Grateful Dead

My first half dozen shows starting 9-15-67 Hollywood Bowl (I was only 14 at the time) were Pigpen shows. He definitely was a presence that couldn't be ignored when up front on stage. The 8-6-71 Hollywood Palladium show is legendary.
In December '70 they did a couple shows at El Monte Legion Stadium that was a small gymnasium size venue and home of Saturday night wrestling TV broadcasts at the time. Shuffling to the entry door with my generic theater ticket I noticed that the guy sharing a small bottle of whiskey in the dark with the ticket taker was Pigpen himself!
Sadly the last Pigpen show I saw, again at Hollywood Bowl, I later found out was his absolute final appearance. Bobby said he wasn't feeling so good and he had only sat in on keyboards briefly.
That was a great loss.

Pig has quite the frontman in the early years

but my sister went out with a guy who'd taken piano lessons from him as a kid.

I used to see him walking in the Haight when I was a teenager, while I was walking around the Haight, wondering why everyone was smiling @ me (haha). Then would see him sing in the Panhandle & later @ the Fillmore, Winterland & Euphoria Ballroom in San Rafael (with Janis) He was awesome......"NOW, Wait a minute!" was 1 of my all time faves.....:)

I saw Pig from 70-72. wot a dude-hard to believe he was sooo young! Heard him sing 2 souls in communion at the Academy of Music! Stood right next to him when the Dead played At Gaelic Park in the bronx! Different world-I guess it always is in the rearview mirror.

Grateful Dead - Run Rudolph Run 12/7/71: http://youtu.be/cn9v4KS7FMA. ( hope this is ok to post here)

Yeah ... I saw Pig five times (that I remember) 11/5/70, 11/8/70, 2/18/71, 3/25/72, 7/72 My first show, the opening song was Hard to Handle, pretty freaking impressive ... I was 19 ... and yeah, the band did a long 'Lovelight' with Pig working the audience and getting some young guy to ask a girl to go home with him .... then he sticks the mike in her face and she says 'Sure' ... then Pig just howls and the band goes into high gear ... Garcia smirking at how goofy and funny Pig's shtick was ... another show I remember Weir chasing Pig around the stage with a balloon and hitting him with it over and over and everyone laughing ... Pig setting off firecrackers .... Pig strutting around the stage with that three cornered leather hat ... The guy put on this tough guy personna, but everyone says he was, by far, the nicest guy in the group. He was just a lot of fun, all the time. Pig walks up to the mike on the 2/18/71 show and says 'somebody put a rubber on it ' .... we all laugh ... at the Gaelic park show in July 72, I got there early with my gang and before the show, Pig was driving a golf cart around the lawn, Weir sitting next to him, and chased me and my girl around a bit, everyone laughing hysterically. At the famous Harper show a girl I knew told me that Pig let her sit on his piano for part of the show .... she was a cute/hot little thing, so ... at the March 72 show .... Two Souls in Communion .... it was a side of Pig he didn't show that often, sensitive, sad, vulnerable ... it took your breath away. after that show a few of us gathered in the back of the theater (Academy of Music) and waited for the band to come out ... Pig walks out in his dirty denim jacket, takes one look at the gauntlet he has to walk through to get the limo, and just walks straight through like Moses parting the sea ... Pigpen was just a whole lot of fun ... a good guy with a big heart.

When Woodstock celebrated its 40th Anniv in 2009, they released some bonus footage on DVDs with the new reissue of the documentary in a box set. Included in this bonus DVD is the entire nearly 38 min Lovelight and I believe Mama Tried as well. Its def interesting to see the band jamming on a night they considered they blew it. Woulda loved to see the Pig as well.

But I respect when folks say they won't listen to anything post Pig. They were never the same after his untimely passing. If I could go back in time and catch just one of those 30 minute Lovelights...

25 cents a pack for cigarettes was a lot of change back in '67. Great story, TahoeJimbo420 I'll bet he was a Pall Mall smoker.