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Grateful Dead 7th Annual Meet-Up At The Movies – August 1, 2017

I attended this event on what would have been Jerry Garcia’s 75th birthday. The concert was at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. on July 12, 1989. It was terrific! I particularly enjoyed it because I was going to a lot of Dead concerts at that time. I had seen them twice in the 70’s, but from the early 80’s to the early 90’s, my wife and I saw them 1-to-2 times every year. Most of those shows were at Alpine Valley Music Theater in Wisconsin. They opened this show with Touch Of Grey, which was a song I heard them perform live before it was released on their 1987 album In The Dark. Some of the highlights for me included Black Peter (done a bit more up-tempo than the original studio version), Phil Lesh singing Bob Dylan’s Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues, Traffic’s Dear Mr. Fantasy (which I had forgotten that they covered in their shows), Man Smart (Woman Smarter), the old Calypso song that we always enjoyed at their shows and at this show, featuring a rousing piano solo by guest Bruce Hornsby, and Black Muddy Water which is a beautiful song and a great choice for ending the show. As I watched the film, I thought about how the Grateful Dead did not pander to anyone by playing all their popular songs at their concerts. Their shows typically featured many “deep tracks” and cover versions. No flash, no stage costumes. Just pure music. And virtually no speaking to the audience other than through their music. You can hear a cheer arise from the audience during Black Muddy Water when Jerry sings the line, “When it seems like the night will last forever.” At 2 hours and 40 minutes, I thought it might be a bit long to be parked in a movie theater seat. But as I listened to Black Muddy Water, I wanted the night to last forever.

Here’s the set list from the show/film:

Touch Of Grey

New Minglewood Blues

Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo

Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues

Far From Me

Cassidy

Friend Of The Devil

Promised Land

Sugaree

Man Smart [Woman Smarter]

Ship Of Fools