The Dead | Philadelphia

Where to start off is a tough question. So I only made it to one show, Friday which was unbelievable, and have been spending tonight winding my way through Saturday's. Being fairly new to the Dead/Grateful Dead and too young to have ever seen Jerry I was awe inspired with the show. I've seen Bobby, Phil and Warren all separately with their respective bands before during countless festivals, but seeing them all together was a treat. 

Friday they wound us through just under three hours of the early sounds of the Grateful Dead, opening their first set with Playing in the Band, leading into Mississippi Half Step. Other highlights in the first set included Shakedown Street, Hard to Handle, and A Friend of the Devil back into Playing. We made a euphoric lap around the spectrum, trying to find any enjoyment we could in a tall glass of coors light and abounding spinning hippies. 

Coming back into the second set I enjoyed the long winding, funky jam of Alligator > Caution > Drums > Space. They've been pretty reliably in playing Drums > Space, so the addition of to other older funky tunes were a nice addition. Closing out the set was a fantastic version of Sugar Magnolia. To cap the evening, Box of Rain was our encore to the delight of an enthusiastic crowd. 

I have mixed thoughts on missing out on the Saturday show and seeing the shuttering of the Spectrum, to which they closed the building with Sampson and Delilah, and Bobby's vocal "...If I had my way, I would tear this old building down..."

Friday 5/1 | Spectrum Set List

Set 1

Playing In The Band >

Mississippi Half Step >

New Speedway Boogie

Shakedown Street

Duprees Diamond Blues

Hard to Handle

Friend Of The Devil >

Playing Reprise

Set 2

Jack Straw

Alligator >

Caution >

Drums >

Space >

Loose Lucy

Comes a Time > 

Cold Rain & Snow

Sugar Magnolia

Encore

Box of Rain