Grateful Dead on the Road Again

• April 9, 2009

  https://world wide web.dead.net/features/dead-globe-roundup/route-over again-rockin-faithful-and-good-causes-few-minutes-phil-lesh

  On the Road Once again: Rockin' for the Faithful (And Skilful Causes), A Few Minutes with Phil Lesh

  On the day I catch up with Phil Lesh for a few final pre-bout thoughts—Sunday, Apr 5—he'due south about to go into yet some other rehearsal for The Dead's April-May tour. The sextet has logged some serious exercise time this winter-bound, with the almost contempo band become-togethers occurring in public in New York City: On March thirty, The Expressionless (or members thereof) made four appearances over the course of 1 very long twenty-four hours, performing one song on the popular morn TV chat-fest The View, and so staging three complimentary concerts in three dissimilar venues—an audio-visual shindig (featuring Phil, Bob and Warren) at a place called Affections Orensanz, and then electric sets at the tiny Gramercy Theatre and the 3,000-capacity Roseland Ballroom. More than than iv,000 lucky fans earned their right to go to one of the shows via an online lottery. (You tin can find setlists for each of the shows here.)

  Phil and I chatted a scrap about that, and too about one of the cooler aspects of the Dead bout: The fact that at every cease on the tour, a selection of some of the best seats at each venue—ranging from 24 seats (in Greensboro) to about 100 (for Madison Square Garden)—are beingness sold through an online auction to enhance funds mostly for the various philanthropic organizations The Expressionless are continued to; yet some other example of The Expressionless giving back to the community, as they accept since their founding. To sweeten the bargain, too, The Dead are offer two limited edition ring-signed posters for every pair of tickets sold through the auction—a tremendous value (and a fabulous memento)! For more info on Charity Folks—the online group hosting the sale—and to really place bids on premium show ducats and special VIP packages, click here. Behest closes well-nigh a week before each show.

  * * * * * * *

  Have I caught y'all in mid-rehearsals?
  Actually, this is our final twenty-four hours.

  What happens at the end of rehearsals?
  We play our fiddling hearts out until nosotros drop exhausted on the floor, and so nosotros give each other a big hug and say, "Come across ya on the route!"

  Is there a natural evolution that occurs over the class of rehearsals?
  Well, we sort of imposed ane this time. The first two weeks we went over a whole bunch of songs, and this terminal v days we've just been playing, doing a lot of jamming and trying to lock information technology down. And, of course, we did those three shows in New York which I thought were very well-performed and well-received. It gave all of usa a agglomeration of new conviction. So now nosotros tin open ourselves up to that magic and feel like nosotros know what nosotros're doing. Those shows were a lot of fun.

  Tell me well-nigh that day.
  Well, we decided we wanted to do some free shows for the New York audition, so nosotros put these things together only a few days before. We did The View in the morning—Warren, Bob and I—and that was fine. It was a normal TV bear witness. They're very nice people. I've seen Whoopi at our shows, and she knows Mickey; she'due south a long-time pal. She was really stoked that we were at that place.

  Is information technology hard to get used to cut your songs downward for Tv? Last year yous did the super-abbreviated "Sugaree" with your band [on Conan O'Brien'due south show] and here you had the "Friend of the Devil," which at least had all the verses…
  [Laughs] Yep, well, that'due south TV. Musicians are the poor relations of TV multifariousness shows. I don't know why that is. I don't know why they e'er keep last and yous have to cutting your song down to iii minutes and 30 seconds. I would rather accept played long and talked less, only that's my personal affair. Like I said, they were very overnice and it was really a good experience.

  I'd never heard of the first venue you played that twenty-four hours, Angel Orensanz…
  It's an old synagogue, if I'm not mistaken, and it'south been turned into an arts center and information technology'south an astonishing identify. It looks sort of similar an old medieval town hall, with a balustrade around three sides of information technology and all kinds of keen old decorations, and it sound sounds actually squeamish in there, likewise. For acoustic we were able to play so quiet that nosotros could do all the acoustic dynamics that the instruments will allow and get it across to the audience.

