Dead and Company

[dominattorney]

I just got myself, the lady, and the stepdaughter tickets to both days (June 9 and 10) in Boulder this summer. I saw them last fourth of July as John Mayer was just coming into his own with the band at that point.

I sat on the stepdaughter's deck and smoked a bolivar coronas Jr during the sound check as Bob weir sang throwing stones while the traffic rolled in. Paired with a Lan gran reserva rioja, it was the perfect prelude. 

I thought Saturday was a better show, despite the Sunday highlights of dark star and Samson and Delilah. I am very excited for this year's shows, however, as I think John Mayer has just gotten better at playing with the old heads in the group since last summer.

Anyone else catching any legs of this tour? Thoughts on cigar pairings? This year I'm considering a barrel aged belgian quadruple with a montecristo no 1 or perhaps an especial no 2. Subtle, whimsical, and ballsy all at the same time. 

[srbuck]

Hello Counselor;; Old DH in Ohio;;;  most likely not;;; They play Blossom music ctr.  Near Akron...  The Deadnet site has been taking a lot of my $$$$$ lately.. Just pd for 4shows on 11 disks to be released 5/5/17.. Also in for the yrs  4 Dave's picks releases.. The 1st is from Boston 4/2 73  VERY GOOD!!!!!  I like Dave's picks so far but my collection is sparse in comparison to the hard core... BTW.. I turned 21 on 7/28/ 1973... At The Watkins Glen Summer Jam.. The Dead The Band and The Allman Bros..What a long strange trip it still is.   "Buck"

[YOM'$]

Perhaps I may seek counsel from The Grateful Attorney in either the form of presenting my case or in facilitating the divorce proceedings. Just had a child and next weekend my friend and I will break the news to our wives that we will be attending both the Hollywood Bowl shows and the Shoreline shows.  

Caught them last summer in PDX and Mayer had certainly progressed from the previous "tour".  Here Comes Sunshine had an unreal sound at the Moda Center and I nailed a selfie with a Bill Walton. I think this tour will be down right nasty.  

What a setup DominaAtt!  Sound check stogies and what I presume a pretty good view.  

Buck - you caught some music I could only dream to experience in person.  I battled the website and locked down my box set too.  Will be killer. 

And with good fortune the time will come when I plan for the cigar rotation on the trip. 

[dshapiro]

Prob gonna catch the Vegas shows. Seen ratdog 30+ times. 

[JohnInCleveland]

10 hours ago, srbuck said:

Hello Counselor;; Old DH in Ohio;;;  most likely not;;; They play Blossom music ctr.  Near Akron...  The Deadnet site has been taking a lot of my $$$$$ lately.. Just pd for 4shows on 11 disks to be released 5/5/17.. Also in for the yrs  4 Dave's picks releases.. The 1st is from Boston 4/2 73  VERY GOOD!!!!!  I like Dave's picks so far but my collection is sparse in comparison to the hard core... BTW.. I turned 21 on 7/28/ 1973... At The Watkins Glen Summer Jam.. The Dead The Band and The Allman Bros..What a long strange trip it still is.   "Buck"

Will be at Blossom.  10 mins from my house.  Steaks, stogies, and brews for anyone who wants to make the trek.  Saw them when they toured as the Other Ones when I was in college but I'm too young to have seen the original band.  

[dominattorney]

YOM'$, the stepdaughter lives about three quarters of a mile from folsom field. While we couldn't see the venue from her deck, you could hear it fairly well. 

Would have been pretty cool to be at Watkins Glen, but like John in cleveland, I am also too young to have seen the original band. We have to be thankful for what we still get to experience, which is actually some really good music when all is said and done. 

Anyone else who is passing through Boulder this summer, send me a pm. 

[tigger]

Current plans are for SPAC and Saturday Night at Fenway.

Caught them in Hartford last summer, and had a great time. I took what I thought would be a temporary break in 1993 because the scene was getting pretty dirty, and I enjoy this band more than any of the other Post-Jerry lineups.

