Thursday, December 23, 2004
The GD song cycle-Phil's EPIC shows
I recently attended a trilogy of concerts given by Phil Lesh (former Grateful Dead bassist) at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco. It was a fascinating and significant series of shows. Phil pulled off something few contemporary musicians rarely even attempt.
There are times when the Grateful Dead world feels like a community, or an extension of that short utopia that was Haight-Ashbury circa 1965-66. Times when the ideals, the hopes, fears and beliefs of all seem to come together, joyfully. These shows were one of those times.
The shows were themed, a different theme for every night. It included songs from the Dead's catalogue and songs familiar and new.
Bob Weir of the Dead once described the Grateful Dead as a "storyteller", and that is one of the components that made the band so obsessively fascinating to so many fans.
Well, Phil has taken this approach a step further by loosely arranging the music in the form of a story. I would compare it in some ways to Wagner's Ring Cycle, in that the story was told over three nights, and not just in one. The setlist was arranged to tell a story, but with enough of that famous Grateful Dead spontaneity and anarchy to allow the individual musicians to contribute as well.
The GD was always interested in the power of music to transform consciousness, induce ecstasy and enlightenment, and still be danceable. They were fun, hedonistic, serious and mysterious all at once. Their diverse fans focused on many different aspects of the band, but I think what gave them such lasting popularity was the underlying, transformative qualities of their music. It worked on a sub-conscious level, the imagery in the songs worked on the archetypal and collective unconscious level.
Since the demise of Jerry Garcia, the story telling has been a bit more sporadic, as the rest of the band members adapt to the post-Jerry world. All of them have had their own projects, and all those projects have been interesting. The remaining members of the band have reunited, but without Jerry, some of the glue and momentum aren't always really there. That's okay with this Deadhead, as long as Bob, Phil, Mickey and Billy continue to do interesting solo projects.
Anyway, Phil's theme for the shows was symbolized by three separate Tarot cards: The Fool, Death, and The Wheel (of Life, of Fortune). The setlists for each night bore this out, as did the mood of the music. Friday was pretty much like stepping off a cliff, Saturday was dark and brooding, and Sunday was a joyful, redemptive turn of the Wheel. All in all I feel it was a good message for the times, pointing out that things go round, times can be good, times can be dark, you gotta have a little faith, you gotta keep on trying, just a little bit harder, you gotta grieve and move on, and who woulda expected all this when we took our first naive steps on this road.
The other great, great thing about these shows was that , aside from Phil, no other members of the GD were involved in playing the music. That was good in a few ways. It allowed Phil to present the song canon the way he wanted to, without endless negotiating that was (and is) part of the Dead. It also was refreshing to hear musicians play music they obviously love, but have little history of playing. Certainly not 40 years of history. The smiles on their faces, the passion they brought to the tunes was obvious to the fans, and made for much joyful and energetic dancing, etc. Some fans say that Phil should move on, but I think the GD canon can be reinterpreted over and over.
I am so happy Phil chose this time to give us sacred, spiritual music, without preaching. Music that makes us feel, makes us dance, makes us THINK.
Thanks, Phil !!! Thanks, Friends !!! Thanks, fellow Deadheads !!!
There are times when the Grateful Dead world feels like a community, or an extension of that short utopia that was Haight-Ashbury circa 1965-66. Times when the ideals, the hopes, fears and beliefs of all seem to come together, joyfully. These shows were one of those times.
The shows were themed, a different theme for every night. It included songs from the Dead's catalogue and songs familiar and new.
Bob Weir of the Dead once described the Grateful Dead as a "storyteller", and that is one of the components that made the band so obsessively fascinating to so many fans.
Well, Phil has taken this approach a step further by loosely arranging the music in the form of a story. I would compare it in some ways to Wagner's Ring Cycle, in that the story was told over three nights, and not just in one. The setlist was arranged to tell a story, but with enough of that famous Grateful Dead spontaneity and anarchy to allow the individual musicians to contribute as well.
The GD was always interested in the power of music to transform consciousness, induce ecstasy and enlightenment, and still be danceable. They were fun, hedonistic, serious and mysterious all at once. Their diverse fans focused on many different aspects of the band, but I think what gave them such lasting popularity was the underlying, transformative qualities of their music. It worked on a sub-conscious level, the imagery in the songs worked on the archetypal and collective unconscious level.
Since the demise of Jerry Garcia, the story telling has been a bit more sporadic, as the rest of the band members adapt to the post-Jerry world. All of them have had their own projects, and all those projects have been interesting. The remaining members of the band have reunited, but without Jerry, some of the glue and momentum aren't always really there. That's okay with this Deadhead, as long as Bob, Phil, Mickey and Billy continue to do interesting solo projects.
Anyway, Phil's theme for the shows was symbolized by three separate Tarot cards: The Fool, Death, and The Wheel (of Life, of Fortune). The setlists for each night bore this out, as did the mood of the music. Friday was pretty much like stepping off a cliff, Saturday was dark and brooding, and Sunday was a joyful, redemptive turn of the Wheel. All in all I feel it was a good message for the times, pointing out that things go round, times can be good, times can be dark, you gotta have a little faith, you gotta keep on trying, just a little bit harder, you gotta grieve and move on, and who woulda expected all this when we took our first naive steps on this road.
The other great, great thing about these shows was that , aside from Phil, no other members of the GD were involved in playing the music. That was good in a few ways. It allowed Phil to present the song canon the way he wanted to, without endless negotiating that was (and is) part of the Dead. It also was refreshing to hear musicians play music they obviously love, but have little history of playing. Certainly not 40 years of history. The smiles on their faces, the passion they brought to the tunes was obvious to the fans, and made for much joyful and energetic dancing, etc. Some fans say that Phil should move on, but I think the GD canon can be reinterpreted over and over.
I am so happy Phil chose this time to give us sacred, spiritual music, without preaching. Music that makes us feel, makes us dance, makes us THINK.
Thanks, Phil !!! Thanks, Friends !!! Thanks, fellow Deadheads !!!
