why not?

Because

gee wiz......!

Only two more days!!

WOOOOHOOOOO!!!

We know we'll hear Me and My Uncle and the Rider that wasn't played last night, but what else is in store?
Can't wait to find out and then hop in the car and make the trek to socal!

They better bring it pretty fucking hard on Thursday night to make up for playing only one night in Colorado...

Also, the whole Rider thing in Colorado every damn time any member of the dead plays here is getting pretty old.....In fact, last run, they played it twice, so, please hold off.

Actually, one of the last times Phil was here, they didn't play it. They saved it for LA.

We could pass on Me and My Uncle too...

Jack Straw or the Music never Stopped however, would be nice.

>>>>>the Rider that wasn't played last night

No worries; was played in Chi. tonight.

Shocked to see the Rider played tonight, but okay with it none the less. Now we just need them to skip Me and My Uncle (doubtful) and we'll have a completely unpredictable show!

....and yes, a Music or Jackstraw would be FANTASTIC.

That and I'm hoping for the one time Attics somewhere between here and Shoreline!!

Music would be sweet, how about a Viola Eyes Samwich.........
I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BA BAAAAAAAAAAAM
CHICKA CHICKAAAAAAAAAAAAA
~ohatsis

paul s. contact me....

the was

Gee and I thought they played Rider in CO just for me!

I expect He's gone and Knockin', since my best friend just died last weekend!

Now is where the real shit goes down...The West is the Best.....It was all a dress rehearsal up until now kids.....Colorado probably has more heads per capita than any other state (Including CA)....So lets have it.

Getting excited!!

Hope to see some zoners.

really? you think so? I don't know.....there are a lot of east coast heads. I'm not sure that statement is true. and more per capita than Cali? I'm sure that's not right.

but what IS right.....the west coast swing is going to be sweet! I'm hittin' LA then Shoreline x2 and then the Gorge for the Doobie Dead Bros.!!!! wah hoo!

A few years back I read that NJ had the highest % of Deadheads per capita. Don't know where the hell that number came from tho!

The Dead have always performed their best when the energy coming from the audience was at it's highest..The higher the energy, the better they performed...So id have to say that its no accident that the Dead have historically played their best shows on the east coast.... And in reguards to Dead-Head's per capita, New Jersey and New York are the highest. Thats why the band would play 9 nights at M.S.G. and sell them all out. Couldnt do that anywhere else in the country.

Bullshit, the reason they could do that is because there were 20 million people living there....this has nothing to do with per capita, or per person....I think there are more deadheads per person in CO than anywhere else, with CA and OR being second and third....I would almost bet on that.....Then we could start talking about the East Coast......Jersey is mostly guidos who spend more time gelling their hair than wondering who the GD is. You's be hard pressed to find a town with more Deadheads per person than Boulder or Eugene.

or San Francisco or Santa Rosa or Petaluma.....I don't know, I see a lot of Deadheads out here in the farm country. Not very many people live out here though. Point is.....we're everywhere..... shhhhh.....

Colorado shows are always damn good too. Wish I could be there tomorrow night for a Colorado Dark Star!

5 deadheads in my house and I live in Jersey. 0 guidos but with 17 and 15 year old boys, a 7 year old girl we do have some hair issues

Billy K's B-Day today!

You Denver Dead Heads are in for a real treat! I saw 6 shows back East and these guys are playin' awesome on this tour. Pay no attention to the lurkers and the fools - this is a fine tour and firing on all cylinders - full caliope mode! Oh ye who disparge them - stay home, lock yourself in a room with your CD's and turn up the volume. The true believers will be dancin' in the aisles, the streets, and everywhere else!

I never saw a "guido dead-head" anywhere....not even New Jersey...I thought we were talking about "States"..NOT "towns" or "cities". And when you say theres 20 million people there, that includes alot of Dead Heads. Just ask the boys where do they make the most money. P.S. TOTALLY AGREE Adam! See the Nassau video on Dead.net They may forget alot of lyrics, but their playin 50% more songs than the Grateful Dead did, and like Bob said, the only way were going to get it down pat, is by touring more often, and not goin to sleep when were not tourin!