[El Hoze]

The Band at Watkins Glen, man....what a few sets to have witnessed live. That Band at Watkins Glen album in in the permanent "sunny day drinking beers outside" rotation. I was lucky enough to have seen the Dead w Jerry a handful of times including that last tour. I am very "grateful" to have seen him/them, but to be honest those last few shows Jerry just seemed a bit out of it. The last show I saw was at Giants Stadium a few weeks before the final show. Not the best show! Glad I went. Now to have seen some of the great stretches, late 70s to late 80s. Man, incredible sfuff.

I have never been much into the Dead spinoffs, not sure why. But I am seriously considering trying to get to one of these shows, maybe Citi Field back w the "old crew" (we're barely 40 now but seems like forever ago!)

 

 

[anjimj]

Caught them at Fenway last summer and what a show they put on with a surprise guest Donna Jean.  In the show i pulled out a D4 while listening to an unbelievable Franklins tower. A drunken couple starting complaining about my cigar meanwhile clouds of canibus filled the air. They even got a security person to complain. They were the meanest dead heads I have ever met. Anyways, I will not let that deter me from the Fenway shows in June.  I will most likely bring something long and skinny like monte especial 2 or a palmas extra.  

[mi000ke]

18 hours ago, srbuck said:

Hello Counselor;; Old DH in Ohio;;;  most likely not;;; They play Blossom music ctr.  Near Akron...  The Deadnet site has been taking a lot of my $$$$$ lately.. Just pd for 4shows on 11 disks to be released 5/5/17.. Also in for the yrs  4 Dave's picks releases.. The 1st is from Boston 4/2 73  VERY GOOD!!!!!  I like Dave's picks so far but my collection is sparse in comparison to the hard core... BTW.. I turned 21 on 7/28/ 1973... At The Watkins Glen Summer Jam.. The Dead The Band and The Allman Bros..What a long strange trip it still is.   "Buck"

I got to Watkins Glen about 5 days before the concert. They were still building the stage. We camped out way in the back, Caught the soundcheck the night before.  Ran into some musicians who lent me a sax and we jammed for a crowd of about 100 people.  Great time. Great music.  Note the "expected crowd of 150,000. They got 600,000 - bigger than Woodstock I'm told. Now just an old man who gets to play in a jam band that covers a few Dead Tunes and tries to capture a bit of the good old days

https://soundcloud.com/mi000ke/me-and-my-uncle

 

[rabbifuente]

Hoping to see them at Wrigley this summer. I haven't caught a show yet, but I was at a Soldier Field show so I can't wait to get back and see [some variation of] them again. 

[srbuck]

Hey John in Cle;; Ya never know;; I am less apt to travel at 65 than I was at 21. All we had on us was the clothes on our backs.. No tent no food no beer;  Pharmacutical greenies!!! mi000ke; got there a lot earlier.. I swear we walked like 6 miles... It rained about halfway through The Band;; The most beautiful girl in the place danced topless on a speaker tower during the Band.. I believe it was the 1st time The Allmans toured after Duane passing.. The place was a mudhole.. I did a lot of things in my life to make me forget..I will never forget my little 21st birthday jam!!!!;;; mi000ke;;; You guys sound pretty good.... It is time;;;;; The Grateful Dead live at The Great American Music Hall... 8/13/75.. This one ends very quietly. Nice after midnite... H upmann #2   Pikesville    OUT!!!

[wabashcr]

Saw them at Deer Creek last year. I believe @knollc is going to both nights at Wrigley this year.  Not for me.  I love the music, and I love Bobby, but the playing is just so slow and muddled anymore that it's hard for me to get into it.  It's like the Dead on xanax, which just doesn't do it for me.  Mayer is a great player, and I do think eventually he'll be a good fit, but the show I saw and the handful of others I listened to last summer, he was very hit or miss, which is of course understandable.  He had zero familiarity with the catalog until 2 years ago.  I'm sure he'll be better this summer.  I wish Bobby would let him sing more.  If they were coming back to Indy I'd go see them again, because it's always a fun time.  But musically I'd rather see Ratdog or one of Phil's lineups.  

