Review The concert I attended was at Madison Square Garden, New York. Time proved to be an elastic aspect on a Grateful Dead stage. The ending of the song happened after every possibility set in the structure and organized by the group's improvising empathy was tested and fulfilled simultaneously. One of the participants, Lesh, gave a good thought of the 31-minute stretching in a vocal charm. The escalating instrumental break was a glorious connected fury consisting of five voices racing in parallel and jamming, as well. The long roll of the music composition was a good evidence of the rapidly advancing idea evident in the dance music of this album. What I enjoyed frequently was the combination of freed rhythm, without fear.
Impressive Moments
The soundboard mix was typically composed of 1985 hot albums. I observed the audience to be somewhat unbearable, the band sounded well throughout the composure. I discerned that the band was not as bass-heavy as majority of the audience would expect it to be. I particularly remember how I kept moving around the room, to listen to the incoming rhythm, in a better way. It was so interesting when the band opened set one with “Hell in a Bucket”; a song they had loved to play it over for five times consecutively in the past 2 months. Brent's Hammond organ was at first low during the intro, and then it was fixed in time, to make the song sound proper. It was inevitably impossible to stop dancing, an activity that kept most of the audience on their toes. Phil kept on bellowing the lyrics with more enthusiasm than finesse, whilst his band crew backed him up.
What actually proved to be the highlight of the set was the way in which Jerry’s fair playing had a sharp intonation. This was something worth hearing about. It kept the whole band attentive and interested. It turned out to be an extreme set of good and competent performances. “Sugaree " was the most competent of all, though “Walkin’ Blues” was only as good as it should have been. “ Candyman” was the only disappointment, on my side, due to the mismatch between its lyrics and the sound that was being produced. However, the “When I Paint My Masterpiece” did not effectively ignite during Jerry's solo. Though Jerry seemed to realize this, he did not adequately cut short the solo and their losses. Things only started going well on "Bird Song,” since the band tend to play it safe, with no gaining nor losing, as well.
List of Grateful Death Band Musicians and their Matching Instruments
- Tom Constanten playing keyboards
- Jerry Garcia playing guitar and vocals; pedal steel guitar and banjo
- Donna Jean Godchaux playing vocals and orchestra
- Mickey Hart playing drums and percussion
- Robert Hunter who participates by being a lyricist
- John Perry Barlow who is a lyricist
- Bill Kreutzmann who plays drums and percussion
- Phil Lesh playing a bass guitar; a vocalist, and trumpet
Keeping the Beats in Balance
Bobby was at best in ending the song, and Jerry was soaring by responding with an uninteresting "Don't Ease" that could help to end the set with a whimper. The thumbs up goes to Brent for his typical ripping of Hammond organ solo. Moreover, I specifically appreciate the Good Performance column. This followed the avoidance of Bobby's steadfastness of the dog frequencies especially during his slide solo. Another highlight touches on “Shakedown Street ". This is not the powerful strings exuded but for his easy-going fun and the special exhilaration felt among the audience, in the audience moved with ecstasy and uneasiness during some songs. His performance retained the fun from its start to the end. What I liked most about Jerry was that he continuously bowed the riff that finally ended the solo in a nice and lovely way. This was unusual for any other band we had interacted with before. “Terrapin Station” was superbly performed this time; whereby the minds of many were changed. The audience regarded this particular beat as unfavorable and did not expect much from it.
Common Pitfalls
I did not like some parts of the performance done by this band. It could be seen as disorganization on their part, though they were still trying to keep up the pace. This was not utterly the mistake of the band at large. The only problem that could never have been avoided was Jerry’s inability and unwillingness to put the lungpower in the singing. For instance, lines that sorely needed some delivery were haphazardly sung in a rote manner. This lacked further strength. For anyone who attended and enjoyed this show, they definitely hoped for some reminder and some interesting moments that could jog their gray cells. I expected the performance to be memorable.
What made the Performance Impressive
Watching this concert proved an exhilarating moment to me, and nearly all the fans who were watching around me, from the way my fellow audience were moving with the songs by somewhat chipping in the choruses. The rhythm and the streaming of the music in each song were simple and plain to be understood and enjoy. I particularly liked the way the crescendo and the decrescendo kept on alternating. The fortune came when set two opened with a respectable debut of “Goin’ Down The Road Feelin' Bad.” This was something to be excited about. This picked up in the middle of the song, and the performance thrilled. The lead guitarist was exceptionally talented and superb in all his delivery; a factor that may have covered up the weaknesses of the rest of the men on the instruments.
Summary
I think the performance could improve in the next concert if the band organized it in a manner that could synchronize out the whole plays. In my opinion, the overall performance was impressive from the way it made all the audience get to their feet and move with the beats. I do not recall seeing anyone sitting down during the performance. I believe that this was a major exhibition ever presented, and devoted to a true and unique American roll and rock band. This band can be identified with a remarkable era in the history of America music; whereby their work is just timeless. The work on that stage was an inspiring not only to my fellow audience, and to me including their musical depth and cultural resonance.
I observed one amazing thing about this band; and that includes the laid down rules which were seen behind the band’s crew members. I witnessed the fans keenly following everything right from the introduction of a new song by the emcee. In this concert, art and design was clearly seen in the unparalleled assemblage of original artwork. This can be recognizable from albums and posters of this band. Looking at the instruments used by this band, it is a stronghold that makes the band outstanding. For instance;
- Mickey Hart’s custom-painted drum kit
- Various original lyric manuscripts, including “Truckin’,” “Box of Rain” and “Sugaree”
- Five Jerry Garcia guitars, comprising of his Travis Bean TB5
- Two Bob Weir guitars, plus his first Ibanez “cowboy” custom guitar
- Four McIntosh MC2300 power amplifiers used by Phil Lesh and Jerry Garcia
In my introspective, what keeps the music of this band attracting and appealing to fans, like me, includes is the diverse range of influences: free jazz, contemporary classical composition, rhythm and blues, the blues, rock and roll, and bluegrass. In a nutshell, the Grateful Dead Band seems to develop a tenet that embraces true artistic pursuits over commercial concerns.
Works Cited
Grateful Dead. Dir. MSG -. Perf. Bobby, Jerry. A Brokedown House Production, 1987. Film. Web
"20 Essential Grateful Dead Shows." Rolling Stone. Version 12. Rolling Stone Music, 20 Sept. 1987. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. Web
