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the dead Red Rocks Amphitheater, July 2003 Sunday Night started off with a perfectly timed meeting of many friends at the Matthews-Winters Park that was quite close to Red Rocks. We all cruised into the parking lot easily and had just a little time to enjoy the scene before we all jumped into Matt's pickup truck and played the "Pregnant Lady" card, of which we held a pair courtesy of Katherine and Mo, to drive up to the top entrance. Following the drop off I road back down with Matt to a lower lot and thankfully followed the parking attendants advice handily missing out on a tow. We met up with those that had remained in the lot and found that going down to the North Path Entrance to entire the amphitheatre worked well as it had less security, shorter waiting times and was quite scenic in addition to be gently downsloping. After assembling in row 41 just left to center as viewed from the stage it wasn't long before the band appeared. As they would do each night and each set, they started with a jam though the setlists on Dead.net don't reflect it. I found it difficult to hear any hints of things to come, but was psyched when the first notes of Scarlet Begonias rang out. There was a good jam out of Scarlet that would lead into Fire on the Mountain and included the re-visitation of the theme and inclusion of the final verse with the "Everybody's playin' in the heart of gold band" exclamation at the end. Sonically Fire on the Mountain sounded very Grateful Dead, but had Mickey rapping his lyrics. Odd, but hey it is his song after all. Extending their run into Good Lovin' was cool and very '77, as was the inclusion of the wonderfully powerful and feminine vocals of Joan Osborne. I didn't really get "No More Do I"; was ok with Queen Jane which completed the opening segment. After starting off with the blonde Telecaster Bobby would favor most of the run he switched to a silvery acoustic guitar and kicked off "It Must Have Been the Roses". Joan took the lead on vocals and the song to heights it has not reached since the Nixon era. We were all blown away with her performance and the wonderful country tones the band took on in support. As the roses faded, excitement rolled through the crowd as the opening notes of the Weather Report Suite Prelude echoed between the ancient monolithic rocks surrounding us. Bobby absolutely nailed the guitar parts on his acoustic with Jimmy Herring offering softly the soaring accompaniment, though did not use a slide as Jerry used to. Joan's background vocals came on strong as they hit Part 1 with the " Summer will come again!" followed by Bobby's heartfelt retort, " Gonna happen everytime!" I was ecstatic to hear this masterpiece and was flashin' 1973' at that point. The band took a 45 minute break as they averaged each night. This left plenty of time for a body break either at the visitor's center or family bathroom at the top. There was good vending as well of apparel, food and beer. Second set kicked off with a Cryptical Envelopment sung by Phil that was fun. I had seen Phil and Friends do this last summer, but The Dead were even better. The following Days Between was led by Joan and better then any version I have heard The Grateful Dead ever produced, it was actually enjoyable. Her soaring vocals were so incredibly interpretive it did Hunter and Garcia proud. The segue into He's Gone was good and the crowd really got into singalong mode. As the notes of St. Stephen rang out, everybody jumped in the air. This tonal qualities of this version were right out of the '77 playbook but had the complete "William Tell Bridge" that was a complete blast as we rambled "stretch his bow to it won't go no further" and on and on into Drums. A resounding applause filled the amphitheater as the non-percussive members of the band left the stage. From Space came a wonderfully country reading of Peggy-O with Phil, Bobby and Joan all singing the words of this tragedy. After a short pause during which Joan left the stage, Phil launched the second verse of Cryptical which shocked me since they hadn't yet done the Other One. The Eleven quickly followed and got everyone shaking. Bird song was sweet with Bobby taking vocals and Joan rejoining. The belated Other One rocked hard and gave way to a disco Music Never Stopped that was one my requests. When the "Hot for seven weeks now, too hot to even sleep now" lyrics sounded it highlighted that this week we had the highest temperatures yet this year, which fortunately in Colorado cooled to the high 70's once the sun goes down.. The Samson & Delilah encore was just good clean fun. It was clear that any song could be played anytime, Joan was a serious contributor and the beast was back.
Monday Night - This night had my brother Jason along who had been of immense help baby sitting Megan the previous night and helping me move many, many loads of rocks from my driveway to the backyard playset. Upon arrival we quick joined with our friends just a few rows from where we had been the previous night. Feel's Like A Stranger was a strong opener and in character of years gone by. The following Baby Blue was a solid reading by Bobby. The subsequent She Said was really great with Joan on lead vocals and the entire crowd providing supporting vocals. Man these guys rock! Loser was totally cool and a great rap up of the opening segment. Self Defense lost me, but Cold Rain and Snow was fun but I again lost the trail until Deal resurrected the excitement. Till the Morning Comes, so awesome with Phil and Joan making great music together. Bob's Candyman was a strong reading and slow as molasses as I like it. Mason's Children got things cooking with Jimmy Herring cranking up to the maximum crunch we had yet heard from him. "A little piece for you" gave me chance to hit the facilities that eventually detoured me from the start of the "Come Together" which was a total rock out. Drums this night were absolutely incredible. Kitaro joined to beat the livin' daylights out of the big drums and Mickey pulled out the "Beam". Following Steve S. and my loud proclamation of " Beat the Thing" , man he did and how. As a capper Mickey, no joke, jumped on top of that thing like a pommel horse and whipped it like he was in the Kentucky Derby. It is not unlikely that loose rocks were dislodged in the process and the crowd was dumbstruck. Space quieted things down and West LA Fadeway got things cruising. Joan strutted the stage in Sugaree as the band powered on behind her, the subsequent Sugar Magnolia was resplendent with a punctuated "Sunshine Daydream". As my brother and I made our way to the bottom we got to hear the Phil call to the crowd," Tonight is the 25th Anniversary of our first performance at Red Rocks, how many of you were here for that?" After the crowd responded with about 50% applause, Phil countered, "Wow you guys are really dating yourselves!" We didn't stay for the Box of Rain encore but heard it as we walked to our car.
