Mojo Hand

Dead and Company is a nostalgia act.......just like any other classic rock act that's doing the same thing they did 50 years ago. Irrelevant and not even close to carrying on the Grateful Dead legacy. The beauty of Grateful Dead music is that it leaves room for a torch to be carried. DSO grabbed the torch and ran. They have kept the music and the spirit of the music alive and well. Interested to know if anyone has any insight as to whether the surviving members realize it? Any public comments from the surviving members on what Dark Star Orchestra has done? In their heart or hearts....the CORE 4 must know that what they are doing is not of the quality they were doing in their prime. However, DSO is nailing it night in and night out. DSO has shown me that it is not the players on the stage that matter....it's the quality of the music that creates the "it" factor, and DSO are the only ones who have "it". It would be nice if the CORE 4 gave them some props......and support!

Nothing like starting off in full gear baby...... Hell in a Bucket!

Avett Brothers I didn't see this band last night. I saw them 9/21/21 at the beautiful Mann Music Center in Philadelphia. Can't stop thinking about what a great band they are and how great the concert was....so I finally thought to post. First time I've seen them live and so glad I went. Ranks among my favorite non Dead/DSO concerts I have ever seen. If you don't know them and you are a fan of intelligent and creative lyrics, great song structure, good vocalists who annunciate, and positive energy.....check them out. Southern Indie folk/rock from the Carolinas. Modern Americana.

Personally.... I don't care which side you are on. I just generally prefer mature conversation. '"......Ain't no time to hate" Negative energy. yuck.

Personally.... I don't care which side you are on. I just generally prefer mature conversation. '"......Ain't no time to hate" Negative energy. yuck.

In the early 90's, I saw portion of a U2 concert on television. U2 had a segment of their set where Bono tried to call the President on the phone. The President at the time was George Bush. Bono was trying to make some sort of political statement, of which I do not remember the specifics. I was already very immersed in the Dead scene by that point and remembered how absurd it was , IMHO, for a musical artist to do something so non-musical in their show. After all, I was and still am a purist to that regard. The Grateful Dead focused on one thing while on stage........100% attention on their music, which is required to deliver a high quality, non-scripted performance. I was never the type to appreciate any sort of "show" aspect in a live concert performance. Not my thing. I am not into pyrotechnics, stage dancers, bands who destroy their instruments as a matter of routine, etc. And most of all......I do not like politics with my music. My opinion will always go back to that U2 concert and the juxtaposition of how unthinkable it would be for my favorite band (The Grateful Dead) to do something as silly as stop the show to call the president. Come to think of it.....they didn't say anything at all. They just played their music. My opinion is not at all impacted by where one stands on the political spectrum. Whether I agree with your politics or not.....I do not like it when musicians use their pulpit to talk about politics. I don't want to hear Ted Nugent rant about his 2nd Amendment rites, I don't want to see Sinead O'Conner rip a photo of the Pope, and I don't want to hear Springsteen speak about his liberal leanings. Write a song about your beliefs. Be creative in the way you say it, so as to encourage independent thought and development of one's own opinions (ex...Bob Dylan and Neil Young). Sing your song and move on please. No lectures. Musicians are certainly entitled to expressing their opinions on stage, but it has always been a major pet peeve of mine. That is just my taste as developed by my time spent with the best band in the land. It is certainly not an edict on what bands should do...or not do. But it is a major turn-off for me.

the band played really well. beautiful weather. The venue was a little odd. It was a flat field with a stage. Pretty much set in the middle of a strip mall and housing development. I was in a dancing mood so the highlights for me were shakedown and aiko. Awesome grooves on both. Samson and Big River were both boogie down affairs as well. A very beautiful Peggy-O. The band was in fine form. It's been a long time since I caught a mid to late 70's show. I was really hoping for one and the band delivered. Major props and KUDOS to Rob Eaton. Consider that this night in Delaware was a far cry from the normal DSO annual pilgrimage to Delaware. I would have much preferred being packed shoulder to shoulder at The Bottle and Cork. That atmosphere gets everybody dancing and makes for some epic stuff. This was a flat field at a community arts center. It was only 25% full due to Covid pods. They gave special front section seating to volunteers who sat in chairs up front next to the band and gave no dancing or energy back to the band. A majority percentage of the crowd throughout the entire place sat in their lawn chairs for at least the first set. Everyone very spread out. But Eaton would not be dismayed. He spent much of the first set walking around the stage and cajoling the band into some great jams. I was up pretty close to the front so I may have read this incorrectly......but it also appeared to me that he was communicating visually and with body language to people who were at the back of the house. It seemed like he was trying to get the whole place involved by playing to the last row. And by the end of the night....there was definitely a better feel in the audience and more people dancing with the band. It could have been a ho-hum night with very little energy coming from the field.......but to me it seemed like Eaton wasn't gonna let that happen. Many thanks to Eaton and bandmates. Lift off achieved.