IIRC we had a couple PLPCs in the lot before going into the show last summer.  It's not an ideal setup for a good cigar, unfortunately.  At most the cigar is an afterthought.  I probably wouldn't even take any if I went again.  If I had access to a more private and comfortable setting pre-show, that would be a completely different story.

Gonna be a lonely summer with no Dead, not going to NYC for Phish, and Widespread Panic is only playing festivals.  

[JohnInCleveland]

12 hours ago, srbuck said:

Hey John in Cle;; Ya never know;; I am less apt to travel at 65 than I was at 21. All we had on us was the clothes on our backs.. No tent no food no beer;  Pharmacutical greenies!!! mi000ke; got there a lot earlier.. I swear we walked like 6 miles... It rained about halfway through The Band;; The most beautiful girl in the place danced topless on a speaker tower during the Band.. I believe it was the 1st time The Allmans toured after Duane passing.. The place was a mudhole.. I did a lot of things in my life to make me forget..I will never forget my little 21st birthday jam!!!!;;; mi000ke;;; You guys sound pretty good.... It is time;;;;; The Grateful Dead live at The Great American Music Hall... 8/13/75.. This one ends very quietly. Nice after midnite... H upmann #2   Pikesville    OUT!!!

Well if you become more apt, I live right by Blossom, and a few ribeyes make for a great pregame.  I'm taking my old man, who will be the furthest thing from a Dead Head in the entire venue.  He showed an interest and I'm fascinated to watch him walk around and see everyone letting their freak flag fly.  Half the fun of being in the lot is the people watching, you see some serious characters. 

 

I don't judge, but I always get a kick out of watching people who are losing their marbles right before my eyes.  I'm not much for the brain melting hallucinogens, there are certain people who are fun in that environment and certain people you want to ditch.  I'm the guy people want to ditch...

 

John

 

 

[dominattorney]

2 hours ago, wabashcr said:

I love the music, and I love Bobby, but the playing is just so slow and muddled anymore that it's hard for me to get into it.  It's like the Dead on xanax, which just doesn't do it for me.  Mayer is a great player, and I do think eventually he'll be a good fit, but the show I saw and the handful of others I listened to last summer, he was very hit or miss, which is of course understandable.  He had zero familiarity with the catalog until 2 years ago.  I'm sure he'll be better this summer.  I wish Bobby would let him sing more.  If they were coming back to Indy I'd go see them again, because it's always a fun time.  But musically I'd rather see Ratdog or one of Phil's lineups.  

 

It's true, a lot of this, sadly.  There's a different feel to the music than there was in the past.  I find it most noticeable in songs like "I Know You Rider" where they kind of sit back in a straight-8ths groove with a somewhat lazy bass line.  It strikes me as inferior to the more raucous and upbeat versions from the 70s.  Same thing with "Eyes," although there are so many ways that song can sound good.  However, I believe in giving credit where it was due, and Mayer's playing on "Next Time you See Me," despite being radically different than the way Jerry would have played it, is excellent.  I haven't heard a bad version of this tune since they broke it out, and if I close my eyes the whole thing reminds me of Stevie Ray Vaughan.  I also like the way he sings and plays "Althea."

In my opinion, they sound their best when they play Bobby songs, but that might change this summer.  I believe they sound way better than the Fare Thee Well Lineup with Trey, who despite his great talent, was not a good fit with the band.

I feel for you that they won't be coming to Indiana, as I don't necessarily disagree  with your decision not to travel to see them.  I have to drive for an hour each way, and have a place to stay.  I wouldn't get on a plane or burn much more than a tank or two of gas myself.  However, I'm also blessed to live in Colorado, home of the best Dead tribute bands that 10 dollars can get you in to see.  I graduated law school with the bass player from Shakedown Street--who for the money sound incredible.  If you're bored, check out some of their shows on Archive--the ones from the Fox and Boulder Theaters are some of the best quality wise.

