Venue: Vienna, VA .. August 1 2001

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This great account is from Doug Rigler - thanks Doug, I had a good time just reading it!

the evening was clear, and as a hot day melted into a beautiful evening the crowd filtered in. Wolf Trap is a smallish venue as "summer sheds" go, and accoustics are better than average for this type of setup. the pavillion and balcony were kept clear until a half-hour before showtime, and most took advantage of the "bring your own picnic" policy on the lawn, vino and brewskis included.

the crowd (and it was a crowd; i heard a couple ushers saying "i've never seen it this crowded at a wednesday show") was happy and excited to see Bruce (of course!), and being Jerry Garcia's birthday there was extra joyousness abounding...the big ol' yellow moon smiled down upon the revelers below. some looked for an extra bass amp or drumset on the stage, as Phil & Friends had played at nearby Merriweather Post Pavillion the night before and were due at Virginia Beach the following night, but neither Lesh nor Molo were to share the stage this night.

nevertheless, there was an "extra" guitar amp setup behind Bruce (stage right), and it turned out this was one of Bruce's nephew's gigs with the band.

on to the music makers: Bruce took the stage alone and layed down some great jazzy riffs, high-tempo scales that perked everyone up...he revisited this theme a couple times later in the show. the band came on to a nice round of applause, and they moved into Great Divide. the opener was highlighted by a great sax solo (Bruce introduced "Bobby D from right here in DC" before he let loose), and after 10 minutes worth of band jams Bruce said "sometimes you get in a groove and you just don't want to stop!"...it was evident the band was enjoying the jams as much as the crowd, and it boded well for the rest of the evening.

Bruce introduced the next song by saying "this ones about a friend of mine who got caught in the bushes" and said "he didn't take Jesse Jackson's advice not to get caught in the bushes," appropriate for DC given recent "internal affairs." a rocking White Wheeled Limousine ensued. Bruce's nephew got the nod here for his 1st solo, and was VERY impressive...he got great sound out of his axe, and both his style and sound were very reminiscent of the "birthday boy." the kid can really play! he also has a great feel for the rest of the band; both guitarists traded riffs at Bruce's behest, and he was deferential yet complimentary.

Bruce introduced the next song as being about a "Big Boss Man type of guy" (eliciting the obligatory cheers from the Deadheads in the audience), and the band went into King of the Hill...this morphed into Mystery Train, which was rollicking! Bruce then took time to read some requests (he noted one had the same song written over and over, which he suggested was a good move), laughed at someone who shouted out "do a train song" ("i just did a train song!"), and went into a beautiful Mandolin Rain. this one was particularly sweet, and Bruce's voice was right on...he brought this gently into Black Muddy River. boyoboy was this deep. the lawn was in a reverent hush, and allowed the beauty of a song Garcia wrote on piano to shine through. Bruce's nephew took an emotive solo, and a woman walked back-and-forth along the aisle at the back of the pavillion/in front of the lawn with a "Happy Birthday Jerry" sign...one could sense that old feeling; *IT* was happening for sure :^)

Bruce followed this with what he introduced as a "Lee Smith trilogy." he asked how many people actually had read Lee Smith's books, and said he heard a "smattering" of applause...after the Trilogy it was more of a shattering applause! the first one was The Road Not Taken (of course the Va. crowd responded to this one), then he called on the "other" keyboard player "Papillon" to count down the intro to Spirit Trail, and followed that with Preacher in the Ring. what a threesome! Bruce loves "conducting," and gave each band member his moment in the spotlight (although frequently this was figurative only, as the switches came too frequently for Wolf Trap's spotlight operators...the band seemed to get a kick out of the lighting "booboos").

Preacher in the Ring segued into a The Way It Is...the man knows how to spread miles of smiles, and many hugs were witnessed after a joyous and well-delivered first set.

Wolf Trap has a strict curfew (alluded to a couple of times by Bruce), and the break was relatively short. unfortunately i was caught off-guard, but heard Bruce introduce some bluegrass...this marked his first accordion of the evening...the 2nd set opener (?) moved into a hoedown version of Jacob's Ladder...there may have been other themes here, i was caught in bathroom lines.

Bruce introduced the next tune as "an old Harry Belafonte song" (probably news to many who had heard the song umpteen times): Women Are Smarter. the ol' Bo Diddley beat never fails to move dem feet! i think i'm missing one here (sorry again!) it was rocking...(my memory ain't what it used to be!).

in any event, after this ? song, Bruce *briefly* touched on the Terrapin Station opening theme, then said something like "happy birthday Jerry...this one's for you" and went into Big Rumble....of course the crowd was very appreciative for the tip of the hat. brief aside: imho, of all the members of the Dead, Bruce was closest to Jerry's musical sensibilities: jazz, bluegrass, rock, AMERICANA. the tale of the tape will show this version was absolutely *on*!

he moved into End of the Innocence...Bruce's nephew was shining brightly and proudly throughout, and especially during this part of the show. i think this is where the Rainbow's Cadillac came, but whenever it was, it was a crowd-dancer and pleaser. the crowd was cheering so loudly, it was hard to make out what Bruce was saying, but it sounded like he was up against the curfew, and tried to get a band vote on what to play...when he suggested something western (the first candidate) his regular guitarist (so sorry...if you haven't figured it out by now i'm a relative neophyte) raised two hands, and the vote was over before it began: a Bill Monroe tune followed, with Bruce on accordion. the 2nd set ended with a sweet Western Skyline (and did anyone else hear the brief "Barney Miller theme song" on the bass?!?). there was just enough time for an encore, and appropriately for Jerry's birthday, it was The Show Goes On...here's hoping it will go on and on and on...let there be music to fill the air!

thanks Bruce and band for a real good time!

doug