Decided to comb through the Apr. '71 gigs, knowing that the Manhattan Center and Fillmore East runs were used for the Skull & Roses album. This period is definitely a high period for Pigpen and this date is no exception. Top-tier versions of "Hard to Handle" and "Good Lovin'" sit alongside Garcia highlights "Loser" and "Sing Me Back Home" with Weir bringing one of the best shorter PITB's I've heard. You can't really go wrong with any of the April dates if you're looking for a more direct and less jammy Dead, but still with the Pigpen drive to it.

Truckin49 (just below) is correct, the New Riders played first, then the Dead, and then the rest of the lineup. This was my first show, and it was absolute magic for me and all my friends. We were already big fans, if maybe not quite deadheads, just from listening to their albums.
This was the Dead's first show ever in N.C. Wallace Wade is a small stadium, or at least it was then, and the stage was set up right in the center on the 50-yard line. The weather was absolutely perfect, a lovely Spring day. The crowd loved the New Riders, they were great. During the following break, we all sat around like little kids waiting for Santa to come down the chimney, we were so stoked. And the Dead delivered in spades. We were situated about 40 feet from stage center, and I swear they came across even tighter than what you hear from this stream. The instrumental separation was excellent, nothing was muddled, a great mix. Others below have already mentioned some highlights I agree with, but I have to add that the Not Fade Away> GDTRFB> NFA was exceptional by any standard. Phil was particularly really ON.
It was getting dark when they finished, and though my friends stayed for the rest of the lineup, I just couldn't bring myself to listen to anybody else's music at that point. I felt like I needed to be in a quiet space to assimilate the minor miracles of performance I'd just experienced. So I headed off to Duke Chapel (a large cathedral) and spent an hour or so outside under the stars.

Since it has been quite a while some peoples memory might be a bit clouded. dparham5@verizon.net had some of the bands but not the whole lineup and not in the correct order. This was one of the best shows that I have ever seen. It was MC'D by a psychedelic comedian named Uncle Dirty and he was great, It was the NRPS with Garcia on peddle steel, Grateful Dead, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Beach Boys, and Mountain closed the show. This was Brown Dot enhanced. The Beach Boys said that they had waited 4 years to play with the Dead. A beautiful day all the way around!!!

Highlights: Cumberland Blues, Not Fade Away, GDTRFB, Not Fade Away

Good show, kinda feel like having 3 bands on the bill explains why the 2nd set is not extremely long.
This is also an era where the Grateful Dead were about perfecting individual tunes as opposed to jamming in and between songs.
A good example is Garcia is just beautiful on Sing Me back Home. The song has blossomed in a very short time for the band.
The only thing that would cause me to dip below 5 on any of this 1971 would be sound quality and no such issue exists here. Sound is great! Every once in a while I pick up this girl saying pretty random stuff but other than that this is pristine.

In college thirtysome years ago, I got a copy of an unknown show. The band was out of tune as usual, but the Good Lovin' has the pony ride and the man down the street rap, but the music was loose, looser than I ever heard before.

After years of sifting through '71 shows with a Good Lovin' I found this holy grail. It was the July 2 Fillmore West show.

Every other Good Lovin had some of the same musical phrasings from the boys, and similar rap ideas from Pigpen, but nothing else I sifted through had that rare mix of band unity in a loose framework with Pigpen shining brightly in his own way(he wasn't feeling so well).

At least until I got a listen to this Duke 4/24 tape. This version is tighter yet loose still and Pigpen is in his prime.

Maybe I should keep looking for more versions from '71.

businesslike performance, standard awesome soundboard quality.

http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2011/04/cant-you-all-see-how-beautiful-this-is.html

Absolutely smoking. Jerry's guitar tone is pristine.

I was at this show -- it ran about 12 hours, starting with Mountain, then the Dead, and finally the Beach Boys. Either Phil or Jerry told the crowd that they'd never been on the same bill with the Beach Boys although both were huge California bands. Just three days later, on April 27, the Beach Boys joined the Dead onstage at the Fillmore East during the Dead's 5-day run there, and they played 6 or 7 songs together. I guess that makes the show at Duke somewhat historic.

38 years ago, and such a nice recording; pig seems to always merit five stars, agreed and this show is special. 4-24 how can i listen to all of them today: hampton 84 in the morning, 70 show mid morning, this show all afternoon, and now the 78 show this evening. spring dead is special. only wish would be to be with them in 09 on the spring excursion.

nfa>gdtrfb>nfa is very nice and i listened to sing me back home several times before moving to 78. so many good shows, so little time...

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"This day in GRATEFUL DEAD history"

Well, I couldn't be at the Wallace Wade Stadium, at Duke U.,Durham, North Carolina in 71', but I showed up today...38 years later. I am glad I did...amazing recording quality, amazing performances of all our favorite songs from the 71' set list.

Super 71' Soundboard!

"Classic 71' Sound"

If you are a fan of the GRATEFUL DEAD from April 71' this show is a "Must Have" for you, and me.

How anyone can give a GRATEFUL DEAD show with Pigpen any less than 5 stars is beyond me...They must not know what they are saying or doing...

I highly recommend adding this show to your 1971 GRATEFUL DEAD collection.

Five stars for the mix, recording, performance and transfer.

I'd get all the April 71' shows if I were you. I've collected 19 shows from April 71', all are incredible. I love the 71' "sound".

Garcia uses his Wah-Wah Pedal on Sugar Magnolia.

The IA recommends users of Windows XP view this web-page with RealPlayer. RealPlayer is a free media player you can download at www.realplayer.com.

For easy streaming or downloading use RealPlayer. Click the VBR M3U link to open the songs in the Playlist. If your Playlist is not open, open it by clicking the Playlist icon at the lower right hand corner of RealPlayer. Once the songs are in the Playlist, double click the song to play it, then click the record button at the lower left hand corner of Realplayer to record it. When the red line reaches the other end click the stop button to download the song. Your song is in the RealPlayer Downloads folder. Repeat these steps for each song.

Eat, Drink, Be Merry and Listen to the GRATEFUL DEAD.

Thanks for the LOVE from 1971

PS: Get em' while you can, get em' while they're free, get em' now or you'll be sorry...the "Man" giveth and the "Man" taketh away...WTTW

PSS: Thanks Mike and Michael for sharing this treasure with us, God bless you guys.

this is a great sounding board, and the boys are playing in their TAKE NO PRISONERS, WHERE's THE PROMOTER, WE'LL HAVE HIS BALLS FOR BREAKFAST - Style...........


it is not a particularly amazing concert, but.... if YOU'RE NOT AFRAID OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD BEING BAD -- then check it -- because they are just doing it in the road, down and dirty on this one.....

This is really hot - very good jams and played really tight....

There is a B&W film of the 1971 tour of mostly hotel rooms and airports. Also Steve Parish et. al. doing nitrous on the bus etc. But the only concert footage comes from this show !
It isn't very long but one can clearly, see the scoreboard saying Duke, Visitors. It maybe Deal & Hard to Handle from the first set ?

The Hard to Handle is one reason to get this show. It's a solid version but not quite like 4-29-71 Fillmorw East or 8-6-71 at the Hollywood Bowl( my personal favorite)