It’s 4am, and I should be studying for finals. It’s the last week of the semester, but all I can think about is the Dead & Company tour that was announced 5 days ago. My dad and I got some tickets for a handful of shows and I have no doubt this will be the best summer ever. All this excitement got me thinking about where this long, strange trip began.

Ignorance, by definition, is, “unawareness of information.” This described the first 17 years of my life when I had no idea that there was a band out there, that would totally change my life.I saw the Grateful Dead for the first time July 4, 2015, during the Fare Thee Well weekend. Prior to this, I had only heard a couple of songs in my Dad’s car, plus a couple of songs from the greatest hits collection. I was completely ignorant to the universe that was the Grateful Dead. I remember when I was a young kid, my Dad listened to the song, “Cumberland Blues”, on repeat for months and months. I always made fun of him for listening to 10 minute songs, in which the singing didn’t start until the 4 minute mark. Needless to say I never expected this band to impact my life.

July 4, 2015, was a beautiful day in Chicago at Solider Field. My Dad and I arrived around 2 o’clock to browse Shakedown and take in the scene. We got some grilled cheese sandwiches and sat under a tree to talk about the rest of the day. He told me how he and his friends used to sell grilled cheeses for money outside Dead shows.”What do you want them to play?”, I would ask him. I was so envious of him for being a “Deadhead.” “I’d like to hear Jack Straw, Playin’ In the Band or Cassidy. Oh yeah and Me and My Uncle would be nice too”, he would say, for example. He might as well been speaking in tongues. I had no clue what any of that meant, but I wanted the Dead to play them all so my Dad would be happy.

A week before the concert, my family went through a really tough couple days. We found out some tough information and it took a toll on us. My Dad asked me if I still wanted to go to Chicago to see the Dead and my response was “I’d rather die than miss that concert.” I find it interesting that I was so adamant about going to a concert, that was played by a band I was so unfamiliar with.

The drive from Kentucky to Chicago is about 5 hours so it’s pretty painless. The drive up consisted of me asking numerous questions about the band, songs, and how the show would be set up. I remember ‘Terrapin Station’ sticking out to me the first time I’d heard it in the car. I loved the melody and the guitar work but what really set it apart is that I felt that I had heard it before. Maybe I heard it in my Dad’s car as a young kid. Maybe I heard it on TV somehow. I didn’t know how, but I knew I had heard it.

After we finished our grilled cheeses, we went inside the stadium. I saw people of all different walks of life there. Black, white, Asian, tattooed, long-haired, old, young, rich poor, etc. Almost all groups were represented in one place. We made our way up to our seats in the middle section on the right side of the stage. They were pretty far away, but it was the best we could do because the tickets were costly.

As for expectations, I had none. The only things I knew were what my Dad told me. “They’ll play for 45 minutes to an hour then take a break. Then they’ll come out and play a couple more hours.” I knew their shows were long but had no idea that these old dudes could play for as long as they do.

To say the least, the atmosphere was amazing. There were women with extremely long hair, with long, colorful skirts, that swayed while they danced. There were men with tie-dye shirts and braided beards. There were people covered in tattoos, and there were people who looked like they had just gotten off from their 9-5 job. Nearing show time, I felt at peace. I didn’t know why and I can’t explain it know, but I felt like everything was going to be okay. Finally, the band came on. They looked like ants from our seats, but the vast monitors on both sides of the stage let me see the group up close.

What happened next changed my musical mind forever. Bobby tinkered with his guitar and pedals forever. It seemed like 20 minutes before he was ready to start. Finally, I heard the faint count in. “One… Two… One, Two, Three, Four!”

“DUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM… DUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM”

They struck a huge Dm chord and launched right into Shakedown Street. My mind was blown. That one chord had so much power. It seemed as though all 50 years of the band came together and pushed that chord out of the sound system. Right after that, Trey Anastasio ripped right into the classic riff. From that moment, I was hooked. They stayed in Shakedown for about 15 minutes until going into Liberty, a lesser known Robert Hunter song. I enjoyed both the songs they played, but I quickly realized that I don’t know any Dead songs. After Liberty, Trey got some spotlight as he led Standing on the Moon. He did a great job with that song looking back. Me and My Uncle was next, and I was excited about that not because I knew the song but because my Dad wanted to hear it. When they fired into Tennessee Jed next, I knew it was a fan favorite because the crowd went wild. Every single time a song started, I would turn to my dad and ask what song it was. I didn’t have to ask him what this next song was.

