2005-04-21 - 6:46 a.m.
The feeling comes over me at breakfast. It’s like that feeling you’d get on the last day of summer vacation and you have to go back to school the next day. It all went by so fast and you were so caught up in the doing, you never really had time to consider it would come to an end. One more show and the journey will come to an end. When we get to the Warfield I go up on stage and sit a spell on the girls riser behind my stage position. As I look up into the balcony I try to soak it all in. Gloria sits down beside me and I say to her,
“I really don’t want it to be over”
“I know, me neither. I haven’t had this much fun in years.”
Everyone filters in and we start our run through. We go over “The Dolphin”; a Fred Neil tune that Chris brought in at the last rehearsal. It’s a cool tune that Tim Buckley did as well. I have a harmony on it. It’s a real gas singing with Chris and it feels like we’re a good blend. I’ll also be singing “Tumbleweed In Eden”, which I love! (I have since heard a board tape of it and to my dismay I hear no evidence of my harmony. Too bad; I know I sang it!) The last thing we run through is the Mahavishnu-like instrumental written by the incredibly talented Steve Molitz. I get to do my Hindu thing and Jimmy shreds it. It’s the last night of the run and we’ll be going out with a bang!
One last time to be well taken care of backstage and soon enough we’re talking over the set in the dressing room. At first we’re all there except Chris. Phil tells us it’s Chris’s birthday and wants us to sneak Happy Birthday into the segue between “Comes A Time” and “Franklin’s Tower”. Chris arrives and we start talking out the set. Phil has this way of making me feel that we’re about to reveal some secret. The tale will be told.
Sunday’s show begins with “He’s Gone”, played with an extra dollop of swamp by Jimmy. I’m not playing on the next number, so I retreat behind the monitor console and watch my good friend John Skehan work some of his magic on “Box Of Rain”; his arpeggios sounding like jewel-like droplets of water cascading across the melody. He stepped forward into the spot and played a great solo that made me think mandolin belonged in the song all along.
I’m singing harmony with Chris on “Like a Tumbleweed in Eden” and digging it. “Row Jimmy”, “The Dolphin” and a smoking “Eyes Of The World” and soon the first set is over. Things are going way too fast. Friends and family are once again gathered at a table in the meet and greet area. My good friend Ed Rudnesky is showing us photos from the previous two nights. He’s taken some really great ones, especially one in particular of Chris, the orb that has been slowly moving across the back of the stage all weekend hung like a giant moon just over his right shoulder. We meet again for one last talk through of the set. I’m playing songs that that have been favorites for years: “St. Stephen”, “Dark Star”, and “Franklin’s Tower”. It doesn’t get any better than this! Steve’s instrumental, “Elevator” smokes and provides an interesting ”other” place for us to go for a while. I find a way to work “Happy Birthday” in between “Comes A Time” and “Franklin’s Tower”. Jimmy starts to answer me and Chris is looking back at me with a grin. Phil turns to me laughing. Barry and I are laughing. It was a neat moment. Soon it’s “Not Fade Away” but alas we must and do. Phil introduces us all again and we play one of my favorite Hunter/Garcia compositions, “The Wheel” followed by “We Bid You Goodnight” and then we’re out in the middle of the stage doing a group bow. Then I’m hugging everyone. None of us really want to leave the stage and we hug and kiss and hug some more. Meanwhile we’ve practically forgotten the witnessing audience. It was very emotional and I guess the audience picked up on it because they stayed and kept on applauding. It was an amazingly uplifting experience. Finally we shuffled off stage and down to the dressing rooms. My wife greeted me with a big hug and a kiss. She said it was the best night of music she had ever heard. I don’t know about that but it certainly was one of the best musical experiences of my life.
We all got together in the common meet and greet room and had champagne and chocolate cake in honor of Chris’s birthday. We all sang “Happy Birthday” and Chris cut the cake with his wife Kate helping. We gave him a big card we all signed. Soon we were all hugging again and then we had to go. It was over. Kathy handed me a card and said. “Don’t lose this.” I slipped it into my pocket and checked to make sure my gear was stowed. Martha, Steve, Jimmy, Molo and I jumped in the van, me once again the late one, and back we went to the Palomar. Once my wife and I were alone in our room we both started to cry. I’d almost forgotten the card in my pocket. I opened it and it was from Phil. I don’t think I’ll say what it said but it started Martha and I to crying again. Mr. Lesh is an amazing musician, great human being and the finest bandleader I’ve had the pleasure to work with.
My friends Ed, Molly, Sandy, Anne, John and my manager Brian join Martha and I for a drink in our room. It’s so wonderful to share this incredible experience with such great friends. I truly am blessed. We say our goodnights and we collapse into bed. We have breakfast in the morning with Ed and Molly. We reminisced about the shows and too soon we had to catch our plane home. Our cats were waiting to be fed and pet. As the plane took off I caught one last glimpse of San Francisco, I love this place.
