Nice NY Times summary of the Dead's final run

[Black]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/07/arts/m....html?_r=0
Feeling like crap today.... stayed up for the whole broadcast last night which started after 12:30 AM.

[Filliam H. Muffman]

Not a deadhead but I like nearly all I have heard. I was considering buying the PPV on the last night. If I had planned ahead some, I would have recorded all three nights. I know that goes against the purity of experiencing it live. I am pretty sure it is already available as a recording knowing the fans proclivity for sharing.

[hal]

It was a pretty amazing run of shows. Five shows - each featuring 3+hours of music and they only repeated two songs in that 15+ hours of music. They played ALL of the favorites and threw in LOTS of surprises. Deadheads are the pickiest damned fans you'll ever find, but not many were complaining this time.

[Black]

Some of the lead vocals crossed into the "pretty bad" category but overall I really enjoyed all 12 hours or so that I listened to, particularly the bass playing, and was impressed that the group was able to pull off so many hours of distinct material, a good percentage of which was likely new or forgotten to some of the players, with so few rough patches.

[hal]

You're being very kind for a non-deadhead. I'd describe the vocals as dipping into the "pretty f'ing horrible" range depending on who was doing the singing. And yes, Phil Lesh, the bass player was the best musician overall throughout. He's still an elite musician.

ANd yeah, some of those songs hadn't been played by the full band since the 60s, but unlike in the old days, they actually rehearsed before performing.

[DavidS]

I watched most of the 7/3 show on TV and flew up to Chicago on July 4 to see the shows on the 4th and 5th. I loved the concerts but did not expect them to be perfect. Voices are 20 years older. Some lyrics were flubbed. They had iPad minis (or some type of tablet) in front of each person. I assume as a teleprompter for lyrics and set list (which was decided beforehand, not spontaneously like the old days).

The city of Chicago was absolutely wonderful to all the Deadheads and other fans wandering around downtown over the weekend. From hotel staff to restaurant employees, to the staff at Soldier Field, and the Police, everyone was super friendly. I did not see any violence and did not hear of any significant arrests. Security was there to help, not hassle. One friend was taken to the hospital with chest pains (not cardiac, thankfully) and has been treated well.

Overall, it was one of the best weekends of my life. So much fun with friends, both new and old. It was the perfect send-off for this band that really defined much of my life 20-25 years ago.

[hal]

Glad you had a good time DavidS. I had a similar experience in SC. It's really remarkable being part of an 80000 person crowd where EVERYBODY is at peak happiness. It's pretty shocking to the uninitiated, but you get the hang of it pretty quickly.

Although the first and last Chicago shows were really good, I'm so glad that the only one that I went to (SC#1) featured the OLDEST material - my favorite era.

:-)

[dmann]

I saw the first show in Santa Clara and the last one in Chicago. Much better/more familiar crowd scene in Chicago which really surprised me.

Agree that the vocals were often "off" but overall the performances were great. They were obviously having a good time and had small jams at the end of most songs. I'm not a huge Phish fan but some kids around me who were said that those were some of the best moments for Trey. My friend who was with me HATES Phish and by the end of the 1st set on Sunday, she admitted he had won her over. The flubbed transitions and chords here and there were both expected and forgiven. Heard worse from Jerry in his final couple of years touring. Very funny moment when Bob Weir came onstage wearing a "Let Trey Sing" t-shirt. Throwback to the old days of "Let Phil (Lesh) Sing" and I'm guessing a FU and/or nod to the frustrated Phish fans.

Some of the complaints I heard were that they were TOO rehearsed and TOO polished. For me, hearing the songs that I love played in a familiar way (they never do anything the same way twice, no matter how rehearsed they are) was the payoff. No complaints on that front at all.

I loved that there were no ushers once we got inside. Nobody checking tickets to escort you to your seat. If you planted yourself somewhere and someone came along to claim the seat, you simply moved down a bit. The cops and security people were very low profile. Saw a few tshirt vendors have items confiscated for trademark violation but that was it. Pot was openly enjoyed and most definitely ignored by all authority figures present.

I stayed clear of downtown and any of the other Dead happenings going on throughout the city on Friday and Saturday so I can't speak to those.

The worst part of all of it IMHO: Soldier Field ran out of beverages at the concession stands (at least in the upper levels) Sunday evening. No water, soda/pop or even beer. If you brought them a cup or bottle they would give you ice and you could get water in the bathroom but if you had nothing to hold the water, you were out of luck. I cannot understand this. SF has been the home of MANY hugely packed concerts and, you know, a few Bears games. As Sunday was the final show of the run, there was no excuse for them to be as unprepared as they were. In typical Deadhead fashion, there was no fuss. People were upset, voiced their displeasure and moved on. No big deal.

A nice aside: whenever someone asked me where I was from (very common at a Dead show) and learned I lived a few miles from Soldier Field, I was inevitably told what I great city I live in and how much everyone was enjoying their time here. That was fun.


DM

[hal]

A nice aside: whenever someone asked me where I was from (very common at a Dead show) and learned I lived a few miles from Soldier Field, I was inevitably told what I great city I live in and how much everyone was enjoying their time here. That was fun. smiling smiley

Glad you got to a Chicago show! And it's always nice hearing something positive about the pace you live. Don't hear that often in Sacramento being in the gigantic shadow of San Francisco, but during Cal Expo shows in the 80s/90s I'd hear that all the time - made me happy.

FYI, the one friend that I knew that traveled to Chicago said the same - she had a wonderful time and loved her (first) visit to Chicago.

[$tevie]

Downloaded the Friday night show in Chicago, and have watched some videos on youtube, so I'm working on my second-hand farewell. I wasn't a Dead Head but I would have liked to have been at one of the concerts just because of the incredible nostalgia factor. Lots of memories there.