My West Coast Journey

[Guest Lisacat]

This is going to be super long winded, but there's a lot to comment on…..

Laying here in my hotel room in Reno doing a bunch of work and trying to find my words on this tour. I'm tired, sore, my skin is flushed red and dry from so much dancing/dehydration, the bottoms of my feet are danced raw, C7 is somehow not quite in the right place, and I have bruises covering my whole body. But I'm smiling, glowing, radiating with love and gratitude for this band and from the journey this tour has taken me on. 10 shows in 12 days is serious business, especially while balancing my intense job. What an incredible journey it was. I may as well start from the beginning.

The morning of the Bellingham show, I woke up at 6:45 am in my new apartment in the hills overlooking the bay area peninsula and had an urge to get out of bed and check out the sunrise. As I drew open my curtains to the deck, I see swirls of red, orange, blue, and purple in the sky overlooking the bay sparkling in the distance. The moon was still crescent sitting over the ridge and the quiet beauty of the universe reminded me how blessed I am to be here. At that moment, I knew it was going to be a special tour.

Of course I left the beautiful sunny bay area for rainy Washington, but I didn't care. I flew to Seattle and was really happy when they gave me an upgrade to a really nice car…brand new SUV- 2000 miles, full navigation/music/satellite system, all the bells and whistles. So it figures when I get to Bellingham and go to park in the lot across from the brewpub to meet up with a couple friends, I pulled around a tight corner, not seeing this box hanging off the pole next to the parking spot and completely scraped and dented the brand new rental. Oh well. Shit happens. Thank you Huck for helping me un-wedge the car from the box. This was the only hang up all tour. Thank you universe. Was really fun to meet some new folks in Bellingham- what a cool little town. The theatre was stunningly beautiful and the ushers/staff the kindest. This show was the warmer-upper. Well played, not over the top, and a good way to get my dancing feet ready for 40 hours of dancing over the next 12 days. Got a bunch of tunes that I don't get to hear too often- CC Rider, Desolation Row (and that one is good about once a year), and Watchtower. And what would a show be without Lisa Mackey lighting up the stage during the filler. It was obvious the band was happy to be there, excited to see the west coasters, and ready to throw down some serious music. And I was ready too.

Next stop, Seattle, the land of the rubber gloved security guards. I arrived in the rain to get to the hotel and find about 15 near college aged girls waiting to check in ahead of me. Sorority conference? This ought to be something. I was tickled pink to find out my friend from Colorado was in town. Yay the party was getting started! We had a little dancing crew and the good vibes continued to build. Seattle's elective set was just plain old throw down fun. When it opens up with Might as Well it sets that fun party vibe which the show was, of course besides the latex clad party police. Lazy Lightning used to be one of my bathroom songs and over the last couple years it has grown on me so much through DSO that when I heard them go into it, I think I jumped with excitement. I feel that DSO brings something to that song the GD never did. Push Comes to Shove is one that you didn't hear much with JK in DSO. It fit in quite nicely with the setlist. The second set was perfect. Barraco nailed the full Hey Jude>Mr. Fantasy. It still amazes me how he can do that with his voice, then play Pigpen the next time. I thought the Comes a Time was one of the best ballads I heard during the tour. It was also a really beautiful moment for me during that song when I got to pick my friend off the floor when she was having a bit of a moment and needed that hand. Gotta make it somehow.

5 hour drive to Portland from Seattle. I can't believe I actually thought about ditching that show because of my sheer exhaustion. But man I'm happy I didn't. And there were more friends to meet up with. This show was in the top 4 of the tour. I'm not sure I've ever seen this band play so tightly. It was just flawless and effortless. The Mission was scrumptious. I remember seeing DSO play one of the June 76 shows with Mission a couple years back and being slightly let down by the Mission because it seemed short and at a faster tempo. I'd have to listen to how the Dead did it, but I'm of course much more familiar with the JGB Missions and love the 76-78 era of that band and this Mission that DSO played really had that same flow- long, beautiful jams and high notes. Tennessee Jed is not a song I really give a shit about really- I'll dance to it, but if I have to grab a drink or bathroom run, it's usually a good time. However this time, I was totally enthralled in it. It seemed as if they were up to something before playing because there were long consultations happening between band members- laughing and smiling at eachother. What were they up to? I never really figured it out but that TJ was just silly. Jeff was having a blast with it and cracking the other band members up. I couldn't help but laugh my self. I've noticed that about Jeff- he has a really good sense of humor and he is able to carry it through his notes. He'll play these notes or lines that literally make me giggle because its like he's telling a joke. The Eyes had one of those long jazzy intros which I love and then there was the Wheel- love when they take their time going into that and you first hear those couple beats from the drums and you know its coming. I think I may have spun that whole song. I was very grateful to have dancing room after the difficult situation at Seattle.

