Memories of Deer Creek are almost too numerous to count for most of US. I remember when the place was brand new on my first trip there in the Summer of 89. Something about being in the middle of nowhere really brought out some special stuff in our favorite musicians. The surrounding areas always were welcoming and cool places to camp were relatively free of law enforcement or other things that would kill our buzzes at the time. I remember being there in the summer of 90 as well. The Summer of 90 was a dreadfully dry Summer for buds. You couldn’t even score shitty Mexican brick weed at times. I believe that Summer gave birth to more people growing their own pot than any summer I’ve ever known. Nobody was gonna let that shit happen again. While we were going into the show, I remember security checking every single person’s fanny pack. They weren’t arresting people but throwing whatever they found in trash bins at the gates. When I saw what was going down, my hustler mind kicked in and I got a fabulous idea. I stuffed as much legal shit as I possibly could into my fanny pack while approaching security. I stepped up and let the security person look through all the shit I put in the pack while I reached into the bin and stuffed a puffy baggie into my back pocket. I was a little nervous but got waved through and walked briskly toward the bathrooms. I could smell what I had scored before I even got there. When I got to the bathroom I reached in my back pocket and pulled out nearly a half ounce of the mega dank nuggets! What a score! Like any good Deadhead, I smoked damn near the entire bag during the show with everybody around me. I headed to the campground afterward with only a few bedtime bong hits. One of those nights I’ll never forget.
I’d like to give a shout out to Andrew Shaman for the stream he provided along with his beard of perpetual life. For those of you heading to shows with a desire to stream, Facebook Live provided a nearly flawless stream for the entire night. There were much fewer glitches than those I’ve watched on Periscope. I’m incredibly Grateful that Andrew doesn’t dance at all. That may have been a weakness long ago but in the present day world of streaming, being someone that doesn’t dance at all has enormous benefits for those of US at home on couch tour. If I was gonna stream the show for you, it would look like a camera was tied to a mechanical bull. I dance my ass off so streaming by me wouldn’t work out so good. Thanks for the stream and the occasional commentary Andrew! You’re a great dude and I appreciate you! I think we’ll see a lot more people providing that experience for those at home in the shows to come due to Andrew’s efforts the past 2 nights. I encourage y’all that can’t or don’t dance for whatever reason to do the same!
The show was great and there’s plenty of reviews out there so I’m gonna get right to the point. This review is all about the end of the show. There’s clearly a reason that everything is so much better this time around. It’s because there are people on the stage that are obviously having as much fun as we are. Their names are Oteil, Jeff and John. These guys have way more wood to throw on the fire than any of the players before them. The less restrained they are, the better Weir is. They are the guys pushing the pace and bringing new life to the community. Weir is outstanding because, like many of you, he’s in Love with John. I could’ve sworn I saw Bob wink at him during Looks Like rain last night, which was tremendous. I’m starting to see how much of a difference the infusion of new blood brings not only to our band but the community as a whole. The young folks that are joining the ranks are pushing all of US forward as well!
This leads to my next issue. After all of US have been calling for Oteil to sing, Weir finally gives him a verse in Goin Down The Road Feelin Bad. Another song that like Viola Lee Blues dates back to the 20s, but has been given a bold and lavish working over by our favorite musicians for decades. Weir hands him the verse he’s gonna sing and what is it? “Feed me on cornbread and beans!” Really Bob? Is that the line you wanna give the black guy? How about we just change China Doll into Chitlin Doll and let him sing it? What’s next, “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” out of Space? Maybe we can have him dress like Buckwheat and do “Unce, Tice, Fee Tines a Mady”. Mama Mia, if I didn’t know any better I’d question the whole damn thing… “Is everyone subconsciously racist? Even Bob??? Say it isn’t so!!!” That’s all I’m gonna say about that… Love you Oteil! YOU bring everything that is right about humanity into our community and it’s about damn time we had a member of the band that could dance with US! The rest of those honkies haven’t moved for shit since 1965… I speak for A LOT of people when I say, We want to hear more singing from Oteil! Brother should start scattin during space! That would rock!
The encore was Black Muddy River, a song most people didn’t give a shit about until it became the last song Garcia sang. The first notes of Black Muddy River sent more people to the lot early than any Garcia song in history. Folks would rather get a jump on traffic or cooking grilled cheese sandwiches and grabbing their coolers to sell Oatmeal Stouts outside the gates than listen to that one in its entirety. I know, I know, some of you always loved BMR since the first time you heard it and last night was the greatest thing in the history of the planet. I’m happy for you! As far as I’m concerned, it’s way too Jerrycentric of a song for anybody else to sing. That tune only stood up for me because of the man that stood there and delivered it. While John is rapidly winning over the haters, most people have swung almost obnoxiously in the opposite direction. I’ve seen people say things like, “John owned Black Muddy River!” Lets get something straight here… John will NEVER “own” a Garcia tune. He’s becoming a good renter of the songs, but he doesn’t own shit. Mayer is doing a fantastic job driving the machine forward and providing some energy that hasn’t been seen or heard in a long time but y’all might consider pumping the brakes on some of those more over the top comments… I gained some additional respect for him when he decided NOT to play Tiger, essentially telling Irsay to kiss his ass without ever having to say it. Mayer is growing rapidly due to not just his inborn talent and work ethic, but the environment that’s created by this body of music and the musicians and fans around him. It takes ALL of US to make any of this take place. Give yourself a hand! The energy provided by US hasn’t been this good since the early 90s. It’s clear that this whole thing is only getting better and better. I think the ideal musicians are gathered together at the ideal time and being supported by the ideal people. It’s a fantastic time to be US! Catch ya soon!
Dead To The Core,
Dean Sottile (pronounced So Tilly)
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