Marty Freeman here covering for Dean who’s on vacation. Folsom Field was the place to be Saturday night to see a new band named Oteil Burbridge And The Devil’s Lettuce take the stage. Burbridge, who hosted a Clam Bake for lunch, took his band to the mountaintop over the course of the weekend and played for a ton of overzealous fans. As a reporter new to musical events, I was perplexed by the age of the people he chose for his band and wondered how this group could have found each other. Burbridge, an extremely successful touring artist whose accomplishments are too numerous to count took the stage with some senior citizens and a child on lead guitar to the delight of nearly 50,000 fans.

Everyone seemed delighted when the performers kicked off the show with my mom’s favorite song, “Truckin”. A nice lady next to me offered me a sip of her beverage and sprayed me with some water to help me cool down. Shortly after that, I began to notice the ground getting a little spongy and wondered if it was my knees or if the University replaced the field with a trampoline. The oldest looking fella on the stage really sang in an animated fashion about Smokestacks and Spoonfuls and Smokestacks then Spoonfuls again. I wasn’t sure what was happening but I started seeing some wildlife in my peripheral vision that seemed to vanish when I tried to look directly at it. My new friend passed me a marijuana and told me they were playing a song called Bertha. I began to feel concerned for my well being as the music was starting to give me the impression that it had the ability to separate me from any sense of logical thought. At one point, the music started moving a little too fast and at the same time I was losing my grip on reality, the band lost their grip on the song. We both recovered quickly but I was starting to wonder if the band’s ability to play was directly connected to my own ability to keep my head together. All of a sudden I felt an enormous sense of responsibility for the outcome of this performance. The pressure was beginning to cause me a fair amount of concern…

The band played a song about a nice lady named Rose and it mentioned several characters I was familiar with from my youth like Wolfman Jack. The band sang interesting lyrics like, “Just like New York City, Just like Cherry Coke!’ When the guitar solo started, I was completely amazed at how many notes that young man could string together during his solo. When I thought the segment should come to an end it started all over again from nearly the beginning. It had the ability to stretch my mind like chewed gum. I was starting to realize that the beverage I had earlier might have contained some of the LSDs and wondered if I would be able to make it through this experience. Half of my mind screamed for the experience to stop while half of my mind insisted that it continued. Since I already realized that I was responsible for the band’s performance, I had to try to keep it together even though 50,000 people were watching my every move…

While I sat Indian style, the next 3 songs included deep thoughts about my parents and wondering how a piece of paper called a “Title” gave me the rights to a piece of property that clearly belongs to Mother Earth. As my thoughts seemed to merge together without commas or periods to provide proper spacing and organization I began to feel like my entire life was one enormous run-on sentence. While this concerned me, I got reminded through a thought flash that I was responsible for the band playing and reluctantly stood up so they could continue properly. That’s when I got hit by the Lovelight. My body started moving without my permission and I observed how each part of it was able to signal a note from a different member of the band. While I appeared to be the puppet, I was actually pulling all the strings. The more the elder of the tribe screamed, “A little bit higher!!!” the higher I was getting… This concerned me since I was already so high that I was questioning what High meant in the first place and what might happen to my house and my laundry if I was unable to come down from this trip. How could I ever go to the Post Office in this condition? There was a furnace within me that was producing steam and my body was like a radiator emitting it outwards. I was grateful for intermission since I was beginning to get a little too bent to be responsible for the band anymore.

Intermission lasted 2 and a half weeks and I thought about how full my mailbox must be. Whenever I made eye contact with somebody, it was obvious that THEY knew. They knew I was the guy. The guy responsible for keeping the band playing. The magnitude of that almost caused me to leave early but I was petrified to move from my seat. I was sure getting up would cause a disturbance in the force that I might never be able to handle. I tried to say something to the woman next to me but what came out had no connection to the English language. I wanted water so badly but the thought of moving was an issue. I wanted to use the restroom but that thought bothered me even more. I came to the conclusion that only the return of the band could correct any of this. For some reason, I felt like I understood Trigonometry instantly. Things were getting stranger and stranger.

When Oteil and his band came back to the stage, I realized my break was over and it was time to get back to work coordinating their music. That’s when I got the revelation. I’m not responsible for anything. I’m just a guy in a stadium… We’re all just people in a stadium. I’m not sure why, but that felt like the answer I’d been looking for since the beginning. The first chords of Help On The Way woke me up out of the confusion that I feared I might be stuck in forever. I attached the center of my being to the drummer that doesn’t play the slippers. I felt if I harnessed my trip to his sled, I could travel anywhere. That’s exactly what I did! The weight and heaviness of the perception I had of being responsible for everything completely vanished. It was replaced by feeling that I would now make the decision to be responsible for absolutely nothing at all. As a matter of fact, I’m gonna quit my job and go to all of these damn concerts! The Slipknot song that followed took all of my newfound clarity and threw it in a dumpster and set it on fire. When the guitar player started doing shit like Eddie Van Halen, I became just as confused as I was before I stopped being confused. When I looked at the drummer that plays the slippers, he was making a face like he was solely responsible for my confusion and had no plans on stopping anytime soon.