Eugene. Eugene. Eugene. I could write a huge long narrative on this one because there was so much and I believe I wrote a longer review for the show, so I'm not going to elaborate as much. But I will say holy fuck that was good. That very well maybe #1 of the tour for me. It was probably the most psychedelic show I've ever been to. San Francisco Regency 69 show was too so it is hard to say, but I believe the band played this one even better- as they've been doing more of them and still learning the sound. I truly hope the band continues to keep these early shows in the mix because it really is a special treat. No other band is doing that era. They play the songs, but not like this. I kept thinking to myself, I wonder what it was like back at that show and are we participating in the same way the crowd did back then? I'm sure it was much rowdier and even more psychedelic as there was much more LSD going around, but hmmmm. Food for thought. It was definitely a psychedelic carnival inside for being 2011. I remember saying at the bar after the show "Day off tomorrow, thank F*cking god."

Humboldt County. No other place really like it. After a 6 hour drive from Eugene, I was beyond happy to be checking into my house rental and not going to a show. The days between are so vital. Being able to just kick it for a day- relaxing in the sunshine, soaking in the hot tub, and getting a decent nights sleep was all I needed to recharge the battery for another round of shows. I am so thrilled they played Arcata and not Eureka. I was thinking the venue was going to be very similar to Eureka- old cruddy theatre with the chairs ripped out on slanted floor. I was wrong! Great small art deco type theatre with a tiered FLAT floor. I believe they sold out or came very close and there was still tons of dancing room. Awesome crowd- way better than Eureka. Not a huge contingent of puppy dragging wookies, and a fairly good age mix. Usually the Humboldt shows are really young crowds- but this was 21+. Another top 4 for me I think (ok so far I have Eugene, Portland, Night 2 in SF, and Arcata…yep that's about right). The show was super mellow and same with the crowd. You want dancing space? Sure, here you go- take what you need and leave the rest. The band was relaxed, and just playing like it was nothing- they could have been up there in their jammies. It smooth, silky and it was as if they had strings attached to me like a marionette and I was being danced by the music.

Santa Cruz. Home of the freaky dancers and spinners. And another great day off after a beautiful drive. But my vacation was ending, work the day of the Santa Cruz show. The show was not as packed as I had thought it would have been – tons of dancing room. Nice to finally be with the whole family. I will admit (as I want my review to be completely honest), I felt the show was lower energy than the previous 5 nights I was drained and the band looked kind of tired too. The band had been dealing with some mechanical issues throughout the tour and the Catalyst isn't the easiest place to play. Its really hard to connect with the band as they are like 6 feet off the ground. The second set definitely lifted off and we had some good dancing going on in the back. The Death Don't was huge and for sure the highlight of the night.

As an aside, what I find to be the biggest difference between the west coast audience (mainly SF and Eugene) and rest of the country is that the west coasters come to the show to participate and give. Its an attitude of we're here to rock YOU guys, in the band. We're all here together to make a magic- it can't only happen on one side of the rail. I hope we did our job ;-) Maybe that's why some of the west coasters get a reputation of being self righteous, but its hard work on that dance floor and I love every minute of it.