  Practice you lot plan on playing acoustic music with some regularity on this tour?
  We're going to see what we tin can practice. We ready up yesterday to rehearse with the gear and the physical setup. Information technology'south not going to be every testify certainly…
  
  More than hit or miss, like it was with your ring…
  Right, it volition exist selected shows, I suppose.

  So it was on to the Gramercy Theatre…
  Correct, which I'd never been to before. I think it holds around 600 people; a cracking piddling place. That was actually cool because I didn't have to use ear monitors. I could mind with open ears and use wedges for monitors, which I can't commonly do in larger places. That second show was virtually an hour.

  How much time did you accept between the three gigs?
  Nosotros had 2 hours between them, so that allowed whatever gear needed to be moved to go where it had to go and be set.

  Did you have unlike audiences each place or were at that place people who were chasing you effectually town going to every show?
  Well, equally far as I know it was gear up up so nobody got to come to more than than one. The idea was to let as many people to go in for free and see the band as possible.

  So did the equipment at Roseland come up over from the Gramercy, or did y'all accept enough to fix up in both places independently?
  I don't actually know for sure. There was some stuff that had to come up over, but not a lot. The Roseland bear witness was really great, I thought. We ended up playing a little over 2 hours in that location. We couldn't end playing. [Laughs]

  It'south a slap-up place. Had you played there in any chapters earlier?
  Yeah, I played in that location in the '90s with Warren for an Allen Woody tribute concert. The Allman Brothers showed up at that one, and Berry Oakley, Jr. was there, and Phil Lesh & Friends played. I enjoyed Roseland even more than this time considering it was our gig, of course. We could really work the place.

  And you also played with the Allman Brothers at the Beacon while yous were in New York…
  [Laughs] What a trip, yous know? It was an honor for united states of america to have them invite us to play the last show of their 40th anniversary run. Obviously nosotros go fashion back with those guys.

  Let's talk about The Expressionless's interest with Charity Folks. I was non familiar with them previously, but I come across they do work with a lot of nifty groups, from the ACLU, to Sanctuary for Families, to the Alzheimers Clan, to the T.J. Martell Foundation…
  That's ane of the reasons nosotros chose them. I haven't been that involved in the nuts-and-bolts negotiations about this, but I've heard a lot of good things about them. And this seemed like a good opportunity: The band gets to concur out some of the best seats for every prove—in a lot of cases the very forepart rows—and we wanted to make these tickets bachelor for people to bid on with the money going to charity. We're going to benefit the Rex Foundation, the Further Foundation, which is Bob's foundation, and Unbroken Chain, which is Jill's and my foundation. In that location are besides a couple of other non-profits involved who will benefit equally well. It'due south really a continuation of what we've been doing for the last 40 years: beginning by playing for costless, then doing benefits, and then with our foundations. Those foundations will, of course, laissez passer that money on to worthy institutions and non-profits.

  It seems like in the early on days yous guys played almost every bit many benefits every bit paying gigs…
  [Laughs] Information technology does seem like that. Information technology wasn't only us, either, of form. All the San Francisco bands played a lot of benefits. Every bit we started touring nationally and working more, it became a problem because nosotros couldn't do all the benefits we were asked, and of course we ordinarily wanted to practise them. Eventually, information technology got actually difficult to fit it in with our schedules, so that'due south one of the main reason we started the Rex Foundation [in the early '80s].

  It must give this bout a slightly special feel to know that every show, in issue, becomes a benefit of sorts, since part of the proceeds of every prove will become to charity…
  That'south right. It'south always a practiced thing to exist able to give back.

  Why practice you think this tour has generated then much excitement? It definitely feels similar a much bigger deal than the one in 2004? The tickets have sold faster, information technology's getting a lot of publicity…
  You lot know, I tin can't really put my finger on it. I agree, though, there seems to be a lot of excitement nigh this bout. I gauge what it'south actually about is usa playing together over again. Mayhap it's "absence makes the heart abound fonder."

