MELVIN & JGB IN REDDING

It was a trip off the big hill that we had anticipated for months, and even though we got a late start we rolled down 50 again and up the Sacramento valley northward on I-5 and found our way to see our old friends again

It was another magical night, this time under the watchful gaze of Mount Shasta up in the north country in Redding, at a beautifully restored former smalltown movie palace called the CASCADE Theater.

Surrounded by a pair of Leslie speaker boxes behind him, and a pair of Ladies dressed in red(Mary and Judith) singing backup next to him, Melvin Seals on his beautiful Hammond B3 and his band JGB (Marty Holland on bass, Sam Howard on drums, and channeling Jerrys spirit on vocals and lead guitar the very competent Stu Allen) tore open the show with Lay Down Sally and the church of Jerry was in session and didn't let up until they took a break.

Just as at home in a bar room or an arena stage Melvin created quite the magic in this fine old theater recently refurbished and restored, freshly painted in beautiful art deco murals painted in gold,silver, and copper, ripping through songs like Rhapsody in Red,Ain't No Bread,and the Weight

the deadheads in attendance were especially well behaved, refraining from smoking of ANY kynd and allowed themselves to be herded to stage left or right to shake their bones by the senior citizens that were our ushers for the evening. To the very end of (Everybody needs)Someone to Love for the encore, it was truly an awesome night, and we made it back to the Travelodge despite all of the damn one way streets in that little burg...