com
SET 1 is the Early Show acoustic Dead set. On Cumberland and New Speedway David Nelson joins in on acoustic guitar while Jerry shifts to electric. On Cold Jordan Nelson switches to mandolin. Marmaduke adds harmony vocals to the last three tunes. Pigpen plays organ on New Speedway.

Note: The CD credits from the official release don't credit Nelson or Dawson on "New Speedway Boogie"