Latest news with #TheGratefulDead
Boston Globe
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Phish and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame snub: It's OK
Since entering the American consciousness in the mid-1990s as the country's preeminent jam band, the Vermont quartet has been the subject of a wide swath of commentary, much of it derisive. The group's genre-blurring style of rock, funk, prog, and jazz can sound like noise infused with the childish lyrics of Raffi to the uninitiated. Phish's studio albums are fine, but they restrain the true ability of the band. To fully appreciate and understand the greatness of Phish, you must see the band live. Advertisement Still, it was no surprise to many Phish fans when the band was recently snubbed by the Cleveland gatekeepers at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame even though the group topped the fan vote by more than 50,000 votes. Advertisement Phish has never reached the level of cultural importance held by the likes of The Grateful Dead, a band to whom they are, rightly or wrongly, seen as heirs. One reason for the endless comparisons between the two, including their front men the late Jerry Garcia and Phish's Trey Anastasio, is that both are best known for their live performances and turning a three-minute song into a sprawling 30-minute improvised opus. Members of Phish realized early on in their careers that real money for musicians is not in record sales but in live touring. The band maintains a robust annual summer tour schedule, frequently accompanied by a slate of fall or spring dates. The band also plays an annual four-night New Year's Eve run at Madison Square Garden, a gig that has achieved pilgrimage-like status among fans. This deep focus on the live show experience also includes the practice of allowing fans to record shows by providing a special ticketed section at every show just for tapers. This practice helped Phish grow its fanbase organically as fans would trade recordings of coveted shows. Today, the band has its Phish's intense focus on the experience of its live shows allowed the band to pioneer something that is now commonplace: the multiday, all-immersive music festival. Phish festivals like the Clifford Ball and Lemonwheel Advertisement While Phish has organically achieved this live success, it still does not have the common tokens of entertainment success: multiplatinum albums, a room full of awards, and critical praise. In an Honestly, he's right and that's OK. Phish is not the easiest band in the world to follow but that is a big part of what makes it special. Phish is more than just a band with songs; it is a big welcoming community or, as the fish band from Vermont. You don't have to explain why you've spent a small fortune framing concert posters and ticket stubs. You don't have to explain why you went to 17 shows at MSG one year. They just get it. It takes time to get Phish. Someday the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will get it, too. Advertisement
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump marks first 100 days by reliving 2024 campaign hits and screening El Salvador prison propaganda video
President Donald Trump's last campaign ended nearly six months ago, but that isn't stopping him from finding solace in the raucous crowds and predictable routines of his old campaign trail. One hundred days into his second term as America's chief executive, and 176 days since he closed out his days as a candidate with a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Trump returned to the Wolverine State to mark the end of the traditional period historians have often used to judge how well a president handles the challenges presented him at the outset of his time in the White House. Speaking from a lectern adorned with the presidential seal and surrounded by grandstands and large signs proclaiming a 'golden age,' Trump proclaimed the start of his term the 'most successful first 100 days of any administration in the history of our country.' In fact, it has been a period that has seen Americans' consumer confidence crater and the stock market decline precipitously in response to an unprovoked trade war Trump launched started against the rest of the developed world. The president touted his crackdown on asylum seekers and harsh new border policies as 'ending illegal immigration,' and characterized the massive tariffs he has imposed on vehicles built by American automobile manufacturers under the terms of a trade agreement he negotiated during his first term as 'protecting our great American auto workers.' He also boasted of having pardoned thousands of rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol at his urging in an effort to nullify his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden, offering that act as an example of how he is 'restoring the rule of law' in his return to the White House. 