At about 4pm on the day of the show the heavens opened up. It poured all across Atlanta. I was sure the venue, where I had lawn seats, was going to be a mud pit. More on that later.
Met up with my buddy and musical compadre, Robert. We jammed a few tunes before heading to the show together. We arrived at the venue to a typical Dead and Company scene. After parking we were surprised to discover that the rain had completely bypassed the venue.
Somehow we ended up missing the first two songs of the show. We settled into a comfortable spot just as the band was finishing Alabama Getaway. The first full song I caught was Black Throated Wind. I got a good feeling as the song started to unfold because they played the same tune about a year ago. Same venue etc. But last year I remember thinking, man I love this song but they’re playing it without a lot of energy. This year, the energy was spot on. And it stayed spot on for the entire show. West LA Fadeaway– hot. Brown Eyed Women– hotter. Sailor-Saint– great set closer. Not life-changing, but solid.
During the set break I realized that the two random guys sitting next to me were fellow Jewish professionals, one from ATL and one from Florida. We chatted during the set break, which was nice.
By the time the band came back on, the evening had cooled off splendidly. Likely due to the earlier thunderstorms. An added bonus for sure.
Here Comes Sunshine, the 2nd set opener, was another repeat from last year’s show. Last year I was super psyched to hear the song because it’s a favorite. This year it was definitely a hotter rendition, up to the level of the rest of this show. HCS led into Eyes of the World. This was a definite highlight for Robert, and for me too. Scarlet-Fire was solid, but not a highlight. Drums and Space, usually a total bummer, were absolutely incredible. Particularly Drums. Loved it. All Along the Watchtower and Morning Dew closed out the show. Dew, with it’s haunting lyrics and epic builds, was a treat.
Robert and I left as the band came back on for Johnny B. Goode. Definitely not a highlight, but high energy and well played.
I’m not sure if Dead and Company are playing this well nightly, or whether we just got lucky. Either way, I’m so glad I caught this show and hope that the band only continues to keep on keeping on.