Now by this point in the tour, I'm wondering how I'm making it. Working, driving to show, driving home, working, driving to the show, etc. I didn't know how was going to make it through the first night in San Francisco, let alone the 2^nd night. But somehow when those notes begin, my feet start moving and I find it in me. It was nice to be back at GAMH for 3 nights. It was packed, but somehow we carved out the dancing space and made it work. Night 2 was my favorite. There was so much synergy on the floor and you could tell the band was loving the energy coming from the left side. Another night of being blown away at how tight the band is. These one drummer electives really seem to work out well. The last one I saw was a barn burner too. I know after Friday night the band left people completely mind melted. Rockin Pneumonia was another moment where Jeff was being really creative and playful in his guitar playing. What a fun dance that was. The 3^rd night in SF was kind of weird. The band played phenomenally- although they did have to rush through the show. It was a very drippy as opposed to the more rockin night prior and it had moments of the silky smoothness that the Arcata show was all about. I was attached to that speaker and didn't move the whole night. Kevin's new bass sounded tremendous. The weirdness was the energy on the floor. We could not move people like we could the night before and we never reached a state of cohesiveness. Though all 3 nights were sold out, I feel that Saturday night was more sold out…beyond capacity. There were so many special moments during these shows. Having my dear friend who was the first person I met in SF back in 07 at the Fillmore there was so meaningful. Here I am 4 years later, after finding my dancing feet, dancing and spinning with the rest of the Santa Cruz contingent- the same folks I was intimidated by 4 years ago. Hearing Here Comes Sunshine and being surrounded by all these amazing friends was a beautiful moment- as it was during that song at my first DSO show it all clicked and I knew I would be on a different path. A path that's completely changed my life, and I'm so much better for it. Mama mama many worlds I've come since I first left home.

Last but not least, Reno. How the hell did I pull that off? My bittersweet show. Time for the farewell. It was a perfect show for it to! The band looked relaxed and just ready to have a good time and hit the road. We had so much dancing room, it was really nice to not have to fight for space. My highlights believe it or not was the drums>space>other one. I missed part of the drums but the space was really wild. And the other one was just mean…the way it should be. Oh I should mention the High Time too....that was excellent- another song not played too often.

Overall, I think what the band is doing now is really working for them. Their strongest performances IMO are the early shows and electives. I also love the variety in the electives now- the JGB additions really round them out. I think Jeff is getting better and better at the later stuff too. That show last night in Reno was a great example.

I really can't express how much gratitude and love I have for this band. I can't get over the variety of music I experienced...I'd love to know how many different songs I actually heard. It was a true gift to be at all these shows and see the band in such amazing shape. They all look great and sound great. We're only in April and I think there is going to be so much growth over the next year, I'm so excited to see where they are at a year from now. Jeff has been playing with them for a year now, and now they are settling in. Its more comfortable every night. Also a special thanks to the crew...I've never seen such dedication. Hope those wrists heal up well, Will.

And of course it was so much fun to see so many of my friends and share smiles and dancing with them. What did I do to deserve all these wonderful blessings?

I am coming away from this tour feeling refreshed, blessed, inspired, and looking forward to some sleep finally. Thank you all so much for the music, the love, and for filling my cup over and over again.

Enjoy the days off and CO shows.

Many blessings and much love,

Lisa

[Island Bro]

Wow.....seems that your written words flow just as freely as your dancing!!

Thanks for sharing the west coast story....

May it be just one more chapter in a musical adventure book that has volumes over time!!!!!!!

[redeyedbert]

This is going to be super long winded, but there's a lot to comment on

[Guest Lisacat]

Wow.....seems that your written words flow just as freely as your dancing!!

ha! Well yes, and sometimes they flow too much!

I was thinking about this more on my 4 hour drive back home tonight and also wanted to comment on how this tour has been the first full tour that I have seen spirits this consistently high since the tour back in Jan/Feb of 09. And actually they were even higher. It really transcended beyond the stage to the crowds. These have been some of the happiest, most fun crowds I've been around. Good energy was abounding everywhere. The smiles onstage are infectious. It absolutely was the tour sans drama.

There were many moments where either Jeff or Rob E would literally walk out almost to the edge of the stage and play. Or Lisa Mackey would be singing (or playing kazoo) and you'd see Eaton get super close to her playing with a huge smile watching in amazement. How can you not be amazed by her though?

[Guest Lisacat]

another little note on the 3rd night in SF. I had just come back in from being outside at setbreak and was disrobing at the speaker when I see this familiar face walk towards me. I finally came to realize that it was my colleague who works in our Compliance group and works with me on audits (yes fun stuff). Talk about a total alternate universe situation....I was not in the frame of mind to be seeing work colleagues. It was totally fine though as we talked music and nothing else. Today at work he emailed me saying how much fun he had. He said he had been seeing bands like Cornmeal, RRE, and SCI for years, but the Dead never appealed to him until he saw DSO live. He will be going back! Another one bites the dust ;-)