041709 The Dead, Albany, NY

On April 17th, 2009 I saw The Dead at Knickerbocker Arena (then, as now, called the Times Union Center) in Albany, New York.  This was the very building where I was first introduced to ‘jammy’ music in a live setting, having attended a Jerry Garcia concert in the same room back in the early ’90’s.  I guess it’s kind of ironic that I first saw Jerry there without The Grateful Dead and now here I was seeing The Dead there without Jerry, but irony is my albatross (I shall not want).

The band consisted of Grateful Dead alumni Phil, Bobby, Bill, and Mickey along with Jeff Chimenti on keys and big ole Warren Haynes on distorted Les Paul.  The setlist was pretty golden from start to end – okay, actually the setlist was off-the-hook astounding – and to prove it, here it is:

Set I:

Casey Jones, Cold Rain and Snow, New Minglewood Blues, Into the Mystic, West L.A. Fadeaway, Brown-Eyed Women, Cumberland Blues

Set II:

Viola Lee Blues, Sugaree, The Other One>Drums>Space>Comes a Time, Unbroken Chain, Throwing Stones

e: Not Fade Away

Really, could it get much better than that?  Song-wise the show started strong, stayed strong, and ended strong.  And now comes the part where I sound like I’m a spoiled lot rat.  

The entire show was so relaxed that it lacked any true groove.  Each song was played at or below it’s usual tempo with a vibe that was laid so far back that the show approached…are you ready for it?: boring.

I don’t know, perhaps I was tired from the day’s drive, but I could barely keep my eyes open (though everyone that knows me knows that a five-hour drive generally don’t confront me none).  I kept getting up to dance and then in no time the band would lull me back into my seat.  The Dead just seemed so low on energy that they couldn’t get the crowd revved up like they usually do.  Or maybe it was just me?

By the second set it was unquestionably not just me.  This was a sleeper-show, confirmed, and not in a good way.  I might even have had a little snooze during Drums>Space>Comes a Time.  Luckily my seat was in the bowl opposite the band so nobody on stage would have caught me napping.  Plus in comparison to Phish and CK5 the light show at The Dead is essentially a non-event.

Even the greatness of Phil Lesh’s brilliantly meandering bass playing couldn’t save the show for me.  Maybe he was bored too.  

The Not Fade Away encore seemed like the band’s final attempt to get some blood rushing to their Deadheads but the inevitable (if lethargic) audience clapalong/singalong that closes the song just woke me up enough for me to shake off the cobwebs, get my jacket on, and get out of there.  

(I should point out that I had fun, but not nearly the fun I was expecting.)