Back in the mid- and late 1980s, when my wife, Regan, and I used to put out a Grateful Dead fanzine called The Golden Road, our day jobs prevented us from going on the road as much as we liked, so we used to rely on friends to call and give us blow-by-blow show reports. We’d be working at our drafting tables putting together our magazine at 11 or midnight and the phone would ring: “It’s The Call!” And sure enough, there would be one our buddies, at 2 or 3 a.m. Philly time, on the other end. “Buddy… what a show… let’s see if I can piece this together…” and in his post-show haze he’d struggle to reconstruct the set list, which he hadn’t bothered to write down of course, punctuating it with little details along the way: “I kinda missed the ‘West L.A.’ because the girl in front of me passed out, and the medics were dealing with her during the whole song”; “Out of the ‘Terrapin’ they went into this jam where I thought they might go into ‘Dark Star,’ but nope, Jerry takes off his guitar and it’s ‘Drums’, which was amazing!” It was a blast getting to experience these shows vicariously until the tapes started trickling in during the weeks following the tour.
Gee, how things have changed! No late night calls were necessary to follow the action on The Dead’s latest tour (though we still got a couple of calls anyway, and that was Big Fun). Instead I was usually able to go onto dead.net or Deadnet Central and get the setlist as it went down live, often with opinions and commentary in real time: “Looks like there’s a ‘China Cat’ coming! Nope, they veer into ‘Uncle John’s!’ Yay!” (Of course, if I owned an iPhone, I could’ve had set lists, streaming audio and pix at my fingertips. Time for me to join the 21st century, I guess!) Three of the concerts—first night in Worcester, second night in Philly, and The Gorge—were broadcast live on Sirius Radio, so I got to hear those in the comfort of my own home, and excellent audience recordings of most shows were up on archive.org within a day or two, and that was a really cool way to keep up with the action. To my eternal regret I was only able to go to one show—first Shoreline, which had an outstanding second set—but through archive.org and also buying several of the superb soundboard recordings, I’ve managed to hear nearly everything by now.
And what a tour it was! I think it’s safe to say that it greatly exceeded most people’s expectations, and many believe that it was overall the strongest of the post-Garcia Dead tours. Why? Let me count the ways:
It starts with the Core Four! The rapprochement that began even before the Dead Heads for Obama show back in the winter of ’08 was real and has stuck. They appear to be getting along better than they have in many years, and they all seemed to be thoroughly dedicated to putting in the rehearsal time both before and during the tour to make sure that everyone was on the same page musically.
Photo: Jay Blakesberg ©2009
Bill and Mickey played spectacularly—both with the band and during their amazing Rhythm Devils segments, many of which were centered around specific sonic motifs and space concepts. (This felt like an outgrowth of sorts of Mickey’s recent Global Drum Project tours, where Mickey and his percussion cohorts, aided by electronics wizard Jonah Sharp, explored various textural ideas that were rooted in some fixed composed structures.) For the first time ever, the “Drums” and “Space” segments were plotted out around certain themes. (In Jay Blakesberg’s fine photo books from the tour—available from blurb.com/thedead, the themes for each show are named in the set lists.) Some of the percussion ones were played several times (though with much variation, of course—this is still improvising on the fly), such as the “Obama Funk Jam,” which interspersed samples of Barack and others with some electronic legerdemain, “Music of the Roaring Seas” and “Magma”; while the “Space” jams were keyed around various celestial bodies and events: “Star Drone,” "Cosmic Debris,” “The Big Bang,” “Heartbeat of the Sun” and various jams named after planets.
Photo: Jay Blakesberg ©2009
High Fives to the Other Guys! Keyboardist Jeff Chimenti has really come into his own the last few years. Anyone who paid attention to what he was doing with The Dead in ’04—and to what he does with RatDog all the time—was probably not surprised to hear him stepping out so effectively on this latest tour. But he was also given more opportunities for solos and he stepped into the fray and took solos, too, and he was always up to the challenge. His marvelously sympathetic organ and piano work provided the perfect coloration for so many songs, and he was at the wheel driving many a jam, as well.
