[rating=9.00]
By the time the July 5th Fare Thee Well show at Chicago’s Soldier Field rolled around, the so- called core four of the Grateful Dead—Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart—plus Trey Anastasio, Bruce Hornsby and Jeff Chimenti really had nothing to prove. From somewhat wobbly beginnings at the hometown shows in Santa Clara the prior weekend, the septet bonded tightly during the course of two very discerning setlists this summer holiday weekend and, as befit the diversity of talent within the ensemble, developed a collective intuitive sense they could trust.
The music was the fundamental premise of the occasion, and this final night, the choice of songs and the decidedly purposeful, passionate performances matched the profundity of the event. Even so, it wasn’t just highest profile personages distinguishing themselves on stage, but rather all the musicians involved: it’s a true band when both keyboardists shine within ensemble arrangements, like Chimenti does with his ear-tickling organ on “China Cat Sunflower” or when Hornsby takes lead vocal on “Built to Last.” Meanwhile, drummers Kreutzmann and Hart hammer as much as they swing in unison as they create the shuffle by which they propel the group to insinuate itself into “Truckin,’” where the group singing is as uniformly vigorous as anywhere else.
There is a two CD ‘Best of Fare Thee Well’ available, but it’s lacking the single song that captures the spirit of this endeavor more fully than the transparently meaningful “Touch of Grey” or the ever-so-slightly obvious images and emotion of lyricist Robert Hunter on the final number, “Attics of My Life.” Instead, “Days Between,” the very last composition the Grateful Dead’s great wordsmith wrote with Garcia, is a remarkable combination of bittersweet wisdom and yearning, here sung with unerring phrasing (as well as deep but restrained feeling) by Weir. Would that Lesh did so well when he assumed lead singer duties on “Mountains of the Moon” or “Terrapin Station,” but the extent to which he strains so much and so often (more obvious in the video than audio alone) belies his still commanding, instrumental work.
Spectacular stage production did not overshadow, but rather mirrored, the unselfish blend of instrumental and vocal skill by which these seven men rose to an often overwhelmingly sentimental occasion. Multiple fireworks exhibitions in and around the edifice, then, were a reflection of nuances in the musicianship that wouldn’t always carry throughout the football stadium even when captured on the screens inside or at various venues around the country where the concerts were shown as they happened. DVD/Blu-ray capture the colorfully lit projections during the “Drums”/”Space” interlude, in their own way as vivid as the set break music (Circles Around the Sun’s Interludes For the Dead),sounds themselves only slightly less impressive than the main ensemble economical and efficient near quarter-hour length renditions of numbers including “Estimated Prophet.”
The sumptuous audio quality on these CDs accurately represents the layered sound of the group while the expertise of director Justin Kreutzmann turns the high definition almost three-dimensional in depth. Like the instruments in play, the cameras roam around the venue with an innate sense of direction, incorporating various angles from the stage as well as in and around the field and upper levels at Soldier Field, In another reflection of the Fare Thee Well sound at its peak(s), this five-disc package includes a twenty-four page booklet, of the same four by six inch dimensions, as densely populated with credits as scintillating photos.
As much a grand homage to the late titular leader of the Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia, as it was the proverbial passing of the torch to the next generation of like-minded music lovers, the event benefited tremendously from the presence of Anastasio. The Phish guitarist acquitted himself with style, engagement and technique throughout, whether on robust lead vocals such as the one on “Althea,” or during guitar passages, such as his fills “Throwing Stones,” where he literally surpasses himself. The prominence of the two titular bandleaders in the evolution of contemporary rock and roll drew an audience commingling followers of the two iconic bands and the (counter)cultures they represented. Fare Thee Well can stand as a template for a means by which other musicians, at similar career crossroads, can do justice to their legacy and their followers.
Photo by Jay Blakesberg
One Response