Jerry Garcia at Princeton
When Jerry Garcia walked onto the campus of Princeton University in the Spring of 1971, he did not head to the English Department where he could have easily taught a course on Jack Kerouac. Nor did he seek out the Music Department, which, had its members known, would have greeted him with open arms as he was already on his way to becoming one of the greatest guitar players of the 20th century as judged by Rolling Stone.
Instead, Jerry asked for directions to Dillon Gymnasium where he and other band members known as the Grateful Dead were scheduled to play a concert later that Saturday evening.
In those days, College baby boomers had already experienced the British invasion of the Beatles and Rolling Stones and were still dancing to Motown. But they were very curious to sample some of the “counter culture” flowing out of the Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco. Flower power, long hair, anti-war sentiments and mind altering substances characterized the so-called “hippie” movement. The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane provided the music and young people around the Country were anxious to see them.
I first saw the Grateful Dead during the Spring of ’69 at the Quadrangle on the campus of Washington University. The concert was extraordinary, primarily due to the guitar riffs and mellow vocals of Jerry Garcia. So when, as a college student in Philadelphia 2 years later, I was invited to join some friends for a road trip to Princeton to see the Dead, I eagerly accepted.
After the short drive from Philadelphia, we settled into Dillon gymnasium only to be evacuated for awhile due to a bomb scare. The University staff investigated and then made a decision to remove all chairs on the floor of Dillon, leaving everyone to stand or sit in the side bleachers.
Many students of the Grateful Dead believe that the concert we witnessed that night was one of the greatest ever performed, among over 2300 live performances delivered during a three decade run. Since I was lucky enough to be there, I can attest that the band was totally in sync and that the beloved “Pigpen”, lead vocalist and harmonica player, stole the show when he closed with the legendary “Turn on your Love Light” for more than 20 minutes. Bobby Bland, who first sang Lovelight ten years earlier, would have approved. Sadly, this was one of Pigpen’s final performances as he died the following year.
When the lights came up,we tiptoed down the bleachers to the gym floor. Suddenly, Jerry Garcia appeared before us and asked if we would like to join him for a joint! While such activity is legal today, it was certainly a “gray area” in those halcyon days of the early 70’s.
Throwing caution to the wind, we happily accepted Jerry’s invitation and proceeded to discuss everything from Chuck Berry to how Jerry could possibly pick the guitar so well without one of his fingers. It was one of the most memorable experiences in my college career and it was certainly not found in the University course catalogue.