So Robert Hunter just died, peacefully at his home in San Rafael. He made it to 78. No reason for death was given. Ok, fine. As anybody who loves the Dead knows, without Hunter, The Dead wouldn’t be The Dead. Indeed, when the band was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, Hunter was included. To this day, he is still the only non-performing member of a band to be inducted. Because the HOF people knew that without Hunter, The Dead wouldn’t be The Dead.
So yes….a tribute show will show up in the near future. you betcha…….
(if you don’t want to wait for an official Jive Trib, here’s a very nice way to do your own. Many of you undoubtedly have. 1970 was the year that Hunter REALLY stepped up. 1970 was the year Hunter truly became a member of the band, because his songs, written mostly with Jerry, were the foundation for not one but two of the Dead’s greatest studio albums….Workingman’s and American Beauty (Reality). the Dead made a startling shift from psychedelic fire breathers to sweet semi-country songwriters (heavily influenced by their buddy David Crosby) in that pivotal year, and Hunter wrote the words to no less than 17 of the 18 new songs on these two essential albums. So just kick back and fire up those two discs for your own homegrown Insta-Trib to ole Bob. And then move on to Europe ’72 for the encore!) ~BVD