It’s been the best of times and the worst of times for us Deadheads over the last two years. The highs of two successful Dead & Company residences at the Sphere in Las Vegas and the 60th anniversary shows in Golden Gate Park. The lows of losing Phil Lesh, Donna Godchaux, superfan Bill Walton, and, most recently, Bob Weir. Such is the natural order of things, especially when considering the band’s relationship with life and death in their music.
Bobby’s death hit me particularly hard, especially since it seemed like it came out of nowhere. After seeing Dead & Company at the Sphere last April for my birthday, I told my wife, “If that’s the last time I get to see them, I’m satisfied.” I said that for three reasons:
- It was a perfect set. “Scarlet Begonias” into “Fire on the Mountain.” “One More Saturday Night” to close the first half. “Not Fade Away” to end the second. An extra-groovy “Shakedown Street.” It was magical. (Side note: We did floor tickets this year, and it was even better than having seats the previous year. Great vibes in the crowd and a near-perfect sightline to the stage. We were also taken aback by how astonishingly handsome John Mayer is up close.)
- It’s not exactly a cheap trip to be in Vegas for four days and go to a Sphere show, so I’m grateful to my wife for being so generous.
- I didn’t know how much longer we’d have Bobby and Mickey with us. Little did I know how true that would be.
What warms my heart is seeing the outpouring of love and affection that these events have received from the public at large. When you’re a Deadhead, it’s easy sometimes to feel like you’re part of a silly little music cult, but lately I’m realizing just how much of a cultural impact the Grateful Dead has had on American culture.
The latest example: on Wednesday night, the Oregon men’s basketball team took the court against UCLA wearing kicks that certainly got our attention:
They’re the new Sabrina 3 “Grateful Ducks” shoes, the spiritual successor to the Air Max 90 kicks that dropped this past fall and sold out in the blink of an eye. When do they drop? We have no idea, but we’re waiting on pins and needles for the announcement. Until then, we’ll continue to relish the rest of the Grateful Ducks collection.