'We're ending the inflation nightmare, the worst that we've had probably in the history of our country, getting woke, lunacy and transgender insanity the hell out of our government,' he boasted. 'We're stopping the indoctrination of our children, slashing billions and billions of dollars of waste, fraud and abuse, and above all, we're saving the American dream. We're making America great again, and it's happening fast,' declared Trump, who added that his whirlwind first 100 days back in office have brought a 'revolution of common sense' to the United States. But what seemed to animate Trump most in his return to the rallies that have defined his political career was seeing his friends. At multiple points during his stem-winding, rambling 89-minute address, the president stopped to acknowledge people in the crowd who he recognized as part of the traveling circus that characterized his three presidential campaigns, which collectively spawned a class of super-fans who followed him from town to town like some have followed The Grateful Dead in that iconic ensemble's heyday. 'Look at you 'Front Row Joes,' he said to one group who gave themselves that nickname because they spent collective years waiting on lines so they could be in the front row for his campaign speeches. 'I've missed you guys — I miss the campaign,' the president continued, adding that some of the aforementioned 'joes' had 'lost a couple of pounds.' 'Perhaps you're getting one of those jabbers,' he added as he mimed the act of injecting himself with one of the auto injector pens used to administer GLP-1 drugs like fat-melting Ozempic. He also called out Blake Marnell, a mainstay at Trump rallies dating back to 2019 when the president invited him to the stage after spotting him wearing a bespoke novelty suit patterned to look like a brick wall. 'I have Mr. Wall here, this guy — how many rallies have you gone to?' he asked, beaming. Marnell replied that he had been to hundreds, at which point Trump suggested he would one day acquire a suit like Marnell's to wear on stage. Trump went on to boast of the record number of low border crossings that have been reported since he instituted a crackdown on the right to claim asylum in the United States and reimposed harsh anti-migration policies from his first term. Trump praised the efforts of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and bragged about having designated a pair of South American street gangs — Tren de Aragua and MS-13 — as 'foreign terrorist organizations,' a category the administration claims has giving them the right to bypass due process protections for anyone they deem to be a member of either group. 'We are delivering mass deportation, and it's happening very fast,' he said, adding later that the 'worst of the worst' migrants are being sent to what he called a 'no-nonsense prison in El Salvador' — the infamous CECOT constructed by self-described Salvadoran dictator Nayib Bukele. At that point, the giant video screens erected at the rally venue played a wordless sizzle reel accompanied by dark mood music, showing detainees arriving on American military planes before being processed and huddled into the hellish prison by Salvadoran military police. Trump called the scenes depicted in the video 'lovely' and went on to repeat a series of oft-told but unverified claims he debuted during the 2024 campaign regarding foreign countries emptying their prisons and 'sending' violent criminals to the U.S. to seek asylum. 'They come in from Africa. The Congo, they emptied out their prisons into our country, but they come from Africa, Asia, South America. They come from all over bad parts of Europe. That's why we've invoked the Alien Enemies Act to expel every foreign terrorist from our soil as quickly as possible,' he told his enthusiastic crowd. The president's focus on immigration-related accomplishments not only harkened back to his previous presidential campaign rhetoric, but it allowed him to keep most of his remarks on a subject that remains a relative strength for him amid dismal polling numbers showing him with the lowest approval ratings of any president in the modern era after the first 100 days of an administration. One Reuters/Ipsos survey released this week revealed that just 42 percent of respondents approve and 53 percent disapprove of his performance thus far, a number he said was 'actually not bad' while also positing that a 'legit poll' would give him at least 60 percent approval. The Reuters poll also showed that the percentage of respondents who approve of his economic stewardship had declined to 36 percent – the lowest level in his current term or in his 2017-2021 presidency, while disapproval rose 5 points to 56 percent.
