New Riders Of The Purple Sage: “Field Trip” (2020) CD Review

Soon after I moved to Oregon in 1992, I purchased tickets to what would have been the Third Decadenal Field Trip. But Jerry Garcia’s enlarged heart led to the cancellation of those shows, and a few years later he was gone for good. The Second Decadenal Field Trip, held in August of 1982, isn’t discussed all that much. But that first one, held on August 27, 1972, is one of the most beloved and highly regarded shows the Dead ever performed. Everyone had that one on tape. And in 2013, the documentary film of that concert was finally released. New Riders Of The Purple Sage often opened for the Dead in the early 1970s, as they did on August 27, 1972. Their set was released on CD in 2004, as Veneta, Oregon, 8/27/72, and is now being re-issued under a new title, Field Trip, which will be available on both CD and vinyl come Record Store Day (the double LP vinyl edition will be limited to 1,500 copies). The artwork on the cover is basically the same as for the 2004 release, with the sheet of bus blotter acid, the only difference being the title on the bumper of the bus. However, this edition contains new liner notes by Ken Babbs, one of the Merry Pranksters, the man who handled the stage announcements at the show, reason enough to own it. By the way, as a side note, after the Third Decadenal Field Trip was canceled, Ken Kesey and some other folks in Oregon organized a festival to take place at that time for all the folks who were already traveling that way anyway. Titled (if I remember correctly) Life After Dead, it was two days of great music. Somewhere there is a photo of me from that festival, where I’m leaning on that bus.

The New Riders open their set with a totally fun rendition of “Truck Drivin’ Man,” featuring some nice work on pedal steel. And for those of you wondering, no, that is not Jerry Garcia. By this time, Buddy Cage had replaced him on pedal steel. However, the Dead’s Keith Godchaux did sit in with them on piano during this set. They follow that with a sweet rendition of “Rainbow,” a song from their Powerglide album, one of two LPs the New Riders put out in 1972. “Drop in and see me any old time.” There is a bit of stage banter before they go into “Lochinvar,” another song from Powerglide. I love these lines: “When we both were very small/I asked you, Would you leave it all/And come and ride away with me/You said, Wait and see/Well, now we’re farther down the line/And dreams should not be left behind/So now I’m asking you one more time/To ride away with me.” The band then gets things rocking with “Groupie,” a song from their other 1972 LP, Gypsy Cowboy.

Ken Babbs makes some announcements, first about two little girls who are at the Kids Tent, looking for their parents, and then about one girl who is freaking out at the White Bird Tent. It’s great that this stuff is included, to give us a better sense of the entire experience of the show. In introducing “Whatcha Gonna Do,” the band jokes, “This song asks the musical question, ‘What the fuck’s going on here?’” This song is from the band’s self-titled debut album. They follow that with “Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud, Loud Music),” introducing it as “a good old barroom tune.” And indeed, it is. Then we get a rollicking cover of “Hello Mary Lou,” a song the band included on Powerglide. It is always fun to hear these guys perform this one.

We get more announcements from Ken Babbs, who mentions Chuck Kesey. This concert was actually a benefit for the Springfield Creamery, owned by Chuck Kesey, and Babbs gets a bit into that in the disc’s liner notes. The New Riders then play “Whiskey,” a song from Gypsy Cowboy. More announcements follow that, including some delightful silliness regarding salt tablets, and this warning: “You gotta watch out for the blue acid with the white stars on it.” The New Riders deliver a nice version of “Runnin’ Back To You,” then get things pumping and shaking with “I Don’t Need No Doctor.” “I don’t need no doctor/Or prescriptions to be filled/Only my baby’s arms/Could take away these chills.” (This is probably a good time to remind folks to stay healthy and careful out there.) This version features a good jam with some great stuff on guitar.

New Riders deliver a sweet version of “Linda,” a song from Gypsy Cowboy, featuring a bit of yodeling and some more good work on pedal steel. That’s followed by “Louisiana Lady,” one of my favorite New Riders songs. This one never fails to raise my spirits, and they give us a wonderful rendition here, with a strong vocal performance. That’s followed by what is probably the band’s most beautiful and moving song, “Last Lonely Eagle.” Ah, that passionate vocal performance and those harmonies and that pedal steel are certain to affect you. The band wraps up the set with a delicious rendition of “Willie & The Hand Jive,” that beat designed to get folks dancing. These guys dig into this one, jamming on it, delivering a version that is nearly ten minutes long.

CD Track List

1. Truck Drivin’ Man
2. Rainbow
3. Lochinvar
4. Groupie
5. Stage Announcement – White Bird Tent
6. Whatcha Gonna Do
7. Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud, Loud Music)
8. Hello Mary Lou
9. Stage Announcement – Field Tripping
10. Whiskey
11. Stage Announcement – Salt Tabs & Blue Acid
12. Runnin’ Back To You
13. I Don’t Need No Doctor
14. Linda
15. Louisiana Lady
16. Last Lonely Eagle
17. Willie & The Hand Jive 

Field Trip was originally scheduled to be released on April 18, 2020, but is now scheduled for release on June 20, 2020 (the new Record Store Day date). Could that date change again? It’s certainly possible.