http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/08/g ... d-company/
Weir and Co. not finished. Shows with John Mayer

I'm sure many will be excited about this....me...nah.

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Phil isn't a part of this. Apparently, Bob and Phil have had some business disagreements over the years. That's why it was a big deal that they played together this summer.

Phil and Friends are playing a festival, and then a run at the Capitol Theatre.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

I know Dead fans hate this, but The Dead are, and always have been, all about the $$$

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That is just completely wrong.

They are musicians. They get paid for playing, just like any other band. I suppose your favorite bands don't get paid, but rather play for their love of music.

The band was terribly mismanaged throughout the 70's. They had almost no money. You are out of your element on this one.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

For years...they were the one of the leaders in "merchandise" sales. It's been a few years but still, it happened. It wasn't an accident. Can't act like traveling nomads and live like Gene Simmons at the same time.

But probably worse, they just essentially committed 'fan fraud' by announcing their last/final/ever/anywhere shows at Soldier Field. They knew what they were doing, creating the hysteria after a long absence.


But then they announced a couple more shows at the 49ers place. Now this tour. Bet they announce more.
Take the Dead name out of it, then maybe it's slightly different. But they don't.
"The Dead w/Trey" isn't much different than "The Dead w/Mayer" is it?

edit: I agree, musicians should absolutely be paid for their craft. These guys can make a REAL nice living (retirement surplus?) playing the Aragon for $50 instead of football stadiums for $300. Let's not at least agree on my basic premise that this is clearly about the $$.
Or - they could pay football stadiums for $50 for everybody.....

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Why is merchandise in quotes? What exactly are you insinuating?

Traveling nomads? They are musicians, they played music. They were one of the most popular bands on the planet from the early 80's to mid 90's, hence big merchandise sales. To compare them to Gene Simmons, who sells caskets with the KISS logo, is a false equivalency. As far as I know, not one fan has been forced into buying merch that they didn't want.



What fraud? The shows this summer were billed as the last time the four remaining band members would play together, celebrating their 50th anniversary. Even with these shows involving Mayer, that fact remains true.



What long absence? Every single living member of the band has been playing, in one form or another (that's what musicians do, they play music), since Jerry died in 1995. There was nothing sinister about this.




Yes. After they received more than 350,000 ticket requests (for three shows) through their website (pre-Ticketmaster sale date), they announced two more shows in San Francisco, where the band cut their teeth.



Like I said, the band members have been playing in some capacity for the last twenty years. They will probably play more. What were they supposed to do after Jerry died, go to culinary school?




Sure they did. When they played as Furthur, The Other Ones, Billy and the Kids, etc. This thing with Mayer will be nothing like what we saw this summer. You are seriously misinformed about this.



Actually it is. The frontman of the unquestioned kings of the jam band scene vs. a pop musician. Bruce Hornsby, a full time member of the Dead from '90-'92 was also a part of the Fare Thee Well shows.



Other than the secondary markets, which is completely out of the band's control, none of the tickets were more than $200. Facts are a bitch.

A band who received 350,000 ticket requests for three shows, should play the Aragon?




Most of the tickets for the shows this summer were $85. It was the seats up front that went for $200. Again, facts are a bitch.



This summer, they played five shows, not an entire tour, in football stadiums, which is where they played from the early 80's, until Jerry died in 1995. They didn't do this in the twenty years since Jerry passed, and I doubt they will do it again. If they do, I will apologize to you. Until then, you couldn't be more wrong about this.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

This has nothing to do with the topic, but who is that in your avatar Chus?

I keep seeing Terry Funk and or Cheech Marin.

That is the album cover for A Picture of Nectar by Phish. One of the first places they played was Nectar's in Burlington, VT, owned by Nectar Rorris. It was there that they cultivated their following. Fucking money grabbers.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Woah!

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This space is getting hot, you know this space is getting hot.

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Two points for JORR for the Althea lyrics.

