Waves. In all places you regarded, there have been waves of individuals – 40,000 our bodies shifting, swaying, and flailing within the cool San Francisco breeze. This was the ultimate Lifeless & Firm present, an occasion brimming with tears of pleasure, gloriously goofy dancing, and, after all, epic jamming. Grateful Lifeless co-founder, Bob Weir, returned dwelling for a trio of concert events at Oracle Park, marking the grand finale.
Outdoors the stadium, the environment exuded glee with out a trace of bittersweetness. At a Lifeless & Firm present, there was nothing to really feel down about, even when it was presupposed to be the final gig. The group was ecstatic, usually drunk and excessive, all able to witness the band doing what they do finest – similar to that they had over time.
For practically 5 hours, the band – Bob Weir (rhythm guitar and vocals), Mickey Hart (drums and percussion), Jeff Chimenti (keyboards and vocals), John Mayer (lead guitar and vocals), and Oteil Burbridge (bass and vocals) – performed like each masters and curious college students intertwined. Even once they performed the Lifeless’s hit songs, the band delivered the surprising, leaving you hanging on to each notice and lyric. It wasn’t simply because it was the ultimate present. Plus, for a band just like the Lifeless, and an evening like the ultimate present, that music by no means stops.
There’s one thing about their music that dances with the soul. Generally it’s onerous to place into phrases precisely, particularly because the soul isn’t at all times probably the most eloquent talker and all. Comedian Phil Hanley, nonetheless, is aware of precisely how the Lifeless’s music makes him really feel. Hanley has been deeply influenced by the band, particularly Bob Weir, whom he idolizes. “Something Bob Weir does, I’ll help,” he as soon as advised Excessive Occasions. “My favourite dyslexic, Bob Weir.”
Fairly than writing additional in regards to the gloriousness of the ultimate present, the scent of hashish within the air, or the band’s inspiring steadiness of endurance and momentum, I believed it finest to let Excessive Occasions readers hear from an skilled. Think about Phil Hanley a physician and a professor in all issues Lifeless-related.
Having attended the ultimate three Lifeless & Firm reveals, Hanley – who you may at all times catch at The Comedy Cellar in NYC or on tour this fall – shared his experiences in a name just a few days after the final present, each of us buzzing as we reminisced about witnessing Lifeless & Firm at each the height and the top of their touring profession.
How had been your experiences on the last three reveals? How did they examine?
Properly, the entire time it’s in your head that these had been the final reveals. It was being billed as that, however I’ve been going to see Lifeless & Co reveals since 2015 once they began within the fall. The craziest factor in your head is considering, “These are the final reveals,” however you then’re additionally considering, “That is them at their absolute peak.” And never similar to, “Oh, these are nice reveals,” however it was like a next-level state of affairs that, as a fan of the band and somebody that had seen them many, many instances, I didn’t essentially predict that they’d be capable to get to the place that they had been at this previous weekend.
And once more, I used to be a fan. I’ve seen Lifeless & Co a bunch of instances, and I’d by no means cross on a present, however it was subsequent stage and treading on completely new grounds. On Friday evening, there was a jam in “Scarlet Begonias” the place I used to be like, “This pathway within the forest has by no means been locked down earlier than. Like, they had been unbelievable.”
I noticed it Sunday evening, and I agree, it’s the most effective I’ve seen them. Every thing felt spontaneous but so on level.
It’s like that line in “Terrapin Station” the place they’re like, “Is that this the top or the start?” That’s how I felt. Anybody who’s studying Excessive Occasions, I extremely suggest you take heed to “Scarlet” or “Cumberland Blues,” ‘trigger it was so on the sting of chaos, it jogged my memory in a totally totally different approach. That’s the unimaginable factor. It wasn’t like, “Let’s go up and emulate an ideal Cumberland from when Jerry was nonetheless with us.”
I’ve been a Bob Weir fan since I used to be a child. He’s simply such an enormous supply of inspiration, however to see him within the pocket and simply, it’s the final tune and he’s like, “Let’s do it. Let’s do one thing new.” It was phenomenal on Friday evening once they did “The Huge River” and “Darkish Star” mashup.
Do you actually suppose it’s the top for Lifeless & Firm?
It’s not the way in which folks behave [on stage] once they’re like, “That is the final kick within the can,” you realize? I believe we’re on the point of a brand new starting. I believe that Bob was sort of conducting the band for lots of the earlier years, however this time, everybody was simply on their very own and simply utterly let free. I used to be blown away by all three nights.
How else do you suppose they developed over time as a bunch?
