FURTHUR, THE EXPERIENCE

Furthur's set list, from their Facebook page

Photos by Irene Graham

Legendary Grateful Dead Band plays Remond, Wa
Third of Three Installments

Furthur at Marymoor Park, September 18, 6 p.m.
See the previous two installments:
Furthur, The Music
Furthur, The Band

FURTHUR, THE EXPERIENCE
Cosmically, the rain starts just as we walk through tall trees up to the main gate. As we’re getting our bags checked we rummage for rain ponchos. After that we hardly notice the rain—the focus is all on getting to the stage.

It’s definitely a different experience being up close (4th row center). The supreme professionalism of the stage setup, the caliber and complexity of the sound equipment and the magnificent instruments, is all laid out like a gorgeous banquet. It occurrs to me that Bobby has been touring for 45 years, pretty much non-stop. These guys are all at the very top of their game.

The plastic-sheeted fans are pumped up, ready to party. The band comes out to cheers from new and long-time fans. Familiar faces in the crowd smile knowingly, “Gonna be a party tonight, uh-huh!” as they roll into the first number, Mississippi Half-Step:

Half-step
Mississippi Uptown Toodleloo
Hello baby, I'm gone, goodbye
Half a cup of rock and rye
Farewell to you old southern sky
I'm on my way - on my way

The next song, Stagger Lee, is particularly amazing. I haven’t heard it live in concert for several years, and JohnK does a nice job on the guitar and vocals. I’m haunted by echoes of Miles Davis in the jam…those high held notes... The next few songs roll along in perfect contentment, the fans dancing, singing along, Phil smiling and grooving with Bobby, all having a real good time.

Jerry Garcia is always so palpably missing. His soulfulness came out at the most unexpected moments, through a cracking voice, or that perfect high note on the guitar. It’s hard. But JohnK holds it down. It isn’t until the last song of the first set, Sugaree, that I almost cry...

Just one thing I ask of you
Just one thing for me
Please forget you knew my name
My darlin’ Sugaree

Intermission is almost an emotional relief. I’ve never attended a concert with a friendlier, kinder, happier crowd than at a Dead concert. Tonight is no different. We’re all in it together, the rain, tarps, wet chairs. None of it matters. Just the music.

The band continues to pull at our heart strings as they open the second set with Steve Winwood's classic Dear Mr. Fantasy and then stride right into one of my favorite Bobby songs, Cassidy. It showcases Bobby’s special songwriting skills: his unusual and original chord changes and vocal modalities that I’m only recently coming to fully appreciate. The show is complete for me when they swing into The Wheel and I poignantly remember the Ventura, CA show in 1985, sunset, ocean waves crashing in the background, crowd bouncing on the old wooden bleachers. For me, the concert is an accumulation of special moments, relived across the decades. Some of the best moments in my life.

A lull and maybe still missing Jerry, it feels like Fire on the Mountain is a bit lackluster, and it isn’t until I Know You Rider that the energy is back up to megawattage. They’ve been doing Going Down the Road at a lot of their shows lately, so that is no surprise, but it’s always endearing and fun when they throw in an old cowboy song like that. Next, we all come full circle when they sing Bid You Goodnight, as Dark Star Orchestra performed a superb heartfelt rendition of it on their spring tour.

And, being Saturday, Bobby had to make the set list change at the last minute (I know it was you, Bobby!) and do one of his favorites, because he gets to whale on the rhythm guitar—it’s one of the best whaling strumming songs out there, One More Saturday Night. I know I’m extremely grateful to have had one more Saturday night with this band, and it was clear they felt the same way about us.