As for Warren… well, he certainly rose to the occasion under the pressure of being the guy on this tour, without a second lead player backing him up. He took the time to really learn all the significant parts and signpost riffs, but he still put his own spin on things (outrageous slide!) and wasn’t afraid to diverge from the well-worn pathways carved by Garcia and others. And my own personal view (YMMV, needless to say) is that there is no one I’d rather hear tackling Garcia’s songs than Warren. He has truly internalized them—even the heaviest ballads—and he delivers them with unbridled passion and understanding. Check out what he does with “High Time” and “Comes A Time,” among others. That he can play so well in three bands (Dead, Mule, Allmans) is nothing short of remarkable; we’re so lucky to have him!
Variety is the Spice of Life! Thanks to the ongoing lists of Mr. Zomby Wulf on dead.net, we know that The Dead played roughly 150 songs (not counting “Drums” and “Space”) in just 22 shows—a stupendous achievement! No song was played more than five times, and 40 (or so; I suck at counting) were played only once. There were lots of intriguing left-field choices along the way, touching every phase of the Grateful Dead’s long career… okay, I guess it was a ripoff they didn’t play “Day Job,” “Money Money” or “Barbed Wire Whipping Party.” (Dare to dream, y’all!)
And what’s more, any song could turn up at any time. For the last few years, both Phil and Bob have been pretty good about abandoning the Grateful Dead’s rather formulaic approach to constructing set lists—where most songs generally appeared in the same spots in either the first or second sets. But even so, it was still somewhat shocking to find a “Stella Blue” or “Black Peter” in a first set (Buffalo and L.A. respectively), “Scarlet-Fire” as an encore (Shoreline), “Drums” and “Space” to open a second set (Madison Square Garden), and so on. With much of the traditional “first set” material mostly ignored (cowboy songs, blues covers), the band really delivered their best, most popular and jammiest stuff night after night, as well as really nailing a lot of their lesser-known songs, including Phil’s “Pride of Cucamonga” and “King Solomon’s Marbles.” You couldn’t even take for granted that the person you were expecting to sing a song on a given night would be the one to actually step up to the mike.
Photo: Jay Blakesberg ©2009
Acoustic sets were few and far between but mostly appreciated by those who got to see them. Someday this band should consider doing an acoustic tour of smaller halls where that kind of music could really shine. But even in these cavernous environs, you had to love Bob’s alternately ethereal and roaring “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” and Warren’s great take on Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic.”
Everybody’s Playing in the Heart of Gold Band! It had been five years since The Dead toured, and even though Phil Lesh & Friends and RatDog and Mickey’s groups have done so much to keep the flame burning and the Dead Head Family together and dancing, there was something about these shows that made them feel like a reunion of sorts. There were lots of folks who hadn’t seen each other in years (and that tended to make the first sets most nights social occasions as much as musical ones, for better and worse). But there were also lots of newcomers—younger Heads who never saw the Grateful Dead, but who have clearly “gotten it,” either through the post-Jerry bands, or listening to recordings of Dead shows they got from friends, older siblings or parents. Young and old seemed to enjoy themselves, and I, for one, am cheered by the sight of new blood coming into the scene!
* * *
And now, some subjective favorites from the tour; really tough to pick among so much top-notch stuff. There were no truly weak shows in my estimation, and probably half of them would qualify as “really good” or “great.” Feel free to add your own favorites below.
Five (Yikes, Only Five?) Favorite Shows (in chronological order)
1. 4/25/09, Madison Square Garden, New Yawk
All right, back to a Gah-den one mo’ time! This was one of the toughest tickets of the tour, for obvious reasons, and the Dead came out with guns blazing (so to speak) to mow down the frantic New York crowd. Actually, truth be told, this show starts out weakly with a pretty awful (if heartfelt) “Cosmic Charlie” (couldn’t sing it in ’69 or ’76; it’s worse now). But all is forgiven once “China Cat” begins to unfold, and then the show really takes off with “Shakedown Street.” I love Warren’s faster take on “Ship of Fools,” and Bob handles “Cassidy” with typical fluid grace. The closing “Sugaree,” with Warren and Jeff all over that thang, is truly epic.
