John Kadlecik

By the fall of 1994, the Grateful Dead scene was growing unmanageably large. Even large mainstay venues that the boys have been performing at for decades were too small anymore. The performance that used to be a not-so-well-kept secret had grown to sell out the largest football and soccer stadiums.

Specific aromas have the power to transport me back to an earlier, more youthful time: the earthy redolence of decaying leaves, mesquite smoke wafting from a neighbor’s barbeque, and even the gamy stench of a hockey locker room. I also have triggers for my ocular, haptic, gustatory, and aural senses. All of us do. And I thought sensory recall was the closest thing I would ever have to a time machine. But on Friday night, Phil and Friends changed that – not once, but twice.

Furthur | Time | 1st Bank Center | Broomfield, CO

Its been a hot summer, but this past Furthur tour on the east coast was an incredible (and sweaty) blast!  And now the John K Band is pleased to announce that as the summer rolls into the final stretch, the John K Band will be out on the road for a Labor Day Weekend Mini-tour!  A three-night run that sees us returning to the 8x10 in Baltimore (Fri Sep 2) and the State Theatre in the DC area (Sat Sep 3) and then making our first real road-trip to the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ (Sun Sep 4).

Furthur began their spring tour with a prequel three-show stop at the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colorado on Friday.

Furthur played this past weekend at MCU Park in Brooklyn New York, home to the Brooklyn Cyclones and just adjacent to one of the most famous amusement parks in the world, Coney Island. Growing up 10 minutes from NYC I felt almost embarrassed to admit I have never been to Coney Island before.

It was another jam-packed night outside the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. You would have thought you were seeing Furthur on New Year’s Eve 2009 all over again. It was just about impossible to get into line outside the arena as there were so many people walking up and down the cordons with their pointer fingers in the air hoping for some miracle ticket to gain entry into DeadHeads kingdom; a Furthur show.

Furthur, featuring Phil Lesh & Bob Weir played the brand new 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado on March 5th & March 6th, 2010.  The Grateful Web was on hand to check out the show, take some photos, shoot some videos and soak in seeing the band a mere 1

The anticipation outside San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic Center was at an all time peak! Dead Heads everywhere with their long hair, dread locks, beards, hemp necklaces and tie-dyed clothing were lined up outside the venue either in line or holding up their pointer finger praying for a miracle ticket. This was the kind of atmosphere I had dreamt about for years! It was beyond a rock n’ roll concert! It was the indescribable coming together of thousands of Dead Heads, who are a tribe, who become joined into one strong force once they step a foot through those auditorium doors.

One of the most anticipated shows of the Fall was Bob Weir and Phil Lesh’s new side project together called Furthur. The lineup also consists Dead keyboardist Jeff Chimenti and Dark Star Orchestra lead guitarist and vocalist John Kadlecik. Dark Star Orchestra is considered the best Grateful Dead cover band in the country because of Kadlecik’s ability to sing in a very similar mellifluous voice like Jerry Garcia is part of his attraction to longtime Dead Heads.