Low Spark of High Heeled Boys tonight...

>>> Jersey is mostly guidos who spend more time gelling their hair than wondering who the GD is


You're an idiot, dude.

"The higher the energy, the better they performed"

A-frickin'-men. Crowd is the 7th member of the band. LET"S BRING IT GUYS AND GALS!!!!!!!!!!!

"Low Spark of High Heeled Boys tonight ..."

Could be.

I heard that great Traffic song teased about 20 times in the four shows I saw, so it's bound to get played on this tour.

As for the per capita count of Deadheads, I say it makes no difference which state has the most. That said, as a born-and-bred Jersey guy (who has also lived in Vermont, NYC, and Paris for about a quarter of my life), New Jersey does appear to have a disproportionate number of cars at shows in other states. A friend opined that it's because we have so many roads in the state and love to drive. Not sure whether that's right, but NJ does turn out for the Dead.

I do have an East Coast bias when it comes to the Dead. No doubt the energy level we bring has often pushed the band to great(er) heights. I saw shows a few times in California, and the energy level was way different. Not bad, but nowhere near as intense.

of course there's a difference in energy between east and west coast. the dead know that and have said it many times. they feel the pressure when playing in places like nyc, they say the expectations are higher there, and so they feel more pressure to perform, doesn't mean that shows are better or worse east/west, just different energy forms and such. i've seen shows in on both coasts and cant say that they are always better on one side or the other. just depends on the night

just heard the national anthem....they nailed it. what a treat for you denver heads

Denver prediction:

Set I:

Morning Dew
Here Comes Sunshine
Till the Morning Comes
Viola Lee Blues >
Easy Wind >
Viola Lee Blues

Set 2:

Dark Star (v. 1) >
Me & My Uncle >
Cryptical Envelopement >
The Other One >
Drums/Space >
Saint Stephen >
The Eleven >
Dark Star (v. 2) >
We Bid You Good Night

Enc: Satisfaction

I hope the next two nights are WEAK!


(Save the goods for shoreline!!)

I hope the next two nights are WEAK!


(Save the goods for shoreline!!)

Now thats not cool, I am confident they can do there thing tonight, at the Forum, and Shoreline!

I read that Minnesota had the most heads.
What time zone is Colorado?

it is in mountain time zone, i think philzone.com made a mistake by posting the show has started. i think we have another hour to wait.

Good GD History in Denver/CO area here:

http://www.dead.net/5-7-pepsi-center

>The band would return to Denver sporadically through the years, with shows at Mammoth Gardens in 1970<

Mammoth Gardens is now the Denver Fillmore.

<<TRH (Wheres_my_flashbacks) (98.77.47.233) on Thursday, May 07, 2009 - 07:59 pm:

I read that Minnesota had the most heads.
What time zone is Colorado?>>

Ha, where did you read that, I'd love to know being that I'm originally from MN, but have lived in CA for the last 14 1/2 years. My High School (Hopkins) was Deadhead central in the mid - late 80s, that's for sure. Some real, some phony.

Showtime 8:00 MDT. That's 7 on the left coast, 9 in the midwest and 10 in the east.

I just pulled it out of my ass.

anyone going to be there to give us updates tonight... I am still waiting for the chicago shows on archive... See what happens when they leave the east coast?

jason, you might want to check archive again, because both chicago shows are now there

here's the most recent one:

http://www.archive.org/details/thedead2009-05-05.c mcv4.zman.98863.sbeok.flac16

and as for your "see what happens when they leave the east coast" comment: well, as someone who saw Grateful Dead and JGB all over the country - plus plenty of Phil and Bob since - I've gotta say that if you ask me, what usually happened when they left the east coast is that the crowds got a lot more mellow and easier to deal with i mean no offense by that, just my opinion. they certainly often played extremely hot shows in the east though!

