Monthly Archives: January 2015

Flashing Back to Scarlet

Intermission has been awesome. I don’t know if it’s all the ecstasy but I never saw so many beautiful people in my life. It’s like a damn hippie beauty pageant in this place tonight.  Everywhere I went I saw exactly who I was hoping to see moments before I ever saw them. The mood in this place is so electric, no drama, nobody freaking out. Everybody in this place seems just right. I’m not sure my chemistry has ever been so ideal in all of my life; I feel like an absolute ray of light.

I’ve helped three people get out of the problems in their own head just by smiling at them.  There’s some magic all over this place. I missed the guys climbing up the ladders. I hate when that happens. There’s a patchwork of smiles, beachballs bouncing around leaving crazy trails. I don’t know who that dude we’ve been selling buds to is, but he’s definitely well connected. We haven’t been further back than 10th row the whole tour. The anticipation in this building could be weighed with a scale. Air has a very definite heaviness in this place right now. Your mind screams, “TURN THE LIGHTS OUT!” It’s as if Candace hears you scream in your mind. The lights go out as the instant roar of the crowd is immediately followed by the sight of flashlights leading the band to the stage.

They emerge from behind their stacks of sound equipment laughing as if there’s a joke between them. The energy shared in this place is all over them as well. It’s clearly not just me. When the noodling and tuning starts it becomes immediately clear . . . it’s gonna be Scarlet->Fire! This takes the intensity to an entirely different level of high!

Every member smiling. Bill and Mickey warming their chops on the hi-hats. When the affirmative notes of Scarlet Begonias are struck by Garcia, he smiles down the line of people in the front row causing every person within his vision and even those beyond it to believe they just had an intimate soul experience with him. As the riffs roll out and the rest of the band gets behind the movement Garcia seems to be caught up in the vibe and seems a little slow getting to the mic. I think to myself “he’s definitely missing the cue.” Somehow, in perfect Garcia time, he gets there some way and the raging party officially takes flight as Jerry’s eyebrows, slightly elevated, rejoices with his voice through half of a smile, “As I was walkin’ ’round Grosvenor Square.” Holy Shit this is tight!

The band sounds like a well oiled machine as every component falls into it’s perfect and proper place. The notes that come off of Garcia’s and Weir’s guitars spin my my mind. Any wayward thoughts fly away. All negativity is sent packing. I found such a funky dancing groove in the pocket that I feel like the 7th member of the band. I’m like a human metronome and I swear the band is actually using ME to keep time. I couldn’t stop smiling if I tried . . .

There’s something so cyclical about Scarlet. I feel like we’re all on this psychedelic merry-go-round. It’s Impossible for anybody to sit still at this point. Every verse speaks deeply into the experience. The band hits their marks in perfect unison. They absolutely drive the whirling dervish of tie dyed sweat that most of us are quickly turning into. My body is seemingly taken over by the absolute clarity and volume of the massive trampoline of sound that’s springing all of us higher and higher. I catch the eyes of everyone around me, we’re all being blown away by what’s taking place. As the merry-go-round spins, Garcia fires off notes that feel like ornate sparks being thrown from his strings to elaborately decorate and detail this creation. As we approach the final verse Bill and Phil hold down the foundation of the groove while Mickey climbs the percussive ladder of life running his sticks up every tom tom he’s got. You know that sound!

Garcia’s licks seem to intentionally linger behind just enough for him to accelerate as quickly as possible as he begins to make his final move; It’s as though he’s gotta catch up to the proceedings at hand without leaving any note out from the run as he makes the musical sprint to the finish line. Scales being peeled off rapidly, his face assumes the determined and intense look illustrating the effort that goes into this stretch to the finish line crossing it with the rest of the band, as well as all of us, as we collectively declare, “THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS PLAYING TEA FOR TWO! THE SKY WAS YELLOW AND THE SUN WAS BLUE!”

Every cell in my body climaxes with the moment as I’m fully awakened to the realization that EVERYBODY truly and completely is playin’ in the Heart of Gold band. It’s all of us, everybody, like ’em or not. Every one of us is a necessary and required ingredient to all of this wild shit that’s happening. In my current state of mind I think I’ve discovered something that’s just as new as when I discovered it during this same tune just last week. The jam heads for exploratory ground, noises from instruments that aren’t even present can be heard in the thick layers of sound that are coming at us from the band like lava flows from a volcano. It’s no coincidence that particular vision emerges in my thoughts and overtakes my senses. And just as lava flows from its source, surely there’s some Fire coming our way . . .

