It was good to be back at a show with my buddy Courtenay. We went to about 40 GD shows together in the early 90s. Thanks to Facebook, we have been re-acquainted.
Pulling up to the show I noticed that this scene seemed a lot more tame than what I witnessed from the mid 80's to the mid 90's....even more tame than the Gathering of the Vibes show this summer (East Coast Shows always had more intensity in my eyes). What I saw was a bunch of 40 and 50 year old (likely) suburban parents that were excited to get another shot at "it". When Courtenay pointed out the balding man walking in front of us with the gray beard and said "that is you in a couple of years" I realized that I was one of these 40 year olds looking for "it". As we got closer to the doors, I noticed more of the scene I remember. Plenty of people looking for a "miracle", one person looking to trade "stuff" for a ticket etc...
The Pavilion was plenty small for the Grateful Dead (they did play here before the release of In the Dark) but the fact that it wasn't sold out reminded me that this was NOT the Grateful Dead. The sites and sounds all started to look more familiar. Not to sound cheesy but, I started to see more of the brotherhood. I looked around and saw the kids that were between 16-25 years old going after the same good time I was 20+ years ago. I saw the other older people that remember the good times. I reminded myself that I was one of those kids in the 80s and that there were 40 year olds looking at me remembering their old days. This was a scene with no bad vibes.
Set 1-
On to the music. I have mentioned that this is not the Grateful Dead and that John Kaldecik is no Jerry Garcia., That is OK, this band has their own values (as does Kaldecik). The opener was Jack Straw and it was solid. My biggest complaint was not about the band, it was about the sound. The volume was too low and the mix was not great. I have the habit of singing along and this can be pretty embarrassing if the music isn't loud. On to Mississippi Half Step and Ramble on Rose, neither of which ever did much for me especially when the band tried adding a bit flavor to 'Half Step by echoing the chorus. After adjusting my contact lenses in the bathroom during Ramble on Rose, I came back to Big River (always a classic) followed by Tom Thumb Blues (cant have a first set without a Dylan tune.) The night was then highlighted by Dear Prudence the band played tight and harmonized well. Ending the 1st set on a high note we got Alligator and Hard to Handle with Bob Weir trying to add some James Brown type funk to the jam by singing "sock it to me" inside of the groove.. This ending set the stage for a second set that was inspired by the Grateful Dead of the late 60s and the nasty blues songs of Pigpen.
Set 2-
The mix was improved and sound turned up. It seems like the 2nd set has always been more of a "spacey,funky" phychedelic adventure with more freedom than the 1st set. This second set didn't fail us. We opened up with a greasy Alligator that progressed into a free-form jam that turned into Darkstar. After a 10 minute Darkstar, I got to hear one of my favorite sounds in music.....the sound of Phil Lesh letting you know it is time for Shakedown Street with a big nasty bass note that says "get up and dance!!!" Of course Kaldicek, right on queue came in with the sweet funky sounds of his guitar. This was one of "those" moments. I opened my eyes long enough to see the 450Lb man next to me making full John Travolta, Saturday Night Fever hand motions; it was something to see with his short sleeve tye-dye and full length tattoo sleeves on both sides. The Shakedown slowed down and regressed back into the slow bluesy phychedelic Viola Lee which then digressed until we hear "seems like we've been here before!" Yes, Furthur was taking it deep into the late 60s with Born Cross Eyed (which I didn't even recognize at first) back into Viola Lee back into Dark Star. For fans of the old Grateful Dead and the phychedelic blues sound, this was a tasty treat. We came out of the '60s into one of the more sentimental moments of the night which was Standing on the Moon. I closed my eyes remembered the good times with Jerry Garcia belting out the line "RATHER BE WITH YOU!!!" The song was more than sentimental, it was solid. While I hear what I believe is Further fixin' to play Good Lovin' they instead go into New Speedway Boogie. NSB has always been one of my favorites and this one didn't let me down. They ended with Good Lovin' with some short Bobby screams.
Encore-
OK, this one might not make me real popular but Box of Rain is not one of my favorites but, I dealt with it. The real treat was when I got to hear Ripple live for the first time (yes, the first time.). This ended my night on high note and I am excited to go back again tonight.
Eric
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