Stu Allen & Mars Hotel at Ashkenaz
Wednesday May 23, 2018
The Ashkenaz in Berkeley, CA
Grateful Dead Night #280
Re-creation of the Grateful Dead's October 29, 1980
Performance at the Warfield Theater in SF.

(Acoustic opening set)
Stu Allen - Guitar and Vocals, Alex Jordan - Guitar and Vocals, Jordan Feinstein - Piano and Vocals, Steve Adams - Bass. Jay Lane - Drums, Cochrane McMillan - Percussion
Bo Putnam - House Sound
-
(Sorry - I didn't cap the first two songs)
Dire Wolf
On the Road Again
Birdsong
Cassidy
I’ve Been All Around This World
Heaven Help the Fool
To Lay Me Down
Babe it Ain't No Lie & Ripple

~Enjoy! >Last night's Grateful Dead Night #280 w Stu Allen & Mars Hotel at the Ashkenaz in Berkeley was fantastic!

> My first GD experience was 10/25/80 at RCMH and I can honestly say that last night's go at 9/29/80 (Warfield) was as close to the mark of emulation as any band could get to the blueprint of the '80's acoustic Grateful Dead.

Stu continues to boggle my mind, not just with the closeness of the emulation but the degree of intensity, emotion and feeling he instills in this music.

And as for the rotating cast of characters that float in and out of Mars Hotel - last night's crew was remarkably strong and well suited to the task with Alex Jordan getting very close to the mark with Weir's contributions, Steve Adams (of ALO_ - killing it on Fender bass, Jordan Feinstein beautifully adding to the mix on acoustic upright piano, and Jay Lane & Cochrane McMillan ably rendering the low-key acoustic approach to time keeping in this special context.

The Electric shit was off the hook - filled with energy and intensity - but due to day job obligations I had to split prior to the Althea > Sailor > Saint > Terrapin....

Last week it was even worse as I missed an explosive Shakedown > Playin' due to similar circumstances.