Special Thanks to Barrack Obama-The Dead & Furthur

Having been a Grateful Dead fan for a while now, I was overwhelmed by the opportunity of seeing the remaining founding members unite and go on tour once again. Before spring 2009, the Dead had not toured since early 2004. The one and only reason they decided to tour was because of Barrack Obama. He requested that they play an event to benefit his campaign, and again asked them to play the inaugural ball just after his election.

It was the first time that the founding members played together in four years; guitarist/vocalist Bob Weir, bassist Phil Lesh, and drummers Mickey Hart & Bill Kreutzman. They picked up Allman Brother's guitarist Warren Haynes to take the place of Jerry Garcia, and Ratdog's Jeff Chimenti on keyboards. After this amazing and honorable experience, the guys decided to take the show on the road, and immediately scheduled tour dates.

I luckily got to see a show in Worcester, Mass in April, and caught their only show of the summer at Rothbury Festival in Michigan. The band had said that their chemistry had become so great and had evolved in the way they play their songs, that it's ever-changing and different every time. You can tell by being there that they're very happy doing what they do when they're up there on stage. Following their "final" show, the two front men Phil Lesh and Bob Weir have decided to put together a band and do more shows, the band being named Furthur, which was the name of the ever-famous psychedelic bus used in the 60's in the acid-tests, being drove by Neil Cassidy. I'm very excited to see Furthur and hopefully jump on the bandwagon for a few weeks to hit some shows.

Live music: New bands in the scene today

I've come to truly enjoy jam bands of all sorts, and many genres in general. There are hundreds and hundreds of amazing bands out there, who play these festivals but do not reach the listenership of the mainstream masses. Mainstream music is so awful, and I really feel bad for anyone who listens to it on a regular basis, and buys the albums. They don't know what they're missing.

The best music is on the underground, and is almost ALL live. I have no respect for studio recordings anymore. The Dead only made records to conform and make more money for their staff, but they played thousands of shows. Phish is a great band that's been touring for years since the 90's. I've been following more bluegrass roots bands, like one particular I like, called Railroad Earth.

I've been listening to The Brew, a band out of Massachusetts that plays an indie/rock/reggae type music, that has a poppy feel to it. But it's pure musicianship. They're each unbelievable musicians. Another great live band I've come to like is Umphrey's McGee, The String Cheese Incident, Jackie Greene, the Disco Biscuits, and others. These bands are keeping the scene going and the people following.

The Freedom of Hippie Festivals

What comes with being a deadhead, is a whole bunch of other deadheads. And when The Grateful Dead stopped touring after Jerry's death, they found other places to go, new bands to follow. The Grateful Dead had a huge following at the time of Jerry's death. If it wasn't for Jerry dying, it was predicted that the scene would have grown even larger at a much faster rate. There would have been tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of followers, traveling across country from show to show. It would have been absolute madness. Most have left the scene, going back to conformed society, while others are still holding on to the feeling, and trying to live the dream.

Phish has absorbed much of the Dead's following. And now, at hippie festivals all over the country, there are almost always Grateful Dead tribute bands. There is almost no greater feeling than the free feeling at a hippie festival. Funny way of thinking of it, but remember all the things your mother told you about manners, and what not to do in public, and privacy issues...well, at festivals, you can forget all of that. It's a place where you leave your pride in the car. Where doctors and lawyers, waiters and waitresses, farmer, politicians and dirty hippies can all come together in unity, no one person better than another. I love it. I've been going to them for over a year, and have never had so much fun.

Best Band Ever

The Grateful Dead is what I consider one of the best bands of all time. It surprises me how many people do not know hardly any of their songs. And when I ask them what songs they like, they always list off only songs that were played on the radio; Sugar Magnolia, Truckin', Casey Jones, Touch of Grey...and I always ask: have you heard any of their live stuff? and they always reply with a Nooo....Which I can't blame them for that.

Their live stuff isn't played on the radio, never really was. The band was a performing band altogether. They performed over 1000 songs over their whole touring career, a lot of them covers, of course. For the first fifteen years that they played, they didn't make much of anything for money. They were a traveling show, and all their money went to paying the crew, and transporting the gear to the next show. They were awesome. Along with Jefferson Airplane and Janis Joplin & Big Brother, the Grateful Dead started the whole hippie movement of the 1960's. People were quitting their jobs all across America and coming to the scene, and following the band on tour.

For years, people have followed the Grateful Dead on tour, living in their cars and camping at festivals throughout the country and making their living as they go. It blows my mind. I got into them by an old roommate. He played Dead constantly and the songs were always stuck in my head, I learned to love them. I bought a book that contained lyrics and meanings of songs. I've researched their history and have come to have a great respect for them as musicians.