I was totally messing around.. I have never seen them off the eastern seaboard and would never pretend to say i know what I'm talking about in that regard.. .I will say that it seemed like there were many more people updating these boards when they were out here

The Dead
May 7, 2009
Pepsi Center
Denver, CO


Set I:

Feel Like A Stranger
Casey Jones
Loser

yes jason, i think that is true, for whatever reason - and as i said, i meant no personal affront whatsoever by my reply - just a general observation i made over the years. in a specific moment or show, anything can happen anywhere of course. it's all good man

thanks for the update, "hi i'm Eric"....cool beans. my brother is at this show tonight, not to mention a bunch of other friends, so i'm psyched for them!! plus, of course, it's Billy's birthday!

The Dead
May 7, 2009
Pepsi Center
Denver, CO


Set I:

Feel Like A Stranger
Casey Jones
Loser
Easy Wind

The Dead
May 7, 2009
Pepsi Center
Denver, CO


Set I:

Feel Like A Stranger
Casey Jones
Loser (BW & WH)
Easy Wind (Warren ~ vocals)
Crazy Fingers

i heard they are now doing Lost Sailor. can anyone confirm that?

Jack-A-Roe maybe?

Sailor > Saint is listed over at dead.net

dead.net lists

Lost Sailor
Saint Of Circumstance

(Set 1)
Feel Like A Stranger
Casey Jones
Loser
Easy Wind
Crazy Fingers
Lost Sailor
Saint Of Circumstance

nice looking first set
the lost sailor> saint was one of the few highlights of the nassau coliseum show, I gotta tell you guys I am still getting goose-bumps every time I think back to the MSG show...

Hello all - just stopped by to say "high" - and get that vicarious groove goin'. Looks like a good show tonight (hell, they are all good!).

MSG was amazing but Philly (both nights) was even more amazing in it's own way....homeboy pride, I guess...two completely different shows.

love the MSG show overall... but Cryptical> Morning Dew in Philly is amazing. In particular The Other One is very potent. Very strong and solid. One of the more solid readings of TOO I have heard. (and I've heard a lot of em) : ) Also The Jamming at end of SS is also worth noting. Some of the best jamming I have heard so far all tour. The aud recordings I've downloaded for BOTH gigs MSG and Philly 2 are FANtastic.

agree michael, 5/2 in Philly was an excellent show - one of the best of this tour for sure.

I was at both MSG and Philly night 2. While MSG was fantastic, Philly night 2 easily trumps it in my opinion.

yes GC, Philly night 2 might just be THE show of this tour so far

excuse me, i meant xanadu

Set II Deep Elem @ Me and My Uncle @

here we go:
Deep Elem Blues

WHISKEY IN THE JAR!!!!!

First Deep Elem of tour

(that is NOT a joke, that is confirmed. first-EVER live performance of Whiskey in the Jar. Phil on vocals)

No Way! Whiskey in the Jar! Cool... Who's singing it?

IMHO you can;t even compare the he's gone from MSG to the one in philly... I was at Nassau, MSG, HArtford, PHILLY 1 and 2.... Little mini touring with the Boys action lol...

Anyway,... I would have to say that the overall feeling and energy from the crowd and the Boys at MSG couldn;t be compared to any other show on this tour thus far. The Setlist for Philly 2 was killer but I felt like they were feeling it more at MSG.. I was on the floor for all of the shows and I never felt anything like I felt when the garden was literally bouncing the floor was literally shaking at MSG... Just wow...

Sweet!

i figured they'd do something special for Billy's birthday tonight, but nobody ever could have called this one!

very cool

Cool jason... right on man...

Very Cool?

I caught 5 shows on the east coast - DC, MSG, both NJ's, but night 2 in Philly was the best, no doubt.

I thought that the first night at the Izod had a great setlist and was really well-played , but the vibe was kind of dull, at least compared with the Garden. But Philly had it all...

your experience at MSG... Sounds killer

too weird
I was just thinking of that tune--just above the setlist @ dead.net is a list of registered heads at the show or whatever...one nym that caught my eye was "Whisky Jar."
I'll be interested to hear Phil's phrasing on that one...

The Weight (presumably acoustic)

I saw Phil sing "Whiskey In the Jar" with his Friends at the Tower 4/13/00 - for the encore. Nice version !

