NYS Music 20​15

Tag: Grateful Dead 50th Anniversery

  • Fare Thee Well Opens in Chicago on High Note

    Chicago has turned into Deadheadland.

    Fans have descended upon the city from all over the world to see the last three performances from the “core four” members of the Grateful Dead. Since Jerry Garcia’s death, the band stopped playing as a unit and have branched off into other directions.  The 50th Fare Thee Well opened with two performances in Santa Clara last weekend and those shows paled in comparison to last night’s three-day run opener.

    After a few minutes of the band noodling around, the show opened with Phil Lesh singing “Box of Rain.”  The evening took off from there.  The energy in Soldier Field was off the charts.  Fans have been waiting for these performances since the announcement of the run earlier this year.   Trying to get tickets put many on emotional roller coasters, as they were in high demand and extremely hard to find.  The first note that dropped finally released all that pent up anticipated energy from the crowd.

    The band grooved right into “Jack Straw” followed by a surprisingly early appearance of “Bertha.”  Trey Anastasio took the lead on vocals and nailed it, as the crowd went into a dancing frenzy.  The notes rolled right into “Passenger” followed by an improvisational extended jam of “Wheel>Crazy Fingers.”  The first set ended on an appropriate note with Bob Weir on vocals to “The Music Never Stopped.”

    After an hour-long set break, second set opened with “Mason’s Children” followed by the powerhouse fan favorite duo of “Scarlet Begonias>Fire on the Mountain.”   When “Drums” pops its head, many make a beeline for the bathroom, however, this psychedelic version had many running back to their seats.  The Rhythm Devils really pulled out all the stops for this arrangement.  Words can’t describe how blown away the crowd was when this flowed onto the set.

    Second set was heavy with fan-favorite jams, including “Playing in the Band” and teases of “West LA Fadeaway.” The set closed with an impressive “Help on the Way>Slipknot>Franklin’s Tower.”  Encore of “Ripple” had fans shedding tears of joy across the stadium.  Night one was just the beginning, but the three day run is off to a incredible start.

    Set One: Box Of Rain, Jack Straw, Bertha > Passenger, The Wheel > Crazy Fingers > The Music Never Stopped

    Set Two: Mason’s Children, Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain, Drums > Space > New Potato Caboose, Playing In The Band > Let It Grow, Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Franklin’s Tower

    Encore: Ripple

  • Dear Jerry Merriweather Show Features Dead Members and More

    Fear not, ye Deadheads who failed to get tickets to Chicago. Another event to celebrate 50 years of the Grateful Dead is in the works, and it’s going to be one hell of a show. Dear Jerry: Celebrating the Music of Jerry Garcia will be held Thursday, May 14, at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. Former Dead members and bands that were influenced by the Dead will gather to pay tribute to the legendary frontman.

    Dear Jerry Header

    The bill is currently comprised of the following acts: Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann’s Billy & the Kids, Bob Weir, Bruce Hornsby, Buddy Miller, David Grisman, Eric Church, Greensky Bluegrass, Jimmy Cliff, Jorma Kaukonen, Los Lobos, Moe., O.A.R., Railroad Earth, The Disco Biscuits, Trampled By Turtles, Widespread Panic, Yonder Mountain String Band and Communion featuring Phil Lesh, Stu Allen, Grahame Lesh, Ross James, Alex Koford, and Jason Crosby. And if that’s not enough – even more performers are slated to be added.

    The venue parking lot will open at 3:30 p.m., doors will open at 5:30 p.m, and the show is set to begin at 7 p.m.

    Keith Wortman and Don Was – who are responsible for large-scale concert events to honor other musical greats like Johnny Cash, Levon Helm, Dr. John, Gregg Allman, Mavis Staples and Emmylou Harris – are putting together the concert. Wortman is the executive producer, and Was is the musical director, and he’ll lead an all-star band that will back the performers. The Jerry Garcia family is co-producing.

    “It’s exciting to have so many phenomenal artists performing in this special musical tribute to my dad, Jerry Garcia!” Trixie Garcia said in a press release announcing the event. “‘DEAR JERRY: Celebrating the Music of Jerry Garcia’ speaks volumes to Jerry’s lasting influence in the ears and hearts of his fans and fellow musicians. Join us in celebrating the legacy that inspired so many.”

    DearJerry

    The concert will be filmed and recorded for distribution on both traditional and digital media.

    There’s merch available already and the concert organizers are encouraging people to tweet “Jerry moments” using the hashtag #dearjerryconcert.

    Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, March 13, via Ticketfly.com or by calling 877-4FLY-TIX. They can also be purchased in person at the venue box office. Those who have a Citi card will have access to a presale that will run from noon March 10 to 10 pm. March 12.

    A percentage of the proceeds will go to the Rex Foundation, which has a broad mission to help underprivileged and indigenous people as well as promote a healthy environment and the arts. The nonprofit organization was formed in 1983 by members of the band with help from family and friends.

    http://youtu.be/idUIhfmOkfI

  • Update: Grateful Dead Fare Thee Well Mail Order

    Dead fans across the world have been desperate to hear back from the Fare Thee Well Mail Order room about their tickets to the bands 50th anniversary shows at Chicago’s Soldier Field. With the public on-sale date of Feb. 28 rapidly approaching – unfortunately – it doesn’t look good. With over 60,000 requests for 350,000+ tickets it’s estimated that only one in ten fans will be singing “Truckin’” instead of “Brokedown Palace”. Team Dead encourages fans who do not hear back on mail order by the public date of Feb. 28 to try and get tickets that day.

    farethee

    Check out the whole statement below and good luck!

    We’ve been submerged in a sea of mail and are coming up for a breath of air to give you an update on where we stand right now. We are 75% of the way processing all of the orders, working 24/7 to get your money orders back to you. There were many, many times more order requests than anyone imagined, thousands and thousands with beautiful art. We are trying to let as many folks as possible know their status before the onsale date. Emails will go out to the winners starting in the next two days. Your chances of receiving tickets from us are 1 in 10, so if you have not received a winner’s email from us by the on-sale date, you may want to consider on line ticket sales to increase your chances.

    Tickets will be mailed out in June.

    Please do not email us at this time as we will not be able to answer your inquiry.

    Okay, we are taking a deep breath and going back under.
    The crew of GDTS TOO
    2.23.15