I am a Deadhead. I
have been one for over 30 years. Yes,
that means I did travel to see the band play and saw multiple nights in a
tour. I am often asked how I could see
so many shows – easy, every night has a different set list, and in improvised-based
music, each performance becomes a unique experience. My brothers and I have played
in bands for more than 25 years, whose music sense came from the Grateful Dead. Having just watched 4 out of the last 5 shows
given by the remaining four members of the band before officially “retiring”
the name, gave me a chance to reflect on some of the lessons learned.
Inspiration – At the end of the day, it was about the music. That is what it always came down to for the
Zeiler brothers. Yes, it was a great
party atmosphere at the concert (I would be remiss in not saying that). But, it
was the ability to improvise and take the music into unexpected avenues. You always looked forward to a song that was
rarely played (e.g., Dark Star, Attic of my Life, encore And We Bid You
Goodnight at Bobby’s birthday in the Meadowlands) that provided inspiration. I was a fan of their late keyboardist, Brent
Mydland, who was a great soloist, and even better at, what I call, filling the
empty spaces, either with musical fills or as an undercurrent to spur the music
onward. Most forms of music are
structured, and a soloist has a few bars to improvise. Similar to Dixieland music, the Grateful Dead
had all seven members improvising at the same time. To do so, everyone might seem to lead, but it
takes listening to each other, a willingness to take a musical risk and finding
the sounds you search for. My brothers
and I have spent 30 years reaching for the musical bar they set.
Mindset – Yes, I know that the band was identified as part
of the hippie movement. If you looked beyond
the long hair, the tie-dyed shirts and the cloud of smoke, most followers were
kind, friendly souls and had a mellow, casual attitude. Many of the Deadheads did grow up to become
successful in the fields that they pursued.
I remember, we had friends that had this extreme negative, druggie image
of the concert scene. We treated them (concert
prices were MUCH cheaper) to a concert at Giant stadium. We went early, barbequed in the parking lot,
met some other friends and walked around to the vendor areas before going into
the concert. Afterwards, they realized
that their impression was all wrong. It
was a great experience for all involved.
One other point on this, when looking for a wife, one of the traits that
I was looking for was that she needed to be a Deadhead. Happily, Debbie met that criteria and we have
gone to many concerts and shared some great (life) experiences together.
Closure – 20 years ago, in June of 1995, we went to see the
Grateful Dead play at Giant Stadium. We
only went once or twice a year at that point, down from trying to catch as many
shows as possible in the area from a few years prior. It was a strong show, better than the prior
year. The Dead played Unbroken Chain, a
song rarely played live, and had the mystique about it that if you heard it,
the Dead were going to break up. Little
did we know that a month and a half later, Jerry Garcia would be found dead and
the band, as we knew them, would never be the same. Yes, every band member variation brought
excitement, and some disappointment as the lead instrument was not there. The
Fare Thee Well Tour gave us all a chance to say goodbye and listen to our
favorite band one last time, bringing a sense of closure. We might be sad to say fare thee well to an “old
friend”, but happy, after 20 years, to finally be able to do so.
Mickey Hart gave the final words, from the stage. The first half is applicable to any
experience and the second is just great advice.
His words clearly summarized the “long, strange trip”: “The feeling we
have here — remember it, take it home and do some good with it. I’ll leave you with this: Please, be kind.”
Please, feel free to share your experiences / impact from
the Grateful Dead, or any other band…
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