The Madness Begins: January 18, 2015

The Grateful Dead have emerged from their sleep like real life Rip Van Winkle this week creating a tidal wave of activity throughout the Sleepy Hollow of today’s music scene. Much like Rip, the band is waking up and discovering a whole new world. One would have to ask themself after an extremely long period of inactivity, “Fuck me running, have I really been sleeping that long?”

As questions and concerns preceding this monumentous event arise, I assure you I will be here to report them. An increasing number of spoof reporters and keyboard comedians have risen from the ashes quicker than the Grateful Dead’s sex appeal this week but don’t be fooled by imitations. I, Dean Sottile, pronounced So Tilly, am The Official source of Unofficial and completely fabricated news revolving around this anniversary.

In an attempt to answer everybody’s most pertinent and pressing questions, I’ll start with the elderly whose ability to read through long pieces has been significantly hampered by decades of using superior hallucinogens and dreadfully inferior reefer. Members of the message board group “Grateful Dead Tour Veterans 1970s” are incredibly excited about a few things this year. For one, many of them received their Medicare Card and have already had their first invasive medical procedures and exams since the summer of ’69. As Dead Heads, they’re still complaining due to deductibles and co-pays that they feel should really just be free. While nearly every restaurant in the country provides them with senior discounts, their blood pressure is skyrocketing because there is no such discount on anniversary tickets.

Another bone of contention is the absence of Donna at these shows. I contacted Donna, The only member with a listed phone number who seemed to be waiting patiently by the phone for somebody, anybody, to call her about this. When asked if she was invited to participate in the celebration, Donna exclaimed, “NOOOOOOOOOOOOO NOOOOOOOOO NOOOOOOOOOOOOO NAAAAA NAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!”

Love you Donna, thanks for taking the call.

Another question that seemed to have more lives than the Terminator was, “Why Chicago?” You ready for the real answer? BECAUSE!!! That’s why!!! Now book your flights and STFU.

The Grateful Dead used the extensive list of fans and powerful connections they’ve accumulated over the years in order to roll back gas prices to where they were when Garcia last took the stage at Soldier Field in ’95. A letter of thanks would be far more appropriate than another post asking the question, “Why Chicago?” Rent a moped, leave now and it’ll cost you $37 to get there.

In the group “Grateful dead Tour Veterans 1980’s,” a far more civilized bunch than most, Dynamic Radio Show host and contributor Eric Schwartz seemed to be a calming voice in an otherwise unsettled environment. Eric, who never uses Grateful Dead lyrics as answers to questions, was trying to distract from the chaos of Chicago based postings by contributing pictures of auction merchandise he could never afford to purchase. When asked about the recent hailstorm of activity Eric only responded by saying, “Consistent…” When other members were asked about the developing story they used Grateful Dead lyrics to answer immediately disqualifying them from being mentioned in this piece.

The next immediate question seeking an answer was, “How the fuck do I get tickets?”

It seems the majority of the fan base were much smarter before they became doctors and lawyers. As of this writing, thousands of fans are losing sleep trying to figure out how many money orders they need to send and for what amounts. The majority of them will rush to the post office tomorrow to purchase money orders, that can’t be sent out until Tuesday, only to find it’s closed for Martin Luther King Day. At this point, Many of them will find fault with the postal system and complain to whomever will listen about the exorbitant amount of holidays for postal employees.

High on the list of priorities is booking the perfect hotel room for this magical weekend. Complaints once again began circling through cyberspace since the majority of hotel rooms in Chicago aren’t free. It seems as though many thought Gary, Indiana would have been a much better and more affordable choice for the event. Aside from the crime, lack of any venue at all worth playing and the population’s general hostility towards all human beings, Gary would’ve been a much more affordable option. When asked about hotels in the area, Phil Lesh replied, “Mine will definitely be better than yours.”

I’m also happy to report that Unofficial Grateful Dead Historian, Scott Allen and myself have exchanged pleasant messages and will be playing golf together this summer. It seems as though his sense of humor remains intact unlike many others within the Grateful Dead community. When asked about this development, a female fan named Beth said, “I look forward to returning to Soldier Field to see if my personality is still at Lost and Found.”

Well my friends, this wraps up the most exciting week our community has experienced since the announcement of the Warlocks Shows in 1989. If I could shed any light on the growing anticipation and feeding frenzy that has kidnapped our communities it would be this; Pump the brakes y’all. Every little thing gonna be alright. Stay tuned and feel free to ask any questions you’d like me to answer.

Gratefully Deadicated,

Dean Sottile (pronounced SoTilly)

We’re on Facebook: The Official Home of Unofficial Grateful Dead News