Grateful Dead

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To the people we met in the Worc.Lot 4/19..(Little Tree Huggers)...Allen and his girl(Im sorry,I suck at remembering names) Thanks again for the 2 Jerry shirts for the twinz....They love 'em peace,George&Amy :-)

Band Of Brotherz is playing more afterparties - this time in Philly (May 1st and 2nd).
Featuring Rob Wasserman and Jay Lane!
Check out their site!
Facebook RSVP

Bob Dylan opens in Milwaukee on 7/1, South Bend 7/4, stopping east of Cleveland 7/11, ending up in Fresno in mid-August.

Have a wonderful time - will be thinking of you this weekend! And don't forget to take you phone out of the oven :)

Bummer about your phone;( My husband went swimming last summer with his. The hairdryer worked great at drying it out. NJ shows rocked. I agree with Mr. Pid that the band seems to sound better each show. See ya'll in Philly.

...where are my penn state gals.??..i have xtras again..lost your #'s though !!..l*j

Get to rest up before the next 2 daze! Need it after the Izod shows. Very little sleep in the last couple days, have great memories, and am anxiously awaiting the next 2 shows!Shakedown continues to be risky with those peddling hippie drugs,in that there seems to be more then usual that will sell you something that is not as it is claimed to be. Be careful about the scams, they are skilled in getting you to part with your money. Otherwise, if you can catch a show or more, GO...and have a blast in whatever manner tickles your fancy! Grate to have them back on the road playing together again!!!

So this will be shows 3 & 4 off this tour, not to mention the Penn show. I'm gonna go ahead and call it now......Morning Dew > Wharfrat > Jack-A-RowSeems theres still about 16 songs (not including Dylan and JGB tunes) that they havn't done yet. Peace- Moye

Now that I've actually attended a couple more shows, instead of just listening to them, thought I might make some observations. They definitely seem to be improving a bit with each show, and with the high baseline they set at the taxi tour shows this has made for a quite pleasurable experience. It is important to remember that this is The Dead, not the GOGD, and it is an evolution in perspective, practice and content. I also saw the 02, 03 and 04 incarnations and where they are now is better than any of those were. I have seen several others comment on one aspect that I find I must agree with, and that is that Warren just isn't loud enough often enough. Jerry would regularly play extremely loud, and that dimension (the loudness, not the particular notes or progressions) is just not present consistently. It's the thing that's holding back those crescendo points from ever really peaking the way they used to. Hopefully they'll figure that out, because most of what Warren is playing is quite good and fits well. Only the occasional spot of "there's that Allman Brothers thing again." Interestingly enough, they did have the good sense to mix Branford hot at times when he was really channeling Jerry. Listen to the Crazy Fingers from 4/29 for a good example. And throwing a meatball like Milestones straight into his wheelhouse, no surprise he hit that out of the park. I'm really glad I got to see the Branford shows because he really did fit in quite well, and was obviously having a great time being there. At points where he wasn't playing he was bopping and dancing right along. The onstage rapport and communication between all the band members seems really high and is certainly fun to watch. They are all quite clearly having a great time with it. Likewise Jeff is fitting right in as well, really kicking it up a notch where appropriate, otherwise providing a great deal of cohesion. Never obtrusive,always tasteful, and obviously an essential ingredient in the mix. It is good that Bob's guitar is more prominent because he is playing quite well despite the occasional equipment issue. He really is a much better guitar player than some people seem to think. I'll chalk up the "updated" vocal timings to "improvisation." Who ever said voice isn't an instrument anyway? And a show just isn't a show without a booted lyric somewhere, right? Phil just seems to never stop smiling, enough so that if you didn't know better you might be tempted to wonder if there wasn't some other reason why. But I'm pretty sure the reason is because he's just having a ball, and he's certainly playing like there's nothing else he'd rather do ever. I'm also happy to see and hear him singing more. I really don't get why some people have an issue with this. Is he Mel Torme, SInatra, Robert Plant? Hell no, he's Phil Lesh, and they're his songs. If he wants to sing them who the hell is anyone else to say no? How many times in the 70's did my friends and I stand in front of him yelling Unbroken Chain? Every show? Don't have to do that any more. Mickey and Billy are really, really on as others have noted. Both nights during Drums there were points where my chest was actually vibrating and my pant legs were flapping. Now if they would only learn to mix Warren that hot where appropriate... All in all, I am happy to have been able to be present where great music was being created, rather than merely replicated, and I'm really looking forward to Friday night. Any one else interested in that opportunity should get themselves to one of these shows. The only possible bad time is one that you might bring along, so do yourself a favor and don't bring one. Go expecting something new yet very familiar, and you will be rewarded. Conversation is always more interesting than recitation, so speak your mind and not someone else's.

quick pop in here: so far, the shows have rocked, the scene has been cool, and the vibe is definately there. peace.