The Dead
May 7, 2009
Pepsi Center
Denver, CO



Set I:

Feel Like A Stranger
Casey Jones
Loser (BW & WH)
Easy Wind (Warren ~ vocals)
Crazy Fingers
Lost Sailor
Saint Of Circumstance



Set II:

Deep Elem Blues
Me and My Uncle
Whiskey in the Jar
The Weight
Space

The Dead
May 7, 2009
Pepsi Center
Denver, CO



Set I:

Feel Like A Stranger
Casey Jones
Loser (BW & WH)
Easy Wind (Warren ~ vocals)
Crazy Fingers
Lost Sailor
Saint Of Circumstance



Set II:

Deep Elem Blues
Me and My Uncle
Whiskey in the Jar
The Weight
Space
Drums
Ramble On Rose
King Solomon's Marbles

Ramble on Rose>King Solomon's Marbles after space

Marbles is another bday boy drummer's choice i would assume

Erik... ru at the gig?

CHINA DOLL!!

nice

first china doll of tour?

I am not there Michael, no: my brother and other friends are there. sure wish i was there though!

The Dead
May 7, 2009
Pepsi Center
Denver, CO



Set I:

Feel Like A Stranger
Casey Jones
Loser (BW & WH)
Easy Wind (Warren ~ vocals)
Crazy Fingers
Lost Sailor
Saint Of Circumstance



Set II:

Deep Elem Blues
Me and My Uncle
Whiskey in the Jar
The Weight
Space
Ramble On Rose
King Solomon's Marbles
China Doll

Yeah, first China Doll...who's singing???

Cumberland Blues

4th Cumberland

in response to sneakerface's earlier post about Phil and Friends doing Whiskey in the Jar: what i had meant when i said "first-EVER" performance is that tonight is indeed the first time THE DEAD have ever done it (and of course Grateful Dead never played it live either, tho that rehearsal footage of it on the So Many Roads box set is great)

and for the record, Phil and F. have done Whiskey four times: 7/2/99 Warfield, 8/17/99 Eugene, 4/13/00 Upper Darby and 4/24/01 DC

The Dead
May 7, 2009
Pepsi Center
Denver, CO



Set I:

Feel Like A Stranger
Casey Jones
Loser (BW & WH)
Easy Wind (Warren ~ vocals)
Crazy Fingers
Lost Sailor
Saint Of Circumstance



Set II:

Deep Elem Blues
Me and My Uncle
Whiskey in the Jar
The Weight
Space
Ramble On Rose
King Solomon's Marbles
China Doll
Cumberland Blues
Not Fade Away

(Encore)
Ripple

Looks like a really fun show on paper

And a Ripple encore to cap it off.

wow, very cool looking show

..on blotter paper

lol

looks like a nice one. wish I could've been there.

just got home, show was GREAT. a note on the setlist.

Set II

after acoustic stuff
Drums>
Space>
Happy Birthday Billy!
Ramble on Rose
King Solomons>
Drums
China Doll
Cumberland
NFA
Encore: Ripple

Show was wonderful, lots of happy smiling faces...and the smell of cinnamon buns filling the air (did anyone else notice that?) glad I was there

Whiskey in the Jar sung by PHIL! prob highlight of night for me personally...long and lovely history with that song

Brief thoughts:


Set I

Feel Like A Stranger - called the opener; didn't see 3/22/90 but got this - it'll do; decent crowd energy

Casey Jones - Bob & Warren trading verses; also good crowd energy especially with the "runaway" ending

Loser (BW & WH) - as much crowd energy as you'd expect; good version though

Easy Wind (Warren ~ vocals) - return of the crowd energy after Loser; tasty leads by Warren

Crazy Fingers - I am totally blanking at who sang this; whoever did, it was good

Lost Sailor - fairly good crowd energy from this and Saint; Bobby is doing fine on the vocals, IMHO

Saint Of Circumstance - see Sailor


Set II:

Deep Elem Blues - awesome, reminded me of Reckoning

Me and My Uncle - massive crowd energy as you might expect

Whiskey in the Jar - for a longtime Clancy Brothers (and Thin Lizzy) fan, this was brilliant; although most of the place seemed to think it was a pee or chat break; I even broke up some strangers' conversation (about nothing musical - screw them); at least they did apologize

