The Dead at Red Rocks Amphitheater
Tour Book Entry #1
6/15/04 - Day 1
November,1979 fresh out of the Marine Corps, I started electrical engineering
classes at Penn State University. I immediately joined the XGI fraternity where
I met one of my musical heroes Bob Klein. He had been stationed in Taos, NM
while in the Air Force and was the first person to tell me about the wonder of
Red Rocks - a natural amphitheater just outside of Denver, CO with incredible
acoustics. Being hooked on music since Beatlemania hit the states and a live
music lover since seeing my first Jethro Tull concert at the age of 13, I had to
see this for myself!
Flash forward to 1987, now married and turned onto the Grateful Dead, Pattie and I plan a trip out west hoping to see our first shows at Red Rocks but fortune was not on our side, we got shut out on tickets through both GDTS and TicketBastard. With vacation plans already committed including our first hike into the Grand Canyon, we headed to Red Rocks and for the one and only time joined the thousands of ticketless Deadheads standing outside the venue waiting for the miracle tickets that never happened. We did however get our miracle later that week when we went to Telluride and got hired by Bill Graham to work backstage security at the Dead's Saturday show in exchange for Sunday tickets and free camping at the Town Park campground. That weekend was and still remains the peak experience of our Dead tours and it lead to the discovery of Ouray, CO which is now our home.
Finally after 25 years of anticipation, we got tickets to Red Rocks! The Dead are back on tour and with Jerry gone so are the massive hordes of kids without tickets that got them banned from small venues, Red Rocks in particular. Now they can schedule a 5 show run where everyone that's interested in the music and get a ticket.
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The first day we arrived at Red Rocks, the weather looked threatening but no lightening, thunder, nor raindrops could dampen our spirits. The shows were general admission so we headed up the ramp that wrapped around the rocks leading into the amphitheater. Walking through the gates, we could feel the rush of energy pouring out of the massive 400 foot rocks surrounding the seating area. We had made it inside and were more excited about the venue than seeing the Dead!
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Ship Rock |
Creation Rock |
Not to be outdone by the theater the musicians took to the stage and feeding off the energy of the theater and the crowd, delivered 3 sets of incredible jamming over 6 hours. Mother Nature did her part and yielded to the power of music with just some serious wind gusts but no rain during the show. Warren Haynes opened with a sweet acoustic set that really highlighted the perfect acoustics of the amphitheater. The Dead hit the stage a little after 8PM and when the final notes of Ripple were played for the encore it was after 1AM!
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Warren Haynes Acoustic |
The Gorgeous View from Row 27 |
Warren brings a whole new flavor to the band and complemented Jimmy Herring's leads without becoming overbearing or making the overall sound too cluttered. He also brings along a wide variety of songs for our enjoyment, the highlight of the first set and biggest surprise of the night being a cover of the Byrd's classic Eight Miles High!
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Warren Leads The Charge... |
The Dead 2004 |
IMHO, what drives this band to such great heights is the Rhythm Devils! Billy and Mickey complement each other so well and this year they have a percussion setup that is bigger than ever! When they start wailing on those big drums you can feel the vibrations through your whole body. Mickey donned a white lab coat and goggles to attack the beam to paint the sonic soundscape leading into Space...
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The Rhythm Devils |
Dr. FrankenBeam |
Needless to say there were many happy heads in the crowd, especially these two Juggling Suns fans attending their first Red Rocks shows.
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Patina & Uncle Bob |
Rockin' Deadheads |
Overall it was one of the best shows I've seen in a long time. The set list was full of surprises and although there were some rough transitions and low points, like forgetting the words to Dupree's, there were many highlights. From the opening thunderous notes of Shakedown Street that segued into a sweet Milestones jam and the surprising 8 Miles, we were all dancing in our seats.
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Nighttime At Dead Rocks |
Warren & Jimmy - The New Dynamic Duo |
Here's a short video clip of a new song Strange World (5.6MB)
And another longer clip of my favorite - Ripple (13.1MB)
Set 1:
Shakedown Street >
Milestones >
Duprees Diamond Blues
New Potato Caboose >
8 Miles High >
She Said She Said >
Ramble On Rose
Cold Rain and Snow >
Playing in the Band
Set 2:
El Paso
Into The Mystic >
West L.A. Fadeaway >
Playing Jam >
Pride Of Cucamonga
Uncle John's Band >
Playin' jam >
Strange World >
Drums >
Space >
The Days Between >
China Cat Sunflower >
I Know You Rider >
Uncle John's Band (reprise) >
Playing In The Band (reprise)
Encore:
Ripple
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