Hippies at the Village Recap and Setlists 8-3-2019 & 8-4-2019

It was a perfect Michigan August weekend in Lake Orion - sunny with temperatures in the low 80s, tons of kind people, and sweet music from the greatest American band of all time.  Celebrating the days between Jerry's birth and release from this world, we played 4 sets of music - over 5 hours - without repeating a song.  

During those 5 hours, we touched upon every corner of the Dead catalog - from the psychedelic 60s (Dark Star, The Other One) through the wall-of-sound 70s (Help On The Way, Weather Report Suite, Jack Straw), into the shakedown lot 80s (Lost Sailor>Saint of Circumstance,Touch of Gray), and the best of the stadium scene 90s (Liberty, So Many Roads).  We covered early rock and roll (Promised Land), cowboy country (Big River, Me and My Uncle), and let the moment carry us away with a ton of sprawling jams (Slipknot, Let It Grow, Bird Song, to name just a few).  In short, it was everything a Deadhead could want from a pair of  shows - everything except more! 

Playing two days in a row (with a third to come on Monday), we became experts at setting up our sound system, and spoke wishfully about the day when we might have a road crew to do it for us!  In other gear news, Max was excited to debut his new Fender Rhodes Mark I Stage 73 for the gig, and the sound was as heavy as the piano itself.  

While Raising The Dead is still searching for our "forever drummer," we are fortunate to have been joined this weekend by two of the mitten's best tub thumpers.  Brent Nagy held down the beat with style and precision on Saturday, and Stephen NyQuist brought the rolling thunder on Sunday.  We are so grateful for their musicianship and professionalism!

Last year's Hippies at the Village was where we first met many of our biggest fans, and we're excited to have made many more this weekend.  Big thanks go out to the Hippies at the Village founder and organizer, Tina Wooley.  As we pack up our gear, we are ready to head off to Comerica Park, playing for the Detroit Tiger's Grateful Dead Night on Monday, August 5th. 

August 3, 2019 Hippies at the Village, Canterbury Village, Lake Orion, MI
Set I: Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo, Me and My Uncle, Shakedown Street, Black-Throated Wind, Sugaree, So Many Roads, Cassidy, The Wheel, Scarlet Begonias>Fire On The Mountain
Set II: One More Saturday Night, Help ON The Way>Slipknot>Franklin's Tower, Weather Report>Let It Grow, Big River, Jack Straw, Terrapin Station, Truckin'

August 4, 2019 Hippies at the Village, Canterbury Village, Lake Orion, MI
Set I: Feel Like a Stranger, Playin' in the Band>Uncle John's Band, Promised Land, Brown-Eyed Women, China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider, Touch of Grey, Lost Sailor>Saint of Circumstance, Bird Song, Liberty
Set II: Unbroken Chain, Estimated Prophet>Eyes of the World>Dark Star>St. Stephen>The Eleven>Candyman, Drums>The Other One>Playin' reprise