What a long strange, trip it's been for the Grateful Dead's core four who kicked off their Fare Thee Well concerts with "Truckin'" this weekend, where an eclectic gathering of people showed up to say goodbye to the beloved folk-rockers at the Bay Area's Levi's Stadium.
The Dead formed just 50 years ago in Palo Alto, not too far from the concert's stomping grounds. They finally reunited to play their first collective show in over 20 years. Embarking on their first of five 50th anniversary and fare well shows, the first installation brought a three-and-a-half hour set of the band's earliest work. "Truckin," "Dark Star," "The Other One" and "The Eleven" were among a set list of early deadhead favorites that took the audience right back to 1970.
In order to execute the jam tracks, guitarist Bob Weir, bassist Phil Lesh and drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann enlisted the help of fellow musicians and long-time companions, Trey Anastasio of Phish, Bruce Hornsby and Jeff Chimenti. Unable to replace the late Jerry Garcia, the trio gave the core four some extra talent to lean on. The band chose to collectively sing Garcia's solo lines while Anastasio embodied the guitar player with seemingly stress-free, spiraling licks. The sold out gig brought fans new and old--some reliving their youth, others hoping to cast a musical shadow onto their children.
"This is all about coming full circle," said Los Angeles sitcom actor, Todd Sandler. The fan last saw the Dead 20 years ago during Garcia's final gig as he battled his returned heroin addiction and shortly after, died from a heart attack. "I wanted to come see a show where it all started for them, here in Northern California," Sandler said, reports USA Today. Although the massive home of the San Fransisco 49ers may have lacked intimacy, it provided excellent sound to its concert-goers who were able to appreciate a rainbow that positioned itself right over the stage.
An hour into the set, the band took a break while leaving fans with images of psychedelic art, clips of Ken Kesey and footage of Jerry Garcia scuba diving in Hawaii. Lesh gave a quick speech, hoping to make organ donors out of those in the audience and noting that he's alive today due to a liver transplant. He added, "I can't tell you how good it is to see you all again."
According to NME, the Dead will continue their Fare Thee Well shows with another gig at Levi's Stadium Sunday night as well as a three-day show at Chicago's Soldier Field from July 3-5.
Grateful Dead Setlist, June 27, 2015:
"Truckin'"
"Uncle John's Band"
"Alligator"
"Cumberland Blues"
"Born Cross-Eyed"
"Cream Puff War"
"Viola Lee Blues"
"Cryptical Envelopment"
"Dark Star"
"St. Stephen"
"The Eleven"
"Turn On Your Love Light"
"Drums / Space"
"What's Become of the Baby"
"The Other One"
"Morning Dew"
Encore: "Casey Jones"
