I just put the following post in the comment section of the song "Franklin's Tower." But I figured I would drop a copy here as well just for the hell of it. Someone might be interested.
Robert Hunter was the lyricist for many of the Dead's big hits, and his lyrics are often considered difficult to understand. I don't know if anyone else has mentioned it here, but Robert Hunter has written about the meaning of the lyrics for "Franklin's Tower." I saw one essay where he said it was about the birth of his son and consists of a message to his new son. For example, the line "In another time's forgotten space, your eyes looked through your mother's face" equates to "You have your mother's eyes."
He was also writing this in 1975 and included themes about the upcoming bicentennial of the birth of the nation. "Franklin's tower," for example, is a reference to Ben Franklin and Independence Hall, which housed the Liberty Bell. In other words he was associating the birth of his son with the birth of a new nation.
And the line "Roll away the dew" is a reference to an earlier Grateful Dead hit song, one of their bigger hits from 1967 called "Morning Dew." "Morning Dew" was a pessimistic song about life after a nuclear war, when two lovers can't go out and walk in the morning dew because it's radioactive and will kill them. But in "Franklin's Tower" in 1975 the birth of his son has given Hunter new optimism, so in saying "Roll away the dew" he is renouncing the old pessimism about the fate of civilization and celebrating a rebirth of hope and optimism.
I'm providing a link to another essay by Hunter on the same subject, maybe condensed from the one I read. He wrote the essay to refute a music critic who tried to assert that Hunter's lyrics were just free association nonsense and utterly without meaning. Hunter replied that his lyrics had meaning and laid out the meaning of "Franklin's Tower." Then he followed it with some explanation of the lyrics for "Trucking."
Link: I couldn't find the original essay at the original Deadhead website, but I found a copy at an old website dedicated to the rock band Phish: https://forum.phish.net/forum/show/1377759979
Audience video of this event...lots of random walking around...can forward to about 12 min in for tunes.
Sammy's cover of Loose Lucy is kinda fun, and at least he's not wearing a tux
and then its nap time at minute 25 when Mayer comes on to impress himself.
Love that I still find a show that I never heard before...like these high energy shows from 78. And this show has Jerry pulling out his version of the Close Encounter theme, that just came out.
Heard an interview once where Garcia said he was inspired back then by the energy he heard from the punk movement.
Imagine a stadium packed with fans in tie-dyed T-shirts, many of them flashing the peace sign, smiles plastered on their faces, swaying to the music of the Grateful Dead. The serene vibes are momentarily interrupted by the thwack of a Louisville Slugger. No, youâre not at a Dead and Company concert. Youâre at Jerry Garcia Night at a Major League Baseball game. In recent years, while the Grateful Deadâs fan base continues to grow, 29 years after Garciaâs death, a surprising trend is playing out across the United States: More than half of Major League Baseballâs teams have hosted a Jerry Garcia or Grateful Dead Night. The Giants, Aâs, Red Sox, Orioles, Tigers, Yankees, Cubs, Nationals, Cardinals, Royals, Twins, Pirates, Blue Jays, Mariners, Padres, White Sox, Brewers, Reds, and Phillies have all embraced Deadheads for one night of the season. âObviously, hippies and pro sports have not had a lot of things theyâve agreed on in the past,â says Trixie Garcia, Jerryâs daughter. âBut this seems to be one of them.â
Not a big fan of Wolf Bros, but this show with orchestra at Kennedy Center was interesting.
Days Between 24 min in sounds good...would have loved to hear Jerry sing that with an orchestra.
Check out some of the orchestra players with wahwah and other pedals on the lower right
I can see that. John Mayer is a very skillful and accomplished guitar player - sometimes a shredder type - but he usually sounds like a clinician to me on most stuff I've heard from him - even blues stuff. Then again, most of those shredder guys (Malmsteen, Govan, etc.) sound more like mathematicians or actuaries than improvisational musicians to me.
Mayer is technically a competent player, but I don't think i would consider him a shredder.
I saw him a few times with Clapton and thought he was horrible.
At times with the Dead, I do find myself enjoying his playing...but I still don't like the tone.
On a side note, I wish the Allman Brothers would come back...somehow continue the journey, even as members pass.
I can see that. John Mayer is a very skillful and accomplished guitar player - sometimes a shredder type - but he usually sounds like a clinician to me on most stuff I've heard from him - even blues stuff. Then again, most of those shredder guys (Malmsteen, Govan, etc.) sound more like mathematicians or actuaries than improvisational musicians to me.
An old friend (astrophysicist, multi-instrumentalist) was explaining to me recently how Allan Holdsworthâs soloing was based on straightforward charting principles and, as long as you understood what his rules were, you could zoom all over the instrument. Greek to me, since Iâm a keyboardist, but it seemed like an epiphany to him.
I had seen a show 5 years ago, thought it was pretty good, and then decided that was my last.
My brother bought extra tix to Folsom Field, and ended up going, and having a pretty good time.
Still think Mayer's playing is little uninspired, and tone is too flat, laid back (not a fan of PRS guitars), but then there is Oteil and Jeff...a pretty good time....
I can see that. John Mayer is a very skillful and accomplished guitar player - sometimes a shredder type - but he usually sounds like a clinician to me on most stuff I've heard from him - even blues stuff. Then again, most of those shredder guys (Malmsteen, Govan, etc.) sound more like mathematicians or actuaries than improvisational musicians to me.
I had seen a show 5 years ago, thought it was pretty good, and then decided that was my last.
My brother bought extra tix to Folsom Field, and ended up going, and having a pretty good time.
Still think Mayer's playing is little uninspired, and tone is too flat, laid back (not a fan of PRS guitars), but then there is Oteil and Jeff...a pretty good time.
Founding members of the new venture, The Latin Dead, announced the inception of their equity crowdfund. Launched via the Music Benefactors investment platform, The Latin Dead is the first band ever to issue equity to the public.
The Latin Dead, fully appreciating the Grateful Dead experience, aims to convey the dynamic and unpredictable nature of Grateful Dead performances while initiating and fostering the emotional response of the listeners. Investment in The Latin Dead provides an opportunity for anyone to become an executive producer to support, profit and be part of an exciting new pursuit fusing the music of the Grateful Dead with that of Latin Jazz, thereby inaugurating a novel musical marriage.
âThe Grateful Dead mythology is a living legend that we will honor, respect and embellish on,â said Brenden Tacon, founder of The Latin Dead. âTo uplift, inspire, entice and have fun are our goals above all else.â
The minimum investment to own a part of the recording is $500 with additional increments of $50, and those who allocate greater than or equal to $5,000 will be invited to join the Latin Dead Board of Advisors to collaborate directly with the band and its operations. By reaching its full fundraising goal, the new musical enterprise will feature sufficient high-quality arrangements, a gig-ready professional 10-12 piece band, a full length recorded album, a behind the scenes montage video, a well-structured company and a modest marketing/merchandising effort to provide the band with some initial momentum.
Unique way of capitalizing on the lack of being able to tour and make some money. I heard a whole NPR segment on the hardship of touring musicians during the past year. Really quite sad. Music is the only thing, people just don't want to pay a lot of money for, hence why streaming sales are not cutting it for musicians and to make it viable they have to tour.
