steveb leatherworks: the blather

I’ll admit it up front…I am a fan of the Grateful Dead. I used to go to alot of shows, I travelled large distances with my friends when i was in college to see shows. Really, I was more of a Hot Tuna fan if the truth be told, but found a warm place in my heart for the Dead, especially after going to some of their 1970’s era shows and digging into their earlier Blues influenced music. I wasn’t so into the hippy-ness (long hair does not a hippy make) of it all, but I liked the music and the live shows were really something very different…

Bass-wise, I was always more of a Jack Casady fan and never related to Phil Lesh’s bass mumblings – but seeing the Dead live was a memorable treat. Two shows stand out for me right now – one was a 1980 New Years show, in Oakland Cali, that i went to when i lived in Oregone. and the other was a show i just saw, a few days ago.

The Oakland show was memorable because of the tumultuous nature of my life at the time, the place i was living (my VW van..lol) and the fact that of all the shows for a Deadhead to see – a New Years show in the bands backyard was a real treat, kind of like visiting Mecca for those who subscribe. It really was a pilgrimage, and few East Coasters I knew had ever been to a New Years Show. Getting to the show required I put myself through all kinds of insane traveling due to the fact that my  grandfather Max had a stroke and was really in a bad way on the East Coast – and me 3,000 miles away back in the day when air travel was pricey and not a common occurrence……ugh…not good times, but i made it to that damn show and had one good night even if it was book-ended with shit.

The show in New Jersey a few days ago was the first time i had seen them in many a long year. I had given up seeing them for the most part when i returned to NYC in the 80’s, because, in fact – seeing them many times in Cali t had spoiled me- i just didn’t want to deal with the east coast crowds and scene. Well I went to this show last week – and it was great – a good time for sure. You cant go back, but this was good!

BUT – i have one observation and a comment. It is directed at the new breed of “hippy-travellers-flower children” I do not groove on these scammers at all – the hustle of it all smacks of Pacific Northwest Runaway culture and skateboarding/death goth metal gone bad. I dont even think these youngsters really even like the music. I have seen first hand there is no peace and love with these young dirtbags, rather it is about scamming the “squares” and oldsters for money so they can get high and drink Everclear, keep their kids in papooses and their dogs roaming free. In this day & age, even the music groupie culture has been corrupted. But the show was good, Warren Haynes rocks and the band sounded tighty tight. Attending with the Greek and Pupkin made it even better.