The second set opens with—WTF???—“Drums” and “Space” (or if you want to be technical about it, “Sphere of Io” and “Magma”)! From there, on paper at least, it looks like a psychedelic school bus ride through classic ’60s Dead, but listen to it and there’s no mistaking that this is today’s Dead. Dig: The “Cryptical Envelopment” is actually part of the “Space,” with Phil singing over an arhythmic electronic wash—much more like “What’s Become of the Baby” than a traditional “Cryptical,” and brilliantly realized. That’s followed by a careening “Other One,” a nearly perfect “Born Cross-Eyed,” a long, very meaty jam, and then “St. Stephen” (after all, “in and out of the garden he goes”!) and “The Eleven,” both in their more jammy, contemporary incarnations. But wait, they’re just warmin’ up! How about an lazy “Uncle John’s” to bring us back to earth, followed by a great “Unbroken Chain” (one of the best songs of the tour IMHO, and I’m not even that big a fan of it), and—WTF? Pt. 2—“Gimme Shelter,” belted with authority by Mr. Haynes. Yikes, I’m drenched in sweat just thinkin’ about it! (It’s another great soundboard. Take a moment to salute live mixer Derek Featherstone for a job very well done, in the hall and on disc!)
2. 4/28/09 Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ
Sorry, but this will always be the Meadowlands to me (or the Brendan Byrne Arena)—old habits die hard. Both of the Jersey shows featured the great saxophonist Branford Marsalis sitting in with the boys, and each night the music was spellbinding. I’m going to go on the record right now and say that no outside musician has fit in better with the Dead over the years. Branford is confident enough to be a leader onstage on any type of material, yet he is also a completely sympathetic accompanist. His tone on tenor or soprano, his adventurousness, and his melodic inventiveness made him a perfect foil for Garcia the times they played together (Nassau ’90 being the most famous example), and he has fit in well with post-Jerry lineups, too: If you haven’t heard his playing on a Warren-sung “Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys” or the Middle Eastern-flavored “Space” from Raleigh, 8/17/04, check it out. The guy is hands-down one of the great improvisers of our time, so is it any wonder that he fits in so well with The Dead?
At this show, Branford and company dig into several of the same songs they tackled at Nassau in ’90, but rather than sounding like they’re trying to recapture some past glory, everything sounds utterly fresh and alive, from the nearly 20-minute “Bird Song,” to “Fire on the Mountain,” “Dark Star” (of course), “Eyes of the World,” a wondrous “Space,” a brisk and honkin’ “Lovelight,” and, my favorite of all, Miles Davis’ “Milestones,” which really gives Branford and Jeff a chance to blow, jazz-style. Wow! Don’t miss this one!
3. 5/2/09, The Spectrum, Philly
Both Philly shows are worth seeking, but this one gets the nod because it was the last time The Dead will ever play the aging arena, which is scheduled to fall to the wrecking ball shortly (no doubt we’ll all be enjoying footage of its implosion on YouTube up the road!) and they really pulled out all the stops and kicked out the jams for a typically rabid local crowd.
The first set kicks off with “Saturday Night” (always good as an opener) and includes a very nicely rendered “Althea,” an emotional “He’s Gone” (we all know who that’s about these days…) into an affirmative “Uncle John’s,” and a rollicking “Mason’s Children” complete with meaty jam, to close the set. Set Two rocks hard from the get-go with “Good Lovin’” followed by “Cumberland,” then sets sail on uncertain seas with “Cryptical Envelopment” and “The Other One.” This show’s “Space” drifts into the first of just two versions of “Morning Dew” on the tour—nicely handled by Bob—and then the back end of the show is killer: “St. Stephen,” “Revolution” (thank you, Warren!) and finally “Help-Slip-Frank” to bring it on home. There could only be one appropriate encore choice, and thank God they made the right one: “Samson and Delilah” had all 18,000 souls on hand screaming “If I had my way, I would tear this old building down!” Whoo-ee! (Actually, that’s not a bad idea—let Dead Heads do the demolition!)
4. 5/9/09, The Forum, Los Angeles
This just might be my favorite show of the tour, a total winner from first note to last, with many an unexpected twist and turn along this golden road. So, there they are in glittering L.A., no doubt with celebrities in attendance—are they gonna play the “hits,” maybe open with “Truckin’” or some such? No, sir! Instead they jump off the high dive and into “Viola Lee Blues,” jamming it out to Phil & Friends proportions (i.e. a lot), and using that as a launch pad into other songs: “VLB”> “Bertha,”> “VLB” verse 2 > “Caution” > “VLB” verse 3 > “Black Peter” (expertly sung by Warren). A considerably-better-than-the-Garden-but-still-not-great version of “Cosmic Charlie” ends the first set.
