Dead & Co took the stage in Colorado and didn’t waste any time getting all kinds of wonderful. As long as you could ignore Mayer’s falsetto, Dancin In The Streets was an ideal way to kick off the world’s greatest dance party. Out of all the shit people choose to take issue with me about, Mayer’s falsetto isn’t one of them. I’ve yet to have somebody comment, “Fuck you man! I Love John’s falsetto bro!” Now that I said it, some folks will be forced to reply that way… Wait for it…

The jams in Dancin got everybody doing just that. It was funky and 70s styled. I felt like I was in a white jumpsuit at a Psychedelic Disco. That’s about as fun of a way to start a show as I can imagine and a welcome addition to the repertoire! Cold Rain and Snow seems like one of John’s favorites and he wasted no time getting to it. Hell In A Bucket kept things moving in the right direction and didn’t suffer from ill tempo at all. Weir showed how falsetto should be delivered on that one and that’s all I’m gonna say about that… Big River is always a blast and commonly heard in states with Big Rivers. Always got that one at Riverbend. Funny how that shit works…

I’m gonna have to give Althea its own paragraph. For the first time that I noticed, John was able to detach himself vocally from the timing and tasks required to play it. He sang smoother throughout the song and didn’t have to start and finish verses according to where the notes he was playing started and stopped. Garcia did that so naturally and it’s pretty hard to find guitarists that sing pull that off. I might not make sense to you, but I make a lot of sense to me. The jams throughout Althea caused the band and everyone in attendance to have multiple neurological orgasms and have them all at once. Jeff’s solo took the whole thing to the next level. When the cameras caught the faces of the guys in the band, it looked they were all watching the birth of a magical unicorn. The images of our favorite musicians, not named Garcia, on the screens looked like a highlight reel of climax faces in a Dead & Company porno. John was doing the funky chicken! Bill was making those Bill faces! Mickey was deep in the moment with that mad scientist type of look! Weir was throwing chords over the mountains! Oteil was pounding the song something fierce! Jeff’s hair caused women to wonder what kind of products he uses and… Hold on, let’s not get too frickin carried away… Reel it in Dean, pump the brakes on that shit… It was definitely one of those moments when everybody was getting off in the same way at the same time. That was the kind of music that reminded me why I abandoned jobs, possessions, people and all kinds of shit in order to experience it in the past!

New Speedway rolled along and gave way to the Music Never Stopped which was more than enough at that point. They could’ve just done the whole, “We’ll be back in just a little bit” and disappeared for what always seems like much more than a little bit. Instead, everybody throws on an acoustic, including Oteil with that big ass acoustic lookin bass and close the set with Ripple. I was damn near worried that folks wouldn’t be able to properly process Ripple that early in the proceedings. I imagine if you were a little too high, you might just go home at that point and think you saw a great show! You wouldn’t be all wrong really…

Intermission was all about folks smokin tons of legal weed and huggin each other. That went on for a lot longer than the little bit that Bob has been talking about for 50 years and the tension started building again. By the time the band took the stage again, people’s eyeballs were sweating from looking at the purple lights that frame the stage.

The first notes of St Stephen send the initial shock wave through my spinal cord every time. John has the Gibson SG strapped on and before long, it looks like somebody dosed Angus Young. Mayer was going full AC DC headbanging his way through that one until he flubbed his vocal and laid down a brick that everyone in the band momentarily tripped on. The best thing about the mishap was that everyone in the band just laughed and got back to business. Mistakes are a lot more fun when you laugh it off and get back to layin down some serious shit immediately. It finished strong and Estimated was the next tune to run with the baton.

One thing I appreciate on the HD Streams is that you can really hear what Mickey is doing. If you’re way up front you can hear him as well but on the recordings and the webcasts he’s exstreamly clear. He adds too much to the party to be so muffled. I bust Mickey’s chops a lot but as a young dude that played the drums, I wanted to play like Mickey. It’s easier now, I can just pick up a pair of my wife’s shoes and jam along! If you only knew.. Brother cracks me up! Love You Forever Mickey!

Eyes always brings out the best in everyone and last night it showcased the immense talent that was gathered together to move the music we all love forward. Once again, Chimenti just tore it up as did John and Oteil. Eyes is a tune that I really focus a lot on what Oteil is up to. Not just on the solo but throughout the whole song. There were chops flying all over the damn place during Eyes and it didn’t end there. Oteil’s solo was filled with the emotion and connection that’s caused so many people to become emotionally connected to him. Let It Grow continued the scorched earth kind of attack that was going down. The jams got so confusing, I thought I might lose hold of em. Right at the point of them almost slipping away, they all started making sense again. Then the one soft and easy lick that brings your brain right back in alignment with it all. Yup, that one! Just like after The Music Never Stopped, that would’ve been enough but instead, we get Deal. It started a little sluggish like the thin air might be slowing down the bus but that sumbitch started heading downhill in a hurry as Mayer fired away to lead that jam to all the proper places.