That’s when the Franklin’s started. I felt like the whole show until now, I was struggling to make it through the birth canal of the Universe. The first notes of Franklin’s were like finally being born after that tumultuous trip. I was totally free and as the music got happier, it caused the wind to blow through the stadium. That was some powerful shit! I had never been so happy in my life! It was like Christmas and Hannukah and New Year’s Eve and Halloween and my birthday all got together and wrote this magnificent song. I felt obligated to dance as hard as I could and honor all of the holidays whose joy gathered together in one place, all at the same time, to Roll Away The Dew! I didn’t even know what that meant but I know it made me unspeakably happy! I finally was able to take hold of the invisible and I knew the thoughts of those around me by merely looking at them. I was clearly making the world a much happier place by participating in this!

Then the mood changed a lot… Oteil sang about an Asian mannequin and I became deeply concerned about a multitude of things I didn’t even know about. While the bells of Heaven were ringing I felt like there was a battle for my soul taking place in a world I was close to but not fully able to access. His voice sounded as though notes that left his vocal cords were delivered directly to my ears by angels… My insides weren’t very comfortable as the song moved along. I started feeling brief but intense moments of emotions elicited by memories of things I thought had been forgotten. I was very scared but somehow comforted at the same time. The music took me where it wanted me to go without any regard for my levels of comfort or concerns. Not only was I never in charge of anything, It hit me that I have absolutely nothing. The song came to the part where the mannequin is fractured and while I still tried my best to control my stability, tears fell like rain from my eyes as I felt every painful moment in my life and everyone else’s, all at once. That’s when the most mysterious thing happened. The band sang “Laaaaaaaaaaaaa La La La Laaaaaaaaaaaa La Laaaaaa” and every painful moment of my life was completely forgiven and encapsulated by the deepest love I’ve ever felt. How the fuck could some men singing La La Laaa shit do that??? While I still had questions, I felt like I had been healed of some things I didn’t even know I had. That’s until Dark Star began. The song started and I closed my eyes to keep my now liquefied brain from seeping out. I clearly saw myself riding an asteroid through space. I literally saw the Trigonometry Equations I considered earlier flying by me and as they did, I innately understood them and knew all of the answers without having to figure anything out. I had a deep realization that all of my struggles trying to figure shit out could be replaced by totally letting go and allowing the answers of life to appear naturally. I realized that most of my struggles existed because I was in the way of my own progress. My earthly efforts to figure shit out actually interfered with all of the answers being able to just show up naturally and with little effort on my own part. The biggest effort I had to make was staying out of the way of my own progress. I tried to write it all down in hopes of remembering it in the future but for some reason, I had the abilities of a 3-year-old when it came to writing.

Drums scared me and apparently, the instrument did something to hurt one of the drummer’s feelings because he kicked the shit out of it. I knew he was looking a little scary all along but it seemed like he finally snapped. Then Oteil played those big ass bass drums that somebody hung on an invisible wall. The sound was so low-pitched I was afraid my insides were gonna end up on my outsides. It’s OK, I figured it all out…

Just when I had the keys to the kingdom, they sang a song about losing the keys to the kingdom. That presented a problem… Here I go again… More questions about issues I never previously was concerned about. I began to sink deep into sorrow again until I heard them start to play another one of the happiest sounds I ever imagined. Emotionally, I once again rolled from a hospital bed onto a magic carpet and began to take the ride of my life. From the deepest parts of the cosmos I was receiving the message that it’s ALL gonna be OK! It’s ALL gonna work out! All I have to do is let go of the poorly constructed expectations that were put on me by a society that doesn’t give a shit what happens to me as long as I stay within the parameters of their self-imposed limitations. At that moment, I totally let go! I released my mind and my soul to travel through this experiment called life without accepting any of the burdens or responsibilities that a mostly bogus society was trying to stick me with. I was free and filled with Love knowing deeply and with certainty that all the answers I had been looking for were right there in my consciousness just waiting for me to remove my own will long enough and give up the false sense of control that was somehow controlling me. I was certain I found a new way to live and think and exist and be more powerful than ever simply by realizing I was able to access all of the power and intelligence that created the planets, the species and all that exists… It was the most powerful experience of my life and it all happened because I went to a concert… Far Out…

Dean will be back next week. He Loves You Long Time!

Converted,

Marty Freeman(pronounced FREE munn)

Credit on the pic goes to Doug Clifton who covered the West Coast like smog this tour!

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