FanPost

One More Saturday Night - Dead & Company, September 18th




John Mayer is not Jerry Garcia.

Oteil Burbridge is not Phil Lesh.

That's OK. They play the music right.

Saturday, the 18th, was the first time I ever entered Wrigley Field when I wasn't attending a baseball game. I went with some good Chicago music people to Dead & Company's second Wrigley show. (The first, I likely would not have made unless I had flown in rather than done Amtrak, which is a far more pleasant form of getting to Chicago.)

And entering the park, I had a rush of memory, because as it turned out, I was just a month short of it having been 50 years since I'd first seen a Grateful Dead show. (Auditorium Theater, October 1971.)

A strong "Althea" kicked it off, followed by the classic "Uncle John's Band" and a whole lot more. Everyone was in full voice, and the crowd joined in and sang along for just about everything.

The sing-along crowd was also pleasantly mellow, and it was a perfect night for a live outdoor show.

I still marvel at the 50 years - yes, I"m getting old(er), but that wasn't why.

The show felt, in many ways, like it was a bookend to my Grateful Dead fandom. A good number of shows, lots of LPs, CDs, and MP3s, and a whole lot of memories.

What a long, strange trip it's been, indeed.

FanPosts are written by readers of Bleed Cubbie Blue, and as such do not reflect the views of SB Nation or Vox Media, nor is the content endorsed by SB Nation, Vox Media or Al Yellon, managing editor of Bleed Cubbie Blue or reviewed prior to posting.