The Dead in L.A. (9/20/03)

Well, I just got home from seeing The Dead. Here's my ramblings before I crash. Amazing seats...like 15th row, outdoors at Irvine Meadows Amphitheater (a/k/a Verizon Wireless whatever). Bill Walton was dancing away in his tie-dye a few rows behind us. I can't find a setlist on line and with Jerry dead, I don't bother writing one down. But I'll try to tell you what I can. It was of course great fun to see the guys...and Joan Osbourne is an amazing addition. But this didn't come close to the New Years show I saw 9 months ago. They had been apart for a few weeks this time and not nearly as tight as NYE. At the same time, it was interesting b/c this show hit the highest highs they could possibly hit AND the lowest lows they could possibly hit. I had never seen both of those achievements in the SAME show before. Over half of the show found most of the audience sitting down, only half-paying attnetion. But when the high points were reached, the whole place came alive, feeling like a real Grateful Dead show. You know, that look where you turn around and there's lights shining, heads bobbing and smiles glistening all the way up the hill to the very top. Maybe 25% of the show accomplished this...and it felt damn good when it happened.

I'll start with the lowest lows. It was very clear that the leader is dead - and all the egos of the more human band members are now allowed to run rampant. I believe I made this point very clear in 2000 after the horrendous Other Ones shows...and obviously the right people weren't listening: MICKEY HART SHOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED TO "SING" 2 SONGS IN THE SAME SHOW. (He shouldn't be allowed to sing ONE, but that's another story). That's problem number one. Problem number two: Bob Weir should NOT be allowed to sing more than ONE lame/cheesy song per night, especially when Jerry isn't there to balance this out with greatness. Problem number three: Joan is an A++ singer in a band that is lacking singing talent. LET HER SING. Why should Bob's vocals drag down a good Jerry song, leaving Joan to do nothing more than shake her ass...when she can nail that song and blow the crowd away?? Most of the time when Joan was allowed to sing, Bob had to make it a duet! Shut up and let her sing!

Anyway, Set 1 was clearly run by Phil and Set 2 was clearly run by Bob. You can guess which one was more interesting. Thank god for liver transplants and Phil Lesh's survival. The show opened strong with Help > Slipknot, which was exactly what I spent the week hoping they'd open with. My memory isn't working now as to what else they played...but it was overall fun, with some great jams. There wsa a cool Strawberry Fields. Ramble On Rose was fantastic, even with Bob singing. One of those special moments. He and the band actually nailed it. Crowd was very psyched. Worth getting on CD. Lowpoint: Mickey singing. As a matter of fact, each set featured a Mickey song. This gave me a chance to both piss AND eat dinner. I believe there must be some aging drummer syndrome that warps the brains of successful drummers. I'll call this Phil Collins Disease. One minute you're a cool, amazing drummer...and the next minute you're a game show host singing "Sussudio". Mickey "sings" with all this Vegas schtick...like he's David Copperfield with a band or something. Save it for the Bay Area Retirement Community in 2020, Mickey.

The second set opened with an excellent acoustic Friend of the Devil, followed by 2, yes 2, god-awful Bob songs. If I wanted to see Ratdog, I'd go to some ever-shrinking theater to see them. Instead, I had to cough up TWICE the amount of money a Grateful Dead show would cost...and to me, that's a binding contract that should muzzle Bob Weir from such drivel. To make matters worse, the 2 Bob songs were followed by more Mickey "singing"! Just when I was about to borrow a flashlight from security to look anywhere and everywhere for Jerry, we were saved. The order can be wrong here since my memory sucks, but there was a great Other One that ignited the crowd, an excellent Drums with 3 drummers thanks to John Molo, and an out-of-control China Doll featuring Joan. China Doll, in my opinion, stole the show. It was my only shit-eating grin of the night...chills, the whole deal...as if the Fat Man were there. Damn she could sing. And the band nailed this - it was like the most powerful, perfect orchestra was backing her up...ONLY THIS group of musicians could create THIS sound...and this one moment alone made the night for me - perfect drums, keyboards, harmonies, bass...reassuring me that Mickey and Ratdog hadn't swallowed the Grateful Dead...and that that IT factor isn't some exaggerated memory from my younger years of GD shows...and that more magic moments may lie ahead. After China Doll, I was waiting for someone to walk onstage and present Joan with a Grammy Award. Definitely need a recording of that song...and need to see more moments like this...if they'll set their egos aside and let an "outsider" sing a little more. Throwing Stones kept the crowd in Grateful Dead show mode...and completing Slipknot > Franklin's Tower was a fun surprise that completely ignited the crowd once again. Excellent. An acapella We Bid You Goodnight was a great way to end the show. The show started and ended very strong. High highs were definitely reached. The middle sucked...and hit lows that made me embarassed to even be there. Is it worth it to sit through the schlock to reach those high moments? I wish they'd figure out a way to avoid those low moments, but yes - it's absolutely worth it...music that interesting and amazing is too special...and too rare.