New Riders of the Purple Sage - Closing Fillmore West Friday, July 2, 1971 (Bootleg)

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New Riders of the Purple Sage is an American country rock band. The group emerged from the psychedelic rock scene in San Francisco, California in 1969, and its original lineup included several members of the Grateful Dead. Their best known song is "Panama Red." The band is sometimes referred to as the New Riders, or as NRPS.

The roots of the New Riders can be traced back to the early 1960s folk/bohemian/beatnik scene in San Francisco, where future Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia often played gigs with like-minded guitarist David Nelson. The young John Dawson, also known as "Marmaduke," from a well-to-do family centered in Chicago, Illinois, and later Los Altos Hills, California, also played some concerts with Garcia, Nelson, and their compatriots while visiting relatives on summer vacation. Enamored with the sounds of Bakersfield-style country music, Dawson would turn his older friends on to the work of Merle Haggard and Buck Owens while providing a vital link between the East Coast, Timothy Leary-dominated psychedelic scene (via boarding at the Millbrook School) and the West. Nelson then moved on to Los Angeles with future Grateful Dead/New Riders lyricist Robert Hunter and tape archivist Willy Legate, while Garcia formed the Grateful Dead, then known as the Warlocks, with an acquaintance, blues singer Ron "Pigpen" McKernan.

By the time Nelson returned to the Bay Area in 1966, the Merry Pranksters-led Acid Tests were in full swing, with the Dead serving as house band. Throughout 1967 and 1968, Nelson worked as a journeyman musician in the San Francisco area, playing everything from electric psychedelic rock (he was briefly lead guitarist of Big Brother and the Holding Company after Janis Joplin and Sam Andrew departed) to contemporary bluegrass with groups such as the Mescaline Rompers.

After attending Occidental College in the Los Angeles area, Dawson returned to the Bay Area, where he decided to find his fortunes as a solo folksinger. After an early 1969 mescaline experience he began to compose songs on a regular basis. Some, such as "Glendale Train", were traditional country pastiches, while a number of others ("Last Lonely Eagle" and "Dirty Business") found him working in the milieu of a countrified Dead. Others, including the shuffle "Henry", were a combination of the two — traditional music combined with then-contemporary lyrics.

Dawson's vision was timely, as 1969 marked the emergence of country rock via the Dillard & Clark Band, the Clarence White-era Byrds, The Band, Gram Parsons' Flying Burrito Brothers, and Bob Dylan. Around this time, Garcia was similarly inspired to take up the pedal steel guitar, and Dawson and Garcia began playing coffeehouse concerts together when the Grateful Dead were not touring. The Dawson and Garcia repertoire included Bakersfield country standards, traditional bluegrass, Dawson originals, a few Dylan covers ("Lay Lady Lay", "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", "Mighty Quinn"), and Joni Mitchell's song "Big Yellow Taxi". By the summer of 1969 it was decided that a full band would be formed and David Nelson was recruited from Big Brother to play electric lead guitar.

In addition to Nelson, Dawson (on acoustic guitar), and Garcia (continuing to play pedal steel), the original line-up of the band that came to be known as the New Riders of the Purple Sage (a nod to the Zane Grey classic and the western swing combo from the 1940s led by Foy Willing) consisted of Robert Hunter on electric bass and Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. Hunter was soon replaced by Bob Matthews, before Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead was named bassist. The most well-known version of the New Riders, referred to as the "core" by many[who?], was Dawson, Nelson, Dave Torbert on bass, Spencer Dryden on drums, and Buddy Cage, who joined the band after about a year and a half and replaced Jerry Garcia on pedal steel.

After a few warmup gigs throughout the Bay Area in 1969, the New Riders (for all intents and purposes Dawson and Nelson) began to tour in May 1970 as opening act with the Grateful Dead. This relationship continued on a regular basis until December 1971. Throughout much of 1970, the Dead would open with an acoustic set that often included Dawson and Nelson before segueing into the New Riders and then the electric Dead.

By the time the New Riders recorded their first album in late 1970, change was in the air. Dave Torbert then replaced Lesh. After Hart went on sabbatical from music in early 1971, Spencer Dryden (from Jefferson Airplane) began a ten-year relationship with the group as their drummer, and eventually manager. The first album, eponymously titled, was released on Columbia Records in late 1971 and was a moderate success. Featuring all Dawson songs, the record was driven by Garcia's pedal-steel playing.