The second set is a fabulous set list played really well, including another dynamite “Shakedown,” “New Speedway Boogie,” “Scarlet-Fire,” “Dark Star” sandwiched around a Warren-sung “Wharf Rat,” and then a surprise closer: a rippin’ “Satisfaction” (followed by the de riguer “Saturday Night” encore, also smokin’)!
5. 5/14/09, Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, Calif.
OK, I really screwed up not going to this show. When this second Shoreline concert was announced, I was still hurtin’ financially from the mail-in for the first one (5/10), so I thought I’d skip this and save a few bucks. Big mistake: I missed a really hot show. This is another one that is really consistently strong top to bottom, but I’ve gotta say, it’s the first set that really blows me away. I had wondered whether Warren playing two shows with the Allman Brothers (I went to the first; loved it!) at the beautifully restored Fox Theatre in Oakland between Shoreline Dead concerts would affect his playing at all. Hard to say exactly, but the little jamlet preceding the opening “Jack Straw” sure sounds a lot like (sweet) “Melissa” to me! There’s a kick-ass “Mason’s Children” mid-set, then another fine “Ship of Fools” (where Warren sings “49 years upon my head…”). Then Bob goes into a fine “Standing on the Moon,” but right after the bridge, instead of rolling into the next verse, it veers into a full “Terrapin”! After a mini-jam at the end of that tune, right on the beat, they go back into the last couple of verses and coda of “Standing on the Moon.” Totally cool!
The second set has more delights, including a rare “Estimated” opener, the Anthem of the Sun duo of “New Potato Caboose” and “Born Cross-Eyed,” a fine nod to Brent Mydland (and Jerry) with “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” and then, out of “Space,” “Morning Dew” with Warren on lead vocals this time—it’s interesting to hear him try a quiet ending for this song; I think it works. I seem to recall there’s a very brief quotation of the Allmans’ “Mountain Jam” between the set-concluding “China Cat-Rider” duo. Then, in keeping with the previous Shoreline show’s triple encore (“St. Stephen> The Eleven,” “Touch of Grey”), the 5/14 show goes on for another half-hour or so with “Scarlet-Fire” and “Deal.” Goooood stuff!
A Bunch of Cool Things From the Other Shows Worth Checking Out
1. “Truckin’” from Greensboro, 4/12
2. “Dark Star”> “King Solomon’s Marbles” from Washington, 4/12
3. “Crazy Fingers” from Charlottesville, 4/15
4. “Comes A Time” from Albany, 4/17
5. “Goin’ Down the Road” and “Mountains of the Moon” from Worcester #1, 4/18
6. “Slipknot” > “Let It Grow” > “Uncle John’s” from Worcester #2, 4/19
7. “Smokestack Lightning” and “Stella Blue” from Buffalo, 4/21
8. “The Golden Road” from Wilkes-Barre, 4/22
9. “Death Don’t Have No Mercy” from Nassau, 4/24
10. “Tomorrow Never Knows” > “Black Peter” from Hartford, 4/26
11. “Days Between” from Meadowlands #2, 4/29
12. “New Speedway Boogie” from Philly #1, 5/1
13. “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” from Chicago #1, 5/4
14. “Weather Report Suite” from Chicago #2, 5/5
15. “King Solomon’s Marbles” > “Stronger Than Dirt” from Denver, 5/7
16. “Saint Stephen” > “The Eleven” from Shoreline #1, 5/10
17. “Crazy Fingers” and “Dark Star” (verse one) from The Gorge, 5/16
Four Other Shows I Wish I’d Attended
1. Greensboro; 2. Charlottesville; 3. Worcester #2; 4. Philly #1
* * *
All photos seen here are from Jay Blakesberg's 2009 Dead tour books. Go to www.blurb.com/thedead to see more!So…enough of my opinions: What are YOUR tour highlights?