[wabashcr]

It's true, a lot of this, sadly.  There's a different feel to the music than there was in the past.  I find it most noticeable in songs like "I Know You Rider" where they kind of sit back in a straight-8ths groove with a somewhat lazy bass line.  It strikes me as inferior to the more raucous and upbeat versions from the 70s.  Same thing with "Eyes," although there are so many ways that song can sound good.  However, I believe in giving credit where it was due, and Mayer's playing on "Next Time you See Me," despite being radically different than the way Jerry would have played it, is excellent.  I haven't heard a bad version of this tune since they broke it out, and if I close my eyes the whole thing reminds me of Stevie Ray Vaughan.  I also like the way he sings and plays "Althea."

In my opinion, they sound their best when they play Bobby songs, but that might change this summer.  I believe they sound way better than the Fare Thee Well Lineup with Trey, who despite his great talent, was not a good fit with the band.

I feel for you that they won't be coming to Indiana, as I don't necessarily disagree  with your decision not to travel to see them.  I have to drive for an hour each way, and have a place to stay.  I wouldn't get on a plane or burn much more than a tank or two of gas myself.  However, I'm also blessed to live in Colorado, home of the best Dead tribute bands that 10 dollars can get you in to see.  I graduated law school with the bass player from Shakedown Street--who for the money sound incredible.  If you're bored, check out some of their shows on Archive--the ones from the Fox and Boulder Theaters are some of the best quality wise.

Yeah it's mostly the upbeat tunes that kill me. The show I saw they opened with Minglewood and Cumberland Blues, and they were almost unrecognizable, especially Cumberland. I don't expect them to sound like they did in the 70s. Hell I don't even need them to play like they did in the 90s when Jerry was going through the motions and falling asleep onstage. They're old. But I feel like Phil's bands, and even the Fare Thee Well lineup, were a little crisper playing than Dead and Co. I'm sure part of it is getting comfortable with Mayer, and vice versa. Hopefully he'll be more comfortable with the music this summer, although I don't expect they'll practice much. I agree they generally sound best on Bobby songs, and that's obviously not a coincidence. In any event, they're the ones still playing my favorite music, so I'm sure I'll listen to most of the streams this summer on my deck with a good cigar. Couch tour is still great.

I believe DSO is coming through town next month. I haven't seen them since Kadlecik left, but might check them out. I saw a GD cover band in Denver about 10 years ago or so. Pretty sure it was at Sancho's, maybe Cervantes. Can't remember who they were, but they were pretty good. Definitely guys who took it seriously, not just a bunch of heads who thought it would be fun to have a band. I used to go out there once a year or so to visit a friend, and saw quite a few good shows. Always had a good time in Colorado, probably too much so to be honest.

[mi000ke]

So much about going to a Dead concert in the old days was not about the music.  Now it is, and I'm not sure if that is better or worse.  I went to about 25 concerts between 1970 and 1980 and it wasn't until I downloaded a lot of the ones I attended that I finally heard what the band actually sounded like live (except for the Live/Dead album and Europe 72).  Kind of wish I paid more attention to the music, but then again that would have required remaining on planet earth.  And just to add some cigar content, just finished smoking a BBF on seven mile beach, grand cayman.  Just like hearing the dead, the right setting makes everything better. 

[srbuck]

After Watkins Glen;; I guess I saw the Dead about 4 more times.. Saw Jerry Garcia's band at Oberlen College in a chapel.. Very laid back.. I looked last eve at ticket $$$$ for Blossom Music ctr...For 40.00 you can toss a blanket;  I am sure there will be a lot of colorful goings on.. To get under the roof; I'd be looking at 225.00 to 400.00 and lets face it; it's not like seeing the Stones!!!!  I saw Radiohead about 20 rows back at the same place.. Great show.. I am very content to sit in my little cigar room..4 bookshelf speakers and I have like 20+ CD's coming this yr. from deadnet..about 30 I already own.. I can smoke what I want and since I found my way to OZ I have to admit it's getting better all the time.. Well my bros. it's that time again.... I love you oh but Jesus loves you the best and I bid you good nite good nite good nite.....