With the New Riders desiring to become more of a self-sufficient group and Garcia needing to focus on his other responsibilities, the musician parted ways with the group in November 1971. Buddy Cage, a seasoned pedal steel player who had contributed to the latter-day recordings by Ian and Sylvia and the Great Speckled Bird, replaced Garcia. The band's second album, Powerglide, was the first to feature this lineup. The Powerglide album art included a caricature of the band members, drawn by Lore Shoberg.

FILLMORE WEST:
The Fillmore West was a historic music venue in San Francisco, California made famous by concert promoter Bill Graham. Named after Graham's original "Fillmore" location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it stood at Market Street and South Van Ness Avenue and was formerly known as both The Carousel Ballroom and El Patio.

Fillmore West Poster

After two years at the Fillmore Auditorium, because of a deteriorating neighborhood and the modest capacity of the hall, Bill Graham moved the venue in July 1968 from the original building at 1805 Geary Boulevard to the Carousel Ballroom at 10 South Van Ness Avenue, at the corner of Market Street and South Van Ness Avenue (now the location of an automobile dealership), which was renamed Fillmore West (in contrast with Graham's Fillmore East auditorium in the East Village in New York City). Many rock and roll acts made successful appearances in the new, larger venue.

Graham closed the Fillmore West on July 4, 1971, with a bill featuring bands Santana, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Grateful Dead and Quicksilver Messenger Service, and a poetry reading from Allen Ginsberg. A documentary film of the last several concerts, called Fillmore, and a three-disc album, called Fillmore: The Last Days, were released in 1972.

Fillmore — also known as Fillmore: The Last Days, and as Last Days of the Fillmore — is a music documentary film, primarily shot at the Fillmore West auditorium in San Francisco, California, from June 29 through July 4, 1971. It was released on June 14, 1972.

Fillmore documents the final run of concerts at the Fillmore West, which closed after these shows. It features performances by a number of rock bands that emerged from the San Francisco music scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s, including Santana, the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna, and Quicksilver Messenger Service. The film also contains extensive footage of concert promoter Bill Graham, who organized the concerts and ran the Fillmore West. Additionally, the film includes documentary footage shot several years earlier in and around San Francisco, showing the emergence of the music scene there amid the counterculture of the 1960s and the hippie movement.

Fillmore was shot on 16 mm film and was released in a widescreen format with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. It makes frequent use of split screen images.

Fillmore was released on DVD by Rhino Records on June 2, 2009. At 94 minutes, the DVD version of the film differs from the original theatrical release, and omits a performance by Boz Scaggs.

Cover of Triple LP Boxed Set 1971

A triple LP box set featuring music from the last performances at the Fillmore West, San Francisco in July 1971.

The Grateful Dead and New Riders Of The Purple Sage sets were played on July 2, 1971. The Rowan Brothers were the opening act on that day and Garcia sat in with them throughout their set.

In addition to the notes by Bill Graham the album booklet includes a section about Fillmore posters, alist of all Fillmore staff between 1965 and 1971 and a list of performers for all shows at the Fillmore and Fillmore West in San Francisco from November 6, 1965 through to the closing shows commemorated by this album.

The LP set also included a reproduction of the David Singer poster (BG 287) that was produced for the closing week. The copy that came with the album was printed on thin uncoated index paper and was folded to fit inside the album box.

The performances on the album are taken from the last week of shows at the Fillmore West. The performers at these shows were as follows;

June 29, 1971 - Sawbuck, Malo, Kwane and the Kwanditos 
June 30, 1971 - Boz Scaggs, Cold Blood, Flamin' Groovies, Stoneground 
July 1,  1971 - It's A Beautiful Day, Elvin Bishop Group, Grootna, Lamb 
July 2,  1971 - Grateful Dead, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Rowan Brothers 
July 3,  1971 - Quicksilver Messenger Service, Hot Tuna, Yogi Phlegm 
July 4,  1971 - Santana, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Tower Of Power, Other San Francisco musicians and all the good people 

NEW RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE
Friday, July 2, 1971
Fillmore West - San Francisco, CA
*Closing Of The Fillmore West*
FM Broadcast

* John Dawson - rhythm guitar, vocals
* David Nelson - lead guitar, vocals
* David Torbert - bass, vocals
* Jerry Garcia - pedal steel guitar
* Spencer Dryden - drums

01. Workingman's Blues
02. Superman
03. I Don't Know You
04. Down In The Boondocks
05. Dirty Business
06. Glendale Train
07. Portland Women
08. Henry
09. Sailin'
10. Last Lonely Eagle
11. Louisiana Lady
12. Honky Tonk Women
13. The Weight

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