Back in May, Dead & Company announced their “What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been” tour opening night — Raleigh, NC, August 16, 2021. They had not played live since January 2020 but I was a bit hesitant to purchase a ticket. 20,000 people in one space seemed dangerous, even for an outside venue. How could I not go? Inching my way back to normal meant listening to live music again. I have been a Dead Head since 1972 when they played Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, NJ, about a mile and a half from my childhood home. 49 years later, I’m still a Dead Head.
The weather was iffy when my friend Keith from DC and I hit the road around 2pm to set up our tailgate spot on ShakeDown Street in the Coastal Music Park at Walnut Creek. Once we were set up and connected with friends we relaxed to an amazing sound system, good music, good food and drink. Folks on one side flew in from Minnesota for the opening show. Their daughter Boston (7), proudly told us she had been to 10 shows. Folks on or other side drove in from Tennessee and shared their homemade venison jerky and apple pie moonshine (I skipped on the moonshine since I thought it would clash with my libation of choice).
Gates were to open at 5 p.m. and everyone in attendance was required to show proof of vaccine or a negative COVID test within the past week for entry. Here’s where things got off track: about 4:54, the skies opened with a downpour — complete with thunder and lighting. We jumped in the car to wait it out and, lucky for us, it stopped. But now, instead of getting folks into the venue over a two hour period, they had less than an hour. Vaxxed folks were on one line — test folks on another. Show was delayed by 30 minutes so they could get everyone in. There were no fights, no pushing, no complaints about showing vax cards — Dead Heads are just there for the music.
Original members of the band Bobby Weir, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann were joined by Jeff Chimenti, Oteil Burbridge and John Mayer. Friends on Facebook and Twitter were trying to guess the opening song. I got it with Touch of Grey (usually their closing song). The message of survival ruled the night. The first set appeared to be a birthday tribute to Garcia, Touch of Grey, Shakedown Street, Deal, Tennessee Jed, Brown-Eyed Women and New Speedway Boogie. After a short break, set 2 opened with Playing in the Band, Love Supreme Jam, Truckin, Spoonful, Playing in the Band, Help on the Way, Slipknot, Franklin’s Tower, Drums, Space, The Wheel, Death Don’t Have No Mercy, Not Fade Away. No encore due to the late start which looked like it took the band by surprise. They bowed and left the stage.
The band has never played Death Don’t Have No Mercy (written by gospel and blues artist Gary Davis) live before and I was blown away by Mayer’s guitar. The band was tight and appeared to be smiling through each song. Happy to be on stage again, doing what they do best — playing in the band. The energy coming from the audience was amazing and I did what I like to do when listening to live music – danced for 3 ½ hours. It felt safe, it felt right and I am glad I decided to inch my way back to normal with Dead & Company.
Leaving the venue — yikes, that was a different story, we heard someone call the crowd leaving “COVID Soup.” We decided to sit it out and wait till most of the folks left before trying to find the car. The ride back to Carrboro was a walk down memory lane. So, how many Dead Shows have you attended?
Death Don’t Have No Mercy
Gary Davis
Y’know death don’t have no mercy in this land
Death don’t have no mercy in this land, in this land
Come to your house, you know he don’t take long
Look in bed this morning, children find your mother gone.
I said death don’t have no mercy in this land.
Death will leave you standing and crying in this land,
Death will leave you standing and crying in this land, in this land, yeah!
Whoa! come to your house, why’ know he don’t stay long,
Why’ look in bed this morning,
Children you find that your brothers and sisters are gone.
I said death don’t have no mercy in this land.
Death will go in any family in this land.
Death will go in any family in this land.
Come to your house, you know he don’t take long.
Look in the bed on the morning, children find that your family’s gone.
I said death don’t have no mercy in this land.
Death will leave you standing and crying in this land,
In this land. whoa! come to your house,
Why’ know it don’t stay long, why’ look in bed this morning,
Children find that your brothers and sisters are gone.
I said death don’t, death don’t have no mercy in this land.
Penny and her family moved to Chapel Hill in 1998. She soon joined the Town of Chapel Hill’s Telecommunications and Technology advisory board and was appointed by the town to the OWASA board of directors where she served 6 years and held the Vice Chair position. In 2009 she ran and was elected to the town council in Chapel Hill, and in 2012 ran and was elected to the BOCC where she served 8 years, the last two as chair of the board. Penny owns and operates a personal chef and catering company and has been published in Cary Magazine, Gourmet Magazine, INDY Week, Southern Neighbor and News14. She lives in Carrboro with her mom Jersey Jacky. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram
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