Recap: Mickey Hart's magical night at the Tralf
Recently, Spree's Matthew Riley interviewed legendary Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. Several days later, Hart and his band performed an acclaimed concert at the Tralf Music Hall. Here, Riley offers some thoughts on a very memorable show. —Chris Schobert
The Mickey Hart Band was in Buffalo on July 27, supporting its new album, Mysterium Tremendum. Playing to a packed Tralf, the band was a real crowd-pleaser. Mickey assured listeners that the new album, which captured sound emitted by stars and planets, is not just spacey, but really rocks and rolls. Anyone at the show would never have questioned whether or not this is a rock and roll band; the crowd never stopped rocking along with the band to tunes like the bluesy lead-off single "Slow Joe Rain" and the folk and rock inspired "Cut the Deck." There was no shortage of Grateful Dead tunes, either; long jams on classics like "Fire on the Mountain," "Franklin’s Tower," and a personal favorite, "Samson and Deliliah," kept the crowd singing and dancing along.
Bands are often described by their chemistry and here it was palpable; they played as though they had been together for decades. Everyone on the stage seemed like there was nowhere else they’d rather be. Cheers of "Her [Crystal Hall] voice is amazing!" and "Listen to [Dave] Schools rock that bass!" were constant. And Mickey looked like a mad scientist running around his laboratory filled with all manner of drums, percussive instruments, and what looked like scientific instruments but ran the gambit of sounds. His energy was seemingly endless and it transferred to the crowd; the dance floor was moving and pulsating and rocking more and more through two blistering sets.
Mickey ended the show saying “This night has been magical.” From the appearance of the crowd and the band, it genuinely was.
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