NORWICH – The New Riders of the Purple Sage, originally formed in 1969, are still going strong and set to hit the stage at 7 p.m. Thursday in West Park, the final downtown performance as the Chenango Blues Association wraps up its Summer Concert Series.

The band, which began touring with the current line up in 2005, is in the final leg of its 2010 summer tour, and pedal steel guitarist Buddy Cage said he and his fellow musicians are looking forward to a second trip to Norwich.

Cage replaced Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia on pedal steel for the New Riders in 1971 – they met for the first time on the famed Festival Express train in 1970, where Garcia convinced him to join the band. Cage said he’s “delighted they wanted us to come back for this concert series,” following last year’s Chenango County Fair performance.

“Everybody was just really nice and they were just wonderful to us, we had a ball,” he added.

With its unique blend of country, pychedelia and rock, the New Riders have seen a number of personnel changes over the years, yet the current line-up may be one of the stronger and most inspired since the band’s heyday.