“The Grateful Dead is a lot of things. I would venture to say that they are the big American band, ”declared Andy Cohen at the opening of Musicares Person’s of the Year Annual Galla Friday night (January 31) at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
You would be hard pressed to find any disagreement among the 2,000 or so death heads – whether in a lifetime or just for the night – dancing and singing to the music in the band celebrating its 60 -year anniversary this year.
Although there had been some question about whether it was appropriate for the evening to continue as planned in view of the fires that have ravaged parts of Los Angeles County, left almost 30 dead and more than 22,000 households destroy Harvey Mason Jr Rapidly addressed the disaster and the way Musicares has helped already at the beginning of the evening.
Musicares, the Academy’s philanthropic arm, providing financial support and other services to those in the music community, “launched a relief effort, raised and distributed nearly $ 4 and a half million dollars in grants to over 2,000 affected musicians,” he said. “Throughout the Grammy weekend, we continue to create awareness and funds, celebrate the first respondents and support this city, so when we start 2025 grammy weekend, there is no better Honoree than Grateful Dead.” (Although the final numbers are not from the evening, Musicare CEO Laura Segura said during the night that more than $ 5.2 million had been raised from a paddle auction with the dead weir donated $ 100,000 and comedian Bert Kreischer, who gave $ 25,000.)
What a long, strange trip it has been for the dead represented by guitarist Weir and drummer Mickey Hart, as well as the deceased Jerry Garcia’s daughter, Trixie, and the deceased Phil Lesh’s son, Grahame. (Drummer Bill Kreutzmann joined via video.) Hart and Weir sat together at a front table and took the 16 performances that fucked them with Hart, who often smiled broadly and swung with, while Weir seemed more stoic, but valued.
Musicares, if former Honorees has included Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Gloria Estefan, Bonnie Raitt and last year of the year, Jon Bon Jovi, always gives a star’s evening with music and a chance to hear interpretations of Honore’s catalog filtered through musicians chosen to fat them. This year was no different. With a crackerjack band led by Don was what included members of Goose, Dead & Company and Graham Lesh, a number of artists made the unique genre-mixed sound of the dead to their own.
Among the most pleasant performances were the tribute carried out by Co-ED Duos, which brought a refreshing, feminine energy to some of the songs. The war and the treaty opened the evening, accompanied by Mick Fleetwood and Stewart Copeland, to give a sassy, playful “Samson and Delilah” who again prove that there is no musical style that Michael and Tonya Trotter cannot tackle ( They, Sammy Hagar and Marcus King were the only three artists who had performed last year for Bon Jovi, who reappeared Friday night).
The war and the treaty were followed by my morning jacket, which along with a very pregnant Maggie Rose for a funky “One More Saturday Night” as Rose and MMJ singer Jim James’ voices packed around each other. Lukas Nelson and Sierra Farrell took to the circular rotating B-stage in the middle of the floor for a beautiful, intertwined “It must have been the roses”, which felt like a collaborative album must be inevitable. Farrell, who sported a beautiful rose and ribbon head piece and red velvet gloves, clearly understood the task.
Then there were the actions that felt like descendants of the dead who put their own stamp on their performances while still taking close to the jammy sounds from the originals. Best of the flock was Zac Brown and Marcus King, who united for an exciting “Bertha”, while Vampire Weekend brought a lilly airiness to “Scarlet Begonias.” Dwight Yoakam’s version of “Truckin”, “A song he cut almost 20 years ago, delivered a lovely psychobilly turn, while Billy Strings'” Wharf Rat “and the war against drugs” Box of Rain “(played with Grahame Lesh) both hailed while adding their own colors.
Former and current Dead Associates also provided highlights: Bruce Hornsby, who played with Grateful Dead as a keyboardist from 1990-1992 after Brent Mydland at “Terrapin Station.”
The varied selection dip deep into the group’s cannon, and although there is no way to cover each tune, signature songs such as “Casey Jones”, Shakedown Street “and” Uncle John’s Band “became often undone in favor of lesser -known tunes.
Actor and long -time fan Woody Harrelson presented Hart and Weir with their award, humorously remembers his adventure with the group, including “Smoking a fatty with Jerry in a bathroom in the vice president’s mansion and the band gets the trunk of a very angry al Gore. “
Hart picked up the story and added that the event was taking place on his daughter’s first birthday, where Gore even presented her with a cake, but then seed into how Grateful Dead’s Mission has always been common.
“For me, music has always been more than just sound. It’s a force, a healer. But music is not found in a vacuum, ”he said. “Music needs a society to play to. And in return, a society needs its music. We know the power of society because we have lived it. Deadheads have been keeping the dream alive for 60 years now and continuing to take this music into the next century.
“The Grateful Dead has always been more than just music,” Hart continued. “It’s about the people who believed it, supported it and built something bigger than any of us before the world even knew what to do from us. Our society lifted us up and kept us going. Without their support there would be no Grateful Dead … [Music] Reassure the soul, raises our consciousness and gives us strength when we need it most, because at the end of the day it is what it is about – giving what has given us so much. ”
After Hart, Weir took the stage and tied in the evening with the devastating Los Angeles fires. When he grew up, Weir said he would spend his summers in the camp, which developed into a summer job as a ranch hand, “which as it turns out was the only real job I’ve ever had outside the music,” said he. “But in all this I learned early on that you get much more done much more faster if you can make a team effort for your tasks … What we have here in social these days is a reconstruction that will take some time and effort – and a huge amount of teamwork. My guess is that it takes a few years, but social will be back, stronger and shiny. “
Hart also approached Grateful Dead’s long inheritance to help others. “All the time, my old friend Jerry used to say, ‘you get some, you give something back.’ And so did we. From early it was more than clear to us that we could be a significant benefit to our wider community – and have the great fun to do it. We also immediately learned that it was an honor and a privilege to be in this position – something we never took easy … that brings us back to Musicares, a lighthouse of hope in the music industry that provides financial assistance, mental Health resources, improvement programs and other support for artists and music technicians who face challenges. Their work ensures that the people who make music-from-professionals behind the stage to household names-will be able to continue. “
To close the evening, Dead & Co took the stage for a medley of a Mayer-led “Althea” and then “Sugar Magnolia” and the band’s only top 40-hit, 1987’s “Touch of Gray” with Weir on Lead for the latter two. It was a tongue, optimistic set of “gray’s” “We get past/ We will survive” refrain from serving as the perfect benediction for the night and a reminder that no matter how challenging times will be, whether from fires and illness And other obstacles that are hopefully a brighter way ahead.
Check out the Grateful Dead’s Musicares Setlist below:
“Samson and Delilah” (the war and the treaty with Mick Fleetwood and Stewart Copeland)
“Another Saturday night” (my morning jacket with Maggie Rose)
“Ripple” (Norah Jones)
“Bertha” (Zac Brown and Marcus King)
“Ramble on Rose” (Wynonna Judd)
“Friend of the Devil” (Noah Kahan with Bela Fleck)
“Scarlet Begonias” (Vampire weekend)
“Truckin ‘” (Dwight Yoakam)
“They love each other” (Maren Morris)
“It must have been the roses” (Lukas Nelson and Sierra Farrell)
“Wharf Rat” (Billy Strings)
“Loose Lucy” (Sammy Hagar)
“Standing on the Moon” (Bruce Hornsby with Rick Mitarotonda)
“Box with Rain” (the war against drugs)
“Terrapin Station” (John Mayer)
“Althea/Sugar Magnolis/Touch of Gray” (Dead & Company)