Grateful Dead 25th Anniversary Concert Europe Tour
“There is a human drive to celebrate, and we provide ritual celebration in a society that doesn’t have much of it”
Jerry Garcia
And so the Grateful Dead decided to do an Europe ‘Without a Net’ Concert Tour. My first chance of seeing the band live in concert. I teamed up with Bob Mayes from Oxford to see the gigs at the Gruga Halle of Rockpalast fame, and two more concerts at the International Congress Centrum in Berlin.
Lots of americans on the parking lots selling hand-made stuff and looking for concert tickets. At the Rockpalast venue in Essen is felt like the floor was moving! And in Berlin I had to get used to the enthousiasm of the US dead-heads. Sometimes the songs of the Dead get very emotional and these are the moments european fans experience the music a little different. Wharf Rat’s “I know that the Life i’m living is no good. I get a new start. Live the Life I should” is such a moment.
From Germany to England. Three more concerts! All at the Wembley Arena in London. The second concert was a Halloween Special, and the band decided to do an extra concert at the first of november. I teamed up again with Bob Mayes and this time Dangerous Dave Phillips from Cornwall accompanied us. Dave provided me with with some unique Grateful Dead stuff like the press conference the band gave before the concerts. See the video > > >
The bass-bombs of Phil Lesh were like thunder in the heart! Inbetween concerts drummer Mickey Hart did a signing session for his new book. He had to search for his glasses when i asked him to sign the ‘Drumming at the edge of Magic” book. Later that night a great Halloween concert followed by an extra concert on the first of november. A big thanks for Bob for letting me stay at his place in Oxford and for Dave for sending me great Grateful Dead stuff!
