In early 1970, The Grateful Dead were playing a show at The Warehouse in New Orleans when they had a run-in with police. This experience became part of the inspiration for the band’s hit “Truckin’”, which appeared on their late 1970 album American Beauty.
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Since 1997, “Truckin’” has been registered as a national treasure in the U.S., but its origins are a little less pristine. It’s generally seen as an exploration of The Grateful Dead’s experiences traveling while on tour. However, the lines “Busted down on Bourbon Street / Set up like a bowling pin” reflect the situation the band found themselves in when they associated with known LSD producer Owsley “Bear” Stanley, also a tech for the group.
According to reports at the time, the police were waiting for The Grateful Dead when they returned to their hotel room. They had already searched the place and arrested the band on drug charges. Mickey Hart’s father, Lenny, the band’s manager, told Rolling Stone it looked like a setup.
“It was very peculiar, and it seems like they set them up,” he told the outlet shortly after the incident. “[The police] had a warrant and had already searched the room when the band got back. Nothing was found on any of the people except the stuff they had prescriptions for.”
He continued, “Everything they claim to have found was in the room, they said. But nobody in the band knows where any of it came from. It wasn’t their stuff. The Grateful Dead are normally very cool and cautious.”
The Grateful Dead Got Arrested in New Orleans After an Alleged Set Up
There were 19 people arrested, including every member of The Grateful Dead, not including Ronald “Pigpen” McKernan and Tom Constanten. The charges included possession of marijuana, LSD, and several other drugs. At the time in New Orleans, possession of drugs carried a sentence of 5 to 15 years in prison.
“The cops made it extra heavy for us, too,” said Lenny. “They detained the band, handcuffed them all together, and lined them up in front of the building for press photos. The cops were enjoying it, just getting their own thing on. They ended up having to spend eight hours in jail; even though the bail was ready right away, they hassled them that long.”
Allegedly, the band was warned at the airport and at their hotel that a police raid could happen. Additionally, prior to The Grateful Dead’s incident, Jefferson Airplane had been raided in the same hotel.
The Grateful Dead were almost broke after posting bail. They scheduled another show in New Orleans, persuading openers Fleetwood Mac to stay on an extra date. Allegedly, a bucket was passed around the crowd to collect additional donations for legal fees. While the charges were eventually dropped, the incident lives on in the lyrics of the band’s hit song “Truckin’”.
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