Since Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead died in 1995, the band’s surviving members have kept the music alive through various vehicles. The most notable are The Dead and The Other Ones reunion tours, Phil Lesh and Friends and Bob Weir’s Ratdog. The approach of these bands has always been to honor the spirit and music of the Dead by reinterpreting it, pushing it in new and different directions, not simply recreating the iconic group’s catalog note for note.

Furthur, a new band, is the first post-Garcia project featuring founding Dead members whose modus operandi is more in line with staying true to the pioneering band’s sound, specifically its mid-’70s run as a fleet, psychedelic warhorse.

While Furthur features Lesh (bass, vocals) and Weir (rhythm guitar, vocals), it is the relative newcomers to the scene that give the outfit its Grateful Dead sonic authenticity, particularly John Kadlecik. Until recently the Garcia guitarist and vocalist for noted Dead tribute Dark Star Orchestra, Kadlecik is the closest thing, vocally and musically, to the late bandleader. Jeff Chimenti, from Ratdog and The Dead, combines Keith Godchaux’s jazz piano chops with Brent Mydland’s organ sound, and Joe Russo, another young player from the avant-jazz world, brings Bill Kreutzmann’s drumming touch with some added muscle.

Sunday night’s tour-ending show at the Asbury Park Convention Center in New Jersey was a throwback to the ’70s glory days, from the dingy yet character-filled glorified boardwalk gymnasium to the setlist, which included no songs newer than 1978. Opening with Lesh’s classic “Box Of Rain” and checking into “Candyman” and a serpentine “Estimated Prophet,” the first set achieved immediate liftoff.

The post-intermission included three lengthy prog-rock workouts: Weir’s “Lost Sailor”>“Saint Of Circumstance,” a lovely, dramatic “Terrapin Station” and the classic triumvirate of “Help On The Way”>“Slipknot!”>“Franklin's Tower.” Kadlecik’s nimble guitar runs, Lesh’s booming bass, Weir’s jabbing guitar and Russo and Jay Lane’s interlocking percussion made for a sound greater than the sum of its parts. It’s a seamless feel that the Grateful Dead achieved on its best nights, Ratdog and Phil and Friends sometimes reach and The Dead rarely find.

These musicians are always at their best when they don’t know what’s going to happen next, so making long-term plans might please fans but also sap momentum. A spring tour, with dates at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, is booked. After that, why not take a page from “Saint Of Circumstance”: “I still don’t know what I’m going for/ But I’m gonna go for it for sure.”



 

About the Author

Education
Penn State University, University Park
Bachelors degree: Journalism, English minor
Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia
Masters of arts degree: Writing studies
Manchester University, Manchester, England
Communications

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The Weekender, LexisNexis Securities Litigation, ESPN.com, The Associated Press, Philadelphia Daily News, Philly Edge, Universitywire.com, The Daily Collegian

From
Pittston

Resides
Scranton

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