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By Lisa Moore
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
The Wellesley summertime concert series came to a close last week with two final shows for the summer. DeadBeat, a Grateful Dead tribute band, were set to open the summer series in July, but were rained out. The Tuesday night rain date performance was worth the wait. The evening weather was perfect for a summer concert. Families set up chairs and blankets and picnicked on the Town Hall green. An enthusiastic crowd of Deadheads young and old, complete with tie-dye t-shirts, patchouli oil and incense, came to the show and displayed the spirit and vibe of The Grateful Dead.
DeadBeat opened the show with “Hey Pockey Way,” “Harder They Come,” and “Big River,” each song highlighting the individual talents of the six-member band. Next, the band performed an excellent rendition of “Up on Cripple Creek” that brought out the “spinners,” a twirling dance style popular with some Grateful Dead followers.
While the DeadBeat band filled the evening with the sounds of the sixties and seventies, children played lawn games, tossed Frisbees and ran around the green, their free spirits echoing in the soulful music. It was truly a family event, with free face painting, and hotdogs and snacks for sale from the Rotary Club, which raised more than $1,400 over the summer concert series. The money will go towards funding upcoming Rotary events.
The band did stray from covering Dead songs, performing Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” by request. Vocalist Jennifer Markard showed her chops, giving a powerful rendition of the popular 60s anthem. DeadBeat, like the Grateful Dead themselves, have their own fan followers. The Perkins family traveled from Exeter, NH to follow the band. Kaydence Perkins enjoyed playing, dancing, and getting her face painted. “We follow the band wherever they go, they are good people,” said her dad.
DeadBeat ended their 12-song set with “Truckin.’” As the music faded with the setting sun and another excellent summer concert came to a close, one concertgoer made a remark that summed up the evening perfectly, saying: “That was fun. That was a nice Tuesday night out.”