Tuesday Night - John Roelke joined me for this night and it was a very solid night all around. Friend of the Devil found Bobby on acoustic again and the crowd on their feet. This segued nicely through Mississippi Half Step to a smoking New Speedway Boogie. Night of a Thousand stars rocked and got the greatest response as any non-Dead song owing to it's comparatively heavy airplay on KBCO and inclusion on last year's KBCO Studio C release. Looks Like Rain was good, though I would have preferred a Black Throated Wind. Deep Elem Blues was reinvigorated as was Stagger Lee. Joan rocked out Mr. Charlie letting us see her bluesy capabilities at their best. Opening the second set was Playin' in the Band that I was very excited to see it as an opener. This version was strong and melted into a jumpin' Shakedown Street which led us to a solid Built to Last with Joan on vocals. Truckin' put Bobby back in the driver's seat and got the sing-a-long going again, it was followed by a jamming Reuben and Cherise with Bobby and Joan sharing vocal chores. Baba Jingo brought an Other Ones song into the fold and me to the facilities. After decent drums and space, out came the band followed by a bunch of children to lead us through Happy Birthday! for Joan. The subsequent Joan led Comes a Time was simply fantastic as were the Uncle Jon's Band and the completing Playin' in the Band Reprise. Turn on your Lovelight may have been a little forced, but kept us dancin', and got Joan out front again. Phil's donor rap started with reminding us this was the 25th Anniversary of their 2nd performance at Red Rocks which generated some laughs for those that were present the previous night. Following the rap Bobby led us through a tight Brokedown Palace marking the completion of first part of the 5 night stand. The next few days would find me engaged in such menial tasks as working for a living.
Thursday Night - I missed this show, but according to reliable sources the performance matched the stellar set list. I can't say I wasn't bummed at missing the Help>Slip>Franklin's trilogy, Eyes of the World or split set Dark Star but did find some measure of solace in knowing there was going to be something to go back for at a later date and a lesson re-learned about missing any night of an extended stand.
Friday Night - Hell in a Bucket got Matt and I off to raucous set, a harbinger of things to come. Joan followed with a bluesy Queen Bee, making it all her own and she again strutted the stage to the crowd's delight. Phil led us through a big and bouncy Alligator that gave way to an interestingly subtle Caution Jam. Mercy me or my, the 60's sound lives on! Aiko Aiko was decent as was the Promised Land that followed, my favorite Chuck Berry song the Grateful Dead regularly performed. Alabama Getaway was a nod to the early days with Brent while Viola Lee Blues took us straight back to the 60's. There was an extensive jam in Viola Lee Blues before the final verse that gave way to crowd pleasing Ripple. Personally I think that this was the strongest first set that I saw of the stand. Following a set break that seemed to go by faster than most, we were shocked and awed when second set started with Drums. It actually took a few moments and a check of my watch to convince myself that I had not just leaped forward in time. This drums were good and included a short "beam" segment though nothing like the previous episode. Following Space we were taken on an agile China Cat Sunflower followed by a churning I Know You Rider. Lady with a Fan> Terrapin Station was in many ways a centerpiece for the night and was solidly performed. I was not disappointed with The Golden Road to Unlimited Devotion nor the Lazy Lightning>Supplication sequence that followed either. The Midnight Hour was raucous and started Matt and I on our way to the stage area where we were but 15 - 20 feet to the right of the band with a view partially obstructed by the band's equipment. We could see the controls for the light show which were cool. The Stella Blue encore was solid and fun to see so close, it was clearer than ever that the relationship among the band and crew was full of camaraderie when all took the stage for a final round of applause and Mickey sent us on our way with a few closing remarks. Conclusion - I hope that multi-night performances at Red Rocks by The Dead will prove perennial as used to be the case at Boston Garden and Madison Square Garden. Such practice would provide their Colorado fans an opportunity to see the vast majority of the active musical repertoire if the band and a chance to spend great times at the world's best amphitheatre located in their own backyard. Plus the boys like Denver. Billy, Phil and Mickey all made public appearances in support of various pet projects and some quick math reveals a healthy pay day for the group's 5 nights plus it must be nice to be in the same place for a week. In addition to the consistent high musical outputs the crowd was a pleasure. Though the scene is much smaller it is also absent the seriously wacked out desperate tour-heads thankfully. All ages were represented and the conduct of all parties was decent in my experience. I think that best t-shirt I saw all week was the one with the following quote on the back: " I have worked very hard my whole life to build something that would not disappear after I am gone" John Jerome Garcia Jerry, my old friend, you would not be disappointed. Finally, a big thank you to my understanding wife Katherine who let me get spendy on tickets and be a semi-absent parent much of the week. If they do indeed return next year, I hope you all can join in the festivities. JP
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