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It doesn't really matter
how it feels to any one individual. A point Garcia also at least tangentially touched on in his interview in The Movie. And to me always a great part of the magic of it all, that something so big, convoluted, populated and interconnected could simultaneously also be so utterly personal and singular. Both for the musicians and the audience.
I was very happy to see that dimension of it all being quite present in this tour.
I will add this, though: Too bad Branford couldn't have joined them for the whole tour.
Conversation is always more interesting than recitation, so speak your mind and not someone else's.
Thanks to Blair Jackson
for a fine retrospective. Love to see this write-up and reminiscent of his year end wrap-ups from the glory days.
Unfortunately, to my ears, this tour wasn't much to 'write home about' (ha). From what I've heard - just not at all exciting. Warren Hayes is a fine player and great with the Allman Brothers - just doesn't do it for me in this context.
And the hype about bringing back some of that stuff from the 60s . . . again, I love that it excited many people. But to me, there was a reason Garcia dropped those tunes from the rotation as the years went by: a lot of that stuff simply wasn't any good.
I attended the '98 Shoreline shows and loved what I heard. It was super impressive at times. But I knew then - it doesn't matter what they do, I am just one of those people who can't get over 'him.'
The Forum Show Was One For The Ages
Having attending the L.A. show last month and then enjoying the download many times after, I hadn't really appreciated the very special set list we Angelenos got. From "Viola Lee Blues" to "Bertha" to "Cosmic Charlie" to "Shakedown Street/Fire On The Mountain," It was an incredible evening.
On a recent commute home from work, I listened back to back to a pair of "Viola Lees" nearly separated by 40(!) years (the early one from Dick's Picks Vol.8 and the new one from L.A. '09). What struck me was that the rules of time do not apply to The Dead, the energy, the vitality, and most importantly, the inherent Positivity, remain.
I do hope they come 'round again.
Thanks to all!
Having seen the G.D. '91 on, the Furthers, The Dead's 2003 (Joan Osbourne was stellar!), the 2004, Phil & Friends, and RatDog along the way, the DC show, (the only show I caught in person on this tour) was stellar... After back to back Phil tunes, Passenger and Pride, that really rocked, I realized that this was a night where anything could happen, & Wow, was I right!Warren going all Pig on Easy Wind!, Bobby's soulful, heartfelt Lazy River Road, Jeff and Warren jamming off of each other on Alabama--both pushing the other like I remember Bruce pushing Jerry was jaw dropping then a set closer of Big Railroad Blues that should've had Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers smilin' down from heaven. Then, the unexpected kept happening, and acoustic set, Peggy-O, Glory Road and Hard Rain, into a Space without a > into Drums (!!!) into Dark Star into King Solomon! then into Drums out to a very deep bluesy Come Together that really got the crowd dancin' and singin', back to Dark Star, then a Sugar Mag that was more than fun as everyone was on Cloud 9, and Tipper wasn't just keeping time with Mickey and Bill, she was hammering away! Then to the encore of Uncle John's that was SWEET, and they gave us one more surprise, a double-scoop encore, pulling out a wonderful Ripple. The band was on that night, I love Warren on guitar, channelling and adding his own, no better choice. Phil was DRIVING, that bass of his is a monster sound! Listen to King's... And no man Mickey's age should be able to pound those hung toms with that kind of power, but Mickey can and, well what a night!
I hope they put together some new material--I hear Hunter has been sending lyrics to Bill for his band, and The Dead is no washed up hits band--they are alive and well and could do themselves and us Heads some good by adding some new tunes to the canon, studio and live on tour in the future. Here's to the bus still rolling on down that Golden Road for a long time to come!
Thanks again to all involved!
Peace!
The Gorge
I came out of a '92 retirement to meet a friend & his wife who traveleld all the way from Germany, with an extra ticket waiting for me. The setting was stunning, and I was amazed overall at how unchanged the whole deal was, from campground vending & jamming to the crowd & show itself. It was not exactly the same as the old days, but so much closer than expected. Into the Mystic was great, the Crazy Fingers/Dark Star was something else, Passenger/Hell In A Bucket rocked. What really blew my mind, though, was the Space/Days Between. I wasn't familiar with the song and hadn't imagined I'd be taken to such new places. It was quite emotional from the lawn and from other accounts, apparently VERY emotional on stage. Returning to finish Dark Star was the perfect cheer-up afterwards. With so many songs out there, and being the end of the tour, expectations were high for a mind-blowing encore; Box of Rain was therefore a bit of a let down, at first. However, as they played it felt like everyone in the crowd, on stage, and backstage, was singing along, engaged in some sort of psychic group hug*, thinking of past shows & adventures; thinking of those no longer with us (Jerry, Pigpen, Brent, Bill Graham...), and generally being together once more when no one thought it would ever happen again.
