Dead & Company – December 27 & 28, 2019 The Forum, Inglewood (Los Angeles area shows) Review and Photos for Deadheadland by Hal Masonberg
The two night pre-NYE Dead & Company run at The Forum in Los Angeles was a welcome year-end treat for the Southern California DeadHead community. A chance to reunite with friends old and new, to wish one another happy holidays and share hopes for the year to come. And to, once again, dance together.
Pre-show live music was on hand on Shakedown as THE ALLIGATORS played a rocking free set under the stars before Saturday evening’s show. Post-show events were aplenty from THE HIGGS to PARACOSMIC and others playing into the wee hours at smaller venues around the Forum.
25 years after the passing of Jerry Garcia, the music of the Grateful Dead has become a musical movement unto itself. There is a veritable bounty of extraordinary musicians and bands playing Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia music and – whether containing original members or not – each band has their own flavor, their own take and style. We all know the influence, but one of the most adventurous aspects of this modern musical landscape is experiencing how the music changes, is reinterpreted by a new combination of voices, by new musical conversations, by a new mixture of different styles.
Dead & Company offers its own unique take on both the music and the scene that, while certainly channeling aspects of the Grateful Dead experience, deserves its own category. The Dead & Company experience is not a Grateful Dead concert. The music feels more calculated, more precise with specific intent.
As many have noted in the past, many songs have been slowed down, favoring what might be a more ballad-style approach. This change alone creates new spaces for the band to explore, a different tone to the conversations than what the Grateful Dead gave us. To this listener, it feels like a slightly less risky approach to the music than was present in the Grateful Dead or Jerry Garcia’s style of improvisational music-making, but its popularity has shown that it’s an interpretation of the music that transcends generation or expectation. There was no shortage of love and excitement from the audience toward the band, and vice versa.
12/27/19 Dead and Company Set 1 opener – Truckin’
Dead & Company’s first night at the Forum was a rather mellow and ethereal affair. The boys opened the first set with TRUCKIN’ which might have suggested a potentially rocking night, but the energy quickly shifted to a more laid-back, more thoughtful approach.
The second set of the first night opened with an understated PLAYING IN THE BAND. Instead of slamming into the opening rhythms, Dead & Company chose to ease its way into the song, This set the stage for what would be a lilting and graceful set of music from the mythical and folkloric journey of TERRAPIN STATION to the sweet and delicate tones of CHINA DOLL. Even THE OTHER ONE favored a more intricate and weaving approach compared to some of the earth-shaking renditions we knew and loved by the Grateful Dead themselves.
Bob Weir’s influence on the band is everywhere. Being the single most innovative and original rhythm guitarist I’ve personally ever seen, Weir’s stylings and preferences are all over Dead & Company’s approach to this beloved catalogue of songs. Anyone familiar with Weir’s solo bands will recognize his mark, influence and musical preferences here. One of the results of this approach is that John Mayer’s lead guitar is less prominent in the mix than Garcia’s was. His playing doesn’t so much lead the way as blend into the soundscape itself. This offers a very different feel and interplay, one that has come to define the sound of Dead & Company.
Not to say Mayer’s leads don’t occasionally rise to the level of leading the music. It changes from song to song, but it was on night two that Mayer really got to tear into some leads and bring the music to new heights. While the first set felt a bit more like an extension of night one, more reserved and meditative, the second set offered a rocking bolt of energy that really showed what this band can do when they ride the music like a pro surfer becoming one with a wave.
Dead & Company Live at The Forum LA 12/28/19 Set I Opener
Dead & Company Live at The Forum LA 12/28/19 Set II Opener
For me, Dead and Company rarely feels like the music is playing the band. I’m usually hyper-aware of the specific intentions of the music and musicians; I can feel the thought and care that has been put into it. There is a sense of mastering the music as opposed to giving in fully to it. Of course, that’s just my interpretation. Others would disagree. But the second set on night two was as close as I’ve gotten to seeing the music actually playing this band. It felt more connected, more organic, less restrained.
