After a high-energy kick-off on Tuesday, today was all about chilling out to music and building that feeling of togetherness. No one could accomplish these two things better than Phil Lesh and Bob Weir.
Lesh and Weir are former Grateful Dead members who formed a new band, Furthur.
The Grateful Dead were a famous psychedelic band from the 70’s but they still have a very large following of “deadheads” who occasionally travel with the band attending and recording shows.
Today was no exception, and well before Furthur took the stage, “deadheads” were already spinning around.
Bluesfest didn’t just bring “deadheads” together. On the subway stage, Jonas and the Massive Attraction played their first show all together, according to a very sunburnt Jonas Tomalty.
Around 8:30 Futhur came on stage. The crowd was not as packed as yesterday, but that simply provided more dancing room.
I have never seen such genuinely happy fans or so many tie-dyed T-shirts. Furthur opened with “Alabama Getaway” and I watched as fans belted out every word and danced in flowy skirts (both men and women).
I scanned the sea of fans and saw the iconic symbols of the Grateful Dead from over the years.
The man in front of me was wearing a T-shirt from their tour 15 years ago. The dancing teddy bears logo was sprinkled throughout the audience, and near the gates I saw a flag with the stealie symbol flying.
During “Truckin’” when Weir sang the line “Sometimes the lights are shining on me,” the spotlight shone on the beaming fans. While today was a very different day, the devotion of longtime and newer fans to iconic bands remained the same.
After talking with some fans I realized that most of them had been to at least five Grateful Dead shows already. I met people who had just flown back from Asia in time to see this show and others that had travelled from Chicago.
Robert Randolph and the Family Band on the Hard Rock Cafe Stage and The English reggae band Steel Pulse on the Subway Stage kept up the laid-back vibe of the festival. David Hinds’ dreadlocks swayed as he danced in a green, yellow and red jersey singing “Roller Skates.”
The audience joined him and sang along, “I can’t go go no. Life without music I can’t go.” It’s clear that for many fans there really is no life without music.