When the New Riders Of The Purple Sage took the stage at Veneta, Oregon on the afternoon of August 27, 1972, they had just released their second album, Powerglide. The group formed in 1969 as a way for Jerry Garcia (on pedal steel), Phil Lesh and Micky Hart to explore country-rock beyond the constraints of the Grateful Dead, and benefited from this association even as band members came and went. As the third release from the NRPS live archives, Veneta, Oregon documents Field Trip, the first benefit for the Springfield Creamery, organized by co-owner Chuck Kesey (brother of author Ken).

Joining the Dead for the bill, The New Riders Of The Purple Sage played their country/acid-rock without diving into the extended jams that defined their parent group. No Dead members are present on the recording -- by the summer of 1972, NRPS had become an independent entity in its own right, anchored by guitarists John Dawson and David Nelson. The songwriting on Powerglide was a vast improvement over the sloppier self-titled debut, as you'll hear in live renditions of "Rainbow", "Lochinvar", "Runnin' Back To You" and a closing cover (both on the album and at the concert) of Johnny Otis's "Willie And The Hand Jive". You'll also find early versions of later songs such as "Groupie", "Whiskey" and "Linda". Oh, and don't forget the clichéd stage announcements: "The girl at the White Bird freakout tent, she was left there by two guys, and they'd like to know what she's had." "You gotta watch out for the blue acid with the white stars on it that's shaped like a little pyramid of psychonomes (?) over there in Egypt with a white eye in the middle."

That Sunday in 1972 was legendary -- 20,000 Merry Pranksters in attendance, a sun that wouldn't quit, water that did, guitars warping due to the heat -- and the New Riders Of The Purple Sage freewheeled through a fun and rousing set. Veneta, Oregon is a dynamic recording -- proof that NRPS were more than just a footnote in the Grateful Dead's history.