Wow being at the Greek for this was an unforgettable experience and phenomenal way to experience that venue for the first time…lotsa parrellels to the 2018 Red Rocks for DSO’s first time.
Being on the DSO train over the years is like being on a long extended hiking trip up in the mountains…something as full
on as hiking the Pacific Crest trail, for example….…it’s an adventure packed with beauty and challenge and curiosity about what it’s like up around the next bend…only to find yet another outrageously beautiful, expansive view with indescribable and pristine perfection splayed out in front of you,,.possibly even more glorious than the mind blowing view you had just a couple miles back…
There have been what seem like endless peaks, sublime mountain lakes, quiet gurgling streams, alpine meadows, marmots calling out from beneath the rocks, views into deep valleys, terrifyingly steep cliffs, thunder and lightning rainstorms to survive, exhaustion yet truly fulfilling exhilaration along with a bit of physical malnourishment at times within a journey that offers thick and drippy glimpses into timelessness….
There have been many memorable high peaks along the way,,,and the Greek was a pinnacle experience…a peak among peaks that will be hard to beat,,,but all the peaks have so much to offer in terms of expansive views and inspiring beauty. The Greek completely fucking kicked ass…
How could the best band in the land not pour it on as thick as molasses and heat it up and pour it all over you…their first time getting to play such an iconic and gorgeous venue steeped with Grateful Dead history. I also feel like it always up’s the ante when DSO plays in the Bay Area since it was the birthplace and home base for this music,,and history matters when it comes to the GD experience…
With the juju of the venue and jehovah’s favorite Choir ready to pop so many of our Greek cherries good and hard…our favorite band played the shit out of 7/13/84…quite frankly, they fucking slayed it from start to finish. The beast that lives deep within the caverns of this music was fully unleashed and raged hard and strong as they worked their way through the intensity and sweetness of it all…the entire lower bowl below the upper grass area seemed to be dead silent during Stella Blue…the crowd seemed completely on board for the full shamanic cleanse throughout second set. Felt many times that we were in some sort of forgotten ritualistic cathartic festival of great human release in an ancient temple of sorts……ahhhhhhhhhh…..that’s why we chase this shit so hard…SOOOO freaking GOOOOOOOD!!!!!
Of course the filler on top of the long and lofty Dark Star polished out the experience into a crystal clear gem with Lisa pouring it on thick….
i had a buddy who was way up at the top of the venue while we took it in down in close and he said when they dropped into Ripple he had to stop moving and drop into silence because the sound of the whole bowl of people down below singing together along with the band was drifting up the hill and landing in his ears as indescribable beauty and strong GD emotion…wow….
I want this hike in the high country to go on and on and on….so much satisfying beauty behind and so much yet to be discovered out ahead….
Thank you DSO…your capacity to transform the human spirit through your musical skill cannot be described with words!!!!
Let it be known there is a fountain
That was not made by the hands of man…
⚡️🌹⚡️