SHARING THE SHOWS
This post is dedicated to Pete, whom I met before the Trey show one year ago tonight, and he's been my biggest show buddy thus far in my time in DC. One thing I love about Washington, DC is the multitude of Dead cover bands. Hampton Roads had Blind and Dirty and Last Fair Deal, and if you felt like making the trek to Richmond, Suggesting Rhythm. Thus far, I’ve seen ten different ones in the DMV. And tonight was the second-best Dead tribute I’ve seen, #1 being Tampa’s Uncle John’s Band (again, I don’t count DSO or JRAD; they’re concepts). I got to the venue at 8:06, and Free Flowing Musical Experience (FFME), the opener, was finishing up “Jack-a-Roe.” This group plays mostly originals, but some lyrics included “lucy in the sky with diamonds” and “people pushing, people shoving,” so we know who’s influenced them. One song went, “Let’s eat the acid, let’s eat the shrooms.” Another told the true story of how following the road of the Dead led to conflict with his family (“Get over that Dead stuff”). In covers, there was “Jack Straw” and Stephen Stills’s “Love the One You’re With.” As the song played, I wondered if the song was talking about self-love if you’re not partnered. Upon research, I learned it was inspired by a remark by musician Billy Preston, whose relationships were fraught with chaos. So yeah, I’ll take that as a pro-single message. After the band ended, I went for a walk around the Waterfront. Here, I saw the sign for the sold-out B-52s show at the Anthem, which made me think of Jonna and Dani, who I’d talked about those shows with. Between On the Bus’s sets, I took another walk, and the show was exiting. There was pink hair everywhere, and I saw a woman wearing a pair of those 80s-style hoop earrings. Another said the word “totally” in a conversation with her friend, complete with that 80s Valley Girl intonation. This marked On the Bus’s 20th Anniversary Show, and they sound like they’ve playing for that long; they play songs one rarely hears from Dead tributes. My new friend Shana went to see a band called Lovelight at a church called Positively 4th Street (yep, like the Dylan song) in Gloucester City, NJ, and we agreed to exchange setlists. Ours included:
Set 1 Alabama Getaway Greatest Story Ever Told Golden Road (to Unlimited Devotion) Loose Lucy Cassidy Cryptical Envelopment The Other One Death Don’t Have No Mercy Let It Grow Set 2 Samson and Delilah Next Time You See Me Weather Report Suite Terrapin Station Playing in the Band Uncle John’s Band Drums (done in a Gene Krupa-like jazzy style) Space Wharf Rat At “Wharf Rat,” I was pretty spent, and these days, I time my exits by the Metro’s last departure time. I see so many shows; I don’t need to stay until the very end. I’ve gotten my money’s worth. I wore the Weather Report T-shirt I obtained from Shakedown at the D&C Bristow show in 2017. This is the shirt I oughta wear whenever I go to a Dead cover band solo, and I’m not sure if I’ll know anyone. It’s a natural conversation-starter. I got several compliments on it, and it led to some good conversations. Some names I got were Will, Mark, and Eli (who had just moved from Chicago and jumped right into the scene; he was flashing his Cubs T-shirt with the Dead stealie in the middle). Some more meaningful conversations. While dancing in the back of the room, I met a woman named Maggie. When she said her name, I had to tell her, “When I lived in Newport News, my best friend who I went to shows with is named Maggie.” She was stoked to hear that, and I was psyched when she said she lived in my neighborhood and owns a hot yoga studio in Tenleytown. I hope I run into her on Van Ness Street. The best conversation of the night. I met a dude named Harvey, a bartender from Alexandria. Before my setbreak walk, he and I talked, and he shared about an upcoming trip to Peru to engage in a Native American spiritual cleansing. So he wouldn’t be at JRAD. And that got me thinking I’ll aim to cut back on shows and save money for some international travel. I’m thinking India. My friend Ketaki’s out there and informed me of a community of diehard Singles at Heart. I’d love to spend my vacation there. But that’s another story. Harvey asked me if I had a family, and I responded with my usual, “Childfree by choice, happily solo!” “Me too!” he exclaimed, and we exchanged a hand slap/handshake combo. When I went to shows in my 20s, I encountered older philosophical heads who would philosophize, while I’d just nod my head. Now, I’m one of those. I was going on about how the government and media forces this “how to live a normal life” message down our throats, and I included marriage as part of that message. To Harvey’s credit, he added to the conversation, but I suddenly felt my upcoming role at these shows: weird older philosopher type who might have the occasional conspiracy theory. On a lighter note, the interaction and the dancing brought out my goofy side, and I photobombed a few videos. I didn’t apologize, as per Alan’s advice from when I did so during the Slayer show on 5/25/18. The Metro ride home was uneventful, save for a rat that scurried on the tracks. I hope he got out of the way in time for the Metro. If he had made it to the Wharf, he’d be a “Wharf Rat.” Hahahahhahahah…I kill me.
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