Dead and Company announce summer tour, including four shows in New York state

[The Poojer]

same thing here in Philly, they are playing Citizens Bank Park instead of the amphitheater across the river in Camden, not sure how a ball field with translate to a dead show...the lawn is so much fun to hang out it.

 

On 5/15/2021 at 12:29 PM, WhoTom said:

 

It was 2017. Wrigley is a great place to see a ball game but the acoustics and sight lines don't lend themselves well to a concert.

 

I agree about Alpine Valley - it's my favorite concert venue in the area and, as a bonus, it's an easy drive for us. We've seen a ton of shows there, including D&C in 2016.

 

 

[T&C]

On 5/14/2021 at 10:58 AM, Logic said:

 

Yep. It's quite a racket these days.

First they release VIP and "verified fan pre-sale" tickets, and they do so in a way that attempts to portray scarcity, pump up prices, and scare fans into buying quickly. Eventually, general admission (lawn) tickets go on sale and are more reasonable, though still expensive compared to "the olden days". It especially gets outrageous once you see all the convenience and processing fees they add on.

I don't hate many things in life, but I really, really hate Ticketmaster. Evil with a capitol "E". 

A buddy of mine bought 2 lawn seats last night for $136 apiece. Yow. Gonna suck for him when I show him how much I'll be paying for ours but I won't rub it in. This concert I'd much rather be on the top on the lawn anyways... binocs and a blanket or two low beach chairs works here. Thing is with the sound at the fairgrounds (Tampa area) though, it really sucks. Plus, its easier to go down and buy $14 dollar 18oz. beers from there unless you are on the east edge of the seats. Yep, 14 ***** dollars lol. Grabbing some posters will ease that pain.

[Logic]

3 hours ago, T&C said:

A buddy of mine bought 2 lawn seats last night for $136 apiece. Yow. Gonna suck for him when I show him how much I'll be paying for ours but I won't rub it in. This concert I'd much rather be on the top on the lawn anyways... binocs and a blanket or two low beach chairs works here. Thing is with the sound at the fairgrounds (Tampa area) though, it really sucks. Plus, its easier to go down and buy $14 dollar 18oz. beers from there unless you are on the east edge of the seats. Yep, 14 ***** dollars lol. Grabbing some posters will ease that pain.

$136 a piece for LAWN SEATS!?!? 

There is no universe in which I will be willing to pay that cost to see this band. Maybe if they exhume Jerry Garcia and find a way to get him to play lead guitar. Other than that? Not a chance in hell.

I'll just have to wait and see if they go on sale at a more reasonable, defensible price. 

Sheesh.

[T&C]

12 hours ago, Logic said:

$136 a piece for LAWN SEATS!?!? 

There is no universe in which I will be willing to pay that cost to see this band. Maybe if they exhume Jerry Garcia and find a way to get him to play lead guitar. Other than that? Not a chance in hell.

I'll just have to wait and see if they go on sale at a more reasonable, defensible price. 

Sheesh.

Yep... he fell prey to what we talked about above. I mean, there will be a good turn out for sure but that place is huge and so is the lawn area around the upper rim. He didn't reply back when I told him what they will really go for lol.

[Logic]

21 minutes ago, T&C said:

Yep... he fell prey to what we talked about above. I mean, there will be a good turn out for sure but that place is huge and so is the lawn area around the upper rim. He didn't reply back when I told him what they will really go for lol.

For what it’s worth, I DO think this tour will sell really well. I’m willing to bet that lots of people have pent up “want to hear live music” energy after this past year.

 

Still, I don’t think Dead and Co typically sell out most venues.

[Greg S]

41 minutes ago, Logic said:

For what it’s worth, I DO think this tour will sell really well. I’m willing to bet that lots of people have pent up “want to hear live music” energy after this past year.

 

Still, I don’t think Dead and Co typically sell out most venues.

 

I have seen them a bunch of times in the NYC area (MSG, Citi Field) and they were always sold out shows.

[Logic]

5 minutes ago, Greg S said:

 

I have seen them a bunch of times in the NYC area (MSG, Citi Field) and they were always sold out shows.

Is that right? I guess I'm not surprised. The NYC area has been a Deadhead hotspot since at least 1970. Even though the Dead are a west coast band, they've always made most of their money and seem to have their most large and loyal legions of fans on the east coast. 