[ImTripN2]

On 2/24/2017 at 5:42 AM, wabashcr said:

  I love the music, and I love Bobby, but the playing is just so slow and muddled anymore that it's hard for me to get into it.  It's like the Dead on xanax, which just doesn't do it for me.  Mayer is a great player, and I do think eventually he'll be a good fit, but the show I saw and the handful of others I listened to last summer, he was very hit or miss, which is of course understandable.  He had zero familiarity with the catalog until 2 years ago.  I'm sure he'll be better this summer.  I wish Bobby would let him sing more.  If they were coming back to Indy I'd go see them again, because it's always a fun time.  But musically I'd rather see Ratdog or one of Phil's lineups.  

 

I was a bit surprised to read this. I saw them last summer at the Gorge and then a week later at Shoreline. All things considered, I thought John Mayer was outstanding, especially as you noted he has very little familiarity with the songs. He did some great improv on the extended jams and an amazing jazzy rendition of  "Eyes" @ the Gorge. Maybe it's on youtube??  Imho he is by far the best lead to play with the band since Jerry as he tries to play the songs as they were meant to be played, unlike the others who wanted to put their own spin on everything. Anyway that's just mho.  Sad to say but Bob looked really old and fragile... he was always late, and forgot / missed lyrics on almost every song he sang, but I was at the end of the tour, and it's gotta be exhausting to an old guy. But to each his own.... my first show was '71 at the Hollywood Palladium, and have seen (close to 100 shows) some epic shows and some bombs over the years. What a long strange trip it's been!

[dominattorney]

I think the issue with John Mayer, is thst to my ear, he is mostly throwing down blues licks to do the fills and when he solos. In contrast, whether it be in deep space or adding color to Casey Jones, Jerry's guitar playing was always telling a story. I don't think anyone that hasn't been playing with the group for as long as jerry did could match that. 

[wabashcr]

I was a bit surprised to read this. I saw them last summer at the Gorge and then a week later at Shoreline. All things considered, I thought John Mayer was outstanding, especially as you noted he has very little familiarity with the songs. He did some great improv on the extended jams and an amazing jazzy rendition of  "Eyes" @ the Gorge. Maybe it's on youtube??  Imho he is by far the best lead to play with the band since Jerry as he tries to play the songs as they were meant to be played, unlike the others who wanted to put their own spin on everything. Anyway that's just mho.  

To my ears I would say the opposite about Mayer. I think if you want someone who can play Jerry's parts like Jerry, I'd go for Kadlecik or Kimmock. I think Mayer's strength is putting his bluesy spin on the improvised portions. But again, my issue isn't as much with his playing as it is the overall tempo and crispness from the band as a whole. I think Mayer is a fine choice for lead. I'm sure the more he plays with Bobby, the better they'll sound. Mickey and Billy are both in their 70s, and as you said, Bob just isn't as sharp. Doesn't mean they aren't capable of some great moments.

I'm not a huge fan of how Phil has managed everything post-Jerry, but musically to me his lineups have been miles ahead of anything the rest of them have done, although I do enjoy Ratdog. But that might just be having a soft spot for Bobby. The downside to Phil of course is that he ruins everything with his vocals other than Box of Rain and Unbroken Chain.

All just my opinion of course. Glad to see some other heads on FOH. Cheers.

[dominattorney]

Second the notion that Phil can't sing. Sorry, he can play the he'll out of the bass, but he can't sing. 

[HDGSN]

See you all at ATL in June!

[GWG]

Its nice to know that there are a fews hippies left living and lovin!!!

[Engineer99]

As a stagehand for local 134, I worked the show at Shoreline in Mountain View last year. They have an insane amount of gear. There's an entire semi for just drums...