The Weight - more massive crowd energy (and a bit of a singalong, but the real one was later); however, Bob and Phil/Warren do not seem to be on the same page yet as far as how the chorus ends - still figuring out where to "put the road"

Space - this was indeed "trippy", almost ambient; ended with "Happy Birthday" after some teasing; thought at first that Billy's present was "you don't have to do the drum solo tonight"

Ramble On Rose - yes, "Ramble" out of "Space"; sorry Bucky, they can't always have Wharf/Throwing/NFA

King Solomon's Marbles - brilliant

China Doll - much better than the 2004 version I saw; songs like this are why Warren really needs to be around

Cumberland Blues - building crowd energy

Not Fade Away - definitely the most crowd energy of the night; then again, what would anyone expect from this one?

(Encore)
Ripple - nice loping electric version to end with


Band performances were spot on except for the "Weight" chorus endings, and I think Warren might have almost started a verse once when there was actually a solo break, but he recovered fine. Bobby actually did not sound bad at all to me - either he was singing well tonight or I'm permanently scarred from last year's Ratdog show.

Overall I give this a "B" because you can't make something what it isn't, and you can't compare it to what it isn't either. If I get a 35 minute "Scarlet/Fire", a 20 minute "Playing" and a 40 minute "Dark Star > Space > Drums > Milestones > Dark Star" (with a "Playing" reprise) at the Gorge, this show might seem like a "C" compared to that. But on it's own, it's a "B". I got my money's worth and broke even.

Bummers of the night - lot scene seemed kind of shady, and I didn't manage to find a single Zoner (although I had ideas where to look).

Oops - forgot Drums (after KSM & before China).

Drums - I'm calling it Drums, even thought Jeff was involved at the beginning; however, he was repeating some melodic percussion motifs that Mickey started, as opposed to it being "space-like"; it was definitely a percussion section, even though a lot of folks used it as a pee break; for myself, the Rhythm Devils were the second thing after the "hits" that got me initially interested in this band back in the late 70's, so I wasn't going anywhere; started out more melodic, then progressively more rhytmic until the end with Mickey working his way through his gear to the big Asian drums, and of course, Billy on his kit throughout.

Looks like a mile high blast

"4/13/00 Upper Darby"

Wasn't that the Phish song "Sample in a Jar?" I know it says Whiskey in a Jar on the set list site but I was at that show and was sure that it was the Phish song.

Sample in the Jar or Whiskey in teh Jar?????

Heads need to know!!! :-)

Wow I'd love either....for very different reasons!!

not possible and i was not there . had to be whiskey . jerry and the boy's had been playing around with this song before jer passed on. this is the same song that metallica made a big radion hit with in the 90's. it was on the official "so many roads" boxset. a bathroom break during this song is almost as retarded as a bathroom break during pride. i brought a girlfriend to chitown shows, she proceede to take a peebreak during pride and then ask me "whats this song?" during liberty. she then bailed out with another dude she knew from traverse city down to the floor at set break- dude, seriously? whatever, i miracled a friend with her second night ticket. a pee break during "whiskey" give me a break.

haha, it was NOT Sample in a Jar...it was Whiskey in the Jar, and was the highlight for me

"jerry and the boy's had been playing around with this song before jer passed on. this is the same song that metallica made a big radion hit with in the 90's. it was on the official "so many roads" boxset."

It is also on Garcia/Grisman Shady Grove CD

My mistake (about the '00 Tower Show), thanks.

whack, fall the Daddio........hmmmmmmm

Whack for my daddy-o. Whack for my daddy-o

had to research that one, always pondered

How can Sample in a Jar and Whiskey in the Jar be confused?? Very different, albeit great songs. I did see P&F's play Sample once with the Little Feat guys

Not much of a poster, but figured I'd chime in on the whole Whiskey in the Jar discussion...

Ever since I heard that bootleg of Jer and the boys rehearsing Whiskey in the Jar, I've been hoping that either Phil or Bobby would bust it out at some point. I've been playing in an Irish pub band for the last 10 yrs, and Whiskey in the Jar is consistently one of our most requested tunes. Great to hear them break out the tune in Denver. Here are a couple links to versions of the tune - one by GD and the other by The Dubliners, one of the best Irish bands.

