2005-03-01 - 10:14 p.m.
This is part 2 of my feeble recollections of my amazing experience with my friend Phil Lesh. Thanks for your patience and I hope you enjoy the read. When you’re done you may want to do this…
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As the days progressed I started to wrap my head around the songs a little more. I’d never really played this material before – meaning Grateful Dead music - but had listened to it so much that it seemed engrained in my DNA. It is much harder than it seems on the surface. Much of it doesn’t follow the traditional verse-chorus-bridge form of most popular music. There may be two or more verse forms. The same can be true of the chorus’s and the bridge form may be a solo only thing. There may be several time signature changes inserted to create the cadence of the melody. The songs sometimes seem to be more tone poem than actual songs. In studying them I learned a lot and gained a greater appreciation for the songs.
There was some serious work being done but somehow Phil and the rest of the folks made it seem low stress and on the breaks we all got to know each other better. Jimmy Herring is one of the sweetest guys you’ll ever want to meet and getting to hear him play all day long was a real treat! Chris Robinson is fucking hilarious, keeping the mood light and singing his ass off. He’d just put his left hand on his hip, his right hand over the mike, lean back and let it rip! Barry Sless added another dimension to the sound of the band with the steel and a great guitar blend with Mr. Herring. At times he seemed to be channeling Garcia! The rhythm section of John Molo and Phil Lesh is an awesome thing to behold. At times they seemed sewn together at the brain! The tempo changes during all the segues are all them. Really quite remarkable stuff. Steve Molitz is a great keyboard player and learning and playing his instrumental “The Elevator” was like being in the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Dennis “the Wiz”, who does front of house sound is an amazing talent; genius really, who showed me a few tricks that made my life much easier. We all know the talents of Mr. John Skehan and it was great to have my good friend there with me to share these amazing times. After the second day of rehearsal pizza was ordered and we chilled out for a bit before going back to the hotel. I had a drink in the bar and then went back to my room and practiced a little on my own.
The following day was for the ladies. Jackie and Gloria came in to add their vocals. What a treat! I love these girls. They sing like angels and are the sweetest, most down to earth folks you’d want to meet. We started with Dylan’s “Times They Are a’Changin”. “It’s a tricky waltz,” I jokingly said to Jackie,” He adds a beat here and there like English folk music. You’ve sung that stuff before, right.” She said,” How ‘bout never!” We had a laugh. It all came together soon enough. The day went on much the same as the others and soon that was it. Jill was there and she and Phil graciously invited us back to their house for dinner. What a lovely house they have and it was a great treat to share a meal with everyone. The Christmas tree was up and it was a very homey, warm and comfortable time. Phil took us down to his study and showed us his studio. It’s a very nice place to work and he’s got an amazing classical music collection. We didn’t stay too long and soon we were off to check in to our rooms in town. We were dropped off with our bags at the Palomar Hotel on 4th St. It’s what’s known as a “boutique” hotel. Very nice with real furniture and an excellent restaurant or so I’m told; I never did eat there.
Sound check was at 3:30PM, but John and I went in a little early to get our rigs set up. The Warfield is a great old vaudeville theater built in the 1920’s. Let me tell you, here they be ghosts. If the walls could talk they’d have some stories to tell. There were a number of dressing rooms that were made to be very comfortable and a large common room where dinner would be served and guests could chill out. My wife Martha was to arrive during check so I left a key for her at the desk in the hotel lobby so she could drop her bags and freshen up after the flight. Half way through sound check I looked out to see her beautiful face out in the hall. We ran through a couple of tunes that needed a little work including “The Times They Are A Changin’” which the girls would be singing from the balcony with the curtains closed. It came off with out a hitch. Soon the doors were opened and we retired to the lower reaches of the building to have dinner and prepare for the show. I was introduced to our doorman Israel. He had that comfortable look about him like he’d been working at the Warfield his whole life. The place was a flurry of activity; everyone (except the musicians) seemed to have a job to do and was doing it with a purpose. Things get blurry right about here. I do know I had the salmon and there was a very tasty cabernet in the dressing room. Before I knew it the show was about to start. Phil called a band only meeting in the dressing room and we talked out the way the set would unfold. We took our places and off we went into the opening number. It’s not an easy thing to play behind a curtain with the singers in front of it. There was an out of body feeling about it. When it was over, John and I were supposed to vamoose before the curtain fully opened. Last note sounds…curtains opening…people applauding…John is still trying to put up his instrument…let’s go, let’s go…we’re not going to make it…we just make it! There’s much I could say about this night. I felt as if I were hovering. Being carried along on a musical current. The audience was carrying us and we were carrying them as well. At the end of “Sugaree” I took a solo that John Molo and Phil picked up on and followed to a crescendo that left me breathless. The audience seemed to be a living, breathing, beautiful creature that helped take my playing to another level.
On the break I went to the common room to see if some of my friends who came in from all around the country would be hanging out. They were all there! They were having a great time and said it sounded great from where they were sitting. It’s easy to loose perspective when you’re in the middle of it. I was lost in thought; trying to get my game plan together for the next set. I passed right by Jackie in the hallway and didn’t even say a word. As I got ten feet past her she said, “Hello Tim!” I felt bad that I didn’t even acknowledge her. I apologized for being such a dolt and went right back to being lost in my thoughts. We all met again in the dressing room before going back out for the next set. Phil had the plan laid out for the 2nd set. The thought that had been put into these shows was really amazing. I didn’t take the stage right away but was already used to jumping on when needed. This was more fun than should be legal! Everyone played great and it was over way too soon. Even in rehearsals it seemed like I was the last guy ready to go back to the hotel and tonight was no different. They kept saying…the vans waiting…let’s go. Well I said my goodbyes and off Martha and I went to the Palomar, the evenings music still ringing in my head.