They began good and bought higher and higher and higher. There have been ups and downs alongside the way in which, however good God, not solely did it really feel like a peak, however it felt similar to an entire new factor. I can’t consider as musicians, they’d be like, “Yeah, let’s by no means try this once more.” They performed 10 hours of music over three days. They did three encores. They did “Truckin’,” “Brokedown Palace,” and “Not Fade Away.” Nobody left.
On Sunday evening, I believe they went 40 minutes previous their scheduled finish time. I believed they had been going to complete with “Not Fade Away,” which might’ve been a beautiful last tune, however then Bob had this look on stage, like, “Let’s hold going.”
Yeah, dude. I used to be standing with a bunch of pals and we wished extra. It was like denial. It was like refusing to see a lover’s flaws or one thing like that. When a roadie was eradicating a mic, folks simply couldn’t settle for that it was over and never over because the band, however simply over because the evening. It was very reflective of what folks wished.
If that is the top, there was one thing sort of lovely about Bob Weir ending these reveals again dwelling, close to the place the band began. Did you see any significance in him enjoying San Francisco within the last Lifeless & Firm reveals?
I’ll attempt to be concise with you as a result of I’ve introduced this as much as like most likely 10 Deadheads, and it didn’t even register of their eyes. However to me, there was an enormous second on Friday the place Bob Weir goes, “The bus got here spherical and I bought on, and that’s when all of it started.” I’m getting chills. My hair is standing up on my arm proper now as a result of it’s so wild that that’s true.
In 1965, he heard Jerry working towards guitar in a music retailer and went in and met Jerry, and like, all that’s occurred… To me, I learn that second as, that’s all that’s occurred. There’s a lot extra that may occur, you realize? It was simply such a wild, wild second as a result of a lot has gone down. In true Bob Weir trend, the following day on Monday, he introduced a Wolf Brothers tour.
Did he?
Wolf Brothers on the highway within the fall. When folks say, “Bob is that this age,” meaning nothing. He arguably sounds nearly as good or higher than ever. I imply, he at all times sounds wonderful, however he feels like no different singer I’ve ever seen. Moreover Jerry, he’s the character in these songs, and you’re feeling it, and it simply goes on to your coronary heart. You recognize, when he was singing and he’s telling these tales, oh my God.
I believe his voice has such gravitas and historical past to it now that, you’re proper, it’s developed – not improved – into this lovely new place.
Oh, yeah. Additionally, everybody was enjoying insanely, however Bobby is correct there, and he was so within the zone. He’s so within the tune, he’s not even actually tapping his foot. He’s simply in it, you realize? Everybody else is like dancing and gyrating, and Weir is simply channeled. He’s enjoying at such a excessive stage and makes it look really easy and so pure.
Final time we spoke, you talked about Bob Weir being a hero of yours, partly as a result of, as he’s stated, he’s “tremendous dyslexic.” Whenever you watch him play dwell, do you continue to concentrate on the way it influences his enjoying?
Once I came upon that Bob Weir was dyslexic, I used to be like, “Oh, he’s certainly one of us.” The neighborhood has Bob Weir. You recognize, over the past 40 years, if he messes up a lyric, it’s celebrated and a reminder that it’s a dwell expertise. It’s not like, “Oh, Bobby tousled the lyrics to ‘West L.A. Fadeaway.’” It’s celebrated.
We method issues otherwise, and it’s a power. When Jerry handed, you’re like, “How is anybody ever gonna substitute Jerry Garcia, one of many biggest, if not the best American musician to ever dwell?” Simply an unimaginable, unimaginable musician and disciplined and inventive and all these items, clearly. That’s actually onerous to switch, however what I believe can be not possible to switch can be if something ever occurred to Bob Weir as a result of his type of enjoying is so distinctive.
I’ve introduced guitar gamers to see Lifeless reveals earlier than, they usually’re similar to, “What’s he doing?” As a result of he’s enjoying like an E up right here and an E there, and an E there, and an E there. The best way he approaches music and the guitar, there’s no rhythm guitar participant that’s even comparable. He’s such his personal entity.
If he was in a position to learn music too, he might need been extra conventional and wouldn’t have gone down the trail he did. You recognize, Jerry at all times stated he adopted Bob’s lead, letting his rhythm guitar cleared the path. How’d you see the band play off Bob this final weekend?
Jeff Chimenti has such a lovely musical relationship with the band, they usually play so effectively off one another. Whenever you see them dwell, you may actually hear how they play in concord. All of them sort of took turns and fell in line. As a result of they’re doing new stuff, I imply, what number of “Scarlet Begonias” have I listened to in my life? Possibly all of them, however to listen to them go in a brand new course like there was a jam in the course of “Scarlet Begonias” the place I’m like, “Oh, that is loopy. I’ve by no means heard something like that. The tune was there.”
