Throughout 1969 and 1970, the Grateful Dead were experimenting with new performance techniques on the road. Growing from a purely psychedelic band, the Dead were finding their voice as songwriters and composers, deeply rooted in the American folk tradition. With that in mind, the band often performed an acoustic set to open their shows during this era, which would be followed by two electric sets for what was guaranteed to be a great night of music.

The performance on May 2nd, 1970 was no exception, as the Dead put on an incredible show at Harpur College in Binghamton, NY. The show was rightfully immortalized on the Dick’s Picks series, highlighting a more intimate sound from the Grateful Dead’s lengthy career. As Jerry Garcia was always fond of folk/acoustic instrumentation, these performances certainly bring out a playfulness in his demeanor.

Listen to the full concert held on this date below, courtesy of Jamie Waddell/Archive.org:

Setlist: Grateful Dead at Harpur College, Binghamton, NY – 5/2/70

Set 1: Don’t Ease Me In, I Know You Rider, Friend Of The Devil, Dire Wolf, Beat It On Down The Line-> Black Peter, Candyman-> Cumberland Blues, Deep Elem Blues, Cold Jordan*, Uncle John’s Band

Set 2: Saint Stephen-> Cryptical Envelopement-> Drums-> The Other One-> Cryptical Envelopement-> Cosmic Charlie, Casey Jones, Good Lovin’-> Drums-> Good Lovin’, Cold Rain & Snow, It’s A Man’s World, Dancin’ In The Streets

Set 3: Morning Dew, Viola Lee Blues-> Feedback-> We Bid You Good Night

*with members of NRPSÂ