I'm gonna do my best to get tickets early, but I don't want to be roped in by the pumped up price hustle of the "verified fan pre-sale" if I can help it. I'm a bit scarred by the 2015 "Fare Thee Well" Soldier Field ticket buying experience, though, so my FOMO panic may get the better of me.

[Greg S]

23 minutes ago, Logic said:

Is that right? I guess I'm not surprised. The NYC area has been a Deadhead hotspot since at least 1970. Even though the Dead are a west coast band, they've always made most of their money and seem to have their most large and loyal legions of fans on the east coast. 

I'm gonna do my best to get tickets early, but I don't want to be roped in by the pumped up price hustle of the "verified fan pre-sale" if I can help it. I'm a bit scarred by the 2015 "Fare Thee Well" Soldier Field ticket buying experience, though, so my FOMO panic may get the better of me.

 

Looking back at the "Fare Thee Well" shows I was surprised they didn't come to the east coast. From Boston, NYC area, Philly, Washington they were especially successful and popular. I get the SF shows (hometown) and Chicago (last shows with JG) but they really should have done some EC shows. IMHO

[Logic]

50 minutes ago, Greg S said:

 

Looking back at the "Fare Thee Well" shows I was surprised they didn't come to the east coast. From Boston, NYC area, Philly, Washington they were especially successful and popular. I get the SF shows (hometown) and Chicago (last shows with JG) but they really should have done some EC shows. IMHO

Agreed.

Based on interviews with other band members from that summer and from Joel Selvin's book "Fare Thee Well", It seems clear to me that just about everyone in the band wanted to do east coast shows except Phil Lesh. Frankly, it seemed like most of the guys wanted to do a full 50th anniversary TOUR. Phil was the exception, apparently. It was like pulling teeth to even get him to be willing to to the Soldier Field shows, and then again to get him to agree to the Santa Clara "warm up" shows. He also apparently was very difficult during rehearsals. It put Trey Anastasio and Bruce Hornsby in a weird spot, having to learn/rehearse a 100-song songbook but only getting to go through every song once.

In general, there have been tensions and disagreements among the band -- primarily between Phil and the drummers, hence Dead and Co featuring everyone but Phil -- since Jerry passed. Sad, really.

I went to the Fare Thee Well shows, and of all the post-Jerry iterations I've seen over the years (Ratdog, Phil and Friends, the Dead, Further, Dead and Co), they were my least favorite shows, musically speaking. The weekend was a great deal of fun and and a cool celebration, and I don't regret going. But the lack of rehearsal and the uneasy peace amongst the members was evident to me. Phil's stepping up to the mic on the last night and saying "now hopefully we can all move on and do something different with our lives" left a bad taste in my mouth. Not "Thank you", not "we love you", just "enough already. Let's all move on". I love Phil Lesh, but everything I've ever read on the subject suggests he's been a bit of a dictator since Jerry passed. I always think of Mickey Hart's comment on the subject: "When Phil received a liver transplant, he must have gotten the liver of a jerk".

[Greg S]

22 minutes ago, Logic said:

Agreed.

Based on interviews with other band members from that summer and from Joel Selvin's book "Fare Thee Well", It seems clear to me that just about everyone in the band wanted to do east coast shows except Phil Lesh. Frankly, it seemed like most of the guys wanted to do a full 50th anniversary TOUR. Phil was the exception, apparently. It was like pulling teeth to even get him to be willing to to the Soldier Field shows, and then again to get him to agree to the Santa Clara "warm up" shows. He also apparently was very difficult during rehearsals. It put Trey Anastasio and Bruce Hornsby in a weird spot, having to learn/rehearse a 100-song songbook but only getting to go through every song once.

In general, there have been tensions and disagreements among the band -- primarily between Phil and the drummers, hence Dead and Co featuring everyone but Phil -- since Jerry passed. Sad, really.

I went to the Fare Thee Well shows, and of all the post-Jerry iterations I've seen over the years (Ratdog, Phil and Friends, the Dead, Further, Dead and Co), they were my least favorite shows, musically speaking. The weekend was a great deal of fun and and a cool celebration, and I don't regret going. But the lack of rehearsal and the uneasy peace amongst the members was evident to me. Phil's stepping up to the mic on the last night and saying "now hopefully we can all move on and do something different with our lives" left a bad taste in my mouth. Not "Thank you", not "we love you", just "enough already. Let's all move on". I love Phil Lesh, but everything I've ever read on the subject suggests he's been a bit of a dictator since Jerry passed. I always think of Mickey Hart's comment on the subject: "When Phil received a liver transplant, he must have gotten the liver of a jerk".