2/4/79 Half step franklin mamu big river Peggy o cassidy fotd El paso tjed lazy lightning/supplication Shakedown samson donna song terrapin Playin d/s aiko Black Peter round n round Us blues white rabbit filler

7/18 Tedeschi Trucks Band Appel Farm in South Jersey. They are Soooooooo great! Susan Tedeschi is such a soulful singer. One of my favorite singers ever. And she can play a great guitar. Her husband Derrick Trucks is not a bad guitar player either. Beautiful night. Brought my 11 year old son and 6 year old daughter and both loved it. Great night.

If there is one thing I have learned about myself over the past few years, it's that I am utterly exhausted with Righteous and Judgmental political "experts" on both sides of the spectrum. And to my dismay....it seems like everyone is convinced they are an "expert" these days. COVID-19 has challenged the ideals of Individual Freedom vs. Civic Responsibility in an unprecedented fashion. I wish more people would try and understand that those with a different opinion are not wrong. They just have different priorities and ideals. At election time, I made a similar post to the one Mango made yesterday which suggested that political stuff be kept off this forum. Everyone is so politically charged these days. Reasonable political discourse cannot happen without the conversation deteriorating into keypad combat. I miss the days when everyone watched the 6:30 national news and/or read a newspaper.....and that was it. News was real and without too much spin, and people were left to think for themselves and formulate their own opinions. These days.....it seems a majority of people are dialed into their 24 hour/day Opinion networks, listening to one-sided political podcasts, and immersed in the political culture wars. As a result, so many are overly confident of their Righteousness that they have convinced themselves they are entitled to any platform or pedestal from which they choose to shout their glorious knowledge. 24 hour cable news/opinion has essentially eliminated the center. Once upon a time, it seemed like most of the people I knew had views and opinions that fell on both sides of the political spectrum..... and by extension, a willingness to listen and try to understand what others think. Not anymore! Everyone is so polarized and RIGHT! I hope something puts and end to the culture wars from which our country suffers from right now. But I see no end in sight. Sorry Rude.....you have found a way to extoll your political views in so many non-relevant forums over the past few years that your message has become confusing and hateful. You have so convinced yourself that you are on the right side of the fight for human rights and the well-being of your fellow man, that you have forgotten that those who disagree with you may have relevant opinions and are also your fellow-man. RESPECT is one of the highest virtues. Sorry Billy De Lyon.....if you have convinced yourself that the efforts of Bill Gates to help the world overcome this pandemic over the past year are in any way sinister, misled, or part of a greater conspiracy........then you are the one who is following the "playbook". The plays are different than the ones that you are so prepared to defend yourself against. But make no mistake about it....you are following a "playbook" that has been served to you on a platter. And it is a ridiculous playbook aimed at keeping you in a specific side of this culture war. Stay in that camp all you want.....but those of us who can see the forest through the trees recognize that you have become a puppet. I don't judge those who take a vaccine or don't take it. There are so many people I know and respect who are choosing against it, that I have no choice but to try to listen and understand. I manage a large farm with 200 people working here. They come from numerous backgrounds and situations. I held a large vaccination event here last week and was genuinely surprised at how many people choose not to get vaccinated and their reasoning. I am fully vaccinated and do wish the whole world would follow-suit. But I also recognize that at the core of this discussion is still an aspect of choice in regards to what you put in your body. If I had to guess Rude.....you are a staunch defender of choice in other areas. Perhaps you can use that same logic to at least not be hateful to those who feel differently than you. Again, I don't judge those who take a vaccine or don't take it. But Billy D, if you have become convinced that you would be a "bill gates guinea pig" by taking this vaccine, then you have become a pawn in the culture war. And to that extent, I also harbor some of Rude's anger. Take it or don't take it....but there is a lot of garbage on the airways that has convinced people of that nonsense. And that is the sort of garbage......ON BOTH SIDES.....that is at the root of what ails this country.

