Dead & Company

I already have plans for Philoween ..

Hopefully lockn is one!

Probably because everyone has heard of John Mayer, not so much the other two.

that kid with the ukelele

From Aces Back to Back:

~~With the long-anticipated announcement that Dead & Company, featuring Weir and John Mayer, will be touring this autumn, we are again being asked to buy into the concept that here is another band that is genuine, true to the core spirit of Garcia and the Grateful Dead, and worth investing more of our hard-earned money in.

The showcase gig for the Dead & Company tour will be an October 31 performance at the Garden that begs the question: Why is this gig scheduled for the same night that Phil Lesh and Friends will be playing 20 miles up the road at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester ?

As I asked months ago, why couldn't the Dead, and promoter Peter Shapiro in particular, play with their cards on the table ? Why weren't the 2015 tour schedules for the Dead and their various off-shoot band's mapped out for us in advance ? To maximize earning potential, that's why. There are a lot of people who would not have sold their souls to see the Dead in Chicago or Santa Clara had they known a tour by Weir, Kreutzmann and Hart was set for the fall. As a result, in a Grateful Dead version of Celebrity Death Match, we are now being asked to chose between Lesh and Weir on a Saturday night in October.

That's bullshit. Am I supposed to sell my Lesh tickets because I find the Weir-Mayer event at MSG more interesting and exciting than another costly Phil show featuring a group of musicians (think John Scofield, Stanley Jordan and Eric Krasno) typically so unfamiliar with the Dead's music that much of it is being figured out onstage as they go along ?

I'm headed to see Weir at the Garden. Why ? I'm willing to venture a guess, and this is not, in my opinion, going out on a limb, that the Weir-Mayer band will be better rehearsed than another of Phil's constantly shifting lineups. Phil's bands feature two lead guitarists who can't mesh or work off one another because one can't play rhythm (think Scofield), the other doesn't know the music (think Jordan), and another can't find the pocket (think Krasno). Additionally, Lesh's band misses Joe Russo and paying $80 to $100 is a lot of dough to hear John Kadlecik play rhythm so Jackie Greene can cop most of the leads.

Another question must also be raised: Was it the truth, as Phil told Trey Anastasio, that the four remaining band members were all getting on fine ? Because I don't believe that, nor have I ever believed that, for a moment. In fact, going back to long before the "Dear Jerry" concert in May at Merriweather, there has been so much bullshitting going on that the antics make Joan Rivers face look real. No joint appearance by the Core Four at Merriweather ? Not even a single photo of them together ? That's inconsistent with the spirit of the Grateful Dead that I grew up with. That night, Phil couldn't wait to get on and off the stage and away from anything to do with Weir, Kreutzmann and Hart.

In Chicago and Santa Clara, Bobby and Phil had less on-stage interaction than two bitterly-divorced parents. Phil unmercifully brow-beat and pistol-whipped Weir for months after Bob messed up and fell in Port Chester (the death knel for Furthur) and two Furthur headlining gigs had to be subsequently canceled in 2013. And Weir, understandably, never forgave him. And I don't blame him. Phil seems to have forgotten his pre-Jill years when we would literally have to carry his drunken ass backstage so he could get to the gig on time.

It's my opinion that the contract the Core Four signed with Shapiro (which, after being "sold" to Lesh, was then shoved down the throats of Weir, Hart and Kreutzmann by Phil and Shapiro), prohibited, and will prohibit, joint appearances by the four at events like "Dear Jerry" and the upcoming Lockn' Festival.

Which is all disingenuous and fake.

The shit show extends beyond just the Core Four, too. For example, John Kadlecik, the most-exciting player in our world since Garcia's death, has been persona-non-grata in 2015. Why ? Because Kreutzmann popped off in 2009 about his selection as the Furthur guitarist and then stuck his foot further down his throat by labeling Kadlecik as "fake Jerry" in his recent biography, Deal. The result ? The hurtful insult that JK wasn't invited to the "Dear Jerry" event in his own backyard (way to stand up for your pal, Phil) but Stu Allen was, and Kadlecik wasn't even considered for the role as lead guitarist in the reunited Dead. I recently spoke to John and asked him what he thought of the selection of Trey. "He was the second best choice after me," he laughed, good-naturedly, and with class.

Many a truth is said in jest.

Scheduling their major gig on the same night as Phil's Halloween show is Weir's "fuck you" to Phil for, among other obvious reasons, allowing Shapiro to co-opt the Grateful Dead, sell his terms to Phil, and then have Phil muscle those terms upon his one-time bandmates.

I'm going to the Dead & Company concert at the Garden because I believe that John Mayer will pleasantly surprise people and that show will be more in keeping with the spirit of the Grateful Dead that I knew, the Dead before Brent died, the Dead before Garcia was whittled to nothing because he no longer wanted to play with them in the end.

There's a reason why bands like Phish, moe., String Cheese and Umphrey's McGee are covered on this page. They're the future, and, soon enough, it will be time to start looking toward that future.
— Scott
August 6, 2015

Is it not reasonable for Phil to decide he doesn't want to put up with that anymore? 

-also if he is just now looking at cheese and phish and UM, etc., then that guy missed out on a lot of good music recently.

Both MSG dates sold out

Got tickets for 10/31, so I'm happy :-)

Greensboro Coilisium- 11/14 Saturday night

gratefuldean.com/dead-and-company-dates-coming-any-day-and-lending-a-hand-to-a-hand-me-down/


Based on the initial response to MSG ticket sales, there’s news that Dead and Company have added dates in various locations across the country as far north as New Hampshire and southbound along the Eastern Seaboard. Joel Smokin Okun reported that the revised schedule calls for 30 dates ending with New Year’s Eve at The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. While that seems like a relatively small venue for a New Years Show like this, I don’t make the news, I just report it. The dates and cities should hit the web early this week… Maybe today… Maybe tomorrow… Any day now….



Another voice every Deadhead is extremely familiar with is our old friend David Gans. David has been the voice of GD Radio for decades and really was one of the pioneers of what has become thousands of Dead Related Radio programs world wide. David is taking his voice to the studio and is in the process of recording an album entitled, “It’s a Hand-Me-Down”. He’s done a tremendous job interpreting some old favorites and has given me a few samples to pass along. David’s voice is not only smooth like buttah on the radio but even smoother when using it for song. You can check out his take on Deal right here and a complete Wharf Rat here.



David is running a Kickstarter campaign to get his project completed and could use our help. His name and his voice are synonymous with all things Dead and this will be another inspired piece in the Dead’s lineage that you can be a part of manifesting. If you consider all of the hours that David has entertained you throughout the years, a small tribute would most certainly be appropriate. If everybody that read this gave a dollar or two, the project would be fully funded and complete. Here’s what David has to say about it and the link where you can contribute, if you feel led to do so. I highly encourage our participation and look forward to the CD!



David Gans Project



It’s gonna be an extremely exciting week in Grateful Dead Land my friends!!! Buckle Up!



Dead To TheCore,



Dean Sottile (pronounced So Tilly)

Lordy.... the music never stops!

Assuming that is correct we will be going for the 11/6 show...