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Program::
Air date:
Sat, 02/21/2015 - 12:00pm to 2:00pm
The Grateful Dead perform 6 nights while participating in an ESP experiment.
The Grateful Dead played nearly 20 shows at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY on just over a dozen dates.
This six night run includes their final shows there, and what a run it was. Not only did the band premiere 5 tunes (Bertha, Loser, Greatest Story Ever Told, Playing in the Band, Wharf Rat) on the first night, two more (Bird Song, Deal) on the following night, but during the entire run, they were also participating in an ESP experiment conducted by Dr. Stanley Krippner. The results were published in The Journal of the American Society of Psychosomatic Dentistry and Medicine in February 1973.
The first night was also drummer Mickey Hart's last show until October 20, 1974 and the second night became an official release. It is totally clear that everyone is enjoying the musical experimentation that is taking place.
There's a fair bit of online material about the ESP experiement that went on during these shows, including
A Pilot Study in Dream Telepathy with the Grateful Dead
Exploring ESP in the dream phase of sleep with The Grateful Dead
Mickey Hart & Stanley Krippner reminisce
Other articles published by Stanley Krippner may also interest you. Sample titles include "LSD and parapsychological experiences," "The psychedelic experience, contemporary music, and the Grateful Dead: A 1969 study," and "Consciousness and mythologies of society."