Yes. Listened yesterday. It was definitely Phil who make the comment about LLR. No mistaking his speaking voice...….or his singing voice!

Thx. I guess I missed the announcement. I parked as first song started. It was so good to dance last night and the social distancing allowed for unending dance space. Gotta find the positive in everything....right? The cool breezes with music floating through the air. Just perfect. But really....the groups on my right and left took constant selfies making sure that the screens and stage were in the background.....surely so they could post it on some social media site and show all their friends they are at a concert. Meanwhile, they literally did not listen to a single note. Complete ridiculousness.

I still don’t know why Lisa was on stage last night for the 80s show. Does anyone have any insight?

So great. Band played fantastic. fOTd, Chiba/rider, shakedown highlights for me. Once I got my sound Siituated, lift off was achieved. Kudos to the band for Being able to connect in unusual circumstances. Something wrong with Barraco voice????? Lisa on stage for 80’s show? Skipped far from me in 1st set. Barraco hardly sang a note. Love the amount of dancing space. Car speakers and good positioning Allowed me to completely Tune out groups of annoying talkers on both sides of me. Nice option not afforded in traditional spaces. Two groups of young people more interested in selfies and showing that they’re at a concert as opposed to actually being present at a concert. Annoying. bYO is a great thing! so good to dance again and dance I did! Gorgeous night. Perfect weather. Pretty moon.

Not arguing or disagreeing with your politics Rude. Just trying to point out that the only thing that keeps the DSO Forum from turning into the same political shit show that motivated you to leave Facebook is that those on this forum who disagree with you choose not to engage. Hoping it stays that way and looking forward to brighter times ahead. Getting excited for Philly!

A "politics folder" would be a good way to go also.

Rude - I don't mean to be critical and I am sorry if perceived that way. I just want to offer an opinion which came about as a thought from your post which I quoted above. I value and enjoy this forum and want to mention something that could become a potential issue for the forum in the future. Rude - you mention that you were forced to leave Facebook due to the exposed hypocrisy of others. Based on the context of your post above, I am assuming you are referring to hypocrisy in the political arena. In my experiences, Deadheads come in all political shapes and sizes. It is a strong possibility that there are many here who disagree with your political leanings and may even be staunch supporters of our current administration. You have made many political statements in recent months, and I must admit that I am always curious if there will be rebuttals to follow. Fortunately, there have not been many. The reason I say fortunately is because my fear is that too much political discourse would ensue. Soon enough, people would be tuning out of this site for exactly the same reason you have chosen to leave Facebook. In my opinion, it is best to leave politics out of the DSO Forum...no matter how self-assured one is that he/she is on the correct side of the discussion. For the record. Just in case you are wondering what my motivation may be in the above statement, I agree with many of your political statements and disagree with others. I would certainly enjoy talking politics and societal issues with someone like you. I like talking politics with intelligent, well-informed individuals. You are certainly that. I am a down the middle Independent with some left and Socialist leanings, as well as some right and Libertarian leanings. However, in these crazy times, any safe-haven where politics are off-limits is a welcome reprieve. I have always viewed this music and the community surrounding it as the world's greatest safe haven. We unite and find value and love for each other through our shared love of this music ...which helps us to accept, respect, and welcome our differences in the world at large. Rude - I take no issue with your political opinions. I just think about your Facebook statement and by extension the possible same thing occurring to the DSO Forum. I am quite confident that there are a multitude of political opinions amongst this group. If everyone posted political commentary with regularity....this site could very quickly erode into something completely unrecognizable and not all that pleasant. Perhaps I am looking at this the wrong way. I recognize that I am a bit of an outsider here. I like using this platform as an on-line community to discuss matters of Grateful Dead and DSO. I love that it's here and I enjoy reading other people's thoughts on my favorite music. That being said, I am aware that that this site also exists as a means of communication for a group of tour friends and therefore my thoughts above may not exactly apply. Perhaps political commentary on this site should just be viewed as banter amongst friends. Either way.....at least we all know we can agree on black licorice.