*sorry for the corny term, but I couldn't think of a more accurate description
more guitars
The shows were good, but would rather have had another guitarist in the mix. Warren just doesn't have the range Jerry had, and often the music sounded too lean. So would have been best to replace Jerry with 2 lead guitarists. The Allman Brothers have both Derek and Warren for a reason.
Greg SC
I am grateful for this article
I saw my first dead show in Charlottesville this year and I've listened to that show at least every day since i dowloaded it two days after the concert and it brings me back every time i listen to it. I still have the text message saved that my friend sent me telling me what seats we got.Great article by the way. I got chills reading about standing on the moon going into terrapin and then back to the moon. Ahhh how i wish i was there.
And her name is G-L-O-R-Iiiiiiiiiiiiii-A What a sing along for the crowd. I'm pretty sure everyone there was singing. Even the security gaurds. haha. Bob sure did sing the hell out of that encore 4/15
“Crazy Fingers” from Charlottesville, 4/15 was jaw dropping live
One more good one to download
Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo 4/15 Listen to it! you will not regret it!!
Hello baby I'm gone good bye!!!!!
too much thinking...
"..one good thing, one good thing, when it hits you feel no pain..."
its all nostalgia to me...simply a chance to honor and acknowledge the boys for continuing to "keep on keepin' on"... the only reason to see more than one show, for me, was to see a different friend that I have missed for years, not to catch a great St. Stephen...the great St. Stephen happened in 1969...
Just embrace it for what it is, and stop looking and listening too closely.
how to review a show
Given the correct dose of acid, and the right weather conditions, ten thousand deadheads would get up and dance wildly to a flock of farting geese, and exclaim in the parking lot, four hours later, that the show was amazing!
One should never review a show based on the physio/emotive experience of attending said show, but in fact, listen to the show after the fact, and judge its performance value.
Those of us who grew up on cassette master audience tapes in the 70's understand this as few others can! The reason that Englishtown, or Fox Theater, or the famed Terrapin from the "close encounters" jam show from way out west in the 70's..there is a reason these cassettes lost all their magnetism! The shows were great, we listened over and over, and judged them musically, not brain-chemically.
Bottom line is this: go out and get copies of the spring tour, and call me up in ten years and tell me if the stuff is in heavy rotation on your dead playlist! I know the answer right now...
set lists are NOT a method of review...
certain things have not changed since my earlier days of taping, trading, and of course, attending shows. One of these static concepts is the notion that a set list somehow can define a performance. Too many acquaintances take out the pencil (or handheld device) and start jotting down notes...then they can exclaim..."woah, the band opened with Help>Slip>Franklins"...truthfully, I would, anyday of the week, prefer to hear "Might As Well" and "Jack Straw" and "Sugaree" played well, in 1977, than a poorly executed, self-conscious "Help>>" on this tour...
Stop reading set lists, and start listening people...
Shoreline 2009
Larry E.Smith May 10th blew doors,my favorite show of the tour,I wish I could go back to it,I strongly feel that venue is underrated,it has great parking,its close to my old hometown of Sunnyvale :},its very sentimental,waiting for new years hopefully it will manifest its self,it would be a cool dvd i'd buy it. Larry
'09 roundup
Wow, you couldn't go to the May 14 show? For some reason I thought people like you and David Gans received complimentary tickets, or backstage passes, or something like that. Who knew you still had to pay?
I have a question - do you still have any backlog Golden Roads that you can send to me (sell to me)? I have some issues, but would love to go back and fill in the missing ones. Please post info here, or reply via e-mail. Thanks.
