The Dead | 05.10.09 | Mountain View
By jambase May 12, 2009 • 10:08 am PDT

Words by: Dennis Cook | Images by: Susan J. Weiand
The Dead :: 05.10.09 :: Shoreline Amphitheatre :: Mountain View, CA
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“Grateful Dead Music” is its own genre, a messy chef’s special layered with things that make little sense when you see them on the menu but make you go, “Yum!” when you stick the fork in your mouth. There have been numerous torchbearers since Jerry Garcia’s passing, and being honest, often least among them has been the various aggregates of the surviving Grateful Dead members, who seemed as touched by nostalgia’s sloth as many fans when they came together, seeming more switched-on when they played the same songs with their own outfits. There was, and remains, an empty place set at their table, and up until this show I felt his absence skunked the chemistry of Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, no matter who else surrounded them. But, as the urgent-yet-cooling wave of “Help On The Way” splashed us, the sheer tangibility of the music announced that what they were up to was alive and immediate. And as the well-loved trilogy unfolded that feeling grew as the players spoke to the music in the moment. There was no calling back to old ways, old versions, old feelings. Like the best times with Garcia, this band is serving the music as it comes, premeditation kept to a minimum, slop intact and fearless as all get out.
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For the sum of it all to truly work the music has to have the same divergent palpability and barking great range to encompass all moods, all times, all people… if they’re patient and attuned and open. The Dead themselves proclaim this much, that a concert is a collaborative thing, a joint ritual (pun intended) with strong pagan overtones. The comely fire dancers in tribal dominatrix outfits during “Drums” were almost too obvious in spelling out this aspect of the Dead experience, but nifty just the same. However, during some of the sleepier sections of “Bird Song” and “Space” I was reminded how one should never be in a hurry with these guys. It is what it is, and while “Space” seems positively quaint in a post-Animal Collective, post-Black Dice, post-Akron/Family age, I not only accept their willful lollygagging I embrace it. There’s moments when it all seems a lark, a prank carried with them from their beginnings, to see how long they can wander about like a pack of Mr. Magoos with fat amp stacks in front of 20,000 people. It remains a transgressive, honestly experimental act for a stadium band, and while it may bore one to tears at times I was still cheered to see them going way off-script.
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That’s it – a language they and only they could have invented. Like America herself, The Dead (and before them the Grateful version) are ’bout assimilation, interpretation and pronounced execution. Full of hiccups and sometimes less than planted landings, this music framed by gorgeous, ever-giving compositions is free range, baby. It’ll only stay on the farm until harvest comes, and then it grabs the caboose rail as it passes and moves it down the line. And it was a sense of stasis when Weir, Kreutzmann, Lesh and Hart came together after 1995 that made me wonder if they were capable of carrying their legacy forward. As we swerved hard and fast into “The Other One” in the second set just about all doubt had dissipated. One of my personal litmus tests for the health of anyone attempting “Grateful Dead Music,” this version swung big fists, steel eyes locked on something gleaming just out of reach as they sent us “comin’, comin’, comin’ around, comin’ around, in a circle,” their minds un-bended as the rainbow colors blended. An unhinged yelp escaped my shaking body as I once again came face-to-face with a kind of cosmic reality unique to these musicians. Except, it’s different now and all the better for it.
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While I could delve into specifics, crow about this solo or another, there’s no real reason. The Big Picture is where it’s at with The Dead today. I may indulge in more spot specific observations for this Thursday’s performance for those hung up on details, but for now I’ll say that against all expectations I left the amphitheatre much like I did the Greek Theatre on July 13, 1984 – ravenous as hell and ready to wave that flag high and proud.
The Dead :: 05.10.09 :: Shoreline Amphitheatre :: Mountain View, CA
Set I: Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Franklin’s Tower, Good Lovin’, Cassidy,
Birdsong > Uncle John’s Band
Set II: Unbroken Chain, The Other One > Rhythm Devils (Drums) > Space >
Sugaree, Gimme Shelter > Sugar Magnolia
Encore: St. Stephen > The Eleven > Touch of Grey
Continue reading for Part II of our Dead at Shoreline coverage…
The Dead :: 05.10.09 :: Shoreline Amphitheatre :: Mountain View, CA
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The party in the lot didn’t really get off the ground until I was about ready to head into the venue, as I had lawn seats and wanted to get a spot on the only fully horizontal section near the rear of the main concert bowl. It’s pretty comical that after all these years hosting concerts, and more importantly hosting Dead shows, that this venue can still bungle the process of parking early-arriving vehicles! At one point there seemed to be more parking lot attendants than cars, with no clear leadership or direction as to where those cars should go. The security presence was also a bit overbearing for my taste, with large groups of yellow-coated staff patrolling the burgeoning little lot, swiftly shutting down any vending. Ah well, it was a beautiful California spring day, we parked right next to the Furthur bus, and someone had two PA speakers cranking out soundboards all afternoon. Not so bad, really.
