On The Road Again

I never thought I'd go to another Dead show. But here they are, announcing a series of shows this summer. The last ones, for real. I haven't been for twenty years, not counting spinoffs like the Furthur Festival and the tribute band Dark Star Orchestra.  Hopefully soon my SASE with intricately detailed, mail-order-only tickets will arrive.

It's a band that started before I was born, and kept the ideals of the '60s alive up to now. Freedom, wonder, community, possibilities. I kind of grew up with the Dead in my teens and twenties, so I absorbed those ideals. Thankfully I still have all that; I have had an interesting life, enjoy the present, and look forward to the future. I've found an amazing partner to explore life with, and music is just one of the aspects of life that we both love.

I started listening to them in high school, but much more in college. I remember my first show, just outside Columbus. I went to shows in my Beetle, and then my Bus. Camped out in the Bus to get tickets; never really camped at a show. Guess I like my creature comforts. The scene was always interesting. People wandering almost at random. Someone selling veggie kabobs, another selling mystery meat. Someone selling silk-screened shirts out of a backpack. A guy with a cooler saying “Pop!” Or maybe something else... The hissing of balloons being filled.

Once I went with my brother, but our tickets turned out to be fake and we never got in. Went with Mom once, and she knew more people there than I did. And now I get to go with Miss Mox. I think she'll have fun. She'll be amused by hippies young and old, and by me dancing. I know she'll like going to Chicago...

To me, the Grateful Dead are American music at its finest. Good guitar playing and drumming, great lyrics. All of the American genres: rock, blues, country, jazz, bluegrass. I was introduced to a lot of legendary musicians through them.  They play a lot of covers in their own unique style, which I appreciate in any band.  Add to that the crowd scene and the fact that you could go to several concerts in a row and never hear the same songs, and it's always a fun experience.

I'm not sure what it'll be like, since things have changed so much. It'll be a huge crowd. The guys are around 70; might not be as energetic... The scene outside will be different. The mellow anarchy of the parking lot diminished with Furthur, and is pretty much gone now. But who knows?

I still listen to them almost daily, thanks to satellite radio. I still have Dead stickers on my cars. Generally when I wear a tie it's a Garcia tie. It's part of my DNA now. I've talked about them before, and will again. In fact, I found some things I wrote while they were still touring, so I'll post them in the next few days.