Yes, it's a collective sigh of relief. Deadheads woke up on Monday, July 6 and the world seemed to still be turning on its axis even though presumably we said "fare thee well" to the boys the night before in a dramatic swan-song stroll down memory lane which was either seven months or 50 years in the making.
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| This guitar was later auctioned off to benefit the Rex Foundation. |
Even so, still today, over two weeks later people are still posting a few more pictures on Instagram. Still tweeting out a few more clever song lyrics will make us all "favorite" it and retweet it to our own favorite Deadheads. Facebook is still going strong with people's videos, and newspaper articles, bios, set lists, and a few late concert reviews. Everyday is hashtag throw back whatever... and I have a feeling we haven't seen the end of it. Being a Deadhead has become so mainstream, even the police cars in the San Francisco Bay Area have little stealies on them.
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| Yes, pretty mainstream, I'd say. |
How were the shows?
This is not a review of the concerts, you can get that anywhere. I thought that all five were great. The saga of my getting, or more precisely, not getting tickets aside*, the California scene was great, and I wish I could have enjoyed the Chicago scene as well, but it was not in the cards for me. If they had played another weekend in New York (or NJ) I believe they could have sold that out too. But frankly I'm not sure I could have handled the drama. I read in one of the reviews that for many Deadheads, these will be their last stadium shows. That is certainly true for me**. The profound number of people was just staggering. All those humans! Spending that much on parking, food, and beverages. $13 for undrinkable beer!!! Eternal lines at the concession stands and bathrooms. My son said "Mom, stadium shows are a young man's game," as he left me in section 413 and deftly made his way almost to the floor for the entirety of Sunday's Santa Clara show. So, it is "Fare Thee Well" to one thing... and that is humongous stadium shows and me ever touching a Bud Lite again!
But getting back to the shows themselves... I loved them all. They were interesting... they were eclectic...mistakes were made and corrected... they were perfect in their imperfection. The first show in California featured obscure rarities that only true Deadheads would grok. July 3rds show in Chicago was all original Grateful Dead songs (no covers). Only two repeats in the entire five nights (Cumberland Blues and Truckin')!! The set lists were artfully created and flowed together***. The drum solos boomed and shook like old times. Fireworks lit up the sky and even the Empire State Building joined the fun. We sang along and we laughed and cried. We missed Jerry and yet we felt him there. We hugged our friends and we really did stop strangers just to shake their hands. Maybe we hugged them too.
And what about Jerry?
Unbelievably, Jerry has been gone 20 years next month, and it's obvious that the music hasn't stopped and never will. To those who continue to say things like, "well he doesn't play it like Jerry," or "he just doesn't sound like Jerry," I say once and for all THAT'S RIGHT! And no one ever will. If you want to hear Jerry, play one of the thousands of hours of unbelievable musical gifts he left us. If you want to hear some guys who come pretty close to playing and sounding just like Jerry, check out John Kadlecik or Jeff Mattson. But it's really time to quit whining. Nothing's gonna bring him back.
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| An impromptu tribute to the man we were missing. Sunday's show included a moment of silence, and they showed photos of all those members of the band and crew who had died. It was very touching. |
And what about Trey?
From the first announcements until the last bow, that grinning ginger has been in the Deadhead limelight. Any writer who had the audacity to call him "the new Jerry" or say he "took Jerry's place" is a piker who didn't do his homework. But Trey's guitar playing was top notch, and his voice is his own. And did he look like he was having fun or what??? I still will not become a Phish fan anytime soon, but I was happy with the sound, the vibe and the energy that I saw and heard onstage.
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| I found this on Instagram and it cracked me up! |
Peter Shapiro, the impresario of my favorite local music venue, The Capitol Theatre, and it's super cool little brother, Garcia's, has become the modern day Bill Graham. A Deadhead who made this happen and tried to do the right thing along the way. A lot of people don't like him, and I've read some downright ugly things about him, but hey, he pulled off the whole shindig, and has been bringing us amazing shows. And like him or don't, but the truth is it's never okay to slander someone, or use the anti-Semitic language I have read when referring to him or to anyone. I can't consider people who hide behind names like Kosmyk Charl-E and spew hate the true Deadheads.
So now what?
Is the music really going to stop now? Don't be silly. As of this moment I have tickets in hand (well, not in hand, or how would I be typing?) to see Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, and Billy Kreutzmann, all before the end of the year! Does that sound like #faretheewell??? It's news to basically NO ONE that Bob Weir is planning a tour with John Mayer, Mickey and Billy. There's a renewed interest in the Grateful Dead that we haven't seen in years. (I'm not even sure I like it, to be honest!) There are rumors of another GD tour! (Again, see **) In the meantime if you are in the mood for some good old Grateful Dead music and you want it live and local, check out this website http://gratefuldeadtributebands.com/. You can support local talent and get nice and close to the stage too!
My relationship with the Grateful Dead has had a lot of ups and downs over the last seven months. I'm ready to ease back in to my comfortable routine of normal obsession now and focus on the rest of my life with balance and clarity. The music of the Grateful Dead will continue to move and inspire me, and I will continue to pay ridiculous prices to see "the Core Four" play as long as they continue to play, either apart, or, if we are so lucky, together.
I'll leave you with this gorgeous gem. You may have seen it already, but enjoy it again. Ripple video - Playing for Change
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| My son and me, right after we found our seats in Levi's stadium, about an hour pre-show. |
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| Our mini-tailgate in one of the massive lots in Santa Clara. |
*You can read about that in this blog.
**Unless they "surprise us" and announce more shows... check out this article!
*** Okay, so you know what? I bet we all have our personal comments about the set lists. I myself may have said "It's too soon for Standing on the Moon. And BOB should be singing it!" But let's keep it positive, eh folks?