The Independent
30-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Trump marks first 100 days by reliving 2024 campaign hits and screening El Salvador prison propaganda video
President Donald Trump last campaign ended nearly half a year ago, but that isn't stopping him from finding solace in the raucous crowds and predictable routines of the campaign trail. One hundred days into his second term as America's chief executive and 176 days since he closed out his days as a candidate with a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Trump returned to the Wolverine State to mark the end of the traditional hundred-day period that historians have often used to judge how well a president handles the challenges presented him at the outset of his time in the White House. Speaking from a lectern adorned with the presidential seal and surrounded by grandstands and large signs proclaiming a 'golden age,' Trump called the start of his term — a period that has seen Americans' consumer confidence crater and the stock market decline precipitously in response to an unprovoked trade war he started against the rest of the developed world — 'most successful first 100 days of any administration in the history of our country.' The president touted his crackdown on asylum seekers and harsh new border policies as 'ending illegal immigration' and characterized the massive import taxes he has imposed on vehicles built by American automobile manufacturers under the terms of a trade agreement he negotiated during his first term as 'protecting our great American auto workers.' He also boasted of having pardoned thousands of rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol at his behest in an effort to nullify his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden, offering that act as an example of how he is 'restoring the rule of law' in his return to the White House. 'We're ending the inflation nightmare, the worst that we've had probably in the history of our country, getting woke, lunacy and transgender insanity the hell out of our government. We're stopping the indoctrination of our children, slashing billions and billions of dollars of waste, fraud and abuse, and above all, we're saving the American dream. We're making America great again, and it's happening fast,' said Trump, who added that his whirlwind first 100 days back in office have brought a 'revolution of common sense' to the United States. But what seemed to animate Trump most in his return to the rallies that have defined his political career was seeing his friends. At multiple points during his stem-winding, rambling 89-minute address, the president stopped to acknowledge people in the crowd who he recognized as part of the traveling circus that characterized his three presidential campaigns, which collectively spawned a class of super-fans who followed him from town to town like some people followed The Grateful Dead in that iconic ensemble's heyday. 'Look at you 'Front Row Joes,' he said to one group who gave themselves that nickname because they spent collective years waiting in lines so they could be in the front row for his campaign speeches. 'I've missed you guys — I miss the campaign,' the president continued, adding that some of the aforementioned 'joes' had 'lost a couple of pounds.' 'Perhaps you're getting one of those jabbers,' he added as he mimed the act of injecting himself with one of the auto injector pens used to administer GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic. He also called out Blake Marnell, a mainstay at Trump rallies dating back to 2019 when the president invited him to the stage after spotting him wearing a bespoke novelty suit patterned to look like a brick wall. 'I have Mr. Wall here, this guy — how many rallies have you gone to?' Marnell replied that he'd been to hundreds by now, at which point Trump suggested he would one day acquire a suit like Marnell's to wear on stage. Continuing, Trump went on to boast of the record low border crossing numbers that have been reported since he instituted a crackdown on the right to claim asylum in the United States and reimposed harsh anti-migration policies from his first term, before reliving how the Democratic Party candidate in 2024 changed from then-president Joe Biden to then-vice president Kamala Harris after Biden's somnolent, confused performance in his sole debate against Trump last June. Returning to the subject of illegal immigration and his crackdown against it, Trump praise the efforts of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and bragged about having designated a pair of South American street gangs — Tren de Aragua and MS-13 — as 'foreign terrorist organizations,' a category the administration claims as giving them the right to bypass due process protections for anyone they deem to be a member of either group. 'We are delivering mass deportation, and it's happening very fast,' he said, adding later that the 'worst of the worst' migrants are being sent to what he called a 'no-nonsense prison in El Salvador' — the infamous CECOT constructed by self-described Salvadoran dictator Nayib Bukele. At that point, the giant video screens erected at the rally venue played a wordless sizzle reel accompanied by dark mood music, showing detainees arriving on American military planes before being processed and huddled into the hellish prison by Salvadoran military police. Trump called the scenes depicted in the video 'lovely' and went on to repeat a series of oft-told but unverified claims he debuted during the 2024 campaign regarding foreign countries emptying prisons and 'sending' violent criminals to the U.S. to seek asylum. 