  I've been feeling a groundswell of desire out there for u.s.a. to play together once again. What actually spring-started information technology was doing those shows for Obama. My son Brian said before the California primary, "Dad, you've gotta get The Expressionless for a benefit because it will be so much more powerful and and so much more of import." Then I called Bobby and he was immediately down with information technology. Mickey was downward. Billy couldn't make information technology because he was in Hawaii and information technology was all put together really chop-chop. And that was successful musically—information technology was absolutely wonderful from our perspective. It was such a gas to play again with Bobby. You forget how broad-ranging these guys are in what they play and in how they think. Then that was great, and then it was totally a no-brainer when the [Obama] campaign asked u.s.a. to practice the big show at Penn State. And that went then well, that'due south when we essentially decided, "Allow's get play some music together."

  The people want us to play music together. They want us to come out and play the Grateful Dead classics, and so that's what we're going to do.

  I would think that by this point, between being in your ring and playing on that previous Dead tour, it must exist pretty instinctual playing with Warren, too.
  Warren is such a consummate professional and he fits in then beautifully now. It was harder for him, I know, back in '04, when he was there with Jimmy [Herring] as well, and there were ii of them playing, plus Bob. It was difficult to know exactly what to exercise when. Simply this time he's really a part of the band, as is [keyboardist] Jeff Chimenti, who has all that history with Bob and with The Expressionless.

  Are there any plans to proceed the road after the July 4th Rothbury Festival prove, which is beingness billed as the merely Dead show of the summer?
  I tin say without fear of contradiction that nosotros have not made any plans.

  Have you made whatever plans for your own ring?
  No, I haven't. I don't know exactly what I'm going to be doing for the residuum of the year.

  Well, I hope you go out again. I beloved that band.
  So exercise I. And I love to do information technology, and so it's not like information technology won't happen. I merely don't know when.

  

  14483

On the mean solar day I take hold of up with Phil Lesh for a few final pre-tour thoughts—Dominicus, April 5—he'south nearly to go into still another rehearsal for The Dead'due south Apr-May tour. The sextet has logged some serious practise time this wintertime-spring, with the most contempo band get-togethers occurring in public in New York City: On March 30, The Dead (or members thereof) made four appearances over the course of one very long day, performing i song on the pop morn TV chat-fest The View, and so staging three free concerts in 3 different venues—an acoustic shindig (featuring Phil, Bob and Warren) at a identify called Affections Orensanz, and then electrical sets at the tiny Gramercy Theatre and the 3,000-capacity Roseland Ballroom. More than 4,000 lucky fans earned their right to go to one of the shows via an online lottery. (You tin find setlists for each of the shows hither.)

Phil and I chatted a bit about that, and also about one of the cooler aspects of the Dead tour: The fact that at every terminate on the tour, a selection of some of the best seats at each venue—ranging from 24 seats (in Greensboro) to about 100 (for Madison Square Garden)—are being sold through an online auction to heighten funds mostly for the various philanthropic organizations The Dead are connected to; yet another example of The Dead giving back to the community, as they have since their founding. To sweeten the deal, too, The Dead are offering two express edition band-signed posters for every pair of tickets sold through the auction—a tremendous value (and a fabulous memento)! For more than info on Charity Folks—the online group hosting the auction—and to actually identify bids on premium show ducats and special VIP packages, click here. Behest closes about a week before each evidence.

* * * * * * *

Have I caught yous in mid-rehearsals?
Actually, this is our last day.

What happens at the end of rehearsals?
We play our little hearts out until we drop exhausted on the floor, then nosotros give each other a big hug and say, "Run into ya on the route!"

Is there a natural evolution that occurs over the class of rehearsals?
Well, we sort of imposed one this fourth dimension. The get-go ii weeks we went over a whole bunch of songs, and this last five days we've just been playing, doing a lot of jamming and trying to lock information technology down. And, of grade, nosotros did those three shows in New York which I thought were very well-performed and well-received. It gave all of united states a bunch of new confidence. And then now we tin can open ourselves up to that magic and feel like nosotros know what we're doing. Those shows were a lot of fun.

