{"id":587,"date":"2015-07-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-07-12T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.nysmusic.com\/2015\/2015\/07\/12\/a-grand-fare-thee-well-from-final-performance-in-chicago\/"},"modified":"2015-07-12T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-07-12T00:00:00","slug":"a-grand-fare-thee-well-from-final-performance-in-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.nysmusic.com\/2015\/2015\/07\/12\/a-grand-fare-thee-well-from-final-performance-in-chicago\/","title":{"rendered":"A Grand Fare Thee Well From Final Performance in Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"

It has been one week since the Fare Thee Well<\/a> shows graced us with their presence on the stage at Soldier Field in Chicago.\u00a0 Sunday\u2019s closer was too incredible to even put into words.\u00a0 Time was needed to decompress and arrange all the thoughts and musical moments of these shows before admitting defeat that the weekend has really, truly, honestly, come to a close.\u00a0 Months of build up to a magical weekend slipped by quickly and before we all knew it, poof, it was gone.<\/p>\n

The events in Chicago over Fourth of July weekend has become more than the Grateful Dead<\/a>.\u00a0 The music that was so heavily anticipated has become greater than the sum of all their shows, albums and memories of the past. The energy surrounding the weekend was filled with nothing but positive vibes and bliss.\u00a0 Have you ever seen so many people in one place that felt incredibly happy to be alive and living in the moment?\u00a0 That\u2019s what Soldier Field contained.\u00a0 It was a gigantic stadium filled with great joy that weaved in and out of the seats, the floor, the walkways, and spilled out into the lot, to Shakedown and beyond. Smiles were everywhere, including Soldier Field staff, security and police.\u00a0 The magical happiness was contagious throughout the city, including hotels, restaurants, and bars. \u00a0What other band can create a ripple effect felt far beyond the reaches of the stage?<\/p>\n

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As for Sunday\u2019s closer, they held nothing back for the final performance.\u00a0 For the three shows, it appeared that Friday\u2019s opener was designed to help fans release all that pent up energy they\u2019ve been holding onto for months. Saturday\u2019s show was a breather, a time to relax and take in the moment.\u00a0 Sunday\u2019s show was the icing on the cake, the big bang, the epic show fans have been waiting for. All the big songs came out to play.<\/p>\n

Trey Anastasio and Bruce Hornsby gave an incredible vocal performance with the opener of \u201cChina Cat Sunflower,\u201d a song not often played at the starting\u00a0position of a show, though maintained its familiarity by properly sliding right into \u201cI Know You Rider.\u201d A crowd favorite, “Estimated Prophet,” and one that has been eagerly anticipated, made an early appearance on the setlist.\u00a0 When the first notes of \u201cEstimated\u201d dropped, the stadium went absolutely insane.\u00a0 Everyone was on their feet jumping up and down, with arms in the air and ecstatic cheers of joy expressed aloud.\u00a0 \u201cBuilt to Last,\u201d from the Grateful Dead\u2019s last studio album, came right onto the set and reminded fans that their music is timeless.\u00a0 \u201cSamson and Delilah,\u201d another heavy fan favorite showed up before going into an unforgettable, tear filled \u201cMountains of the Moon.” “Throwing Stones” had fans stomping their feet, creating a thunderous pounding throughout the stadium. It was an incredible way to close the first set on such an intense high.<\/p>\n

During set break, a surprise fireworks display was set off to the delight of attendees. There were two nights of fireworks in a row?\u00a0 Again, this show was unstoppable with huge surprises in store.\u00a0 No one wanted the evening to end.<\/p>\n

After a 45 minute set break, followed by a long trippy jam session to open, the second repeat of the five show run came into play with \u201cTruckin\u2019,\u201d which made its original appearance in Santa Clara to open the first set of the first performance. How appropriate to have such a dynamic song materialize, once again, during the last set of the last show.\u00a0 Fans went crazy.\u00a0 The energy continued as they grooved into \u201cCassidy,\u201d a tune that\u00a0guaranteed everyone was jumping up and down, dancing their asses off; set two was on fire. \u201cAlthea,\u201d a song many thought may\u00a0open the show, finally emerged with Anastasio on vocals. This cruised right into the big one everyone had been waiting on.<\/p>\n