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With little hesitation and no meandering opening jam, the boys slammed into “Help On The Way.” I’ll admit some ambivalence over “Help” as an opener, as I feel adventurous, challenging tunes are sometimes better served when the band and the sound are better dialed in. And despite having secured the best lawn position possible, the sound was pretty pale and just not loud enough. Experience told me to relax and wait a few tunes for the situation to improve, but alas the poor fidelity continued and impeded the effectiveness of the whole first set. I even had that weird thing happen where I found myself judging the music by the reaction of people in the first twenty rows. I could feel the intention of the band, however, and that was clearly to dive right in and try to take us somewhere. “Help On The Way” was executed perfectly, and “Slipknot!” patiently developed. A sense of relief waved through the crowd when “Franklin’s Tower” somewhat awkwardly jumped out of “Slipknot!,” as this is far from a foregone conclusion these days. Pedestrian takes on “Good Lovin'” and “Cassidy” followed. There was nothing wrong with these tunes per se, no train wrecks or missed cues, just a sense that everyone was still warming up and that they weren’t firing on all cylinders yet.
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As night fell, the band eased into the second set with “Unbroken Chain,” a surprising but always welcome choice. Phil, like Bobby, has taken to re-phrasing the vocal delivery of many signature tunes, this time stretching some lines to near breaking point. It always makes me a bit anxious hearing this song, as my mind’s eye is still trained on Jerry’s inability to play it well in 1995. I have to consciously remind myself that this band can much more easily navigate the trickier paths of the Dead catalog (they’ve been handling “King Solomon’s Marbles” just fine on this tour, after all). The riff-based, instrumental section of “Unbroken Chain” really took flight. Warren was digging in, the sound overall was finally reaching an acceptable volume, and the show was taking off. “The Other One,” complete with Phil’s thunderous bass intro, expanded and retracted, eventually reaching the twenty minute mark. Everyone in the band except Jeff Chimenti and the drummers gradually left the stage, and Jeff led Mickey and Billy into a funkified Rhythm Devils segment, playing a Herbie Hancock inspired groove on the Rhodes. All of Jeff’s organic keyboard tones were fantastic all night – piano, Rhodes and B-3 sounds that make you wonder why the Grateful Dead wandered so far off course in this regard towards the end. Chimenti proved to be the perfect guy for this job all night long, continually infusing authentic jazz-based ideas into taught, muscular rock jams. His splashes of McCoy Tyner or Bill Evans chordal voicings were never overdone but balanced with a clear understanding of the rolling Keith Godchaux bar room piano sound.
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Then, in a move that really made the 20,000 seat venue seem a lot smaller, a troupe of fire dancers appeared, creating sculptures of light at the lip of the stage. A very nice touch. The “Space” that followed managed to be hypnotic and gnarly at the same time. “Sugaree,” which mysteriously blossomed out of the mire, was a highlight of the night. Perhaps a bit slow for some tastes, I found the paced delivery to be stately and dignified, and Bob’s vocal phrasing actually worked really well in this context. Both Warren and Jeff took fantastic solo breaks in this long version. In a break from tradition that I found refreshing, the band brought “Sugaree” to a gentle conclusion, rather than insisting that every post-drums song be connected by a segue, no matter how forced or awkward.
“Gimme Shelter” came next and gave Warren a chance to sing his first full lead vocal of the night. The song is well suited to his throaty growl, and the band built up some serious heat behind his solos. “Sugar Magnolia,” never a disappointment, was really tight and had the venue grooving as one. One thing about this version of The Dead, for better or worse, when they pick a tempo they tend to stay there. After years of slippin’ and slidin’, it must feel good to Bobby to be able to deliver one of his best tunes with such confidence in the groove. In fact, Bob seemed confident all over, playing as instinctively as ever with a startling inventiveness. On this night he bounced back and forth from his mid 70s-era Gibson hollow-body to the late ’80s pink Modulus Strat (with Zebra striped strap to complete the get-up).
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I have to admit, my ears (and feet) were almost fully taxed at this point. I think these guys had the audience beat in terms of energy, which probably says a lot about the restorative powers of playing music. Warren, in particular, has a heavy burden placed on him. From most reports, the “core four” have not been overly specific in what they want him to do, but his work is cut out for him, trying to occasionally lead this unruly beast of a band. Playing with The Dead seems to have greatly expanded his musicality, though. He now develops narrative ideas slowly and methodically, instead of applying a blues-based approach. In retrospect, I was happy to see these guys towards the end of the tour, when they are clearly reveling in the open channels of onstage communication. And as they took their bows, the smiles and laughter seemed to hold promise of a continued future. Onto the next show!
The Dead :: 05.10.09 :: Shoreline Amphitheatre :: Mountain View, CA
Set I: Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Franklin’s Tower, Good Lovin’, Cassidy,
Birdsong > Uncle John’s Band
Set II: Unbroken Chain, The Other One >*Rhythm Devils (Drums) > Space >
Sugaree, Gimme Shelter > Sugar Magnolia
Encore: St. Stephen > The Eleven > Touch of Grey
There are a bunch more pics of this show, including all the fire dancers here.
Order the show for Download on LiveDownloads.com.
The Dead perform again Thursday night (05/14) at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA. Check back for another double-review following the show. Complete Dead tour dates available here.
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