Show Review

There's just something magical about The Gorge Amphitheater. If you've been there, you know. You've experienced it. You've lived it. And you'll remember it forever. If you haven’t, well, you might want to see what you can do to remedy that problem. And believe me, even if you don’t know it now, it is a problem.

Appearing on stage this past weekend at this heavenly location was a cast of traveling freak shows. Two of the originators of improvisational rock and fellow grandparents of today’s vibrant jamband scene - The Allman Brothers and The Dead (along with The Dead’s cosmic poet Robert Hunter) - descended on the canyons and cliffs of the mighty Columbia River in the dry heat of Central Washington. For the Allman Brothers, this was opening night of a mini July tour, and for The Dead, this concluded phase one of two of their long (like old times) summer tour. For both bands, it would be the only date all summer where they shared a bill.

Before either of the headliners took the stage, longtime lyricist Robert Hunter serenaded us in the mid afternoon sun. Hunter, looking healthy and happy, ran through about forty-five minutes of material including Grateful Dead classics such as “Brokedown Palace,” “Bertha,” “Deal” and “Ripple, ” but also mixed in other tasty morsels including the Hunter staple, “Boys In The Barroom” and “Silvio.” The latter he explained was put to music by Bob Dylan the first time they met. Hunter’s voice and electric guitar carried quite well throughout the large venue, sounding powerful, even though he has conveyed many times he doesn’t really care for playing venues this big. You would never guess it.

Admittedly, without Dickey Betts in the lineup, the Allman Brothers, who took the stage next, just don’t excite me like they once did. That being said, Derek Trucks fills in quite admirably and while doing so, injects needed life into the 35-year-old band. Rather effortlessly, they rolled through timeless classics such as “Statesboro Blues,” “Whipping Post” and “Mountain Jam” with raw power that only made the temperature rise higher as the day grew shorter.

The mid-set “Melissa” with Gregg Allman on acoustic guitar was graceful in all of its beauty. That song rarely fails to become a show highlight and this was no exception. You never get the feeling that Gregg has grown tired of the song, and the words always manage to appear from the depths of his soul, even though he has played and sung this tune thousands, if not tens of thousands of times over the years.

One new addition to the setlist was the emergence of cover songs. While the Allman Brothers have never been afraid to mix in a cover or two, the range of material they have always chosen from seems to be exclusively limited to that of blues that came before them. At least on this night they expanded things a little bit with the addition of three non-blues covers. They opened their set with Dr. John’s psychedelic, voodoo masterpiece, “I Walk On Guilded Splinters.” The song is tailor made for this band with all of its rhythmic undertones and it, not surprisingly, managed to get many people out of their seats and onto their feet.

The Band’s “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” further showed that The Allman Brothers are not afraid to lean on some of their peers’ material for help. Help that is welcomed, especially considering the amount of old material no longer in rotation with the departure of Mr. Betts, including “Blue Sky” and “Jessica.”

By the time the band returned to the stage for an encore, the venue was packed. Most, if not all of the folks with tickets had made their way from the campground or day parking lot in time to see the band say goodbye with yet one more surprising cover; Eric Clapton’s “Layla.” This should not come as a huge surprise though, after all it was Gregg’s late brother Duane who played the second guitar on the original Derek &The Dominos recording. Now, instead of Eric Clapton and Duane Allman we had Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks leading the way through one of Rock ‘N’ Roll’s greatest anthems as they pulled their set to a monster finish.

Although, I’m still bitter about the ugly manner in which Dickey Betts was allegedly kicked out of the band he helped create, my ears remain unbiased and I came away pleasantly surprised with an old band sounding youthful and alive.

After an impossibly long break between the Allmans and The Dead’s sets, The Dead finally took the stage just before sunset. The obligatory ten minute tuning session eventually made way to the thunderous first few notes of “Shakedown Street.” The song came off sounding a bit rusty, but all in all was a great way to start off the show. An interesting side note: Bob Weir added “shake it down, shake it down, shake it down now” lyrics from the Commodores 70’s funk classic, “Brick House” near the end of this version of “Shakedown Street.” I don’t know if this is a permanent addition to the song or merely one of Bob’s impromptu vocal ad-libs. In either case, it’s always refreshing to see Bobby do what he does best.