I used to be speaking to a musician final evening who had performed with Bobby, and he stated that previously, once they performed collectively and somebody made a mistake or a daring alternative, that’s once you actually bought Bobby’s consideration. That’s me quoting, however I believe that’s the place they discover issues attention-grabbing. I additionally heard a Mayer interview this 12 months the place they had been speaking a few tune stepping into a brand new course or sort of off the rails, and that was when Weir was actually like, “No, keep right here. That is new.” It’s the fantastic thing about the Lifeless.
I really took a John Mayer fan to the present, they usually left a fan of the Lifeless. How do you suppose he gelled with the music over time?
It’s so inspiring. I used to be blown away that he knew all these songs for the primary tour, and I believed he was nice. The primary tour I used to be content material with, like, “That is The Lifeless.” He continued to evolve, and it was his guitar enjoying that, I believe, helped make “Cumberland Blues” so particular and one thing that individuals will rejoice. There’s no approach folks gained’t take heed to that Sunday evening present.
Man, once they briefly went into “Hey Jude” and Mayer did this guitar solo, I used to be like, holy shit.
Dude, sure. It was cool since you may see Bobby was sort of conducting issues earlier than, and now everybody’s simply left to do their very own factor. Once more, it’s so bizarre ’trigger it’s below the guise of this being their final tour. A couple of instances in my head, I used to be like, “That is the way forward for the Lifeless.” It made me really feel that they’ve a vibrant future and, you realize, with Mayer enjoying, that is one other eight years. I used to be like, “God, I can’t wait to listen to them 16 or 20 years from now.”
I hope that’s the case. I’ve felt a bit down since that last present as a result of I’ll miss these reveals and one thing lovely about going to them – the dearth of insecurity you’re feeling. It’s such a cheerful place to be, and you’ll dance like an fool, and nobody will chuckle at you. After your many years of watching the Lifeless dwell and having that have, has it helped make you extra comfortable in your pores and skin?
100%. I at all times inform folks, the Lifeless is my lifeblood. I’m from a city in Canada, and other people speak about gatekeeping and all that stuff. You decide a hockey workforce once you’re three, and that’s it. It doesn’t matter what occurs. You decide who you might be, and that’s that. So rising up, you couldn’t put on a sure band shirt except you’d seen them dwell. Even with Lifeless stuff, I by no means wore any Lifeless paraphernalia till I noticed them dwell.
It’s wild that there’s a full-on 2023 resurgence of the Grateful Lifeless. I welcome it. I adore it. I simply suppose it’s such a optimistic factor for everybody. Such as you had been saying, you may’t look goofy, that’s what it’s all about. It’s all about not caring about becoming in. Usually, you slot in with folks by making an allowance for what they suppose or how they really feel or no matter. With the Lifeless, you slot in by not caring about these issues. It’s utterly letting free. It’s phenomenal.
You meet so many cool and pleasant folks at these reveals, too. Any favourite reminiscences of fellow followers at Lifeless reveals?
Each present. I keep in mind a present at MSG, Lifeless & Co. I used to be with my girlfriend on the time, however it was a little bit of a turbulent state of affairs. She left the present. I had a break up second of like, ah, what a foul buzz. After which out of nowhere, this dude simply gave me this large hug and was like, “I may see you wanted that.” He didn’t see my girlfriend storm away or something like that. He simply learn my face when he was dancing by and gave me a hug, after which danced away.
I keep in mind again within the day when Jerry was alive, and we had been at Soldier Subject. I had lied to my dad and mom about the place I used to be going, and we snuck out and drove to Chicago from Ontario, which is kind of a trek. I keep in mind the present ended, and this man was sporting a full tie-dyed, like, clown outfit. He was standing and screaming as loud as he may, “RAH!” After which the gang would cheer, after which he’d do it once more. Solely louder this time, “RAH!” And the gang would cheer. He yelled a 3rd time, he threw himself again and simply landed on the bottom, flat on his again. It went from humorous to dramatic. After which he stood up and went, “See you guys tomorrow evening!” And everybody applauded.
There’s such real pleasure at a lifeless present. Different of the issues that dawned on me, I at all times thought, like once I was a child, it felt just like the Lifeless, though they’re so standard that I at all times sort of had sympathy for individuals who weren’t conscious of them and had been depriving themselves of that have. It was only a unconscious factor the place I used to be so grateful to be a part of it and so grateful that I had that factor in my life – my love for the Lifeless.
I hadn’t thought that for years, and the [final] weekend, that thought popped again into my head. Once more, that is actually the place it’s at. It’s nearly like, if folks don’t perceive the band, you don’t just like the human spirit. It’s a celebration of the human spirit. And it’s simply encompassing a lot music, you realize? There are elements of it which can be so heavy, however you simply get a lot out of it. It’s simply such a wild trip and such an entire expertise.