GD version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hISAeECFCmU&feature =related

Dubliners version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIlDymYg1WM

'Nuther tidbit of info... If you like the song Peggy O, check out the following song called Maid of Fife.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8garPXFIgg

There are some remarkable similarities between the two songs. I was extremely fortunate to have spent my formative years living in a little town in Ireland, just up the road from The Clancy Brothers. Music was our primary form of entertainment... and funny enough, it's still that way.

Can't wait for Rothbury!

Slainte!

Paul Kantner spoke of these songs on the GD channel on Sirius... He spoke of what a big fan he and Jerry were of these old tunes ...different versions but all good!

FYI, for anyone getting the SBD or downloading this show, there was some nasty feedback during Deep Elem that took a while for the crew to track down. Awesome thing is that the band just kept playing through it without stopping or missing a beat. Evidence to me that regardless of what folks think, these guys are at least on their game.

thanks for review Posthead...

" there was some nasty feedback during Deep Elem that took a while for the crew to track down. Awesome thing is that the band just kept playing through it without stopping or missing a beat. Evidence to me that regardless of what folks think, these guys are at least on their game."

Or deaf.

Or don't care.

When the feedback quit, the crowd roared, I forgot about that. The MAMU was extremely well received, more roaring!

yeah, I realized you meant first "the Dead" version of Whiskey In the Jar, but I thought some might be interested in the PHil & Friends versions. FWIW, I have video of P & F doing both Whiskey In the Jar (4/13/00) and of them doing Sample In a Jar (Merriweather 7/29/00) . I'd post it if I weren't a dial-up fool, but if anyone wants to try uploading to youtube or whatever, I'd be glad to hook you up with dvd.

Sneakerface

>>>this is the same song that metallica made a big radion hit with in the 90's.

Wasn't that Thin Lizzy?

That standing blast of feedback during the acoustic set had the whole band and crew scrambling, esp. Chimenti, who seemed to think it might be coming from his rig.

I was 20 rows directly up from the Warren side and saw them all going nuts looking for the source. Just as it was getting unbearable, Billy gave Weir the LET'S BAIL!! sign, but Weir blew him off and went to the next chorus - just in time for that piercing wail to disappear right on queue. Nice call, Bob! The crowd roared and the band played on with no further sound problems. I'm guessing a soundman pulled a patch cable out of the board to finally kill it, since no one knew where it was coming from on stage.

In the end it was a minor diversion in an otherwise very enjoyable show. Chuck (not Charlie) Miller posted a rock solid aud recording on the Archive:

http://www.archive.org/details/TheDead2009-05-07.C -483

Here are a few other random thoughts from Denver:

I was supposed to see the two Chicago shows but had to take a last-minute work trip, so a good friend hooked me up with a nice seat for Denver. Definitely glad I made the trip. Though I was hoping for something extra-big (Dark Star, Other One, Help/Slip, etc...), I enjoyed the song selection very much, and there appeared to be a great vibe on stage throughout the show, esp. among the drummers.

Stranger, Casey and Loser all bode well for a good show right out of the gate. Easy Wind was a little kooky early on, but they finally nailed the tricky time-shift on the last pass and ended on a very high note. Crazy Fingers had me a little nervous about some serious flubbage on the horizon, but it was surprisingly right-on both lyrically and in the jams. Phil did some great playing all night and cracked us up by talking on his cell phone while tuning up for both electric sets. Had to wonder who he was talking to. His tone was clear as a bell all night, but maybe not as low-down beefy as we'd hoped for in the house. He took control of the transition from Crazy Fingers into Lost Sailor, which was smooth as hell, and I seriously enjoyed him breaking out Whisky in the Jar in the acoustic set.

