Robert Hunter at the Palace Theater, Stafford Springs, CT 10/3/2013

The first time I saw Robert Hunter was November 9, 1990.  He had just released his book of lyrics, Box of Rain, and there was a book signing as well as a show at the old Ritz in NYC.  The Grateful Dead were still touring and it was the end of my busiest touring year, with 25 shows, so it wasn't like there was a dearth of Dead tunes in my life, but I was still astounded, as his show went on, by how many songs he had penned.  Most of his performance was Dead tunes (you can hear the show at http://archive.org/details/RobertHunter1990-11-09.Nak300CP4.Fitzy.Keo.123530.Flac1644), and it blew my mind that he was responsible for these lines that had become such an integral part of my life.  I'd seen Jerry (and Bobby) sing those words, but to see them from the fount was so cool.

23 years later, I got a chance to see him again, in a small club 30 minutes from my house.  I don't listen to the Dead near as much as I used to; there are a few tapes that have been played consistently but there's a lot of material that I haven't listened to or thought about since seeing it live. So I wasn't sure what to expect, though I knew I had to go.  Everyone was a little older (insert Touch of Grey line here) but essentially the same bunch of freaks.  Felt right at home.

Then Hunter came out and did the same thing he'd done 23 years ago, only this time the memories of the songs hadn't been touched for 20 years, since I had last heard them, so they immediately brought back the strong visceral consciousness of Jerry belting out "A lovely view of heaven but I'd rather be with you", dancing on a lawn or in a hallway, surrounded by the music and the words slicing truth through the air.  "Once in a while you can get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right."

So "Mama, Mama, many worlds I've come since I first left home" it may be, but those songs still occupy a huge part of my psyche and while there will be nothing like a Grateful Dead concert, it's nice to be able to visit those times: "Dust off those rusty strings just one more time, gonna make 'em shine."

Full set of photos at http://kcjonez.zenfolio.com/robert_hunter