Dear Mom - Letters to Heaven

Monday, August 06, 2012

Jerry Week The Days Between 08/06/2012


Happy Day 6 of Jerry Week. Today's show is 9/22/1987 Spencer Davis Opens the Second Set. I remember seeing a white strat as Bobby introduced him. Everyone is up on their feet in an instant rush, cheering as they launch into Gimmie Some Lovin'. Hard to tell who was first us or Phil's Bass Line.

It's been a great week so far and I'm truly inspired by the interviews from Bobby's web feed. It was sweet seeing and hearing Bobby and Donna singing again and side by side. Good ol' grateful dead we miss Keith as well as Brent, Ron and Vince. No crazy Dead stories today. We took a road trip discovered a new State Park and roads not taken. I will zig back and say this 9/22/87 show is tearing up little red rooster right now- third song in on the first set.

So road trip; We celebrated Jerry Weekend by going to see the Allman Brothers Band in Raleigh at Walnut Creek Amphitheater Saturday night. I gotta say that's a nice venue and we had pretty good seats for pulling the trigger late but they were searching for tickets because on a Saturday night in Raleigh that show was sold out.


The Band? I can't even write about how good they were I can't even find the words to begin describing. Words are utterly useless in even getting close to what we witnessed Saturday night and a recounting of the set list pointless. I have seen this band almost as often as I've seen the Dead and if anyone thinks they are slowing down you have got to be kidding me. Mindblowingly tremendous, jaw droopingly stupendous, phenomenally beyond comprehension, dumbstruck, blown away again?????? Left a smoking creator on my mind, faced, laughingly ridiculously, speechless. I guess they're warmed up now!!???!! Shrugged shoulders can't explain shaking of the head wide eyed bowed - do it again???!!!!!??!!!

Jaw Dropping is the first phrase I could utterly speak. Just utter and sheer dis-belief. An anchor of a rhythm section Hammond B-3, three drum sets and a bass that could have saved the Titanic. Oteil I love you.

There are no words that I can utter that can even touch what we witnessed Saturday night. I'm having a religious experience during Dreams. Warren and Derek. That's all I can say and Gregg. His color was good, his voice was fine. Liver transplant, pneumonia that cut short the European tour, book tour with tired interviews, Hepatitis, it looks like the Hernia is all that is bothering him now as he ambled down from his keyboard rig a little stiffly at the end of the show, and when he and Butch took a short break mid show.

Blazing set list real core ABB Dreams Liz Read, One Way Out, Statesboro Blues, Electric Midnight Rider, Black Hearted Woman. Tell me that tune doesn't chug. Its the performance behind those familiar titles that's the deal in the moment as we all know. They hit the note kids with a rocket launcher. This show still had people applauding even after Little Martha finished playing over the PA system. The lights were already up and the stage hands were striking the show and applause at the end of Little Martha from the still standing fans...too much.

Ahhh the fans - now this I can write about. I've seen the ABB with their family in Macon but North Carolina is sort of a second home to them friends and family living there. I knew when I saw Lynyrd Skynyrd opening for them that I was going into the belly of the beast. Skynyrd god bless em now down to just Rossington from the original band had a new set of musicians from the last time I saw them and I will say this they nailed their set list. It sounded spot on. And I'll leave it there. But the fans were out in force hog tide and hell bent for a good time. It was like a war zone when we left going over the lawn section. Literally bodies down and out "hey you can't sleep it off here!" People crumbling under the weight of their own fun, weak kneed wrecks, spewing, unapologetic, heads rolling, clutching backpacks like life preservers, confederate flag waving motorcycle mama we're in the south mother fucker and proud of it! It's been a while since I've been in a group of such tremendously fucked up people barefoot in the ladies room confederate flag bikini top and hell ya!

They blazed, blazed, blazed through a nearly two hour set caught Derek grinning at Warren while Warren shredded, caught Warren shaking his head at Gregg, caught Gregg holding up the band with one hand while he extended his thought on a rumbling stanza, loved Derek parked next to Gregg and the shot of Derek, Butch and Warren driving the music together on the big screen. Needless to say I had my huge Garcia tee shirt on and the road goes on forever. We walked out over a blitzed field full of 24 oz beer cans thrown, strewn and crushed like howitzer sized shrapnel, bodies crumbled and motionless as the still standing recede like the tide down the staircases back to their cars amidst chants of USA, USA, and honey give "me" the keys all under a bright rising moon and a shooting star.

Paul (~):D

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