SHARING THE SHOWS
I don’t regularly tear up at shows, but tonight, I came pretty close. It wasn’t the lyrics per se, but sometimes, you just feel a deep connection with the music, and it just takes you over.
Everywhere I turned, someone was telling me I needed to see Billy Strings. Gary, Pete, strangers on Facebook. So I figured when I saw he’d be playing at the Anthem, it’d be an item to cross off the list. But it was so much more than that. During their “Dust in a Baggie” opener, the goosebumps pretty much owned by body, and they kept coming back throughout the show. I don’t know the titles of too many of his songs, but Pete pointed some out: “Taking Water,” “Hide and Seek,” “Turmoil and Tinfoil,” and “Away from the Mire.” I was also stunned by his digital light show; I never would have expected it from a jamgrass artist. I got to the Wharf at about a quarter to six, and we repeated our dining experience at Bistro d’Jour. I generally don’t like to get the same item when I go to a restaurant, so I ordered the Croque Madame, a fancy ham, egg, and cheese sandwich (which I forgot to snap). After dinner, Pete’s crew, Daryl, Mike, and Chip, parted for the VIP seats, while Pete and I made our way to the General Admission Line with the rest of the peons. The line extended pretty much to the far end of the Wharf, something I’d never seen before. Fortunately, it moved at a reasonable pace, and we were in at about 7:40. The coat check was about as long, and after some deliberation, we decided to suck it up and stand in there. Free is free, right? Go FWB! I typically hang in the back at general admission shows due to more dancing space, but that was tough to find at this show. I’d never seen the Anthem quite so packed in the back. It was so rough Pete and I moved toward the left side so we could have more room. It was much better for my dancing space. Quick shout-out to all the people I saw: Burt, Eve, Evan, Meggan, Kat, Lewis. It was great seeing you. It’s lovely being able to connect with people now that we’re in post-lockdown, and the shows have been great for that. I’m planning a hiatus until the moe. New Year’s show in Philly. And after a crazy weekend, I’m in need of some downtime, especially before my Thanksgiving travels. Enjoy the long weekend, everyone!
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The title of this blog is based on the joke that I go to all these concerts, but I found a three-week break was a good thing. Introverted Craig needed a couple of Saturday nights to sit home and watch movies. So he was completely re-energized for JRAD. Mark came up around 4, and we Metroed it down to the Anthem. On the way down, we talked to Andrew, a dude in a Dead & Company shirt, who was going to “a birthday party and then a show.” Quite a nice evening. We met up with Pete, Andrea, and Mike at Bistro du Jour, the French restaurant we went before DSO back in March, where I enjoyed some Coq Au Vin: After dinner, Pete, Andrea, and Mike headed toward their VIP seats, while Mark and I joined the rest of the peons on the floor. I gotta thank Pete for that hook-up with the Friends with Benefits program. As of this writing, I’ve earned enough for a free show at the 9:30 Club, but I’m working toward a show at the Anthem (1,000 points). But, for now, I’m enjoying the free coat check.
We headed toward the front to meet with Stephen, Zhanetta, and Daniel, where we chatted for a bit. I separated to go to the back of the floor, where I like to have room to dance around. A guy named Wes complimented me on my T-shirt, and he brought to my attention you can see the words “Grateful Dead” when you read it upside down. The Grateful Dead themselves had songs that most often functioned as set openers, set closers, mid-show long jams, and encores. Most cover/tribute bands follow suit. JRAD does none of that; there’s no set pattern. They can do fast and slow jams within the same songs, which makes them unique. The first set rocked. Highlights for me were the “Black Throated Wind,” “Ruben and Cherise,” and believe it or not, “They Love Each Other.” While I can’t stand the slow version of it, this one rocked pretty hard. “Crazy Fingers” and “Estimated Prophet” rocked pretty hard too. And so made the whole set. During setbreak, I ran into Kathy and met some other new local folks, including Wright, John, and Nancy. As I’ve moved to DC, it’s been fun meeting other local heads. The second set started slowly with “It Hurts Me Too” and gradually picked up with “Second That Emotion,” “Eyes of the World,” and “Playing with the Band.” “Foolish Heart” was my favorite part of the set. I was fading out during the long jam that was “New Minglewood Blues,” and I was gone and ready to introvert by the time “Terrapin Station” closed the set. After running into Mark before the encore I woke up and grooved when the band busted out “Jessica,” a nice surprise. Amazing show, but it felt great to sit down on that subway seat and even better to lie down in my bed. Next weekend will be my first Billy Strings experience. Today is a recuperation day. Grateful Dead Meetup at the Movies - Landmark E Street Cinema - Washington, DC - November 5, 202211/6/2022 I was talking shop with William, a colleague I’ve grown fairly close with (on a professional level) on the phone Friday. He asked me about my weekend plans, and I mentioned I was going to see a concert film. He asked which one, and since we’ve worked closely together for the last two years, and I’ve proven myself on a professional level to him, I confessed I was a Deadhead and was seeing the Grateful Dead concert performance that would screen this weekend. “I know,” he replied.