Opening the second set by completing set one’s VIOLA LEE BLUES was the perfect, unexpected intro to a night full of delightful twists and turns. The CHINA->RIDER was inventive and nuanced with a strong life-force behind it. The DARK STAR was melodic and intense with Mayer taking center stage and, along with Chimenti, really traversing some wonderfully rich spaces. The HE’S GONE was both beautiful and powerful. DRUMS -> SPACE was as primal and exotic as ever until the band made a sharp left turn into ALTHEA which turned out to be one of the more powerful songs of the evening.
The MORNING DEW that followed was a most welcome treat that, as MORNING DEW’s often will, acknowledged a special night of music. This MORNING DEW was a perfect example of some of the differences between the Grateful Dead and Dead & Company. Gone is the pin-drop quiet of Garcia’s rendition, that gentle, mournful, barely-audible soulfulness that would take its time in exquisitely and organically building to a crescendo of deep and powerful emotional release. Dead & Company’s MORNING DEW focuses more on the unstoppable heart-wrenching mournfulness that cannot be contained. It doesn’t linger, but instead succumbs to the pain of loss and the rage of helplessness that is at the heart of MORNING DEW.
Though, in my opinion, Dead & Company rarely reaches for the ecstatic highs and the delicate lows the Grateful Dead traversed, they do – with their own creative voice – manage to play that space in-between with both skill and grace. The two nights at the Forum in Los Angeles were the perfect sampling of the diverse spaces this band inhabits, and of what they do best.
Publishers note: When I arrived at Terrapin last Grateful Monday I saw my friend Hal Masonberg shooting pictures of some members of Jerry’s Middle Finger playing with Stu and Friends – so I asked him to write up a review of his experience. I am always at TxR, and have been since day 2… I thought it would be nice to get a fresh perspective on a night at Terrapin from a different set of eyes and ears. Hal has contributed to Deadheadland in the past as well. His photographs here are great, he was crawling under things and in-between nooks and crannies I’ve never seen to get some new perspective on my local bar… Thanks Hal! Awesome work!!! Grateful to have you on Team Deadheadland. – happycat! (photos and words by Hal, video by me!)
Rodney Newman
Phil Lesh’s Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael is one of a handful of venues in Northern California universally considered ground zero for Dead Heads. It’s a haven, of sorts, a beacon. It’s been tugging at my heart and feet for years now and, until this past Monday, I never managed to make the trek northward (I’m currently L.A. based) to partake in the vibes and ambiance that Terrapin so lovingly and nobly offers.
Stu Allen
This past Monday night for Grateful Monday, Stu Allen performed in the bar with some old friends and some new. On hand were regulars Jordan Feinstein (keys) and Burt Lewis (bass), but on drums this evening we were given the delicious opportunity to groove with the amazing Rodney Newman ofJerry’s Middle Finger. Add to that a couple of songs with JMF’s Jon Gold (keys) and Halina Janusz (vocals) sitting in and the evening became a full-on soulful celebration of both northern and southern Garcia influences (Burt Lewis is also the bass player for JMF). It was a first for this particular lineup and the crowd on hand was treated to an intoxicating evening of musical journeys borne of bringing like-minded musicians together for the first time to plunge head first into both the known and unknown. It’s that daring, that risk-taking that helps create the energy bubble that enveloped the Terrapin Crossroads bar this past Monday September 30.
Jon Gold, Jordan FeinsteinHalina Janusz
The venue itself is part of the magic, with its winding staircase next to the stage, making the intimate space feel like you’re seeing the band in a friend’s living room. Albeit a friend’s living room with a tremendously well-stocked bar and some damn-tasty eats!
Jordan Feinstein, Stu Allen
As someone who has seen both Stu Allen and Jerry’s Middle Finger many, many times, it was a treat to see these two talents merge. Perhaps next time we’ll get JMF’s Garrett Deloian and Lisa Malsberger up there to complete the package and Stu can sit in with them for a couple of Garcia Band tunes! At Terrapin Crossroads, it’s just a matter of time before that fusion materializes. And as someone who has finally tasted the elixir at Terrapin Crossroads, I’ll be there when it does.
Stu Allen
Jerry’s Middle Finger will play the Grate Room for the first time at Terrapin Crossroads on Friday November 8th @ 8PM! Tickets are on sale now! I’ll see you there!