 

I didn't know Phil was that difficult. Even though Phil was a big part of the band I always thought of Bob as the #2 main guy. He along with Jerry were the two co-lead singers thru out most of their run.  The early years featured Pigpen and Brent and Phil would occasionally sing but to me Jerry and Bob basically co-fronted the band. If Phil didn't want to do the shows then they should have done them without him. With Jerry gone Bob is now the sole frontman of the band anyway.

[T&C]

2 hours ago, Logic said:

Is that right? I guess I'm not surprised. The NYC area has been a Deadhead hotspot since at least 1970. Even though the Dead are a west coast band, they've always made most of their money and seem to have their most large and loyal legions of fans on the east coast. 

I'm gonna do my best to get tickets early, but I don't want to be roped in by the pumped up price hustle of the "verified fan pre-sale" if I can help it. I'm a bit scarred by the 2015 "Fare Thee Well" Soldier Field ticket buying experience, though, so my FOMO panic may get the better of me.

Interesting, even before public sale which I think is the 21'st here, how much ticket prices fluxuate.

 

https://seatgeek.com/dead-company-tickets?aid=34&pid=1782471078&gid=71828429640&rid=kwd-303813033577&dt=c&ap=&adId=417415003356&loc_interest=1015214&loc_physical=9012087&n=g&mt=b&ext=&gclid=CjwKCAjwy42FBhB2EiwAJY0yQvKgPhUDaGkiqpZ3tv68OSwyeFXjRXgnRHQIQxqPcZSLk4LjGs8RPhoCJX8QAvD_BwE

[WhoTom]

1 hour ago, Logic said:

Phil's stepping up to the mic on the last night and saying "now hopefully we can all move on and do something different with our lives" left a bad taste in my mouth.

 

I'm surprised he said that. It's not like Phil (or Bobby, Bill, and Mickey, for that matter) are doing anything different now. They've basically splintered into two Grateful Dead tribute bands. And not even the best GD tribute bands, in my opinion.

[Logic]

19 minutes ago, WhoTom said:

 

I'm surprised he said that. It's not like Phil (or Bobby, Bill, and Mickey, for that matter) are doing anything different now. They've basically splintered into two Grateful Dead tribute bands. And not even the best GD tribute bands, in my opinion.

Yeah. I was taken aback. This was supposed to have been the last opportunity to say something to the assembled Deadhead community (at least as the “core four” unit) that had been paying your bills and supporting your art for a half century......and “hopefully everyone can move on and do something better with their lives” was what he came up with?

 

I love Phil, and I’m guessing he’s probably a great and generous person if you get to know him. But he has sure been painted as (and has come off as) quite the curmudgeon in recent years.

 

And for what it’s worth, in terms of playing Dead music in an original, exciting way and at the proper tempos, I prefer DSO and probably even Joe Russo’s Almost Dead these days.

 

Dead and Co shows are still church for me, though. Still the waning days of a one-of-a-kind and never to be duplicated gathering of the tribes. Still a chance to see three musicians who have meant so much to my life get up on stage and search for the muse.

[WhoTom]

11 minutes ago, Logic said:

And for what it’s worth, in terms of playing Dead music in an original, exciting way and at the proper tempos, I prefer DSO and probably even Joe Russo’s Almost Dead these days.

 

Me too. DSO sounds more like the Grateful Dead than does D&C - even the vocalists sound a bit like Jerry, Bob, and Brent. I like John Mayer's guitar playing, but I'm not a fan of his voice. They should let Oteil sing all the Jerry songs, not just one or two ballads. They should also let him set the tempo, but I get the feeling Bobby can't keep up anymore.

 

I love how JRAD doesn't try to sound like the Dead - they put their own spin on the tunes. We had tickets to see them in March of 2020, but Covid interfered. It's rescheduled for this August and we're fully vaxxed, so I'm pretty sure we'll be there.

