Space has been a little creepy… Weird energy all over the arena… Seems like everywhere I go people are in some kind of rush to get somewhere… I don’t know why… We’re all staying right here… Almost like watching people on the streets on Manhattan… Not too many faces seem at ease… Is it me??? I don’t think so… Could be… Garcia’s notes are rolling out of Space like we’re about to get some music again… The Energy in the room is shifting… It’s cool to feel 14,000 people become attentive all at once… What’s it gonna be??? Black Peter??? Stella??? Strange to hear notes that sound like a Garcia Ballad out of Space… The fat strings of Jerry’s guitar begin to form the frame of an incredibly powerful, albeit somewhat eerie march… The drummers fall into place following his lead… The room begins to glow in it’s darkness… Jerry, Bob and Phil are framed in Blue Light… The tempo matches the pace of the steps you might take walking through a graveyard as Garcia approaches his mic from 4 steps back… Death Don’t Have No Mercy… That’s what the fuck I’m talking about!!! The mood created is Pure Magic mixed with Pure Emotion… It’s like a high speed collision where Magic collides with Sorrow… We’re all experiencing this from the Inside Out… Garcia’s line is delivered from deep within his core while the 3 deep creases are fully activated on his forehead… Weir’s line comes through absolutely clear and without any hesitation or doubt… His eyes shadowed like a Skull even when he faces the lights… I don’t how that shit happens… He leans back hard and sharp as if he’s squeezing everything he can out of the moment… 14,000 people are simultaneously having their insides rearranged at will by it all… The first solos begin to take flight… Brent’s Church Organ seems to form some kind of audible hands that appear to lift the music higher and higher… It becomes a completely visceral experience as Garcia’s solo ferociously climbs up and down a stairway of sonic emotion that seems to be made out of the chills that are formed within my spine… Each note penetrates far deeper than our ears as we can literally feel the guitar pick make contact with our hearts… Jerry bends his knees 4 inches… That brings the whole experience way over the top… This Ballad of Death and it’s failure to show Mercy has created a vivid mood, emotion and experience within all of us as it’s completely directed the thoughts of thousands of people in a single direction and all at once… Brent takes his turn completely possessed by the spirit of the song… He Jolts… Shoulders swinging… Looks like The Song is Playing Him… His voice cuts through all of us like a chainsaw through the sternum as he begins open heart surgery on the entire room all at once… We Feel every word… As Brent hammers into his keyboard it appears as if the keyboard hammers back… It sends him into a euphoric looking yet somewhat spastic state… The look in his eyes is like that of someone on a ride they have no hope of controlling in any way… Every cylinder is firing on this one and Jerry has the look on his face that makes us all aware of how special the moment is… The Look that says, “SHIT Is Going Down RIGHT NOW!!!!” He takes his solo with an undeniable fire and and as animated as is possible for the Boss… He’s in perfect command of the moment and with a few deep bends and a strong throw of the final notes into the air brings it all home… Everyone seems to be Paddling as hard as they possibly can as the efforts are generating an energy that seems to have caused the building to lift off… Our Hearts were opened wide… Some Dark Spots were exposed, Romanced and Then Ripped Out… The Feeling of Pure Ecstasy And Pure Sorrow All at the same time is way more than our carnal minds were created to endure… We’ve been forever changed in this moment… We smile as we cry… We Cry as we Laugh… We hug those nearest to us… We acknowledge that we were just part of something that was never available prior to that moment and won’t be completely available ever again… It’s All too much…
Tag Archives: Jerry Garcia
In news more shocking than a toaster thrown in the bathtub, It’s been reported that The Dead will schedule 6 more shows due to the overwhelming demand that’s been expressed in recent weeks.
The news broke early this morning when ex NBC Reporter, Brian Williams announced the story shaking up the music world. Brian, based on information he claims to have received from his so called “friend and classmate”, Wavy Gravy, reported, “The Dead have booked venues on both sides of the country for 6 more concerts celebrating their 50th Anniversary.”
Brian, whose news reports are as reliable as condoms purchased in the bathrooms of gas stations, has been hired by The Official Home Of Unofficial Grateful Dead News based in New Jersey. When asked about his new position Brian said, “Contrary to popular belief, I’m not Beethoven! The quality of news reported by The Official Home Of Unofficial Grateful Dead News seemed to be a perfect fit for me.”
“In order to calm the insatiable demand that’s been displayed by the faithful, we’re gonna add a few shows,” said nobody related to the band at all. In hopes of keeping Kanye West at bay, The Dead have have announced that Treyoncé will play guitar for all 6 shows. This should add even more Star Power to an already incredible line up.
In other news, Bob Weir played with John Oates this week at his home base, Mill Valley’s Sweetwater Music Hall. Fans have been craving more collaboration between the artists since the appearance of Hall and Oates at the Rainforest Benefit at MSG in 88. For those that can’t remember, Hall and Oates joined the Dead that night right at the peak of everybody’s high with a performance that was as awkward as watching Bruce Jenner slowly turn into LaToya Jackson. Precisely at the apex of our psychedelic trajectory for the evening, out comes what at first appeared to be Siegfried & Roy with a show killing rendition of their pop hit, “Every Time You Go Away”. The only thing worse than Garcia not having his voice that night was Hall and Oates having theirs… The duo were a natural fit this week since Bob has an uncanny resemblance to Darryl Hall as seen by people that don’t see too good.
Get your crayons and magic makers ready y’all!!! Time to decorate more envelopes!!! In the meantime, Don’t take yourself so damn seriously…
Gratefully Deadicated,
Dean Sottile (pronounced SoTilly)
www.gratefuldean.com
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