Tell me about that day.
Well, we decided nosotros wanted to do some free shows for the New York audience, so nosotros put these things together but a few days before. Nosotros did The View in the morning—Warren, Bob and I—and that was fine. Information technology was a normal TV show. They're very overnice people. I've seen Whoopi at our shows, and she knows Mickey; she'south a long-time pal. She was actually stoked that we were in that location.

Is it hard to get used to cutting your songs downwardly for Goggle box? Last year y'all did the super-abbreviated "Sugaree" with your band [on Conan O'Brien's show] and here y'all had the "Friend of the Devil," which at least had all the verses…
[Laughs] Yeah, well, that's Tv. Musicians are the poor relations of TV diversity shows. I don't know why that is. I don't know why they e'er go on concluding and yous have to cut your vocal downward to 3 minutes and 30 seconds. I would rather have played long and talked less, but that'south my personal matter. Like I said, they were very nice and it was really a good experience.

I'd never heard of the get-go venue you played that solar day, Angel Orensanz…
It'southward an old synagogue, if I'm not mistaken, and it'southward been turned into an arts center and it'southward an astonishing place. Information technology looks sort of like an quondam medieval boondocks hall, with a balcony around three sides of it and all kinds of swell one-time decorations, and it sound sounds really nice in there, too. For acoustic we were able to play then quiet that we could practise all the acoustic dynamics that the instruments will allow and go it across to the audience.

Do you lot plan on playing acoustic music with some regularity on this bout?
We're going to encounter what nosotros can do. We fix upwardly yesterday to rehearse with the gear and the concrete setup. It's not going to be every show certainly…

More hitting or miss, like information technology was with your band…
Correct, it will exist selected shows, I suppose.

And so it was on to the Gramercy Theatre…
Right, which I'd never been to before. I think it holds effectually 600 people; a great little place. That was actually absurd because I didn't have to use ear monitors. I could heed with open ears and use wedges for monitors, which I can't usually exercise in larger places. That second show was almost an hour.

How much time did you have between the three gigs?
We had two hours betwixt them, and then that allowed any gear needed to be moved to get where it had to become and exist fix up.

Did you take different audiences each place or were there people who were chasing you lot around town going to every show?
Well, as far as I know it was set up and so nobody got to come to more ane. The thought was to allow as many people to get in for gratis and see the band as possible.

And so did the equipment at Roseland come over from the Gramercy, or did y'all have plenty to fix in both places independently?
I don't really know for sure. In that location was some stuff that had to come over, merely non a lot. The Roseland show was really slap-up, I thought. We ended upward playing a petty over two hours there. Nosotros couldn't stop playing. [Laughs]

It's a slap-up place. Had you played there in any chapters earlier?
Yeah, I played there in the '90s with Warren for an Allen Woody tribute concert. The Allman Brothers showed up at that i, and Berry Oakley, Jr. was there, and Phil Lesh & Friends played. I enjoyed Roseland even more this time considering it was our gig, of course. Nosotros could really piece of work the identify.

And you also played with the Allman Brothers at the Beacon while you were in New York…
[Laughs] What a trip, you know? It was an honor for us to have them invite us to play the concluding show of their 40th anniversary run. Obviously we go way back with those guys.

Allow's talk about The Expressionless's involvement with Charity Folks. I was not familiar with them previously, only I see they do work with a lot of nifty groups, from the ACLU, to Sanctuary for Families, to the Alzheimers Association, to the T.J. Martell Foundation…
That'due south one of the reasons we chose them. I haven't been that involved in the nuts-and-bolts negotiations nearly this, but I've heard a lot of good things about them. And this seemed like a practiced opportunity: The ring gets to concur out some of the all-time seats for every show—in a lot of cases the very forepart rows—and we wanted to make these tickets available for people to bid on with the coin going to charity. Nosotros're going to benefit the King Foundation, the Further Foundation, which is Bob'south foundation, and Unbroken Concatenation, which is Jill's and my foundation. In that location are also a couple of other not-profits involved who volition benefit too. It's really a continuation of what we've been doing for the last 40 years: first by playing for free, so doing benefits, and then with our foundations. Those foundations will, of class, laissez passer that money on to worthy institutions and non-profits.

