I got a chance to hook up with my friends and make the Dead and Company shows in Boulder, Colorado, on June 17-18 this year.
Boulder is an unusually nice place to be, at any time of the year, but in early summer it is delightful. Gorgeous weather, the Rocky Mountains, and outdoor music: what more could you want?
This is the 50th anniversary of Europe '72, felt by many people to be the best Grateful Dead album of them all, and the two Boulder shows dipped deeply into that history, featuring 10 selections from that album, all told:
- I Know You Rider
- Ramble on Rose
- He's Gone
- Brown Eyed Women
- Truckin'
- Morning Dew
- One More Saturday Night
- China Cat Sunflower
- Hurts Me Too
- Mr. Charlie
The band also included many other fan favorites, both older ones (Viola Lee Blues, The Other One, Wharf Rat, Bertha) and newer ones (Althea, Terrapin Station, Let It Grow)
I particularly enjoyed a number of covers of other music that I hadn't ever heard them play in person, including:
- All Along the Watchtower
- Dear Mr. Fantasy
- Hey Jude
- Milestones
All in all, it's a remarkable catalogue.
Somewhere I read that Jerry Garcia was known to have performed over 1,000 different songs in his career (which wasn't all with the Grateful Dead). This First Monday essay states that the Grateful Dead are known to have performed over 450 unique songs.
I had a wonderful time, and I do hope I get the chance to do something like this again.
Hey! I still wasn't the oldest person at the shows, not by a long shot!
No comments:
Post a Comment