He went onto say he saw me on campus wearing a Grateful Dead T-shirt and Birkenstocks. That’s impossible because I don’t own Birkenstocks, and I would never wear a Grateful Dead T-shirt to my worksite; I try to keep that part of my persona muted. I’m sure he wasn’t messing with me, but the fact that he poinpoint me as a Deadhead makes me wonder: do I project vibes? After a Saturday spent grading journals, sending emails to advisees, and napping, I hopped the Red Line to Metro Center to see this Meetup at the Movie, the first one scheduled since before the pandemic started (my last memory is when Gary, Maggie, and I went to the AMC at Virginia Beach's Lynnhaven Mall). Since it’s the 50th Anniversary of the boys’ legendary Europe ’72 tour, the screening was one of the shows from that run: April 17, 1972 at Tivoli Concert Hall in Copenhagen, Denmark. I would’ve loved to backpack across Europe for that tour. I was “grateful” (get it) that my first performance in nearly two weeks would be at a movie theater. It would build me back up for the next two weekends, both of which contain shows (JRAD and Billy Strings). I love the Landmark E Street Cinema, which shows mostly documentaries and independent films; I had seen documentaries on Tom Petty and the Velvet Underground last year, and the sophisticated look contrasts with the corporate vibe I get from most other theaters (Regal, Cinemark, etc.). I seated myself in the back and was surrounded mostly by elderly-looking folks who had no doubt seen the Dead in the 70s. There was one father who brought his son, a mother who brought her daughter, a few group of friends, and by my count, five other solo travelers. The old-school heads conversed during that time leading up to the show. One person had seen the Dead twice back in the day, another commented on how he couldn’t handle the big venues that hosted groups like Dead & Company, the mother said, “It’ll be your last chance.” At one point, the conversation of Phil shows came up, and one person didn’t even know Phil Lesh still played. I brought up the sheer awesomeness of the shows at the Cap, and said person said with a slight sneer, “What’s the Cap?” Without missnig a beat, I said, “The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. Phil plays there every October.” “Oh, that’s an intimate venue, right? It must be real easy to get tickets,” he said with sarcasm dripping from his tongue. “It was very easy,” I responded. That whole exchange surpised me; the side club is named Garcia’s. Oh well. The show started with some advertising for all the shows on Nugs.net, as well as merch for sale from this year’s Meetup. No thanks; I own enough Dead-related paraphernalia. Before the concert, we saw some “talking heads” interviews with some of the people who were around for that tour, including Donna Jean Godchaux and Mountain Girl. They talked about wearing Danish sweaters during their jaunt in Denmark. We also got an interview with a Danish Deadhead. The setlist (rearranged for the purpose of the movie) went as follows: It Hurts Me Too Ramble on Rose El Paso Big Railroad Blues Truckin’ Me & Bobby McGree Chinatown Shuffle China Cat Sunflower I Know Your Rider Jack Straw He’s Gone (debut) Next Time You See Me One More Saturday Night Credits: Big Railroad Blues I was transported back to my senior year in college, when I had gotten heavily into Phish and was discovering live Dead. I had purchased the Skull and Roses album on CD and had fallen in love. “Big Railroad Blues,” a staple of 70s Dead shows, was on that album, as was “Me & Bobby McGee,” which I didn’t know had been played by Janis Joplin until a couple of years after I heard it (upon further research, I learned it’s a Kris Kristofferson tune). One other thing: Weir missed a verse on “Truckin’” (“Arrows of neon and flashing marquees out on Main Street”) to great laughter from the heads surrounding me. I can be hard on myself when I mess up; if Weir can do that and still maintain our adoration, then maybe I don’t need to be so hard on myself. It was one more lovely Saturday afternoon. Shout-outs to members of my tribe who grooved out to this in other places: Pete (Baltimore). Shana (Haddonfield, NJ) Johnny Mac (somewhere in VA) Wherever we saw it, we were all united. Weir everywhere. |
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April 2024
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