'They come in from Africa. The Congo, they emptied out their prisons into our country, but they come from Africa, Asia, South America. They come from all over bad parts of Europe. That's why we've invoked the Alien Enemies Act to expel every foreign terrorist from our soil as quickly as possible,' he said. The president's focus on immigration-related accomplishments not only harkened back to his previous presidential campaign rhetoric, but it allowed him to keep most of his remarks on a subject that remains a relative strength for him amid dismal polling numbers showing him with the lowest approval ratings of any president in the modern era after the first 100 days of an administration. One Reuters/Ipsos survey released this week shows just 42 percent of respondents approve and 53 percent disapprove of his performance thus far, a number he said was 'actually not bad' while positing that a 'legit poll' would give him at least 60 percent approval. The Reuters poll also showed that the percentage of respondents who approve of his economic stewardship had declined a point to 36 percent – the lowest level in his current term or in his 2017-2021 presidency, while disapproval rose 5 points to 56 percent.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What is 420? Who started it? Day for marijuana enthusiasts falls on Easter this year
Sunday is set to be a big day for both Christians and marijuana users. April 20, known colloquially as 420 or a holiday for marijuana enthusiasts, falls on a Sunday this year, the same day as Easter Sunday, when those who practice Christianity celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It's been over a decade since the two occasions have coincided. But what does "420" mean? And how did it become associated with marijuana? Here's what to know. According to USA TODAY, April 20, or 4/20, is a holiday celebrated by many marijuana smokers both in the United States and around the globe. In states where marijuana is legalized, smokers celebrate their love of the plant through public and private events, including festivals, special film screenings, pipe-making classes and more. In the U.S., where marijuana is not federally legal, April 20 also serves as a rallying date for advocates of legalization. Some businesses, including head shops and dispensaries, also offer discounts on the day. The quasi-holiday known as 420 occurs annually on April 20, which is also Easter Sunday this year. The last time Easter fell on April 20 was in 2014, and in 2003 before that. After this year, the dates will coincide again in 2087, according to U.S. Census data. Though there is no officially agreed upon story about the holiday's origins, plenty of popular theories exist – perhaps the most famous involving a cohort of teenagers in California. The group of high schoolers from Northern California's San Rafael High School dubbed themselves the "Waldos." And in the early 1970s, they used to gather at 4:20 p.m. to smoke cannabis. 'We weren't stupid stoners,' Steve Capper, 68, an original Waldo, told USA TODAY, pointing to a certificate for exceptional achievement and citizenship he received in school. He explained that they chose 4:20 p.m. because it was the time everyone was free to meet. The time stamp became code for the act of smoking marijuana, and eventually spread beyond the Golden State's borders to none other than The Grateful Dead. Dave Reddix, a member of the Waldos, told Time magazine in 2017 that the band helped popularize the term during his tenure working as a roadie for bassist Phil Lesh. Time reports that during a December show in 1990, some Deadheads in Oakland distributed flyers inviting people to smoke '420' at 4:20 p.m. on April 20. The flyer fell into the hands of Steven Bloom, a reporter at The High Times. The following year the popular cannabis publication printed that flyer and a new observance was born. Though other theories exist about the origins of 420, including references to a California police code and a Bob Dylan song, the Waldos have remained adamant that they are the true architects of the holiday. Recreational marijuana became legal in Ohio over a year ago, in December 2023, with sales launching at local dispensaries in August 2024. Before that, only medical marijuana was legal in the state, when former Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed a plan to legalize it into law in 2016, making Ohio the 25th state to approve its use for medical purposes. Now, there are over 120 stores across the state selling recreational marijuana to consumers age 21 and older, The Enquirer previously reported. In the Cincinnati area alone, there are over 20 dispensaries that have been issued dual-use certificates to sell both medical and recreational marijuana to customers ages 21 and older, per the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Cannabis Control. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What is 420? Day for marijuana enthusiasts falls on Easter this year
Axios
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
New Grateful Dead-inspired music venue and restaurant now open in West Loop
Deadheads rejoice! The new music venue and restaurant dedicated to The Grateful Dead's late lead singer Jerry Garcia and his adoring (obsessive? I kid!) fans is now open in the West Loop. Driving the news: Garcia's Chicago, at 1001 W. Washington Boulevard, officially opened last Friday and I got a little preview the night before. The vibe: The venue is a full-on restaurant and bar, not just a music venue, but there's a good chance there will be live music when you go. The space is booked through May. Zoom in: It's owned by Deadhead Peter Shapiro, owner of Brooklyn Bowl, who's been teasing a Chicago, Dead-focused spot for years. The menu includes some of Garcia's favorite foods, including a prime rib sandwich, zucchini fritters and a Yoo-hoo-inspired milkshake. The spot has the blessing of the Garcia family, a spokesperson told me, and my buddy spotted Jerry's daughter, Trixie, in the crowd.
