We were reminded this week of the absolute power the Grateful Dead have always possessed while making it appear as though they’re completely unaware. Even the athletic world was forced to bow down to the supremacy and power inherent in The Dead as major sport championships placed their coveted trophies in the same locations The Dead started and finished. On the 50th Anniversary of the creation of the most powerful group of musicians in the history of the universe, the unassuming group of hippies, along with Phil, displayed their collective power in shifting everything on earth by influencing World Championships in the same locations as the Fare Thee Well Shows. Chicago had a nice pregame show as Soldier Field played host to celebrating the World Champion Blackhawks winning Lord Stanley’s Cup followed by the Bay Area’s Golden State Warriors winning the NBA Title. Almost unbelievable…

While some people may be crazy enough to call it a coincidence, we all know better. We’ve sat in stadiums over the years and watched the music move weather systems, create as well as stop rain, wind and other forces of nature. This is just another example of The Dead’s ability to completely influence things happening in the world by just showing up on the scene. Their hive mind is able to orchestrate events seemingly beyond human control with the greatest of ease while their individual abilities can barely sell out The Cap. The collective consciousness of the whole is always much greater than the individual thoughts and personalities that represent the pieces contributing to making that whole, whole. I just wanted to see if I could create a coherent sentence that used the word “whole”, twice in a row…

I won’t be surprised if California gets a few feet of rain in the months following the shows. Unless of course, the band can’t get along in which case the groundhog always sees its shadow. A portion of the fan base believes Shapiro is responsible for the drought and secretly hates Californians. His relationship with Snoop Dog may be a conspiracy to cover that one up too. Regardless, we all know there’s a far greater force at work in Grateful Dead Land that trumps the power of any one man or woman. We’ve lived it. We experienced the power generated when these guys all point their souls in the same direction. We’ve felt the power that was created when all of us had our energies moving in the same direction. If only recordings could convey what that felt like… “Maybe living on a feelin…”

Tickets for Santa Clara have become difficult to give away for free as prices on StubHub are falling faster than Weir during Unbroken Chain. This brings up a terribly misplaced and unrelated question. Why did the Other One documentary chronicle Garcia’s drug problem and make Bob out to be some kind of Yoga instructor? Garcia maybe fell asleep on stage a few times but he never fell down. It really just opened up the door for people named Garcia to completely, once again, be the highlight of the entire experience. Carolyn and Trixie’s segments were, without a doubt, my favorite parts of the movie. Carolyn’s words, much like Jerry’s, always seem to have this palpable weight to them. There’s an undeniable authority and sense of faithfulness and truth when she speaks. Trixie’s emotion during her segments brought tears to my eyes as she talked about her father. Its become fairly obvious who the keepers of the flame always were and still are. Why not chronicle the problem that Weir obviously battled with and has apparently overcome since Garcia’s passing? The movie was about him wasn’t it? Regardless of whose movie or book it is, clearly the one thing we all want to hear more about is Garcia… I’m incredibly happy to see Weir looking healthy and vibrant and appearing to be somewhat clean himself now. I Love ya, Bob! Sorry about that diversion… What do you expect from a hack?

I don’t know about anyone else, but the anticipation is unofficially at an all time high. If we look at all the events, starting with the announcement and leading up to the main event that’s right in front of us, It’s been one crazy ride. I haven’t felt this way since my last kid was born. This is like “Mama’s water just broke” kind of excitement. It’s hard to not put exclamation points after everything I write!!!! This is like the moments long ago when the spotlight guys would climb up their rope ladders creating the initial blast of incredible anticipation. I Loved that moment. All of a sudden the absolute need to dance kicked in as we focused on the prerecorded house music that Healy as spinning. The days to come are all like the small moments that continued to cause the massive release of adrenaline into our systems. A look to the soundboard and Healy’s arms are crossed high across his chest and his headphones are on… Candace is perched behind her Board facing Dead Ahead… Harry emerges from the side of the stage to where his monitor mix will be handled… Parish polishes Garcia’s guitar for the last time before it’s picked up by the Master and it sits on its stand. Garcia’s guitar alone commanding more energy and presence than most performers ever could… The potential energy of his instrument alone, like a steaming volcano… Prayerful postures and unconventional stretching is widespread as we all seek some relief from intensity of the moment expanding inside of us… We chew on gum if we have it, on air if we don’t… Our stomachs feel like we ate a bag of fish hooks… The internal mantra begging for the lights to go it begins… Balloons are being batted around the venue and are beginning to leave trails as they travel… The purple lights that illuminate the empty stage begin to sweat from the intensity of the moment.. The moment is right there… Massive potential energy just waiting to be harnessed and released… I can feel it all week… It’s building rapidly… Can you???

Dead To The Core,

Dean Sottile (pronounced So Tilly)