I remember them playing take me to the river a few times towards the end. Specifically at Memphis.

10/19/89

9/8/88. My first Grateful Dead show and the first time I tried hallucinogenics. The day everything changed. Super excited to see it show up on a DSO list. Not long after Jerry died I wrote a song about the Grateful Dead. Titled it in honor of my first show. Here are the lyrics. “Spectrum ‘88” You gave the food of love to those who came to listen. We gave it back to you. The dust has cleared and your rays they still glisten. Your legacy is true. A song of love...a song of adventure A song to help you get through the night. A song so pure it could hold all the answers....to life. Thank you boys, you’ve done well. I hope you’re proud of yourselves. Thank you boys, you’ve done well by me. Inspiration bred a wonderful creation. It bears no label or a name. Belonging to no single generation. Were you the players or the game? A song of chance....a song of desolation. A song to help you see the light. A song so strong it spurred on a nation To new heights. Thank you boys, you’ve done well. i hope you’re proud of yourselves. Thank you boys you’ve done well by me.

excellent show. Eaton seemed to really be into the show last night. He was pretty active on the stage. Eaton announced the loss of a close family member at the beginning of the show. Condolences to Eaton and thanks for playing through your loss. Also, it was the anniversary of Jerry's death and they said Matt Reynolds too. When I first got into the venue, I was a little concerned. Most of my area was sitting and I was actually asked to sit down. Took a bathroom break during Duprees and and when I came back, found a new spot with totally better energy. The energy kept gaining steam throughout the night until it seemed like the whole place was up and moving. I bounced around a lot and my favorite area was in the couple rows above the main aisle stage left. There was a good group of dancers in that aisle and security hassled no-one. Of all the DSO original setlists I have seen, this was my favorite. I don't like too many rarities in my setlists or mixing of eras. This setlist stayed pretty true to mid 80's thru early 90's. The first 3 to open the show (stranger/loser/minglewood) were stellar. Minglewood was downright nasty! Me and My Uncle was great. Strange rhythm to Big River. I think DSO put a completely original spin on Big River last night. A little slower and bluesier pace. Not sure if that was from a Dead styling of Big River, but don't think so. Wasn't too crazy about the Big River and it took from what is always one of my favorite pairings. Deal was smoking. Lots of gambling songs in first set to go with the Casino venue. Box of Rain is usually not a live favorite....but they killed it last night. Really beautifully played. Help/Slip/Frank was sick. Mattson tore up Franklin's. Franklin's was among highlights of the night. Terrapin was a monster! Dare I say......I think DSO is making me a fan of Truckin. Song never did anything for me until seeing DSO do it a few times recently. Great truckin. last night. Mission in the Rain was the highlight of the evening for me. Just gorgeous. Really thought that Eaton, Mattson, and Barraaco shined in so many moments last night. On the morning Jerry died I was camping on the Mississippi River during a cross country trip with my girlfriend. Being on the river that Jerry and the boys so often sung about really made it a special day for me. I remember sitting in my campground that morning and looking out on the river (somewhere in Minnesota) and feeling that I was meant to experience Jerry's death right there in that spot and moment, Very spiritual for me. DSO playing Black Muddy River on the anniversary of his death brought that moment back to me last night so vividly. Thanks DSO.

I hate small food.

That was generally my point. Aiko and Women r smarter are essentially the same song with different lyrics.

I love Aiko. I love Women ard Smarter. Not sure how I would feel about them paired together.

There’s an interesting topic. Take it or leave it on the Dylan covers (only as it pertains to dead concerts ....not the Dylan song itself) Take It: Masterpiece Baby Blue desolation row she Belongs to me watchtower maggies farm leave it: queen jane Tom Thumb blues Lot to laugh train to cry ballad of a thin man knockin on heaven door Quinn the Eskimo stuck inside a mobile visions of johanna Now imagine the above as a set list. Throw drums /space in the middle and it’s almost full. That is one boring setlist.