Seemed like Mickey had some technical issues during drums but was persistent in achieving what he set out to accomplish. Bill kept it alive while things were being worked out and we got a great segment on the beam of life.

Space was filled with the Days Between but it never made it out of there. Lost in the cosmos until further notice. Space made a left turn at Albuquerque and took another direction when the vicous licks that set off The Other One came flying out of the O Zone. We were all in spin cycle when the Other One closed and the opening notes of The Dew signaled the start of life’s greatest finisher. While I’ve never been crazy about Bob singing The Dew, I’m always happy to hear it. Probably should slide that one over to Oteil’s side of the stage but that’s all I’m gonna say about that. The Dew was great and Mayer absolutely slayed the finish. It seems to me like John might still be working on that solo if the band didn’t call for an end to it. I remember the first one he did at MSG when the entire band just stopped playing behind him. Listen to that shit if you think I’m kidding. I’d like to see how far he’d take it if the rest of the band didn’t put the brakes on it. It was exceptional none the less. Jams like that finish will endear John to many DeadHeads in the present and in the future. I’d like to hear him explore the delicate beginning of that last solo. That for me was Garcia completely doing open heart surgery. The amount of unnecessary material Garcia removed from my heart during the delicate part of the solo at the end of Dews through the years is incredible. It still happens to this day when I get quiet in the listening room and roll my favorites. Anyway, The Dew was great! Raw, emotional and slamming an exclamation point down at the end of a stellar night!

Touch encore helps ya leave happy and after a show like last night, it was really easy to feel the chorus deeply. The music we love will survive long after any of us. The best part for me is that it’s not only surviving but thriving through the experience that Dead & Company is providing! I’m humored by people that complain about people that complain. DeadHeads have pretty much always come in two categories, Those that absolutely love everything, even if it’s terrible and those that criticize everything even if it’s wonderful. Some try to have a little balance in the middle somewhere but not many. I’ve always listened to the music very closely and have never been afraid to acknowledge its flaws. I’ve always loved the people that make the music but have never been afraid to recognize their humanity.  The reason I’ve always kept coming back for more is that I’m able to experience my own flaws through the music in a deeply profound way. A way that doesn’t cause me to run from them or ignore them. The Grateful Dead experience has created within me qualities that allow me to put myself out there on the field of life without being emotionally attached to who likes it and who doesn’t. The experience has crafted within me the ability to brush off the bad and take hold of the good. I’ve slowly come to realize that being understood the way I hope I would means much less than having compassion and love for those that don’t seem to understand me at all. The Music Never Stops and neither does the abundance of life’s gifts that continue traveling through it. I’m forever grateful my mind was developed by the only musical society I know that contains vast treasures of vital information within the context of the experience they provide. Some catch it, some don’t, so what? For some, they just play some songs, for some they provide a lifeline in a world gone mad. Some go to dance and get high as possible with people that are fun to be around. Some go to celebrate the miracle of life itself and find the deeper things that somehow grafted their way into the center of the music for those that are able to take hold of it. Whether you’re laughing the past away or just trying to make it one more day, the choice is all yours… It’s every bit as alive right now as its ever been for me personally.

Love You Long Time! Catch ya later! Photo from Club Front by Bader Enterprises.

Dead To The Core,
Dean Sottile (pronounced So Tilly)

@gd50th on Twitter

Grateful Dean on Facebook

Dead & Company Diva, Bob Weir, took it upon himself to break the first set curse with the band in Utah last night. I thought for a while that Weir just might sing everything.  To start the show, Weir did his best Kobe Bryant impersonation. The brother took the ball and refused to pass. Dude was like my 5-year-old son when they break out a piñata at a birthday party. Didn’t wanna give anyone else a chance. It proved to be a winning formula last night as Stranger, Miracle and Wang Dang Doodle were all really strong and without problems. The band was tight out of the gates and for the first time of the tour for me, they had the same strength getting started as they have had finishing. I was beginning to wonder if Bob was gonna let anyone else take a swing at the Psychedelic Piñata or just sing everything himself, then Row Jimmy came along. Row Jimmy was timed perfectly and allowed Weir to catch his breath as well as allowing fans to get some water, a beer and use the restroom. I know, I know… Row Jimmy was your favorite song and I shouldn’t say that… It did sound pretty good. Mayer’s guitar playing was delicate and emitted much more emotion than I’ve heard from him in the past. It contained dynamics that I often feel are absent from his playing. I appreciate hearing him develop that kind of touch and I look forward to it continuing in the future.

