The final California show of the Santa Clara/Levi’s Stadium two night run concluded with the Fare Thee Well version of the Grateful Dead picking up steam instrumentally, as the band showed more cohesion and arrived with a set-list that was rich in 80’s era Dead, while the prior night offered a hefty dose of 60’s Dead. Of course, although the band didn’t hitthe volcanic peak they could have, they left the fans wanting more and fortunately there are still three chapters left to this story. Here are the Highlights and Lowlights to night two in Santa Clara, CA.
HIGHLIGHTS
“Feel Like A Stranger” Everyone was hoping for a long, long, crazy, crazy night on Sunday. This Dead 80’s staple was offered in fine placement, and performed well. In what ended up being a hint as to who would run Sunday’s show, “Stranger” was a loose, fiery way to open the second of two shows at Levi Stadium. It set the right tone and brought the heat desired by all lovers of this unique music.
“Alabama Getaway” Perhaps the tightest take on any tune throughout the evening, Sunday’s first set highlights were caked in Grateful Dead 80’s staples, and “Alabama Getaway” was the clear winner. Guitarist Trey Anastasio sang, and people were happy. But it was his chops, and the cohesion amongst the whole band during “Getaway” that made this song so salient amongst the rest. It’s an example that stands true the day after the show, that when this group of seven is hooked up, the potential for greatness is dizzy, with possibility.
“Hell in a Bucket” By the end of set one, after a few rough takes and a couple of gems, it was very clear Bob Weir was in the control booth. Once again, an 80’s Dead staple was offered triumphantly in the first set with just about the whole band blasting away in unison. Bobby let his vocals ring true, and guitarist Trey Anastasio played as if he had practiced the song hundreds of times over. The result was a boisterous crowd, good energy leaving the stage, and a lasting glow that brought the whole circus into set break.
“Half Step”>”Wharf Rat” A surprise offering in the set two opener, bassist Phil Lesh took command, sang his heart out, and dropped trademark “Phil bombs”. His lead on “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleloo” was strong, and the band once again shared a moment of fluidity showing just how special this group of musicians is. The loose jamming out of “Half Step” was what any good Deadhead would order, regardless of what song the jam package was delivered in, and the smooth segue into “Wharf Rat” would’ve made Captain Trips himself proud.
“Wharf Rat” Anyone could’ve taken the vocal duties on this one, and once again Bob Weir took the reins. But this time Bobby nailed it and Trey took the jam out of the song proper into cosmic landscapes, while the rest of the group found a steady rhythm lofting this selection of music towards the highest point of the night. The next segue into “Eyes of the World” was equally as smooth as the prior transition, but it was in these first two songs of set two, and the resulting improvisation where the spirit of The Grateful Dead was most alive and well last evening.
Post “Drums” If Bob Weir didn’t choose the setlist from night two in Santa Clara, whoever did certainly wanted a big dose of Bobby. It was a Bobbycentric show overall, but the final four songs played after the short, but sweet drums segment had Mr. Weir on full display. “I Need a Miracle” brought the crowd to a nice sing along dance grove, before things slowed down with a tune that could’ve easily found a place in night ones setlist, “Death Don’t Have No Mercy”. While the energy of Levi’s Stadium seemed to wane with this song selection, it was another highpoint for Bobby. His vocals crushed, the bands tempo was in sync, and the springboard that set up for a blistering “Sugar Magnolia” was seamless.
Trey Anastasio Got Louder No matter what your thoughts were prior to these shows on the front man for the band Phish, Trey has been rock solid steady throughout each of the first two Fare The Well shows. On Saturday, he was turned down too low, but on Sunday someone got the hint and turned him up enough to make a HUGE difference. While the hashtag #letTreysing will gain further momentum if he continues to get passed over for vocal duties most thought he was partially recruited to fill, his playing has been a perfect fit for the band as a whole, and just like in “Alabama Getaway”, “Hell in a Bucket”, and “Sugar Magnolia”, the louder Trey gets, the better the music has tended to sound, and the crowd has responded positively each and every time.
There’s Bruce! Bruce Hornsby was brought into the mix on Sunday in a way he was sorely lacking on Saturday. From his vocals early on in “Brown Eyed Women”, to his dancing keys in “He’s Gone”, Bruce needs to be featured, heard vocally and musically for this unit to be the band they wish to be. His place was much better on Sunday, and hopefully that trend continues into the three Chicago shows.
Chimenti solos Keyboardist Jeff Chimenti took every sparse chance he was given to solo last night and simply killed it. At several points Bruce was seen nodding with approval, just as every Deadhead listening was, as the member of the band with arguably the least bit of media attention stole the spotlight a few beautiful moments of the show.
More Cohesion Than Night One Overall, the psychedelic journey experienced on Saturday was incredible for most, too out there for some, but ultimately had numerous slip-ups. Sunday was better in that regard, much better, but there’s still miles to grow for this band who, in the most respectful way possible, could really use these four off days before Chicago to practice their lead-in’s, outro’s, solo placements, and transitions to really achieve liftoff worthy of the name, Grateful Dead.
LOWLIGHTS
In the end, Santa Clara was an amazing point in time. The people made it. From all corners of the country, to the Bay Area locals, all the beautiful people, the venue staff and the venue on the whole seemed to shine. That said, these can and will most certainly be looked at as warm up shows for the Chicago run. And in that spirit, it was the moments where Phil showed his frustration, when the drummers weren’t synced up, or when Bobby missed another verse to a song when the band showed that practice would truly serve them and the music as a whole in a monumental way.
Specifically, thinking about Sunday’s show, Bob Weir stepped up in the lead role, but as almost everyone familiar with this timeless music has asked by now, who signed up for the full Bobby show? It certainly wasn’t the band, and it definitely wasn’t the fans. The collective sigh when Trey Anastasio was passed over, yet again for vocal duties on “Row Jimmy” was contagious, not to mention the song as whole was a train-wreck. “Black Peter”, perhaps one of the greatest of the slower tunes in the vast Grateful Dead catalogue, was straight butchered. Why didn’t Bruce sing on this gem? Why did Bobby sing almost every song on Sunday?
Dear Bob Weir, we love you. Each and every single one of us in Deadhead land LOVES you. You are as essential to The Grateful Dead as snow is for skiers, but with as much respect as possible, you have nothing to prove. Your place with your songs are a major part of why we all still listen, everyday, and have put so much effort in to making these last five shows happen. Let the other boys sing where Jerry’s voice once filled the air, and the current band, fans, and experience as a whole will benefit immensely.
Was that Helicopter really necessary? While we’re on the theme of letter writing, to the city of Santa Clara, thank you. The venue was about as good as a stadium show could be, the Levi’s Stadium staff was exceptional, but what’s up with the helicopter after each show, especially the guy on the megaphone last night? Wasted money, wasted fossil fuel, what a waste of time and energy! Many of us thought it was a joke. “The show is over, you cannot stay here!” Really? Did you not think people were aware? The lots were not that raging this past weekend to warrant such a move. It just seemed so amateur for such an overall well done show to have a cop on a megaphone telling people to leave when everyone was clearly leaving the area, being cool, and just trying to wrap their collective head around the end of another chapter in the rich history of perhaps the greatest band that ever was.
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