The multiplicity of tributes to Jerry Garcia is as much testament to his own love of music as his influence on multiple generations of musicians. Dear Jerry is particularly notable as it may be turning into a regular occurrence: the ‘sequel,’ Let’s Play 2, takes place in October coincidental with the release of video and audio of the inaugural event as conducted in May of 2015.
Celebrating the Music of Jerry Garcia is an appropriate title, both as means to address the occasion and express affection for its inspiration. An eye-opening range of artists cover selections from the man’s solo repertoire as well as the book of the Grateful Dead, from Peter Frampton ripping it up on “(I’m A) Road Runner” to moe. somewhat over-cautiously reinventing “Loser.”
Grace Potter and Bob Weir duet as earnestly as they can on “Friend of the Devil,” thereby illustrating how such pairings of musicians and material are interwoven smartly through the two-and a half hours here (identical on CD and DVD except for ever-so-brief bonus content on the latter that might better have functioned as its soft intro).
Phil Lesh and his band Communion–Stu Allen, Ross James, Grahame Lesh, Alex Koford and Jason Crosby–initiate the proceedings by easing into a coupling of “The Wheel” and “Uncle John’s Band,” thereby setting a positive tone for the rest of the concert that’s also on the same wavelength as the fundamental good cheer and optimism the titular leader of the iconic band evinced at the peak (s) of his lifetime.
A reflection of Jerry Garcia’s wide arc of musical tastes, the combinations of songs with artists contrast as often as they complement on Dear Jerry. The nouveau bluegrass of Yonder Mountain String Band and Trampled by Turtles may not make comparable sense on, respectively, “Shakedown Street,” and “Brown-Eyed Women,” but there’s no denying the improvisational insight both bands brings to their performances. Similarly, while it only makes sense for the author of “Get Out of My Life Woman,” Allen Toussaint, to appear early on—as much so as Jimmy Cliff on “The Harder They Come-”-it’s further evidence of the empathy the NOLA icon and his reggae counterparts holds for Garcia (not to mention the duo’s shared innate spirit of generosity) that they participate.
In a whole different, it’s knowing for Grateful Dead brethren Bob Weir and Mickey Hart to partner with Billy Kreutzmann and his band of Kids (Tom Hamilton, Reed Mathis and Aron Magner) for “Touch of Grey:” they bring brisk self-knowledge plus a self-effacing attitude to this collaboration with these younger musicians, a gesture the titular leader of the iconic group would relish.
As he would hearing and seeing bluegrass master (and regular collaborator) work out on the traditional “Shady Grove;” just as when Los Lobos play “Bertha,” a regular inclusion in their own sets, most of the musicians involved here transform their given tunes, rather than merely offer them as set pieces. And, as Eric Church so astutely observes during the abbreviated intro on the DVD, the same songs, such as “Sugaree,” rendered here naturally by Jorma Kaukonen, sound markedly different in the hands of different artists in different contexts. It’s a theme established early on and reaffirmed throughout Celebrating the Music of Jerry Garcia and, along with the element of surprise, one of its ongoing pleasures.
But even that virtue pales in comparison to the prevailing connection this roster of artists maintains with the audience of the event held at Merriweather Post Pavilion: over and above the closing of “Ripple,” rendered by the full ensemble (and transcending the saccharine if not the predictable), the resulting ambiance throughout is a communal air not that far removed from the atmosphere of warmth arising from any of the late musician’s most memorable performances.
CD1
1. The Wheel / Uncle John’s Band – Phil Lesh & Communion
2. Get Out of My Life Woman – Allen Toussaint, Bill Kreutzmann
3. Shady Grove – David Grisman
4. (I’m A) Road Runner – Peter Frampton, Bill Kreutzmann
5. Deal – Buddy Miller
6. Sugaree – Jorma Kaukonen
7. The Harder They Come – Jimmy Cliff, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann
8. Fire On the Mountain – Jimmy Cliff, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann
9. Help On the Way / Slipknot / Franklin’s Tower – Billy & The Kids
10. Scarlett Begonias / I Know You Rider – The Disco Biscuits, Billy & The Kids
CD2
11. Loser – moe.
12. St. Stephen – O.A.R.
13. Bertha – Los Lobos, Bob Weir
14. Brown-Eyed Woman – Trampled By Turtles
15. Shakedown Street – Yonder Mountain String Band
16. Days Between – Bob Weir
17. Friend of the Devil – Bob Weir, Grace Potter
18. Tennessee Jed – Eric Church, Bill Kreutzmann
19. Morning Dew – Widespread Panic
20. Touch of Grey – Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann
21. Ripple – Full Ensemble