Phil Lesh, founding member and bassist for the Grateful Dead, passed away peacefully this morning. Lesh is remembered as a legendary artist, passionate innovator and a figurehead and champion for the jam community. He was 84.
Damn 84! These guys were in their 30's when I was a small kid. Most of your life you think of them, still as middle aged guys.(As with all of the classic rockers) They have been managing to pull off still sounding great well into their 70's. But this last year every artist I have seen mid 70's and older. They are really showing their age. I saw Deep Purple last month, Ian Gillian just stayed in the mid register, sounded like he was talking in a falsetto voice when he did sing higher range notes. Saw him last year and he sounded great, even "Child in Time" was spot on. There was no way he could have sung that. I saw Yes, Steve Howe looked like a 79 year old man with arthritic fingers trying to play the guitar. The technical experpertise and agility wasn't there. He sounded about as good as I could have trying to do my best. Which isn't saying much. Then you saw Bruce Springsteen, I mean there's a lot of due gloating in order for his bombing last night at Kamala's rally. But it's still part of this alarming trend, of Geezer Rockers reaching their ceiling.
The older they get the older I feel. Like they are dragging us along to the grave, the more that falls in the hole the closer we all get. Then those Turks younger than me, move to occupy the spot of mortality I once stood on. Cha, if everyone could please quit dying that would be great.
Well said, TPB. 4-5 years back I saw JD Souther at a small club in DC. His agent should have been fired for booking him there. A handful of folks in the audience which was great cause it was more intimate and the people there knew who he was to turn up in that odd location. But I felt bad for JD considering his accomplishments, but he did a great show nonetheless.
About 8 years back I saw Randy Newman at the Chateau St. Michelle winery in Woodinville, WA. Great place to seee music. Wine, food, and weed in the air. Anyway it was pouring rain so most folks bailed, but we stayed. He encourged the remaining die hards to move up front into the vacant seats. He did a great show and had a great interaction with the small audience.
I am starting to listen to country music more and more in the car. Zach Bryan, not too hard to take.
Damn 84! These guys were in their 30's when I was a small kid. Most of your life you think of them, still as middle aged guys.(As with all of the classic rockers)
I was trashed hanging out with him at Bonnaroo in TN the 2nd year, I think 2003?
I despise festivals as a mature adult (mostly) now, but it was fun to get to hang out with musicians randomly. They're known, but they're not famous in that way. So they just wonder around at festivals mostly undetected.
Never was a Dead fan, but he was a nice guy and also tripping balls. You generally don't walk around that festival wasted. Easy to get lost he was lost... lol.
The classic front end boomer musicians are going to start dropping like flies. I bet we get a good 20 famous musician deaths in 2025. The 60-70's guys are going to start dropping.
https://relix.com/news/detail/phil-lesh-passes-away-at-84/