How to Become a Deadhead in One Night, Review of Music of Jercia and the Pittsburgh Symphony

How to Become a Deadhead in One Night,

Review of Music of Garcia and the Pittsburgh Symphony

by Pittsburgh Good News Reporter, Joanne Quinn-Smith

I am not sure how I missed Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead when he was alive but I was curious enough to see how the Pittsburgh Symphony would mesh with Warren Haynes on lead vocals and guitar from Government Mule.  Well I have always been a Pittsburgh Symphony fan but I think the combination has converted me to a Deadhead also. 

http://www.warrenhaynes.net/photos

I sat next to a baby boomer who is a symphony fan and her 32 year old son who is a Grateful Dead aficionado.  Thanks to Mike G I have a picture of Warren Hayes’ Guitar and many of the song titles.  Not being a diehard fan before the concert I knew songs but not titles.  So thank you Mike G. 

The show started off memorably with Don’t Cry, Scarlet Begonias and ShakeDown.   Then the repertoire mellowed out with Walk Me Out in the Morning Dew and High Times.  High Times is from Workingman's Dead the fifth album by The Dead.  It was recorded in February 1970 and originally released on June 14, 1970.

I wouldn’t have thought that the whimsical Uncle John’s Band would fare well with the symphony, but what a greatly meshed piece.  Days Between on the other hand was perfect for the symphony.  Standing on the Moon was another selection perfectly suited to highlight Warren and the Symphony. 

If u did not know the story of Patchwork Quilt, Warren wrote the song about Jerry Garcia, The Original Release Date: December 17, 1999 and the song has had resurgence since Jerry’s death.  But the Grateful Dead music and the Pittsburgh Symphony both legendary will all go on. What a night of culture and nostalgia and great guitar music melded with the

In 2004, Warren Haynes was named to the Rolling Stone magazine list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All-Time at #23. He was joined on the list by fellow Allman Brothers Band guitarists Duane Allman, Dickey Betts, and Derek Trucks.

Warren is well known for the annual Warren Haynes Christmas Jam which draws many well known musicians, who play until the early morning hours. The Jam is a benefit for Habitat for Humanity, and is known as one of the best shows in the country.

Warren told us from the stage about how the Symphony and Grateful Dead tribute got started:   I got a call from the Jerry Garcia estate saying that they were interested in doing some symphonic shows — “Jerry Garcia’s music with a symphony and some special guest artists. And they wanted to know if I was interested in being the first one, and I said absolutely, I would be honored to do that. So that’s the way the whole thing started.”

Kudos to the Symphony! What a way to lure a new audience into culture.  It was interesting to see the diehard fans in their tie die shirts and shorts right along with the avid symphony fans, all enjoying the music of Jerry Garcia through the mastery of the Pittsburgh Symphony and Warren Haynes.

Joanne Quinn-Smith, Award winning internet radio broadcaster, blogger, author  and internet radio and TV network editor and publisher.  Joanne is the owner and CEO, Creative Energy Officer, of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates, a successful Pittsburgh-based marketing company. She is a grandmother and great grandmother, an unlikely trendsetter for online journalism and broadcasting. Joanne is internationally known as the “Get Your Google On” Gal.  But better known as Techno Granny™ to over one million accumulated online listeners worldwide.   Joanne has created a revolutionary online NEW MEDIA platform in Internet broadcasting, blogging and other social media participation that represents the new second generation of World Wide Web interactions, known in technology circles as Web 2.0. JQS is the online publisher of PositivelyPittsburghLiveMagazine.com, an online community magazine to disseminate the Positive News for Positive Pittsburghers.  PPL Mag is Pittsburgh’s First Internet radio and TV network with syndicated channels and online radio and TV capabilities.