In my first post, Dead and Company at The Gorge, you read about a fantasy venue, the actual experience of getting to The Gorge and making camp and meeting up with all of you, with various and sundry musings; Now, here’s footage of the actual show and my musical experience, Dead at The Gorge, June 7 2019. For best results, watch or reference the full show video below as you read.

First Set:

(Sadly, the complete video of the show has been removed by Nugs, but please check out the individual stream links underneath each entry, or purchase the Nugs.net professional show)

Feel Like a Stranger: I love a good Stranger opener, since it can be kind of like a “Welcome..you’re here, we’re here (Weir here) buckle up kids; it’s gonna get weirder”. This Stranger was S-L-O-W to start (who can blame them, really, when it was in the low 50’s and windy as all get-out) but it heated up during the first jammy jam and continued to grow. Oteil’s smile abt about 11:33, tells it all as the jam gets even better as it goes. There are a lot of clever moments towards the end of the song.

Cumberland Blues: A rollicking good time, as always. Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy dancing. Start yer engines, ladies and gents! Thank Jeff Chimenti for his golden fingers on the keyboards, moving the crowd, as we’re jumping up and down at 19:50!

Dire Wolf: Slower version, but how could you not enjoy The Wolf? Jeff Chimenti bringing it, as he does for the whole show.

Loser: Changing pace here, getting deeper, lovely version. Check out minutes 35:22 thru 35:17 of the show to hear a beautifully soaring solo from Mayer. “I got no chance of losing..this time”. Yup, that’s what he said, and he meant it.

Loose Lucy: Bobby sounding good here, with Mayer and Oteil singing the Jerry-ette refrains. Check out 44:45 for some simply classic John Mayer chicken-neck moves that will get you chuckling.

It Must Have Been the Roses: YAWN…Yes, Yes.. I realize I’m apparently the only one who thinks this was a yawn-fest, despite it being a break out for Dead and Company. There was just nothing stand-out about this for me. Love songs are supposed to be slow, but this was just pedestrian to me. I remember leaning over and feigning boredom to Jackie during this, much to her amusement. In fact, as I re-listen and watch, i’m restless again. Pee break?

The Music Never Stopped: Fantabulous! If i complain about TMNS you have my permission to swat me. People joining hand in hand while the music plays the band, indeed. Sweet vocals between Mayer and Weir, with Mayer’s hand dancing over the frets sweetly. At 1:02:23, the transition begins to the jam that then takes off and gets the show going to where it should have been earlier…music building from here and soaring through lead solos. Bobby gives us some nice “Never Stop, Never Stops” toward the end, and then the band funkifies the ending at 1:07 that you’ll love checking out. I LOVE THIS SONG!

END OF SET 1.

**Set Break! Time to buy ab overpriced beer!**

Second Set:

Here Comes Sunshine: The band returns, and dusk has fallen, and it is c-c-cold, so what else is more apropos than playing Here Comes Sunshine? I’m so very happy here, and I recall feeling the golden sweetness that this tune, reminiscent of old Grateful Dead, bringing us back, so sweetly embedded in our collective consciousness. There’s also a jam at about 1:17:35 that gets the crowd tingly, sounding a bit to me like China Cat jam, descending gracefully back to Sunshine at 1:18:52,

start this vid at 11:00…otherwise, screen saver. egueing into—>

Dark Star: Say Wha? Surprise segue, completely changing gears. Mayer-Chimenti jam funky-psychedelia at 1:23:55 that you’ll want to check out. As an aside, beautiful visuals on the jumbotron screens at 1: 25 to accompany the space jam. As a big bass fan, I’m listening simultaneously to John Mayer shred while Oteil holds it down, as Oteil is featured at 1:29:30, eyes closed, deep into it, passing it back to Mayer and the band..and just too many stellar moments to single out. (Ending is weak, but that’s been sorta the norm these days)

Scarlet Begonias: Bobby takes the lead here, as we all celebrate summer with Scarlet, crowd dancing hard and smiling collectively, jumping as we crescendo at 1:38:28, and descending, only to ascend again and again. We’re soaring as Mayer shreds, 1:39:40…Bobby taking up the lyrics again “Sky was Yellow, and the sun was blue, Strangers Stopping Strangers just to shake their hand”, and Mickey and Billy pound it out, only to get spacey/funky again, in a middle eastern Scarlet jam with gorgeous keyboard details that lets me dance the way I need to dance… fading nicely into—>

Amateur vid of Scarlet above. For FLAC recording from John Hermson.. go here:

China Doll: Oteil! Oteil! Oteil! Chimenti Chimenti Chimenti! Oteils soulful heartfelt velvety rendition of this slow and intense ballad is heartwarming and beautiful, as Jeff’s keys accompany him subtlety and perfectly, interspersed with John’s soaring lead notes intermittently. China Doll, a ballad about a suicide, does not judge, only discusses, and the “voices” of the instruments in this rendition are respectful and gentle…no answers given as we find ourselves with room to explore we are led gently back into —>

Dark Star: …A brief but ever so delicate and tasty snack, as Mayer and Chimenti, (those keyboards..that soaring guitar solo)…and then Bobby comes in with perfect Bobby vocals.. “Shall we go you and I? While we can? Through the transitive nightfall of diamonds..”, and the Dark Star universe space opens up simply into —>

(see above link for Dark Star from China Doll)

Eyes of the World: Guitars all flying up and down the musical staircase, with Bobby’s classic off-center rhythm chops, and the drummers have a party, as the music plays the band. Listen in as a stunning musical conversation begins in earnest at 2:07:05 between Chimenti, Mayer, and Bobby, joined swiftly by the rest of the band, bass notes pummeling, drums pounding. The kids? We dance off the cold, smiles a-plenty, through the whole gloriousity.

Drums->Space: Always an author favorite.. never ever a pee break time for this girl, and this is no exception as the band drifts off the stage, leaving our sorcerer-in-chief Mickey Hart to lead the charge, as Billy holds it down, and Oteil puts down his bass and joins the drummers in a calypso-Caribbean jam that invites us in to explore the nooks and crannies of a dark underworld. We are treated to lots of bass thunder as Mickey and Billy duel it out, before Mickey heads over, bow in hand to play his beam, and steals our faces.. just a bit. No one loves a good face-steal more than THIS GIRL! The band tiptoes back on stage to help transition us in a stunning Space, and then…..

we slide into—>

Black Peter: This begins almost ragtimey.. as Bobby tells the story of Peter, laying on his deathbed.. not so dirgey as bluesy in this version. Think sliding guitar riffs a’ la Rooster, and 2:35:15: “See here how everything leads us to this day, and its just like any other day that’s ever been..Kinda funky (not in a good way) off-key harmonies on Mayers part, but, hey they’re trying, and Bobby’s so classically Bobby here that it doesn’t matter. “Run and see!”

Casey Jones: We get a 1-2-3-4 to lead us out of Peter and into Casey Jones. What can I say.. A classic crowd pleaser (not always my favorite unless it’s served up with a twist of some kind). I just think there are better song choices, since i’ve been listening to CJ for just about forever.

ENCORE: Ripple. Honestly, we hightailed it out of the crowd, as this acoustic version of the familiar crowd-pleaser filled the air. All homey cared about at that point was beating the zillions of our compatriots through the narrow pathways and that crazy tunnel without getting squished like year at Phish. J and J and I congratulated ourselves as we landed at our campsite and cracked open the cold ones in our lawn chairs. NIGHT 1? CHECK CHECK.

YouTube by A free man in america 6/7/19

RIPPLE Encore The Gorge