FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – There was a sea of tie-dyed shirts filling up the dance floor at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday night to hear a classic live set from some terrific performers.
The Live Dead '69 band is fronted by Tom Constanten; who played keyboard and piano with the original Grateful Dead from 1968 to 1970, Mark Karan; lead guitarist for Rat Dog and The Other Ones, and Slick Aguilar; lead guitarist for Jefferson Starship. They tore right into the material, stretching out songs and solos in the manner Deadheads are so used to!
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The concert was billed as a complete live performance of the Grateful Dead's classic 1969 album "Live/Dead", which TC actually performed on when he was in the group. Constanten is actually a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Dead. And the band did not let down, starting right off with a deep plunge into "Dark Star", after a short instrumental opener of "Mountains of the Moon" from 1969's "Aoxomoxoa"!
Fans were dancing from the minute TC came out and started playing, but things really got going when the guys began to incorporate other songs and licks, stretching out the jams while repeatedly returning to "Dark Star" as an interlude.
The opening full band hit of "Dark Star" segued effortlessly into "Not Fade Away" which broke down into "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" that eventually melted back into "Dark Star".. and here's when they actually sang the first verse of the song! That section of the song then gave way to a rousing "St. Stephen" which turned into "The Eleven" then another slight detour into "Turn On Your Lovelight" before slipping back into "Dark Star" yet again!
Fans were loving every second of this very excellently played and energetic concert of classic Grateful Dead songs! Everyone in the place was dancing and singing along; at some points during certain songs, it was easier to hear everyone in the crowd singing the lyrics over what was coming from the stage! It was a fun night of revisiting some of the greatest hits of one of the best live bands to ever perform.