"Comes a Time"
2005-10-11
~By Mark Miller~
BERKELEY, CA — The ultimate Jerry Garcia tribute concert also became a de
facto Grateful Dead reunion and 40th anniversary celebration, or at least as
close as anyone is going to get with the sold-out show on September 24
entitled Comes A Time: A Celebration of the Music and Spirit of Jerry
Garcia. Comes A Time was held at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, one of the
finest outdoor venues in the nation and a locale the Dead played many times
before they got too big to fit their burgeoning fanbase within its intimate
confines.
Founding GD members Bob Weir and Billy Kreutzmann were on-hand as well as
longtime members Mickey Hart and Donna Jean Godchaux McKay. The only
noticeable absence was bassist Phil Lesh, who begged off because of helping
his son move into college that same weekend.
Conspiracy theorists in Deadhead-land suggested there were ulterior motives
behind Phil’s bow-out given the alleged infighting between Phil and the
others during The Dead’s 2004 tour.
That rumor begs the question that if squabbling wasn’t the issue, then why
wasn’t an effort made to reschedule the event to include Lesh, the virtuoso
bassist who commanded Garcia’s respect second to none?
Phil’s absence was a huge hole, yet Comes A Time was ultimately a tribute to
Jerry and his incredible canon of songs written, and there were still plenty
of stars to shine on this night.
The show began with a laidback tribute to Garcia’s bluegrass roots with a
set featuring David Nelson, Sandy Rothman, & Brian Godchaux (son of late
Grateful Dead keyboardist Keith Godchaux). Their set included the
traditional classic “Oh, The Wind and Rain,” a song beloved by Garcia.
The unplugged opener made a nice stylistically segue into String Cheese
Incident’s set, which featured a nice jam on “Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’
Bad” and a set closing “Ripple,” which didn’t quite capture the emotions
Jerry routinely summoned from the song.
Next up was a tribute to the solo Jerry sound with JGB, the remnants of the
Jerry Garcia Band, including Melvin Seals. They opened with Garcia’s best
solo piece, “Cats Down Under The Stars” and concluded with “Deal” featuring
Warren Haynes on guitar, Kreutzmann on drums and Garcia’s favorite
keyboardist, Merl Saunders, and they produced the first solid jam of the
night, with an element of improvisation.
Next up was Bob Weir and Ratdog, opening their set with “Mississippi
Half-Step Uptown Toodleloo,” which featured a soaring jam. Ratdog mellowed
things out with “Bird Song” and “Lazy River Road.” It was a rather
pedestrian set, though it did demonstrate how much Ratdog had improved over the past decade since Garcia’s passing.
In addition to celebrating his musical family, Comes A Time also celebrated
Jerry’s literal family as his daughters came onstage during set break, with
Annabelle Garcia, telling the crowd: “This is a conversation my father
started. It’s up to you to keep the conversation going.”
The grand set of the evening began with an appearance by Nubian musical
master Hamza El Din performing “Olin Arageed,” which he performed each night
during the Grateful Dead’s September 1978 three-day run in front of the
Egyptian Pyramids.
With that, the massive “Jerry Garcia Tribute Band” took to the stage;
consisting of Weir, Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart, early 90’s Grateful Dead member
Bruce Hornsby on piano, organ and vocals, Donna Jean Godchaux, Garcia
sound-a-like Jimmy Herring and alternating appearances from the
aforementioned Haynes, Michael Kang of String Cheese Incident and Trey
Anastasio.
Anastasio, in his first Bay Area appearance since the demise of Phish, was
in fine vocal form, a welcome change from his inconsistent 2004 voice.
However, Trey’s first song, “Help On The Way” was marred when the sound cut
off for a couple of minutes, forcing Weir to storm backstage. Needless to
say, the sound returned moments later.
A nod to Jerry’s psychedelic era came with the performance of the first
verse of “Dark Star” featuring Kang on violin for an added aural layer. It
was a wistful reminder of the legendary 1984 Dark Star at the Berkeley Greek
which featured the “Face of Mars” photos in the projected background.
For Comes A Time, the stage décor was much more sublime, yet perfect; the
image of an guitar pick with the renowned “negative photo” of Garcia’s hand
with the missing middle finger, lost in a childhood accident.
“Standing on the Moon” was a nod to one of the best of the later-era Garcia
tunes, a song that has taken on a greater significance since Garcia’s
passing. This rendition was especially tasteful with only Anastasio on
guitar and Hornsby on piano and vocals.
Besides the absence of Lesh and other Garcia collaborators such as David
Grisman and Vince Welnick, the biggest disappointment of the evening was the
lack of some of the greatest Garcia compositions; including “Comes a Time,”
the ballad for which this event was named, “Terrapin Station,” perhaps
Garcia’s finest moment as a writer and “U.S. Blues,” a highly appropriate
choice given the current state of the union.
Just goes to show, even in a six-hour concert, the sheer number of Garcia
songs potentially available meant some masterpieces were going to be left
out. The sheer volume of Garcia tunes also cut into the jams for the most
part, so that aspect of Garcia’s innovative style was also underrepresented,
though the show as a whole was satisfying even for the pickiest Deadhead.
The three-song encore featured the soulful Dead ballad “Brokedown Palace,”
the second verse of “Dark Star” and finally, the Garcia anthem “Touch of
Grey,” which brought the Garcia legacy full circle in a way; “Touch” being
the opening song performed at Garcia’s last show ever, July 9, 1995, exactly
one month before he died.
As all the two dozen musicians joined onstage for one final bow, Mickey Hart
tied it all together with a parting comment to the gathering: “Take Jerry’s
spirit home with you and do something good with it. That’s what this is all
about.”
Melvin Seals has done it again!!! The legendary Hammond B-3 wizard is introducing his new band, "Melvin Seals & JGB", along with a new CD release entitled, "Melvin Seals' Melting Pot". Melvin is best known for his long friendship and musical partnership with cultural icon and guitarist "Jerry Garcia" and the smile of his that lights up the room. >Melvin spun his B-3 magic with The Jerry Garcia Band for 18 years and in doing so helped pioneer and define what has now become "Jam Band Music". Current projects include Merl Saunders, and Melvin Seals Live on Tour, JGB Keepers of the Flame, Melvin Seals Melting Pot and The Mix. The best is yet to come. From blues to funk to rock to bluegrass, The Mix serves up a tasty mix with a little R&B and gospel thrown in to spice things up. Each member of this powerhouse lineup brings an intuitive, expressive style, soul, spontaneity and remarkable chops to the table. With acoustic and electric ingredients and unique combinations of guitar, mandolin, slide and lap steel with savory bass, hearty drums and, of course, a heapin' helpin' of the wizard's magic on Hammond B-3 Organ and keyboards, the result is a most satisfying blend of natural organic grooves that challenges genre boundaries. Their chemistry is the focus from which they create a spontaneous and high art where the sky is the limit musically. They offer an exciting, often psychedelic musical journey that keeps audiences dancing and smiling (and some staring in amazement) for several hours. Melvin is pioneering a path deeper into the musical territory he helped to establish.