Thank you
Blair,
Thank you for taking the time to put your thoughts and feelings into a wonderful review. Combined with masterful photography, this is a true gem.Having been on the road myself this tour, I can appreciate many of you insights to the sound over the spring months that we were blessed to have experienced.
Personally, I thought the band truly opened up by the time they got to Shoreline. The first night was pure magic for me, dancing on top of the hill with nothing but positive energy the entire day. This was the way The Dead intended it, a pure circle of positive energy, at least in my mind. This was in stark contrast to some of the darkness that I personally witnessed out on the lots back east.
I hope you don't mind me sharing, this was a list of all the shows I was able to come across at the time. If anyone can fill in the blanks on the few I was missing please feel free to post them here and I will update them for everyone's benefit.
http://www.festivalfamily.com/component/content/article/157-the-dead-20…
Thanks
Doc
Building your family one festival at a time.
http://festivalfamily.com
Cinco De Mayo!
This was the first Dead show I have ever attended, I have however seen Tom Constanten a few times with Terrapin Flyer which was also out of this world! Back to the spring tour though... Cinco De Mayo of 2009 was probably one of the best days of my life! I bought two tickets for the show about 3 months in advance. I had no idea who the second ticket was for, but I thought I might regret it if I didn't get it. I ended up making the drive myself all the way from Traverse City, MI to Rosemont Ill. When I got there, it felt like I was home. Never before had I ever seen a parking lot scene quite like this. I instantly made a friend whom I sadly lost contact with (If you're out there buddy, let me know, (I gave you the egypt concert on CD and we walked around the lot together for a while). Some of my Traverse City friends made it down and we hung out the rest of the time. When it was finally show time my mind was blown and my jaw hit the floor when they took the stage and started us all up with "Dancin' in the streets". I was not one bit disappointed by the setlist and some highlights for me were "weather report suite", "the golden road", "Mr. Charlie", Truckin" really spoke to me ath this point. It's hard to list favs because the whole show was indescribable. This is one of those moments in my life that I will never forget (If I can remember parts of it hahaha)
How did I miss this article?!?! I love your style Blair!
I have every Golden Road in my closet. They are with all of my Mikels newsletters, DDN newsletters and mags, and certainly the stacks of Relix. You and your lovely wife Regan did such a good job back then. When you came out with those flyers announcing the mag. (which I also saved?!?!) I subscribed right then and their! Every month it was like Christmas for me. Kind of like getting a box of Maxell's from friends while I was on tour. Always enjoyed reading a out your kids in your editorials. They must be over 20 now. lol
Anyhoo- I just wanted to say hi. Joe from RI
cinco de mayo
i have been waiting to see the dead ever since my dad first introduced them to me when i was about 6 years old. then, on cinco de mayo 2009 ( i am 16 years old now), i got that chance. it was undoubtedly the best day of my life. i was attempting to sit still in class all day, but the excitement of that night was making my head spin to a point that i just wanted to dance for joy in the middle of all of my classes. i went with two of my good friends, one of which is a HUGE beatles fan and hadnt really gotten that into the dead but he really wanted to check out what all the talk was about. he didnt understand why my other friend and i wanted to get to the show early to hit the parking lot scene. when we got there, it was like nothing we had ever seen before. a community of people with all the same thought "the dead is in town". it was incredible, and we met a bunch of great people. when we finally got into the show, the energy was like nothing i had ever felt before, and i felt like a man on top of the world. and when the boys played "come together", my friend who is the diehard beatles fan just lost it. he couldnt stop freaking out and yelling in amazement. unfortunately the show came to an end, and it was time for us to get a ride home. my mom had to pick us up and she saw all of our faces which had looks of awe and amazement. she said, "what happened to you?". all i could reply was "i went to a dead show". so i just want to say thank you to bobby, phil, mickey, billy, warren, and jeff for changing my life for the better.
ain't picky no mo'
It was so good to spend a few hours in Paradise, any show is a good show these years, brothers and sisters! The Shoreline was much nicer than I thought it would be, like a giant Greek, but I couldn't BELIEVE how much my old spot in front of Jerry was costing people! Who gets those thousands of dollars, anyway? All it used to cost me was 24 hours on a sidewalk...:) Thanks to whomever thought of doing the fire dancers...that was really a special treat! So when do we do it again?--Liz