After Tennessee Jed, they were chugging along on some notes, and I was pretty sure I knew what it was. Then I heard, “I can’t stay much longer, Melinda…” It was Cumberland Blues. I was so excited that they played a song I knew! It all came full circle at that point. Here I was in Chicago with my Dad, listening to one of his favorite songs of all time, live in person. It was a great moment.

The next song really got me interested. When they fired up Little Red Rooster, my ears perked up. I am a blues guy at heart. I love the blues with all my soul. This song was right up my alley. Bobby’s voice was absolutely perfect for it and my man Trey tore it up. I figured they were pretty close to being done with the first set when they went into Friend of the Devil. I remember being intrigued by the number of people dancing. The general admission section looked like an amoeba wiggling around. They were one body but were all dancing to their own drum. It was a lovely sight. Luckily, they had one more for us before set break. I remember thinking, “Dang this is a nice riff” when they went into a very hot Deal. Finally, Bobby said “We’ll be right back,” and that was set 1.

During the set break I reflected on what happened and how I was here. I felt guilty multiple times throughout the night for even being there. Some people spent their whole lives following, listening and caring for this band, who weren’t able to be there and here I was, utterly clueless, with a ticket.

It had gotten dark by the time they came on for Set 2. I was in a state of bliss at this point. I didn’t know why I was so happy, but I was. The stresses of the previous week had melted away. This environment was so contagious with love, kindness and peace, it was impossible for it not to rub off on me.

Phil Lesh opened up set 2 with a solid Bird Song. After that, they went into The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion). They hadn’t played that song since the earlier days of the band. I actually recognized that song because it was track one on the greatest hits album I had been listening to. Second set was a daze for me. They zipped through Lost Sailor>Saint of Circumstance so quick, I didn’t even know 2 songs had been played. I really liked West L.A Fadeaway when Bobby and Trey started it up before going into Foolish Heart. I remember loving Foolish Heart’s lyrics when they played it.

Drums>Space was next. Now if I’m being honest, when I try to weird out my friends, I play Drums>Space. My Dad told me he would be using the bathroom during that time. I was interested, so I stayed. To keep it short, it blew my mind. I love space. Pictures of space, movies set in space, and even spacey music. Needless to say, I love(d) this section of the show. When Dad got back towards the latter part of Space, I got a little defensive.”How on earth do you not like this? This is pure genius! How are they even making those sounds!” To this day, Dad always uses the bathroom during Drums>Space. After Space, they went right into a beautiful rendition of Stella Blue. Bobby sings that tune so well. He has a hint of pain is his voice that adds a lot of the song.

Before the show, my dad guessed they would play One More Saturday Night because ya know, it was a Saturday night. He was right and after Stella Blue they fired right into OMSN. The general admission section was going crazy. Everyone was dancing and having a great time. I had to use the bathroom, so I dipped out right quick. On my way to the bathroom, I saw a group of people just dancing their hearts out. It felt like I watched them for hours. Their dancing mesmerized and inspired me.

Finally, I got back to my seat right when they came back up for the encore. Phil did a touching Donor Rap, which I thought was super cool. Shout out to Cody. I think we all owe him one. The final song of the night was a fiery U.S Blues. The screens showed a light show at the Empire State Building in New York City timed to their performance. That also blew my mind.

Quick side story, every year for 4th of July, my family goes to hear the Lexington Philharmonic perform marches and patriotic songs for the holiday. My Dad’s favorite number they play is a Susa march. I joked with him earlier about how he wouldn’t get to hear his song this year. Just to add icing on the cake, they played my dads favorite Susa march through the speakers and gave us a firework show. That was also a great moment.

After the show was done, I saw multiple people hugging and crying, among other things. That’s when it became real to me. This is not just music. This is a family. I talked my Dad’s ears off on the way to our hotel. When we left Chicago, I felt like I was leaving my family behind. I had a sad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

When people ask me what the best day of my life was, I answer, “July 4,2015.” Besides being saved in the Christian faith, that day was the best day of my life, hands down. Even though I didn’t know any songs or band members, I felt what the Grateful Dead was all about. Peace, love, and kindness.Throughout the next months, I started listening more and more to the Dead. I realized I not only loved their culture, but their music is incredibly awesome too. I was itching for another chance to see them. Sure enough, that fall it was announced that a new band, Dead & Company, would be playing some shows. This band consisted of Bobby, Bill, Mickey, John Mayer, Jeff Chimenti, and Otiel Burbridge.”Oh great,” I thought to myself. “John Mayer is gonna mess this thing all up. He can’t do the Dead justice.”Little did I know…