Once Bob got some wind back, he used it to deliver Masterpiece. I still cue the Garcia track in my head for backup vocals during that one. Nobody can belt out the background vocals like Garcia. I imagine there are many of us that still hear him during the choruses of Masterpiece. It makes me smile just thinking about him on that one. Jack Straw continued a set dominated by Weir and executed with as much precision as I would hope for. I think when Jack Straw from Witchita shoots his buddy down, Weir could use some help from the rest of the band on vocals, small things that make big differences. He seems to go it alone. Big Boss Man made his tour debut and is a tune that lends itself pretty organically to John’s abilities. It came across as natural and unforced as the Sugaree that followed. Sugaree was packed with the kind of intensity that wrapped itself up and released itself through the cosmos with the power that makes it a favorite of mine for Mayer. That tune should have a regular spot in his rotation forever. If there’s one song that represents John’s place and contribution in Dead & Company, that’s probably the one. Promised Land closed the set and was the only song of the night that sounded like someone was playing a show from the 90s on a boombox that was running out of battery power. It still hit the mark and provided an exclamation point on the best played first set so far, according to my ears.

During the intermission portion of this piece, I wanna give a shout out to the streamers! When Dead & Company isn’t broadcasting official streams, the regular streamers like the Godfather, Taperrob , Water Girl Nora, Gratefully Medicated, Terrapin Radio, and last night, MagicPez! Thanks bro! I don’t know who many of you are but I thank you for your commitment to getting the music to those at home. I know it isn’t easy contributing like y’all do and it takes a lot of time out of your life that could be spent doing other things. You are appreciated enormously by so many people. I always wonder who some of you are and how I could give ya a hug! h2ogirlnora on Mixlr has some great shit running 24/7. She’s probably my favorite virtual DJ out there and I Love her forever! Many thanks!

The second set continued the diva dominated display with Weir sounding outstanding on Sailor-> Saint. A few nights in his own bed really paid off for Bob. He sounded fresh and free from irritation. I imagine he meditated sitting on an orange rock somewhere and by hearing the setlist, his focus was most likely himself. He breathed in “Bob” and breathed out “Weir”. Say what you will, the shit was working and working good!! For a brother that meditates all the time, you’d think he would give up trying to control shit so much.

It was refreshing to hear the first He’s Gone of the tour that wasn’t interrupted by bomb-sniffing dogs. That tune represents so much more than what it was written about. It’s become one of those musical moments that really roll the footage that is stored in my mind. So many people, places and times that have passed. It triggers my neurology to fully experience the emotions attached to all of those events with the same intensity as the day they occurred. As I travel back and through those spaces, I’m able to alter my response to them if I choose and move forward with some of the weight of those issues removed. He’s Gone has long been a vehicle that allows for the experience of healing past wounds. Another one of my favorite lines from The Long Strange Trip is Mickey talking about being in the transportation business. It’s a statement with powerful evidence to support its substance.

Crazy Fingers into Shakedown is the kind of combination that you get from Dead & Company that breaks the mold of where certain tunes tend to live in Grateful Dead Land. Hearing Shakedown in the middle of a show was unusual but unusually good! It closed the first half of the second set in fantastic fashion and was a tremendous springboard for the journey through Drums and Space. Standing on the Moon came out of Space with a gentle sweetness that caused me to exhale life’s troubles. Once again Weir sounded great and approached the song in a way that made it easy and relieving to hear. I’m not always crazy about his takes on Garcia ballads but SOTM was tremendous! GDTRFB was a perfect way to dust off the questionable emotions that lingered and move ahead with focus, love, and authority! The jams were great and we all got some Cornbread and Beans! U.S. Blues encores are part of the fabric of my life and the many Summer Times that have come and gone, my oh my!

This show was super solid from the first tune to the last. Opinions may vary but I think it was the most well-played show from start to finish so far(until the next). Not necessarily the best set or sets, just technically very good all the way through. Dead & Company are getting tighter with the required repetition and I was glad to hear much fewer moments of sonic discord. You can be certain that many surprises await the fortunate folks in Colorado this weekend! The best is undoubtedly yet to come. Wait until y’all hear what’s on the way! Dead & Company are gaining momentum and beginning to click technically. As long as the principles that power the music are stronger than the personalities that can tear it apart, All will be well!

For those that have been happy about the improvements in tempo, based on everyone’s visits to the dispensaries in Colorado, shit might slow down a little this weekend. Hot temperatures in Utah will give way to ideal conditions in Boulder. The weather report looks sweet for the weekend!!

Why do people always think there’s some kind of cryptic message in things I post? The truth is, I don’t know a damn thing about anything. I’m just a hack with a blog.  If I talk about a Sombrero, people think there will be shows in Mexico in January. Mama Mia… After seeing Weir’s post from the grow house, I gotta admit,  I thought there might be a cryptic message to it all. I tried to get this done over 2 days in 5 minute increments. It’s probably a little disheveled. I gotta split, completely outta time. Love You Forever!!!

Dead To The Core,
Dean Sottile (pronounced So Tilly)

@gd50th on Twitter

Grateful Dean on Facebook