Phil Lesh at Red Rocks

I love the Dead, but no, I never saw them play and I didn’t know anything about them until long after Jerry was playing from some other astral realm. I don’t really want to go see the band play at this point because it seems a bit too over-done and obnoxious with all the hype. What I love is the simplicity of the music, the flow of things going in and out of chaos and order, and the story of how they and their fans did it, lived and breathed and experienced life, created their own culture if you will.

Anyways, I’m a hobby bassist and saw that Phil was going to be playing at Red Rocks, a favorite venue of mine and I thought, that’ll be the show I go to. And I’ll get the cool poster while I’m at it. And so I dragged Rob along and we went!

Folks in front of us in line to get in. We like to park in the upper lot, it’s less rowdy, plus I didn’t need to be enticed by any offerings, I was a couple months pregnant, gotta keep sober.

Such a beautiful spot had to try a pano…

And before you know it it’s night and the crowd has filled in and the band is playing. Leftover Salmon opened. They’re a bluegrass band out of Nederland. Vince Herman their lead guy is a total freak. I have nightmare images of him naked, leading a procession of people down main street in Telluride back at one of the Telluride Bluegrass Festivals I attended what seems like ages ago.

But listening to Phil play really got me. His simplicity. I love it. So many bass players have to play so much these days. Have to do all this crazy shit. I mean I’ll admit it, I’m not crazy good player but watching him play made me think to myself, “You don’t have to do a bunch of fancy shit to play good music.” And that makes me feel a whole lot better about my playing. Cuz I’m never gonna be a Primus. I’m just into some mellow simple feel good grooves. And that’s what I got to dance to that night…