Stu Allen & Friends Terrapin Crossroads 9/30/19
Set I Touch Of Grey Althea Big River It Must Have Been The Roses (Halina Janusz, vocals; Jon Gold, keys) Might As Well (Halina Janusz, vocals; Jon Gold, keys)
Set 1 – Grateful Monday | DHLTV
Set II Man Smart, Woman Smarter Cryptical Envelopment -> Crazy Fingers -> The Other One> Cryptical Envelopment -> Comes A Time Not Fade Away
Set 2 – Grateful Monday | DHLTVBurt LewisJordan FeinsteinStu Allen, Rodney NewmanStu Allen, Rodney NewmanJordan Feinstein, Stu AllenRodney NewmanJordan FeinsteinHalina JanuszJordan FeinsteinStu Allen, Jordan Feinstein Rodney Newman, Burt LewisStu AllenRodney Newman, Burt LewisStu AllenRodney Newman, Burt Lewis, Jon Gold, Halina Janusz
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD) once again confirmed at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles this past Friday evening that they are one of the single most creative and energized post-Grateful Dead musical offerings to be found. Anywhere. While Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart continue to fill stadiums with their own brand of laid-back Grateful Dead magic as Dead & Company, and bassist Phil Lesh makes the festival rounds with his always daring and exploratory Terrapin Family Band, JRAD has built up a deservedly large and devoted following all their own.
While the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia’s legacy continues to morph and evolve, some of today’s most talented musicians are vigorously exploring both the Grateful Dead songbook and the Dead’s inspiring penchant for live musical improvisation and communication. Each band, each incarnation, has its own unique sound, its own personal take on the music and the journey. It’s far less of a recreation and far more of a continuation.
JRAD is the brain-child of drummer Joe Russo who, along with GD original members Bob Weir & Phil Lesh, helped propel the band Furthur into one of the best (if not THE best) post-Jerry original-member Grateful Dead experiences.
Some musicians openly channel their joy and energy into every note, every beat. Russo is one of those musicians and then some. A powerhouse performer, Russo put together a dream team of favorite musicians that includes Tom Hamilton, Jr. on guitar and vocals, Scott Metzger on guitar and vocals, Dave Dreiwitz on bass, and Marco Benevento on keys. Joining them at the Greek Friday night was Stuart Bogie on wind instruments. I personally found Bogie’s contribution to the music so immense that I hope he gets a permanent spot in the lineup. It’s now hard to imagine them without him.
JRAD hit the ground running with a first set that immediately felt more like a second set. They opened with a powerful and hoppin’ Dancin’ In The Streets which, after exploring a multitude of colorful corners and spaces, gracefully dropped into an absolutely exhilarating Eyes Of The World. JRAD’s combination of musicians have tapped into a sound all their own. It’s a high-energy combination that creates a fire and a strength that can be fully felt from the last seat in the last row. It’s alive, writhing, swirling, laughing, dancing and, sometimes, whispering.
Eyes dropped into an amazing Dreiwitz bass solo which melted into a wondrously jazzy space that brought us seamlessly and quite unexpectedly into Let It Grow. Even Benevento couldn’t contain his surprise and delight, his mouth agape as Metzger stepped up to the microphone and belted out the first verse. As if not quite incredible enough for a first set already, Let It Grow drifted into more formless spaces and Hamilton started plucking away at the familiar strains of Terrapin Station. The ethereal fave, building beautifully and uniquely to its crescendo, slammed closed the first set.
Containing only four songs, the first set clocked in at an intoxicating 85 minutes. Not a bad way to start the evening’s festivities.
After a short break, the band returned, this time with Fruit Bats’ Eric D. Johnson on guitar and vocals for a jazzy and oh-so-sweet Unbroken Chain. This was followed by Lost Sailor and Saint of Circumstance which happily bopped its way into a funky and always fiercely welcome Shakedown Street. Shakedown kept the dancing hot and heavy as it morphed its way back to the first set’s Let It Grow, which closed out that song and offered the first short musical break of the second set. But before you could catch yer breath, the band started up the dancing again with both a lilting and rocking version of Brown-Eyed Women. Another short beat and JRAD slowly began again with a familiar jam that evolved into a full-on powerhouse Truckin’ to close the second set.
