Tag Archives: Fare Thee Well

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Gimme Some Lovin had the place on fire and filled with Energy… As it finds it’s quiet and wound down conclusion the single note that I long to hear is struck firmly and conclusively leaving no doubt or mystery…. For the past 6 shows I’ve been waiting to hear that one note that I travel from coast to coast to hear… The Note that signals The Arrival of The Dew… It’s as if an Immediate and readily apparent weight is put into the air that surrounds you… It’s heavy… It’s essential… Emotions come from the 4 Winds of your life and begin filling you like a spring… Mickey and Billy’s high hat cymbals are crisp and land sharply but gently on your ears… The entire room enters a state of Inner reflection as The first verses are uttered…. Hands together, thumbs to lips…index fingers align with angle of your nose… It’s prayer like in it’s proceeding… The only contact you’re able to have with others at this point is a muted smile and the nod of internal identification… The screen in your mind casts images about those people… Pigpen… Janice… Jimi… Those close to you… There’s no need for you to be worried about all those people…. That statement challenges your insides as they immediately attempt to combat the inherent worry that exists from the verse and it’s delivery… You’ll never see those People…. Anyway… There’s a spark that’s kindled deep inside of you… Emotions rising… The Vocal Apex that greatly determines the Dew for you comes through from Deep within Garcia… Thought I heard a young man Moooooooourn This morning….. Mickey climbs his entire kit pounding along with rising tide… I THOUGHT I HEEEEEEARD A YOUNG MAAAAAAAAN MOOOOOOOOOOUURNNNNNN TO DEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!! The electricity from within all of us seems to flow outwards filling the room with an explosion of remarkable presence that attempts to lift the palpable weight from the air…. Garcia’s guitar goes to battle at lifting this heaviness… It’s winning!!! It begins to tire of the battle as The Dew gets to the point of being religious, muted, introverted and contained once again… It softens… We return to the heavy state of being… We’re walking out again… I guess it doesn’t matter….. Annnny wayy… The claps begin to follow…. The long blue spots find their way across the stage landing on Garcia as he’s firmly planted with The Wolf in his hands… The moment gets incredibly quiet as the last solo begins…. In the spaces between the notes you wonder how it could be so silent… You could hear a rat pissing on a cotton ball… The notes are fast… Extremely quiet… Accented notes seem to jump off of Garcia’s guitar like the reflection of the Blue Spotlights against Wolf’s body…  As the intensity of the jam begins to rise, Brent’s Hammond sound seems to come from beneath the heaviness and begins lifting it…. It’s like the entire building and everything within it is being lifted… You’d like to open your eyes but you can’t… Internally the well of assorted emotions begins to rise and feels as though it’s close to a boiling point… The monumental wall of pure musical emotion begins to build like a tidal wave…. Phil’s bombs are hitting the center of your heart… Jerry begins to fan the fire within you as he fans across all of the strings of his guitar with increasing intensity…. As he does, the flames beneath the boiling cauldron of your emotions are intensified causing them to bubble over into every compartment of your Soul…. The well within you spills outward as tears begin falling from your eyes without any effort on your part… The weight is completely lifted… The battle has been fought… Victory is assured…. The banner of your Life waves proudly…. The whistles from a Mega Watt Sound System producing all it can accompany a band that is producing all they can as everything they are is packaged into every single note that they’re releasing… It all crashes together at once into a huge feeling of complete Spiritual, Emotional and Mental Climax… I Guuuuuuuuuuesss It Doooooooooooesn’t Maaaaaaaaaatter Annnnny Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Garcia points his guitar upwards gives a nod to everyone else as the final nail to complete this masterpiece is emphatically struck through our minds!!!!

It’s difficult to say anything… It wouldn’t matter… Anyway….

CID Packages Pack a Punch Plus a Few Thoughts From the Official Home of Unofficial News!