It seems like in the early days you guys played almost as many benefits as paying gigs…
[Laughs] It does seem similar that. It wasn't merely us, either, of grade. All the San Francisco bands played a lot of benefits. Every bit we started touring nationally and working more, it became a problem because we couldn't practice all the benefits we were asked, and of course we normally wanted to practice them. Eventually, it got really hard to fit it in with our schedules, so that'due south one of the main reason we started the Male monarch Foundation [in the early '80s].

Information technology must give this bout a slightly special feel to know that every show, in effect, becomes a benefit of sorts, since part of the proceeds of every show volition go to charity…
That'southward right. Information technology'due south always a adept thing to be able to give back.

Why do you think this bout has generated so much excitement? It definitely feels like a much bigger bargain than the ane in 2004? The tickets have sold faster, it'southward getting a lot of publicity…
You know, I can't actually put my finger on information technology. I agree, though, there seems to exist a lot of excitement about this tour. I guess what it's really about is usa playing together again. Maybe it's "absence makes the heart grow fonder."

I've been feeling a groundswell of want out there for the states to play together again. What actually leap-started it was doing those shows for Obama. My son Brian said before the California chief, "Dad, you've gotta get The Dead for a benefit considering it will be then much more powerful and then much more of import." So I chosen Bobby and he was immediately downward with it. Mickey was down. Baton couldn't brand it because he was in Hawaii and it was all put together really quickly. And that was successful musically—it was absolutely wonderful from our perspective. It was such a gas to play again with Bobby. You forget how wide-ranging these guys are in what they play and in how they recall. And then that was great, and then it was totally a no-brainer when the [Obama] entrada asked us to do the big evidence at Penn Country. And that went so well, that'due south when we essentially decided, "Allow's go play some music together."

The people want united states of america to play music together. They want us to come out and play the Grateful Dead classics, and so that's what nosotros're going to do.

I would think that past this point, between being in your band and playing on that previous Dead tour, it must be pretty instinctual playing with Warren, besides.
Warren is such a consummate professional and he fits in so beautifully now. It was harder for him, I know, back in '04, when he was there with Jimmy [Herring] as well, and there were two of them playing, plus Bob. It was difficult to know exactly what to do when. Merely this fourth dimension he's really a part of the band, equally is [keyboardist] Jeff Chimenti, who has all that history with Bob and with The Dead.

Are there any plans to become on the route after the July fourth Rothbury Festival show, which is being billed as the only Dead show of the summertime?
I tin can say without fearfulness of contradiction that we have not made any plans.

Have you made any plans for your own ring?
No, I oasis't. I don't know exactly what I'yard going to be doing for the rest of the yr.

Well, I hope you exit once again. I honey that band.
And then do I. And I love to do it, and then it'southward not like it won't happen. I just don't know when.

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On the day I catch upward with Phil Lesh for a few final pre-tour thoughts—Sunday, April 5—he's well-nigh to get into notwithstanding another rehearsal for The Dead's Apr-May tour. The sextet has logged some serious practice time this winter-spring, with the about recent band get-togethers occurring in public in New York City: On March 30, The Dead (or members thereof) made iv appearances over the course of 1 very long day, performing i song on the popular forenoon Television receiver conversation-fest The View, then staging three free concerts in iii unlike venues—an acoustic shindig (featuring Phil, Bob and Warren) at a place called Angel Orensanz, and so electric sets at the tiny Gramercy Theatre and the 3,000-capacity Roseland Ballroom. More than iv,000 lucky fans earned their correct to get to one of the shows via an online lottery.

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On the Road Once more: Rockin' for the Faithful (And Expert Causes), A Few Minutes with Phil Lesh

On the day I take hold of upwards with Phil Lesh for a few final pre-tour thoughts—Sunday, April 5—he's about to go into still another rehearsal for The Expressionless's April-May bout.

Click hither for a complete interview past Blair Jackson

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Source: https://www.dead.net/features/dead-world-roundup/road-again-rockin-faithful-and-good-causes-few-minutes-phil-lesh

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