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The Dead is back on the road, bringing new life to its rockin' jams Date published: 4/23/2009
BY JIM TOLER
The latest incarnation of the good ol' Grateful Dead has produced a truly high-energy celebration of life and music. The 2009 revival tour--now in midstream--could have been a huge mistake. After all, how could the band, now known simply as The Dead, replace its inspirational lead guitarist Jerry Garcia, who died 14 years ago? Would the shows be just another attempted comeback by a rock band that has seen better days and lost key members to the excesses of its trade and the fame that accompanies it? Nope. The Dead's current reunion tour opened a new chapter for the rockers. Though rooted in the psychedelic 1960s and San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district, the band has transcended its origins. My wife, Patty, and I have seen the Grateful Dead and spinoff bands numerous times since our college days. Springtime in the late 1970s, '80s and early '90s often meant catching the Dead in halls such as Hampton and Richmond coliseums, the Capital Centre and Philadelphia's Spectrum. Times have changed, and this trip to see the band last week in Charlottesville included our music-loving sons, Will, 20, and Andy, 18. We weren't disappointed. The crowd was a mix of young and old. Maybe there are many Dead families. The original members: guitarist Bob Weir, drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, and bassist Phil Lesh have teamed up with keyboardist Jeff Chimenti and guitarist Warren Haynes. The Dead took the University of Virginia's John Paul Jones Arena by storm. Acoustically, it's an excellent venue, and I'm sure that audio technology has improved vastly since the last time I saw the band in 1991 at the Cap Centre. The JPJ was the third stop on a 22-show tour that's headed to Philly in early May. Haynes--who has taken the spot held previously by iconic Southern rock lead guitarists Duane Allman and Dickey Betts with The Allman Brothers Band, and leads his own band, Gov't Mule--showed his talent and breadth of musical knowledge. It's not like people are saying "Jerry who?" But Haynes brings unique energy and a style that melds well with longtime Dead members. A student of many musical styles and genres, like Garcia, he makes it easy to understand why the band is back on the road--something many fans thought wouldn't happen after Garcia's death.
Date published: 4/23/2009
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