Due to climate control system malfunctions in D.C. last night, temperatures on John’s spot on the stage plummeted to 5 below zero with Weir chill factor. It didn’t stop the show from going forward since Mayer purchased a Native American Wedding Dress at the Smithsonian earlier in the day. I might’ve made that up… I don’t stay up as late as I used to but apparently, the new Indigenous People Snuggie is available via infomercial just in time for the Holidays! Add one of Mike Gordon’s scarves to that ensemble and you have the perfect Christmas gift for your favorite Goliath!
The night started with Stranger and Bertha and the pace seemed pretty sluggish throughout most of the first set. This was probably since John’s coat weighed more than the blanket they put over you to take dental x-rays. Black Throated Wind, one of my favorites, appeared for the first time this tour but was more like a gentle breeze than any real wind. Tennesee Jed lost his dog again and that took us to Ship Of Fools. That’s always a perfect choice for D.C. and John and Oteil delivered on that one. There was a nod to David with Cassidy and Deal finally returned to its proper home in the rotation as a first set closer. That’s definitely the right spot for that rager as opposed to the middle of the second set. During Deal, John had finally adapted and overcome the challenges associated with playing with 200 pounds of wool on his back. Oteil paid tribute to Malcolm Young by banging his head throughout! It rocked hard and left the environment with the proper energy that’s required for a spirit-filled and lively break.
Help-> Slip-> Frank has always been a favorite for me and the second set found Mayer freed from the Woolly Mammoth on his back. The tempo improved drastically and the jams were strong and plentiful throughout. The tour debut of Looks Like Rain was fantastic and if everybody that got laid because of Looks Like Rain through the years sent Barlow ten bucks he could move into Weir’s neighborhood and trade the El Camino for a few Teslas. Brother would have Bill Gates kinda money! Bob was great on the LLR finale and that took us into Terrapin. Always a fantastic journey through time and space, the adventure was a great experience! If I was deaf, I could tell the quality of the music just by watching Oteil. His body language is as loud as the music!
The Days Between came out of Space and it’s probably my favorite Garcia ballad on Weir. He can do a pretty haunting job on that one. As would be expected, D.C. gets the tour debut of Throwing Stones. Everybody always liked that tune much more than I ever did but it was played well and made people very happy. If you’re happy, I’m happy! Touch Of Grey for the encore sounded strong and without any major speedbumps and instilled the hope and encouragement we all require nowadays! A good time was had by all and Hartford is next on the map! I gotta split, ROCK AND ROLL!!! Love You Long Time! Catch ya soon!
Dead To The Core,
Dean Sottile (pronounced So Tilly)
@gd50th on Twitter
Grateful Dean on Facebook
Grateful_Dean on fans.com
Thanks for the laughs and smile, Grateful Dean.
I was there and can attest that everything you said was absolutely true to you
and that my experience was exactly the same as it was for me!
And there was some overlap too, proving that there is an external
reality to us!
Or something!
The headline of your review pretty much says it all!
Shine on you crazy Deanmond.