After graciously and genuinely thanking the crowd, Russo introduced his nephew and drum tech, Evan Roque, who had recently and unexpectedly filled in for Russo (along with drummer Ben Perowsky) at Scranton, Pennsylvania’s Peach Music Festival when Russo’s second daughter arrived three weeks early!
The 4 song encore brought back Eric D. Johnson who sang the Zombies’ This Will Be Our Year followed by the Fruit Bats’ When U Love Somebody, followed by a seriously crowd-pleasing version of Van Morrison’s Caravan. Evan Roque returned to the stage and shared Russo’s kit and mic for the final song of the evening, Not Fade Away which, as has become customary, left the crowd chanting as the band, wide-grins all, waved, bowed and left the stage.
With so much live Grateful Dead music out there from stadiums to bars and everything in-between, it continues to amaze me just how unique and versatile JRAD manages to be. They are truly a rare combination of voices that together create a sound and energy unmatched in the Grateful Dead universe. For me, they are among the best there is.
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead The Greek Theatre Los Angeles, CA. August 16, 2019
Set 1: Dancin’ in the Streets-> Eyes Of The World -> Let it Grow-> Terrapin Station
Set 2: Unbroken Chain * Lost Sailor-> Saint of Circumstance-> Shakedown Street-> Let It Grow (reprise) Brown-Eyed Women Truckin’
Encore: This Will Be Our Year (Zombies tune) * When U Love Somebody (Fruit Bats tune) * Caravan (Van Mo) * Not Fade Away * **
Legendary music promoter Bill Graham once said about the Grateful Dead, “They’re not the best at what they do, they are the only ones who do what they do.”
For 30 years, that was true. But in 2019, that cannot be said of the surviving members of that band, three of whom make up half of Dead & Company(Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart). Since the passing of Jerry Garcia in 1995, something has developed that I, personally, never saw coming. Like many, Jerry’s death signaled the passing of an era, but also of a specific type of live musical experience that rested on the Dead’s ever-changing approach to their own songbook and the various covers they loved to play.
Instead of fading into obscurity or even simply holding a sacred place in American culture (and counter-culture, which the Grateful Dead do), an entire musical and communal scene took root that today is a thriving exploration of both the Grateful Dead songbook and the Grateful Dead’s approach to live music, which itself was inspired by multiple forms of music from jazz to classical, from bluegrass to good ol’ rock-n-roll. Dead & Company are just one of many bands taking the Grateful Dead’s music to new spaces.
There are bands that have sprouted up comprised of performers who weren’t even born when Jerry Garcia passed (for example, Grateful Shred), and there are bands made up of members who all grew up seeing the Grateful Dead live, many for decades (Dark Star Orchestra). While some of these bands directly emulate the Grateful Dead sound, many others (certainly the bulk, I would say) are taking the Grateful Dead’s lead in finding new and more personal ways to express themselves through this music. And that means new experiences, new sounds. “Grateful Dead,” one could say, has become its own musical genre.
Dead & Company, who just completed a stellar two-show run at the Hollywood Bowl here in Los Angeles (the venue of Pigpen’s last show), are attracting large crowds – Grateful Dead-sized crowds – for their own interpretation of this music with audiences that span generations from children to great grandparents. Dead & Company have their own unique sound. And it’s very different from the Grateful Dead.
Dead & Company has skillfully incorporated the sounds of John Mayer’s bluesy guitar, Jeff Chimenti’s fierce keyboards, and Oteil Burbridge’s monster bass lines. The result is a tight and laid back experience, with songs often favoring a ballad’s pace mixed with light jazzy explorations. The space they inhabit is more “restrained” than the Grateful Dead and the result is oftentimes a beautiful, melodic and quite hypnotizing combination of sounds with periodic bursts of intense energy.
For those wanting the Jerry Garcia Grateful Dead-style experience, this is not that. John Mayer and company never quite reach the pin-drop delicacy of the Grateful Dead or the orgasmic peaks of Garcia’s vulnerable and deeply expressive guitar work. The music and approach feels more “calculated” than that, but once embraced, it proves to be equally valid in honoring the vast mixture of styles, influences and intuitive desires of the band members themselves. There is genuine musical conversation happening here.
