The Dead
The Forum
Inglewood, CA
5/9/2009
Set 1:
Viola Lee Blues >
Bertha >
Viola Lee Blues >
Caution (Do Not Step On The Tracks) >
Viola Lee Blues
Black Peter
Cosmic Charlie
Set 2:
Jam >
Shakedown Street >
New Speedway Boogie >
Scarlet Begonias >
Fire On The Mountain >
Drums >
Space >
Dark Star >
Wharf Rat >
Dark Star >
Satisfaction
Encore:
Donor Rap
One More Saturday Night
We had been hearing how disapointing the east coast shows were, how uninspired the boys had seemed, but I didn’t find that to be the case at all. The only complaint was the parking was an outrageous $40.00! Thank gawd they couldn’t contain the vending spirit or we’d have taken a bit of a bath. I was bringing my lady love to her first show and, in retrospect, it was ideal; we parked in the heart of Shakedown St so the parking lot scene came to us, an olympic-level of people watching kept the amusement level high and we found the usual suspects fun, funny and entertaining as it gets. The show was enough to keep me interested. The first set seemed a bit forced (“Bobby, quit dickin’ with the mix!…”) but the second set had that flow…texting my buddy on the east coast with updates, the 2nd set just kept getting better and better. We’ve seen 200 shows between us so we’re not the easiest to impress. Shakedown>Speedway>Scarlet>Fire? Yeah! After drums/space DARKSTAR? Hell, yes! I loved how Wharfrat employs Bobby and Warren for the added theater effect. As we hit the parking lot at the strains of Saturday Night we were positively giddy with what we had witnessed. On the way home I heard the words I had hoped to hear all along. My soulmate eased back into the seat for the drive south to San Diego and softly murmured, “I get it. I can totally understand why people go on tour for weeks or months at a time. The scene is completely self-sustaining. There’s a support system that allows for just about any need to be addressed. And, as if that wasn’t enough, there’s a family vibe that’s unmistakable. How wonderful!…” And with that, another ‘head is brought into this world.
end transmission
Robear, I thought both sets of the LA show were outstanding. I loved the first set as well because of the way they played the entire time, going from Viola Lee>jam>song>jam>Viola Lee absolutely seamlessly and without stopping. It was mesmerizing. Plus, getting Cosmic Charlie was a first for me. I completely agree with you about the second set: WOW!