Me and My Uncle was hands-down the crudest druken audience sing-along I've ever heard at 22+ years of Dead-related shows. I'm sure it was fun for all the hollering dudes on hand, but it mostly just served to drown out the band, at least where I was standing. Phil did not play upright bass on the acoustic set, which surprised me. Ramble on Rose out of the following Space definitely turned some heads and worked pretty nicely. Bobby absolutely belted the "County Line" section. King Solomon's was worth the price of admission alone. They clearly rehearsed the hell out of this one, and found some space to jam it out, too. I had a direct view of Mickey showing Billy the giant HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILL KREUTZMANN! display all around the arena, which was pretty funny (esp. since he missed their first attempt at it while walking off stage briefly after the acoustic set, so they re-ran it later!). Weir and Warren had great singing and jamming rapport all night, which made for some very sweet sounds and a good bit of interactive playing/singing. Nice to see Warren walk over and get right in Bob's face a few times, with Bob responding positively every time. I used to wonder if they liked each other, but no more. Jeff Chimenti also received lots of air-time and delivered several great jams in both sets, particularly a serious Steely Dan synthesizer moment during the opening Stranger - check it out. I heard clear WHEEL and OTHER ONE (or MIRACLE or TRUCKIN...) teases early in the pre-China Doll Space. China Doll turned out to be a surprise and very well executed, esp. the Warren vocals. That's a potentially dicey tune, and he nailed it. I felt like they skipped a section of Cumberland amidst all the jamming, but I'll need to consult the tapes to confirm that fact. Either way, I dug the unpredictable song placements in this show - there's clearly no formula at work here. Warren cranked up some ripping guitar during Not Fade Away, echoing shades of John Cippolina at Winterland '78. Looks like L.A. got the monster setlist some of us were hoping for in Denver, but I'm still glad I made it out for this one.

^^What he said!^^

"I don't know, don't really care. Let there be songs to fill the air."

We had a fantastic time!

After leaving the hotel and driving around awhile we came to a club called Owsleys on Lancaster and settled in for the JGB. Before the show I was able to talk with Melvin Seals a bit and he let me take his picture before the set started. He is looking very good and healthy. The show opened with Cats Down Under The Stars and then was followed by Run For The Roses. After that it got a bit smoky so we headed to the Pepsi Center to take in the scene and see if we could hook up with a few zoners.

Just as we arrived I realized I had left the tickets back at the hotel so turned around and headed back across downtown to pick them up. I ran up to the hotel and grabbed evie a coke and washed my face and headed back to the Pepsi Center. On arriving the second time again I realized I had left he tickets in the room so we made another dash across downtown and this time evie went up and got the tickets! Obviously I had other things on my mind.

After being guided to our own personal parking space we ambled over to Shakedown Street. It was a huge market pholks! It covered at least three to four full lanes and more. You can get anything you want on Shakedown Street (sorry Arlo). We gazed, dazed and glazed at all there was to offer. I must admit that while there were well represented wookie, puppy puller and baby pusher contingents the over all feel was very relaxed. Not so much trash as I have heard from other venues. People were giving away free water, covering dog dirt with cardboard and used soda cartons, using the trash cans and basically keeping up after themselves. A well done to all involved on this effort!

We did see a three man crew of five-o wander through once, just once. And all was cool. A fella with a bullhorn hawkin beers could be heard "buy your husband a beer, buy your wife a beer, VICE, VICE cold beer, keep your eyes open for the VICE cold beer, buy you child a beer, buy your dog a beer". Lots of food vendors selling everything but I would be more inclined to eat the food from the street vendors in Jamaica than I would from the Chez Wookie Barf and Kill. Lots of everything else was being sold not-so-discreetly up and down the lot. Met a toasted young lady pushing boomers and made a small acquisition for the show at a reasonable price that put me in the right frame of mind for the night. A nice live band was playing in the lot as well as the many drum circles, jugglers and jugglettes, smooth operators and artist of all strikes!

I let evie sit under one of the obelisks outside the center while I went on and looked for Betsy and Little Susie but alas was disappointed. I did however meet a very kind zoner named Damon (he is the fella in the pictures giving the zoner salute) and spoke for a few minutes although my end of the conversation most likely did not make much sense at that point. When I came back evie was in the throws of explaining celestial time to some freak who was convinced she held the key of all knowledge of time, having found her under what must have been an archeological remnant of an ancient time device there in the lot.


