What We Learned From Grateful Dead 50th Announcement
By Scott Bernstein Jan 17, 2015 • 11:20 am PST
There’s a number of things we learned from yesterday’s announcement, many of which came from a pair of Billboard articles –one detailing what’s in store and another featuring an interview with Weir & Anastasio. Here’s ten things we learned yesterday:
1. The Core Four Rejected A Big Offer To Headline Bonnaroo
Billboard reported that Lesh, Kreutzmann, Weir and Hart passed up a $3 million offer from Superfly and AC Entertainment to headline this summer’s installment of Bonnaroo.
2. Phil Lesh Wrote A Letter Inviting Trey To Play
“I got a really heart-warming letter from Phil saying that he and the other three guys had talked about it and hoped I would do it,” Anastasio told Billboard. “I didn’t hesitate for a second to say yes. It’s an absolute honor to be part of this final chapter.” Anyone else really curious to read the note Phil sent Trey?
3. Bob Weir Is Still Battling A Shoulder Issue
“I’ve got an issue with my shoulder,” Weir mentioned to Billboard, “but I’ve got a way of working with it now.” As it currently stands, Fare Thee Well will be Weir’s first public appearance with guitar in hand since July.
4. The Core Four Have No Future Plans To Play Together
Despite rumors to the contrary, the Chicago shows are Weir, Hart, Kreutzmann and Lesh’s only planned performances together in 2015. In fact, the shows are billed as Fare Thee Well and the four’s final shows together ever. When pushed on whether this really will be it for the core four, Weir told Billboard “We’ll see, I’ve got some miles left in me, but I’m sure everybody does. I’m the youngest of the guys.”
5. Trey’s Still Really Bad At Timelines
The Phish front man had previously mentioned his first Grateful Dead show took place at the Hartford Civic Center in 1983, but told Billboard the performance went down in 1980.
6. Anastasio’s A Rail Rider
After attending the Hartford show, Trey “went to as many shows as I could, sometimes even standing right in front of Jerry, up on the rail, a few feet away from his amplifier.” Guess he has some empathy for the non-chicks in the front row.
7. Jam Fans Aren’t The Only Ones Interested In These Shows
We were blown away to see how many different outlets reported on Friday’s big news. Sites ranging from Stereogum to Pitchfork to Fox News to the New York Times to the Hollywood Reporter all weighed in on Fare Thee Well yesterday.
8. Fox News Is Really Lazy When It Comes To Headlines
Fox News used the headline Grateful Dead Reuniting With Phish Guy -give the person who came up with that a raise!
9. Chicago’s Central Location Was Key To Its Selection
“First off, it’s centrally located, so a lot folks can get there. We have a large fan base in the East Coast and the West Coast. We have a large fan base in that area. It just seemed if we were going to do one event like that, we ought to take travel into consideration for our fan base,” Weir told Billboard. It didn’t hurt that Soldier Field hosted Jerry Garcia’s final shows with the Grateful Dead in 1995.
10. Trey Is Already Practicing For The Run
“I’ve been listening and rediscovering and it’s been really, really fun,” the guitarist explained to Billboard. “I’ve been going through the history a little bit. About a week ago I decided to start listening to 1968, ’70, ’71 –early Dead, with Pigpen and everything, and it’s incredible stuff. Then I started moving forward in time and playing along with the guitar, relearning the songs.” Anastasio also plans to rehearse with just Weir to start, “Bobby and I have been emailing and we’re going to get together soon and start practicing, just the two of us. After that the seven of us will hole up in a room and play through the tunes. I can’t wait!”