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Monday Morning, CID Entertainment revealed their plans and packages for The Grateful Dead’s Fare Thee Well Shows in Chicago. In a highly anticipated moment you could hear the collective sound of thousands of anuses snap shut like Republicans at a Burlesque Show. For some reason, fans thought that being a VIP should come at far less of a price. For those that want to be as close to Garcia as possible during the weekend’s festivities, The Workingman’s Dead Package, sure to sell out relatively fast, affords you the opportunity to have reserved seats not far from Jerry’s current home. Maybe slap a sticker on the blimp as it flies by!!! An absolutely brilliant way to sell the less desirable seats I might add! Some fans wondered if there would be cheaper ways to be part of the action. Joe, the leader of a garage band in the 70s said, “Be a crew slut! You’ll love it! Don’t make a fuss just get on the bus…”

It seems like hippies are extremely upset about pricey plans designed to put prime seats in the hands of the same people they’ve been overcharging for drugs for the past 50 years. Santa Cruz Hippie, who goes by the name, Wholesome Raindrop Sunflake told us, “I never thought those working stiffs I’ve been selling $100 eighths to for the past decade would have better seats than me.Total cash grab, man.” Meanwhile, thousands of nerds that went to college instead of Grateful Dead Tour appeared to be thrilled to have a chance at purchasing something that used to actually require connections.

At approximately 7:30 AM Punxsutawney Phil, saw his shadow which signaled 5 more months of complaining before the shows in Chicago. Of course there are many exceptions to be found. Brother Bob Richards, a man that used to have dreadlocks, said he was happier than a suitcase full of acrobats! Brother Bob who reserved hotel accommodations based solely on rumors told us, “I haven’t been this happy since Jerry sang Candyman, Althea and To Lay Me Down all in one set in Atlanta on April Fool’s Day in 1990.” When asked what he had for lunch or what his mom’s birthday is, Bob was clueless. When asked about the song played in the post space Jerry ballad slot he quickly answered, “Stella Blue!!!” For all the brain cells that have been murdered throughout the years, one thing remains, we all still vividly remember every song that was played on our favorite nights from decades ago.

As for me, with every day that passes, I see more and more of what the Grateful Dead experience has taught me throughout the course of my life. Within our world there are so many different types of personalities. Some can laugh, some insist on crying. Some find joy in just about anything. Others,  when given the same set of circumstances, will only find problems. For many, everything is good enough while for others, nothing is ever good enough. In the early stages of events leading up to this anniversary, it’s like putting a magnifying glass on everybody’s internal condition. That’s something our scene has produced in such a unique way for a long, long time. The free spirited ways of my youth with the Grateful Dead taught me to surrender to the rhythm of life without being attached to my perception of how things should be according to my intellectual estimations. I learned that those that contribute to the scene, without necessarily expecting anything in return, usually stayed on the receiving end of good fortune. I learned that those who preached many of these ideas could easily become something much different when given the opportunity. I also learned that many of the folks that showed me these things stayed pure and true to them even when external opportunities to become something else were being chosen by many around them. I’ve kept those people close. I learned that when the lights went out in the arena the intense lights of self awareness began to shine brightly on my soul and internal condition. I learned not to take myself so damn seriously. I learned that in the middle of a Playin jam, every confused and unsure piece of me would bubble up to the surface for assessment and release if I surrendered to it. I learned in the middle of a China Doll, as tears poured down my face from the depths of my heart, that I was only fractured not completely broken. Just a little nervous, not to be labeled with a condition like anxiety. I learned that I didn’t need a therapist, just close friends and Spring Tour. I learned as the incredible power of a Morning Dew pulled the curtain off of all my fears and insecurities and placed them before my eyes to be dealt with or just stuffed back into a dark corner of my mind. The choice was always mine and mine alone. I learned the immense significance found in it’s closing verse as Garcia reached deep and proclaimed “I guess it doesn’t matterrrr anyyyyy waaaaaaaaaay!!!” The statement was so significant because of depth and magnitude of humility inherent in it’s delivery… Because in all reality, It did matter… It always mattered… It still matters…

Gratefully Deadicated,
Dean Sottile (pronounced SoTilly)

www.gratefuldean.com
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