Overall, the first set moved a little awkward at times, but generally flowed along calmly like the river behind them. Without question, the highlight of the first set was “Jack Straw” as the sun was setting, which had everyone in attendance singing along; “fourth day of July / sun so hot, clouds so low / the eagles filled the sky.” And even though Independence Day was still a few hours away, the words felt quite appropriate.

Also of note was a stellar version of “Mississippi Half-Step” sung by Weir, which featured a re-arranged chorus where Warren Haynes (performing double duty as a member of both the day’s headliners) echoed the chorus about a half-step behind Weir. These are the types of things that make seeing this band still exciting. Even if they’re not writing albums upon albums of new material, they are still to this day redesigning the musical landscape of each song, so that no song becomes stale. In fact, they invented this process, at least in the Rock ‘N’ Roll world.

Set two was a little smoother and a lot tighter. They began with a nice “Playing In The Band” that took its time, but eventually segued into “Night Of A Thousand Stars,” featuring words by Robert Hunter and vocals by Haynes. I must say that I was unfamiliar with the song but knew it was in rotation and was excited to hear it, especially considering the thousands of stars visible at the time. Next came “He’s Gone,” which ever since Jerry Garcia’s passing has come to take on a whole new meaning to many, as is the case with many songs left behind by Garcia.

The resurrection of “Cryptical Envelopment” is worth celebrating. The proper introduction to “The Other One” was put on the shelf by the Grateful Dead many years ago only to have recently been dusted off and given new life by Phil Lesh’s rough and tumbling vocal style. The “Cryptical Envelopment” -> “The Other One” -> “Terrapin Station” run was solid, if not excellent. The changes in “Terrapin” were shaky at times, but when haven’t they been?

We were then at the mercy of the Rhythm Devils. Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann up to their old tricks once again. Four arms and four legs. One heartbeat. I used the nearly thirty minutes of “Drums” and “Space” to rest my legs, but my head had no such luck. This section of the show has become as mind warping as ever. It was easy to hear and see that newer technology is being used. At one point it appeared as though neither Mickey nor Bill was playing a single drum at all, but both were producing synthesized sounds and playing computer keypads like video game consoles to manipulate the rhythm. It was nearly impossible to decipher exactly when “Drums” ended and “Space” began.

When I finally glanced back on stage near the end of “Space,” I realized what many others may have already known; Derek Trucks was on stage with the rest of The Dead! And while this guest appearance might not be on the same level as Duane and Gregg Allman joining the boys for a “Dark Star” -> “Spanish Jam” -> “Lovelight” in 1970 at the Fillmore East or Gregg and Dickey Betts lending their services for an entire set at R.F.K. in 1973, it was exciting nonetheless. What came out of “Space” was the best version of “The Wheel” I’ve ever heard. No asterisk on this one. That’s right, the best “Wheel” with or without Garcia. Grateful Dead, Other Ones, Phil &Friends, whatever. This was it. Powerful and full of emotion with the sounds of four great guitarists pouring out their souls.

Trucks stayed on stage throughout the remainder of the set for an expected “Playing Reprise” and the set two closer, “Turn On Your Lovelight.” To beat the pedestrian traffic that takes place after every show here, which is actually more akin to cattle herding, I began to make my way back to the campground before the encore. I was slightly disappointed with my decision when about a quarter of the way back I heard the opening notes of J.J. Cale’s “After Midnight.”

I looked at my watch, after midnight indeed. Which meant it was the 4th of July and as if on queue as I made my first step onto the campground, I saw my first firework of what would become a night in which I saw more fireworks than ever before.

Looking back on the show and that long day under the sun in George, Washington, I can smile because I saw two of the scene’s ambassadors of jam on the same magical stage. “If the thunder don’t get you than the lightning will!” We got hit by the thunder and the lightning! The Allman Brothers and The Dead.

Photos by Robert Massie.