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Credit: Jay Blakesberg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The<\/em> song that every single person wanted to hear, whether they were in the stadium, listening in their car, or watching on the webcast, finally came out to play. \u201cTerrapin Station\u201d crawled onto the stage and sat there to the thrill of thousands who have been patiently waiting to hear the notes begin. Teases of this tune were hinted at throughout the weekend and to everyone\u2019s delight, finally came to light. Everyone went into a wild frenzy as this mystical melody filled the air. Not surprisingly, it seamlessly meshed into \u201cDrums,\u201d with the Rhythm Devils once again giving a performance that blew everyone away. The trancelike rhythms created by the duo included notes created by what\u2019s known as \u201cThe Beam,\u201d an 8-foot instrument that is strung with 13 bass piano strings all tuned to the note of D.\u00a0 Ghost-like sounds danced from the strings when Mickey Hart strummed this unique instrument.\u00a0 The very last notes of \u201cDrums\u201d included blasts from the locomotive horn, which woke everyone up in the stadium, before a psychedelic \u201cSpace\u201d took over.<\/p>\n

An incredibly rare performance of \u201cUnbroken Chain\u201d appeared mid-set, having only been performed live by the Grateful Dead 10 times before this evening. The same sequence of “Space>Unbroken Chain” was last performed at the final Grateful Dead show on July 9, 1995 at Soldier Field. \u00a0Phil Lesh sang the notes to this song beautifully, and many of his emotions picked up, as fans\u00a0in the audience cried tears of joy to hear this rarity being performed at the last show. Bob Weir then sang \u201cDays Between\u201d exceptionally well before the evening ended with \u201cNot Fade Away.\u201d\u00a0 What a way to end the evening it was indeed.\u00a0 As the performers slowly walked off stage, the Rhythm Devils kept the beat going as the audience belted out the lyrics, \u201cYou know our love will not fade away.\u201d\u00a0 Even as the drummers left the stage, the stadium kept the lyrics going.\u00a0 It was only when Lesh walked back on stage to give his donor rap that the audience chant came to an end.<\/p>\n

The evening was brought to a close with a double encore performance that included \u201cTouch of Grey\u201d and the final, tender rendition of \u201cAttics of My Life.\u201d \u00a0Weir performed on an acoustic as Lesh and Anastasio put their instruments down to sing in tandem to this tearful, grasp at the heart performance.\u00a0 The evening ended with Mickey Hart\u2019s very last words to everyone, \u201cPlease, be kind.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Now that it has been a week of decompressing and digesting what was witnessed last weekend, many fans are finding it difficult to transition back into reality.\u00a0 The energy and vibe felt by all wants to be held onto forever.\u00a0 Something magical happened last weekend in Chicago.\u00a0 There\u2019s no denying it.\u00a0 The feeling of euphoria still lingers with the phantom brush of wristbands still wrapped on an arm, the desire to check the Ticketmaster app for one more ticket drop, and that feeling of wanting to blurt out, \u201cAnyone have extras?\u201d\u00a0 What a long, strange trip it\u2019s been, but this is not the end of a legacy; it\u2019s just the beginning and there are so many roads left to explore.\u00a0 Until then, fare thee well…<\/p>\n

Set 1: China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Estimated Prophet, Built To Last, Samson & Delilah, Mountains Of The Moon > Throwing Stones<\/p>\n

Set 2:\u00a0Truckin’, Cassidy, Althea, Terrapin Station > Drums > Space > Unbroken Chain, Days Between > Not Fade Away<\/p>\n

Encore: Touch Of Grey<\/p>\n

Encore 2: Attics Of My Life<\/p>\n