We made our way into the venue a bit early to take advantage of the cool air. After finding our seats and relaxing a bit the place started to fill. From inside it sounded like a Roman Coliseum when every so often the crowd outside would raise their collective voice to a roof shaking crescendo! I was having a hard time, living the good life, well you know¡K..then the lights came down and the show began!

From the very first lick of Feel Like A Stranger to the last humming echo or Ripple the boys were tight! I know, I know some say it¡¦s not the Grateful Dead or they played a G minor instead of an F major or somebody forgot some word or played over somebody¡¦s line¡K¡Kbut you know I could have given a rats ass for those critics. It was the best live venue I have ever seen in hundreds on hundreds of different rock and Grateful Dead shows. The boys did very well and Warren was strong when needed and subtle and soft where appropriate. Jeff Chimanti was superb. The main thing was they were all relaxed and enjoying themselves, not just going through the motions. A lot of smiles back and forth, some joking and general cutting up from time to time.

Crazy Fingers blew me away! The vocal, the way it flowed and the support of the entire band really made this a special moment.

After the first set evie was feeling a bit sick so I took her to the car to rest. On the way to the car we had a sweet little road-lot dog run up to us for a pet then wander away into the night. There were several thousand pholks who did not have tickets or did not get into the venue still during the end of the first set and they were wandering the lot as well. Many parties going down all over the place. On the way back in I caught a bit of conversation some freaks were having about what I thought was a lost dog. Perhaps the little dog evie & I had seen just a few moments before¡K..perhaps I could be of service and help these desolate freaks out! I walked over to them and spoke right up!

Me: Did I hear you lost a little doggie?

1st Freak: Huh, whaaa..

2nd Freak: No, he did!

(they both pointed to a third fella who was much farther across the universe than I was)

Me: You looking for a dog?

3rd Freak: A dog????

Me: Yeah, about this big...

3rd Freak: ...yeah...

Me: ...short legs...

3rd Freak: ...yeah...

Me: ...really sweet with a collar...

3rd Freak: Was it PURPLE?

Me: The dog or the collar?

3rd Freak: I don't know...

Me: I was petting him then he disappeared...

3rd Freak: ...well maybe if I just stand here he'll find me.

Me: O.k.

As I walked off the three of them fell to the ground rolling with laughter and unable to communicate anymore!

I wandered over to a large drum circle and pholks were chanting and dancing and drummin. Then I saw the spinners. Yep, they are still coming to the shows! Spinning like there was no tomorrow. I watched for about twenty minutes or so then wandered back inside for the acoustic and third sets.

After the first set the boys came back on with an acoustic set of Deep Elem, Me & My Uncle, a very unexpected Music In A Jar led by Mr. Phil Lesh and ending in The Weight. I would not have missed this for all the stars in the sky, it was truly a beautiful set.

It turned out to be Billies birthday and a warm Happy Birthday was sung ala' The Dead and the audience with Billy becoming visibly moved by it all. From here it turned to Space and a wonderful space was created! Everyone was having a high time, livin' the good life, well I know! Ramble on Rose followed and again it was just perfect timing. Many of you know when the The Dead have that certain majick it just seems to take over the crowd, the support people, and the ones who we¡¦re dragged to the show and the boys themselves, it moves everyone of us to another place and time. Ramble On Rose did just that and there was majick!

Several other tunes really shined that night along with a burning rendition of King Solomon's Marbles, China Doll, Not Fade Away and of course Ripple, one of my all time favorites.

When the show was over and the band was grinning from ear to ear and it was evident that they were REALLY enjoying playing together! Bob said as much in his closing and even alluded to more tours to come! Could it be?

Regardless of all the naysayer¡¦s out there I would go see The Dead as often as I could if they keep touring. No, it's not 1966 and it's not Jerry and it's not THE Grateful Dead, but why the hell not! It is as good a line-up as there has ever been playing some of the best damned music ever written to some of the happiest people to ever have lived!

LONG LIVE THE DEAD!

peace

evie & whitey-x

http://marqueemag.com/the-dead/2009/05/08/#more-16 48