Because it’s not the Grateful Dead, Dead & Company will have its loving fans and it will also have its critics. That comes with the territory. The great news is, in my opinion, because there are so many bands taking their Grateful Dead influence in new and untapped directions, anyone seeking a unique experience of the Grateful Dead songbook can find almost any sound, any style imaginable to choose from.
From tried and true cover bands like Cubensis, or the Pigpen era celebration, The Alligators, or the incredibly powerful and oftentimes downright transcendent Jerry Garcia Band recreation, Jerry’s Middle Finger, to bands that only dabble in the Dead’s songbook but have absorbed the Grateful Dead’s jazz-like communicative and improvisational style such as the stadium-filling Phish, or nightclub and theater bands like The Higgs ort John Kadlecik’s Golden Gate Wingmen (which happens to have Dead & Company’s Jeff Chimenti on keys) who seamlessly combine old favorites with new originals.
You can find the Bluegrass version of Grateful Dead music in bands like The Grateful Bluegrass Boys, or a punk interpretation via Punk Is Dead, or the gorgeous slack-key guitar-styled melodies of David Gans’ Fragile Thunder trio, or the fierce and highly energized creative interpretation offered by Furthur alum Joe Russo in JRAD. There are literally hundreds of bands to explore and be energized and inspired by in this ever-flourishing genre.
The set list for the first night at the Hollywood Bowl gave us one Dead & Company breakout (High Time – always a special one) and the first set Bird Song gave us some inspired interplay between Mayer and Chimenti, who seemed downright giddy connecting throughout the evening. The other highlight for this audience member was the surprise Terrapin Station encore, which built to a nice crescendo and seemed to leave the evening’s audience quite satiated.
Dead & Company Summer Tour 2019 (shows 3 & 4) Hollywood Bowl Los Angeles, California| Setlists and set opener videos:
Monday June 3, 2019
Set 1: Cold Rain & Snow Hell In A Bucket Easy Wind Mississippi Halfstep High Time Jack Straw Bird Song-> Don’t Ease Me In
Set 2: Iko Iko-> New Speedway Boogie-> Sugaree Help On The Way-> Slipknot-> Franklin’s Tower-> Drums-> Space-> Stella Blue-> Not Fade Away
Encore: Lady With A Fan-> Terrapin Station
Night two took new directions from the get-go with a Los Angeles High School jazz band joining Dead & Company on stage for Coltrane’s A Love Supreme-> Shakedown Street. It was a great way to instantly plug in and set the tone for the creative set lists that followed as the first set closed with a Cassidy that flowed seamlessly and unexpectedly into Fire On The Mountain. A pre-drums St. Stephen -> Lovelight surprised everyone and the band rode that wave of energy through the rest of the set.
Wednesday June 4, 2019
Set 1: A Love Supreme-> * Shakedown Street-> * Friend of the Devil @ Alabama Getaway Ramble On Rose Brown-Eyed Women Cassidy-> Fire On The Mountain
Set 2: Estimated Prophet-> Truckin’-> Smokestack Lightning jam-> He’s Gone-> St. Stephen-> Lovelight-> Drums-> Space-> A Love Supreme reprise jam-> Standing on the Moon-> U.S. Blues
Encore: Brokedown Palace
*w Los Angeles High School Jazz Band @ Bob Weir Acoustic
We live in a time rich with Grateful Dead music. What once seemed like it might fade with the passage of time has, instead, blossomed into something bigger and far more expansive than this writer and life-long Dead Head ever imagined. From Dead & Company to the many Grateful Dead-inspired festivals like Skull & Roses, the June Lake Jam Fest, Lockn’ , and dozens of other Festivals spread far and wide across the country from High Sierra Music Festival to Peach Fest, and e festivals known for other genres of music are embracing the Dead in 2019, with Phil Lesh and The Terrapin Family Band headlining at Oregon Country Fair, Newport Folk Festival& Telluride Blues and Brews – we have so very much to be GRATEFUL for!
Our intrepid musical community is very much alive and thriving and shows no signs of slowing down. Some things just have that kind of momentum and connect so viscerally with audiences that it breathes on its own, all you have to do is show up and tap in. The Grateful Dead already showed us the way.
Dead & Company are a wonderful stopover on this magical bus ride. Whether you get on here or somewhere else, the legacy of the Grateful Dead experience is waiting for you. Pick your stop and hop on.
