The Greek Theater in Los Angeles is an intimate locale for Bob Weir, Phil Lesh and Furthur to end this year’s touring. Six thousand seats set in the edge of the northern foothills, surrounded by gnarly pines, brings Neal Diamond’s callout to the “tree people” on his 1972 live album recorded here, “Hot August Night,” immediately to mind. The mood is remarkably calm for a final show, due I suspect to the high prices scalpers were demanding of Deadheads in the parking lot. As a result, the quotient of Jaguar-riding aficionados is high, but the exuberance is no less palpable. Bill Walton is in the row ahead of me, chatting casually and posing for pictures as the lights go down.
It’s an evening of treats, and clearly Phil and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti have been given the nod to lead the proceedings. Lesh’s vocals take center stage on gems of his like Pride of Cucamonga and Unbroken Chain, but the biggest fun comes from Chimenti who drives the extended jams in these songs into a jazzy realm that inspires Weir and lead guitarist John Kadlecik into unique and pulsating chord patterns.
Intermission brings the good fortune of of a separated couple looking for a ticket swap that lands me in the sixth row, allowing me to feel the front-on assault of a frolicking St. Stephen. The upper crust Deadheads performed admirably, staying on their feet throughout the show, and singing loudly with the band. There were no tree people on this evening, but the parking lots remained full of the unfortunate ticketless who could nonetheless still hear the band and twirled anyway. This not-so-new iteration of remaining members of the Grateful Dead has gelled fantastically, and have become a combo with their own identity. As the saying goes, Jerry would love this band.
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