They say you can never go back. That you should let the past be the past. But sometimes the past becomes the present, making things a little more fresh, yet at the same time still retro.
The past caught up to us the other day when the Dead returned to Chicago. Not the Grateful Dead, but the Dead. Six guys -- Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and two "new" players, Warren Haynes and Jeff Chimenti. Yes, we all know that Jerry Garcia is gone. You naysayers need not remind us. We get it, the glory days are over. Or are they? The way this new formation played together on May 5 at Allstate Arena outside Chicago showed a new side of the aging psychedelic rock outfit.
This tour, which kicked off in Greensboro, N.C., on April 12 and runs through May 10 when the band goes "home" to play the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, Calif., sees the Dead reaching way back into their stable of songs, many that haven't been played in decades. Throughout the tour, they've played sleepers like Alligator, Dupree's Diamond Blues and King Solomon's Marbles, but they also pulled out favorites like St. Stephen and Terrapin Station to bring crowds to dizzying heights of enjoyment. The Chicago stop on Cinco de Mayo was no different as they dusted off Throwin' Stones, I Know You Rider, Weather Report Suite and Cosmic Charlie.
The thing is, the sold-out crowd of about 18,000 wasn't there to hear anything new. We wanted to hear the "classics," and to remember the good feelings we'd get every summer when the Grateful Dead would tour. Was the entire show great? No. Did everyone look like they had a blast? Absolutely.
Personally, I would've liked to hear Terrapin and Scarlet Begonias and Ripple, but there was only so much time. And these guys are old. But man, can they hold their own. Whatever you may say about the Dead (or said about the Grateful Dead), you can't argue about their musicianship. Especially with Haynes on lead guitar taking Garcia's spot. The sometime Allman Brother truly brought the band's sound together and was the most talked-about addition post-show.
So as we enter a new phase of the Dead, will it last? As they say, "If you build it, they will come." Deadheads are Deadheads and will always be around to support a tour. Based on the crowd response and excitement before, during and after the show (what's a Dead show without a parking lot scene?), the boys shouldn't have any problem touring if they want.
One of the more interesting aspects to this Dead vs. the Dead of yore was the proliferation of technology. Not in the form of a light show or anything coming from the stage, but the amount of cell phones and PDAs prevalent throughout the venue. The last time Jerry Garcia played -- in 1995 at Chicago's Soldier Field -- hardly anyone had a cell phone. Now, who doesn't? People were texting, Twittering and taking pictures. Hell, I even sent myself a handful of emails with things I wanted to remember for this article. Does that change the band or the show experience? Not at all. But it does keep everyone better connected.
In the past, you might have had to wait for some time to find out what songs the band played. Now, it's instant. And you can download all the shows. For free. So while many have written off the Dead, the rest of us just got a bit closer. And who could complain about that? The band has a few more shows before playing at the Rothbury Festival this July, their only summer show. It will be interesting to see if they continue to tour or if this was truly their last hurrah. Could they pull it off? Sure. Does anyone want to hear Phil Lesh pontificate about organ donation? Possibly, but most really just want to hear the music. And at the end of the day, it's about the music.
Ok, it's also about the scene. But as long as most of us -- including the band -- are alive, the Dead can live on.