Show Review - Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration 7/6/25 Morrison, CO
Honouring The Legacy
Last night at Red Rocks, an all-star cast of musicians came together with the Colorado Symphony to celebrate the music of Jerry Garcia.
After an amazing three night of Phish in Boulder, this show was the perfect way to end off the weekend and was another reminder that the music of the Grateful Dead brings nothing but the best vibes and energy at any performance.
Last night’s Red Rocks band was led by guitarist Tom Hamilton alongside bassist Oteil Burbridge, keyboardist Melvin Seals, drummer Duane Trucks, and vocalists Jacklyn LaBranch and Lady Chi. While this particular ensemble had never performed together (last month’s Symphonic Celebration show in Boston featured John Morgan Kimock on drums), the history of collaboration between many of the musicians and the camaraderie that the Garcia songbook fosters made it an easy fit.
The Colorado Symphony, conducted by Chris Dragon, began the show with an overture, dropping seamlessly into a short “Dark Star” jam that allowed the band and orchestra to get settled in with each other.
“Bird Song” came in as the first full song of the night, Seals’ jazzy electric piano chords buoying Hamilton’s leads through the uptempo jam. The huge arrangements of the symphony, deftly conducted by Dragon, added new dimension to the familiar songs as the show continued with “Here Comes Sunshine,” Hamilton strapping on a replica of Garcia’s iconic “Wolf” guitar.
“Reuben and Cherise” saw Hamilton really dig into some Garcia-esque phrasing as opposed to his more aggressive style, the orchestra dropping out for each jam while Dragon watched intently, a big smile on his face as he took in the guitar solo.
Seals got his first solo spotlight of the night on “West L.A. Fadeaway” before “China Cat Sunflower” came in, the orchestral additions elevating the sweeping jam as Hamilton and Burbridge stood close to each other, each sporting a massive grin as their riffs egged each other on to a huge peak.
Eschewing the expected “I Know You Rider,” a beautiful orchestral bridge led into a Burbridge-fronted “China Doll,” delicately setting the stage for a massive first set-closing “Terrapin Station,” right at home with its original album arrangement.
The second set kicked off with a hot “Scarlet Begonias,” Burbridge flexing his new Doug Irwin-crafted “Dire Wolf” bass with some head-spinning fills while Hamilton uncorked yet another volcanic solo. A surprisingly early call for “Morning Dew” saw the band avoid yet another predictable pairing of songs (no “Fire on the Mountain), the orchestra shining through with some wonderful trumpet and flute work during the delicate song.
“Shakedown Street” was approached with a different style than the usual driving funk, the big-band arrangement instead going for a serious New Orleans vibe. Stomping through the composed section, Seals absolutely lit the rocks on fire with an extended organ solo, Burbridge once again throwing in dirty fills alongside the soaring Hammond B3 work.
Dipping into the JGB catalog, “Run For The Roses” led into a mellow “Crazy Fingers,” Seals accompanying Hamilton’s solo on Garcia’s Travis Bean guitar really well as Burbridge faded out the song with some dense, melodic play.
The orchestral portion of the night closed out with the second Burbridge-fronted ballad of the night in a BEAUTIFUL “Standing on the Moon” before “Cats Under The Stars” led into a tender “Ripple” set closer.
Hamilton thanked the orchestra and introduced the band, before letting the crowd know that they were going to play a surprise third set instead of a quick encore – nearly 50 minutes of straight JGB material.
Kicking things off was “That’s What Love Will Make You Do,” Seals crushing his only lead vocal of the night and then taking on a RIDICULOUS extended organ solo in the middle. Seriously – insane keyboard work.
“Waiting For A Miracle” kept things going before Hamilton announced a surprise guest – Phish bassist Mike Gordon, who had stuck around an extra day after the Folsom run. He and Burbridge immediately began to play off each other in a rare double-bass band, lighting up “Lay Down Sally” with an extended duel.
The two bass players have such distinctly different styles – Gordon’s sharper, more percussive playing with a pick contrasting with Burbridge’s smoother, more melodic fingerstyle – and this was a rare opportunity to see the two phenomenal musicians go back and forth.
The bass duels continued through “Tangled Up In Blue,” the two musicians sharing the low-end role by alternating pocket play and some more upper-register melodic work, Burbridge even taking a moment to sit back and enjoy Gordon’s work, a huge smile on his face (the normally stoic Gordon also cracked several smiles during the back-and-forth).
Hamilton, a huge grin on his face, torched Red Rocks one last time during the show-closing “Deal,” he and every musician on stage clearly so overjoyed at the opportunity to celebrate Jerry Garcia at one of the most amazing concert venues in the world.
While it’s unlikely that an official release of this show will happen, I highly recommend checking out this audience tape of last night – from beginning to end, the joy both on and off stage is palpable through the music.
Long live the spirit of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead!