What an awesome run! After enjoying both of the SC shows I decided to order all 3 Chicago shows on PPV. Obviously I missed being at the shows but I have to say the PPV option was pretty sweet. I also listened to the Sirius XM pre-game coverage each day so even though I was at home in Denver most of my weekend was deadicated to Fare Thee Well.
My overall impressions after watching the shows and hearing from some friends who were in Chicago (and SC) is that everything was better than expected. The sound was big. Friends said even in the back of the stadium it was loud. The light show was also awesome. Add in the rainbow in SC and the fireworks in Chicago and you had some pretty special moments.
I thought the band sounded great! Of course they had some flubs but there were more than enough magical moments to make up for those. The big smiles on stage were great to see, particularly lots of smiles (and hugs) from Phil and from Trey. And speaking of my man Trey I have to say he really crushed it this weekend. I think he probably had the most individual pressure of anyone (being in the Jerry role and being a "controversial" pick). But he showed what a true professional - and gifted musician - he is and stepped up in front of 70,000+ people each night and killed it. Way to go Trey, so happy for you!
So I give kudos to all involved. Peter Shapiro caught lots of flack (including from me) but he showed that he can put on a hell of an event. I read this morning the shows raised over $750,000 for GD-related charities, and a lot of that was set-up by Shapiro. And of course the band and the fans were awesome, including super-fan Bill Walton, that dude rocks! I look forward to hearing what the future holds for the boys and I know they will all still be playing this incredible music for as long as they can. “Let there be songs to fill the air”.
Listening to:
Fare Thee Well 7/3/15
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