John Kadlecik and his band played a rockin’ show last month at Raleigh’s own Lincoln Theatre, evoking times of old as he chose pieces from Jerry Garcia’s solo career.
From the opening notes of the classic Jerry Garcia favorite and Smokey Robinson cover “Second that Emotion,” John and the boys were on fire, showcasing their musical mastery. A few jams later, a powerful version of the always welcome Beatles classic “Dear Prudence” took the crowd on a musical journey with epic peaks contrasted with peaceful, melodic passages. The first set came to a mighty close with a smoking version of the Grateful Dead classic “Deal”, which featured Kadlecik and keyboardist Waynard Scheller blasting some up-tempo rock and roll.
Adding to the intimate feel of the evening, Kadlecik wandered out into the crowd during set break and exchanged words with several audience members. The intimacy of the Lincoln Theatre was certainly a far cry from the large stages Kadlecik was playing recently with Furthur, and allowed fans to enjoy this master in a crowd small enough where you could shake his hand during the set break.
Kadlecik and his band took the stage for set two and didn’t let up, weaving more improvisational mastery into classic tracks. The second set highlight was a monster jam of “Fire on the Mountain”> “Lovers in a Dangerous Time”> “The Other One” > “Mission in the Rain”, which featured non-stop dancing grooves, implanting permanent smiles on every member of the crowd. The jam touched on every aspect of Garcia’s music that we have all come to love. The set ended with another Grateful Dead classic “Not Fade Away”, a crowd favorite.
Catch John Kadlecik and The DC Mystery Cats this weekend in Washington, D.C. for full sets of Jerry Garcia. Visit his website for more information.
Written by Frank O’Neill