 

 

[Logic]

2 minutes ago, WhoTom said:

 

Me too. DSO sounds more like the Grateful Dead than does D&C - even the vocalists sound a bit like Jerry, Bob, and Brent. I like John Mayer's guitar playing, but I'm not a fan of his voice. They should let Oteil sing all the Jerry songs, not just one or two ballads. They should also let him set the tempo, but I get the feeling Bobby can't keep up anymore.

 

I love how JRAD doesn't try to sound like the Dead - they put their own spin on the tunes. We had tickets to see them in March of 2020, but Covid interfered. It's rescheduled for this August and we're fully vaxxed, so I'm pretty sure we'll be there.

 

 

As to the first bolded: Yes. If you want to close your eyes and feel like you're actually at a prime era Grateful Dead show, DSO is the way to go. Even the crowd vibe and venues chosen often harken back to the 70s Dead. I'm convinced that DSO sometimes plays Dead shows better than the Dead played them. I know that's a controversial statement, but I hold to it. For one thing, DSO does not, as far as I'm aware, have all of the "extra stuff" to distract them: drug addictions, groupies, dealers, Hell's Angels, John Belushi doing eightballs in the dressing room, etc.. For another, they don't have much margin for error. Whereas the Dead got a pass from Deadheads to be "on" some nights and "off" for others, DSO doesn't get such a pass. If they kept playing stinkers, they wouldn't keep selling tickets or having the credibility they do. Certainly a good night of DSO is better than the last couple years of the Grateful Dead, which was sad due to Jerry's addiction and was often musically awful.

As to the second bolded: So much yes. Oteil has a beautiful voice. He also has much more genuine soul than Mayer, in my opinion. The old quote about "the skill of a singer comes down not to how skillfull his voice his, but by how much he can convince you he is telling the truth" comes to mind. I BELIEVE Oteil when he sings. I don't know that I believe Mayer. For as skillful a musician as he may be, no part of me believes that he has the emotional depth to embody much of the Dead canon in the way that Jerry did. Oteil DOES seem to have that depth, AND he has a more harmonically pleasant voice. The only songs Mayer should sing, in my opinion, are the old Pigpen blues tunes like "Hurts Me Too" or "Next Time You See Me". He's a blues singer, so let him sing the blues. Leave everything else to the guys who mean it.

[The Poojer]

F*ck Ticketmaster.  Just logged in 40+ minutes after tix verified fan tix went on sale.  2000+ in front of me.  They literally have one job to do.  And they have the balls to charge a “convenience fee”

[The Poojer]

Despite my previous complaint it turns out it wasn't horrible.  Was able to check 3 of the 4 dates I chose.  Decided upon Hershey Park GA tix, under $40 per without added fees

[Rico]

20 hours ago, Greg S said:

 

I didn't know Phil was that difficult. Even though Phil was a big part of the band I always thought of Bob as the #2 main guy. He along with Jerry were the two co-lead singers thru out most of their run.  The early years featured Pigpen and Brent and Phil would occasionally sing but to me Jerry and Bob basically co-fronted the band. If Phil didn't want to do the shows then they should have done them without him. With Jerry gone Bob is now the sole frontman of the band anyway.

Yeah, but Bob was a very weak frontman IMO. Everytime I saw the Dead in the 70’s and 80’s, I got a whole lot more out of Phil bombs on bass than I ever got from Bob. To be honest, back then I preferred JGB to the GD, all Jerry. I have come to appreciate Bobby more these days though.

[The Poojer]

I had heard that Phil backed out due to some health concerns and wanted to really stick around Terrapin and just do his thing when he felt like it without the pressure of having to tour.  

 

19 hours ago, WhoTom said:

 

I'm surprised he said that. It's not like Phil (or Bobby, Bill, and Mickey, for that matter) are doing anything different now. They've basically splintered into two Grateful Dead tribute bands. And not even the best GD tribute bands, in my opinion.

[WhoTom]

25 minutes ago, The Poojer said:

I had heard that Phil backed out due to some health concerns and wanted to really stick around Terrapin and just do his thing when he felt like it without the pressure of having to tour. 

 

Yeah, I remember hearing that he didn't join Dead & Co because he didn't want to tour, but he was OK with the others touring under the name. Bob has joined him for a few select Phil & Friends shows, so that would suggest they're still on good terms. I'm glad about that - with all their shared history, it'd be a shame to have bad blood between them.