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

What about the music?
You guys fight about fucking everything.
Mayer can flat out play guitar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j00rwXi1xAc

If I may,



http://score670.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=76675&p=1632254&hilit=mayer#p1632254

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I don't remember half the time if I'm hiding or I'm lost

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

You have to be careful when you claim it was about the money. It's very well documented that the end may not have been about the music, but it wasn't about personal money...it was about the EMPIRE that the Grateful Dead had become. There was an entire army of people working for the Grateful Dead as an institution. For the Dead to cease and stop touring it would have negatively impacted the lives of many people working for them. They knew that....so while selfishly they would have probably loved to have done other things musically, the machine continued. I'm sure Jerry, Bob, and Phil have their flaws like most people, but I do believe they took the responsibility of taking care of their people very seriously and it's the main reason why they continued as long as they did.

This...I don't know what to make of it. I really don't care if it is about the money...they have every right to play shows, tour, sell merchandise, and do all of those things if people are willing to pay...and people ARE willing to pay.

John Mayer is a very talented guitar player, but his songs do nothing for me, so I'll quietly pass on this event, just as I did "Fare thee Well".

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John Mayer = Present Day Clapton

Buckets of talent, but wasted on writing garbage music.

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It's a miserable Friday night. I'm so lonely. And nobody will give me a ride to the Grateful Dead concert! Aw, rats!

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Of course they have the right to make as much money as possible. I doubt anybody would debate that.

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Hard for me to say the Dead were always about the money when they were ahead of the curve in allowing concert taping and keeping tickets affordable for diehard fans.

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This guy gets it.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Not exactly relevant.
They allowed people to hear their sold out concerts without being there.

OR - they allowed people that were there to go back and hear what they missed the first time


I'm not even sure that Chus and I are disagreeing about the main point. We are just looking at from two different perspectives.

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You said that they are all about the money because they still play music, they used to sell a lot of merchandise, and didn't play the Aragon this summer. I disagree.

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

I was talking with a friend last night who worked backstage at those Dead shows. She told me it was like waiting on your demanding grandpa as he slides into senility. She said they hate the fans and they aren't too fond of each other. Each guy has his own dressing room. They also insist on a dressing room for Jerry that is stocked with his favorite alcohol. Bobby employs a body double that he sends out in a limo as a decoy so he doesn't have to interact with the fans he despises.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

I got to be free.

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Not a mult.

These guys are 70 years old, and did tons of drugs. What do you expect at this point?




It's no secret that Phil and Bob don't get along. Bob, Bill, and Mickey, are about to play some shows with John Mayer, so I guess they do like each other.

Phil and Billy often show up announced, and sit in with other bands. That doesn't sound like something that would be done by wealthy guys, who hate the fans.

They were in different rooms, but your friend was able to spend enough time around them, to hear them voice their dismay for each other, and the fans? Did. Not. Happen.




I don't think that's weird, especially when you see riders from other bands/musicians.



He definitely seems like a cranky guy, but to say he despises his fans, seems to be a stretch.


I think your friend has a wild imagination.

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

I don't think so. She's worked a lot of rock and roll shows and she's interacting heavily with the bands. She's not one to make shit up. She wasn't really presenting it as criticism, more as matter-of-fact statements.

Hey, I know you like the Dead. I don't see why them being douchebags on a personal level would have any bearing on one's enjoyment of their music.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

It doesn't, I just think she has jumped to some conclusions. Anything about Bobby, I believe. He is an old codger, with a drinking problem. Phil just loves life. He enjoys every minute. He feels he got a second chance, after his liver transplant. You can hear the joy in his voice, and in Billy's, when they talk about playing. If these guys hated the fans as much as she claims, why would they keep playing their own shows, and sitting in at others? They have more than enough money to last several lifetimes. Who could get a read on Mickey? He is like wallpaper, just kinda there.

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

The plight of the second drummer. Kind of reminds me of Ed O'Brien in Radiohead.

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Most of her complaints were about Bobby. He's the guy who really hates the fans. She said he's a cranky old bastard.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Also, I will say my friend isn't a Dead fan and was probably predisposed to dislike them or dismiss them as old hippies. That doesn't mean she would lie about them, but if the Ramones were alive and acting the same way, I'll admit she might not pass judgment quite as quickly.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don