Legendary Port Chester: Grateful Dead, Feb. 19, 1971

In Port Chester, the Grateful Dead gained new fans -- and lost a percussionist.

The concert, on a Friday night in the bitter heart of winter, was the second of a series of six shows in seven days the band played the Capitol.

Midway through the Dead's stay in Port Chester, percussionist Mickey Hart left the band. He would eventually return in October of 1974, but in the interim the band relied on drummer Bill Kreutzmann to drive the rhythm section.

The Capitol Theater concert on Feb. 19, 1971 -began a four-year stretch in which Kreutzmann was the Grateful Dead's only percussionist.

The opening act for the show was New Riders of the Purple Sage. The New Riders, as they were often called by fans, featured several musicians who were also members of the Dead at some point -- including Jerry Garcia, who rocked the pedal steel guitar that night.

Garcia, who was betterl-known for his talents as a bluegrass banjo player, was also the co-founder of the side-project, along with Grateful Dead associates and collaborators John Dawson, David Nelson, Dave Torbert and Spencer Dryden.

Since forming in 1967, the young band had released five studio albums and a live recording, and its diverse elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, reggae, country, and jazz were familiar to critics and fans alike.

Around the time the band played Port Chester, Jerry Garcia and founder Ron "Pigpen" McKernan had just begun to relish in the commercial success of their most recent records. Workingman's Dead -- and later American Beauty, the band's fifth album -- were both widely acclaimed at the time, cementing the band's growing reputation. Both efforts were included in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time," a list that was compiled in 2003.

Obsessive Deadheads consider the Feb. 19 show significant because it marked the debut of seven new tracks, including "Bird Song" and "Deal." It also marked the second time for performances of "Loser," "Bertha," "Playing in the Band," "Greatest Story Ever Told" and "Wharf Rat," which were debuted the night before.

A fan named "Bobby G" shared his experience on the Grateful Dead's official website in 2007.

He brought a friend along with him to the Capitol. By the end of the evening, the friend "ended up in the eighth row, in the nude, in front of Jerry [Garcia] holding a beach ball."

"He was never the same," the fan wrote.

The full live compilation of the February 19^th show was later made available for those who weren't lucky enough to have been there.

Dubbed Three from the Vault, the double-disc was released on June 26, 2007, more than thirty years after it was recorded in Port Chester.

Legendary Port Chester runs every Tuesday and profiles historic performances in the village's history. Got an old recording from a seminal concert at The Capitol or the old 7 Willow Street? Tell us about it, and don't forget to share your favorite memories of the show. Were you at a concert we've already profiled? Write in and tell us about your experience in Port Chester's sonic history.