Marcus King and his dynamite band brought the El Dorado Tour to Boulder Theater last weekend for the first time since they graced the stage last summer after Dead & Co. played Folsom Field. The theater was packed to the gills for the Valentine’s Day show, and the lovebirds (and everyone else in the house) were not disappointed.
When Bob Weir and the crew rolled in Boulder on Thursday afternoon, it was a scorcher. Folks walking Shakedown were mopping sweat from their brows as they perused booth after booth of stickers, bootleg shirts, heady veggie burrittos, and my personal favorite Philafel with Hummus. While it wasn’t quite as extensive as the Shakedown at Phish Dick’s, it was quite a scene and warmed us all up nicely (pun intended) for the evening.
Let’s face it, last week’s Dead & Company shows in Broomfield were not without controversy. Questions like “Should ‘The Dead’ be touring without Phil?”, “Why on earth did Bobby, Phil and Mickey choose John Mayer to fill Jerry’s lauded shoes?” and “I thought they said the Chicago shows were the last ones?” have been bubbling through Head circles for months. What this band made clear on Tuesday is that there is new reason to love The Dead, warts and all.