Welcome back and happy New Year’s Eve 2020. If you are like me, you want to kick 2020s ass right out the freaking door but are also apprehensive to do so in case 2021 is somehow worse. So instead of fretting about what may or may not happen, I decided to do a blog entry about the BEST JAM BANDS OF ALL TIME! I’m even gonna put them in a ranking order this time. Hold on to your seats cuz here we go...
5) The Dave Matthews Band
I had a major infatuation with DMB for about 5 years after graduating high school in 1996. I saw them live 15 times in various locations in Ohio during those 5 years. I never did travel out of state to see them but I did consider it. My car wasn’t super reliable so I settled for in state viewings. Their concerts we so fun in the late 90s and early 2000s. Dancing underneath the stars, knowing all the lyrics, tossing back a drink or two, and meeting your kindred spirits at a show. My favorite shows were the two show weekends at Polaris Amphitheater in Columbus, Ohio and when I saw them indoor in Cleveland, Ohio. My friend was on the VIP list so he got early ticket buying privileges. He scored us second row floor seats. Wow! I’m pretty sure Dave sweated on me! LOL!! But it’s sad to say that once Dave had been around for so many years and he got sober they just became lack luster. I don’t think I would pay to see another DMB show with how high ticket prices are these days, but I have years of beautiful memories of singing and dancing the night away with Dave Matthews!
4) Pink Floyd
Now I never saw Pink Floyd live but seeing broadcast shows and such, they were an awesome band that could definitely hang with the best of the Jam Bands of All Time. I did however see The Australian Pink Floyd and was extremely impressed with this cover band. They sounded JUST LIKE the actual Pink Floyd. The show was in a theatre so the stage set and light show was stellar. I’m not sure how many people consider Pink Floyd to be a jam band but I say if you see a duck and it looks and sounds like a duck it must be a duck. Rock on, Pink Floyd. Rock on!
3) The Allman Brothers Band
A Southern Rock Jam Band at it’s finest! Even after one of the brothers died in ‘71, the band continued to jam for another 43 years! Besides being amazing musicians, that‘s a hella long time for a band to stay together. They make improvisation look and sound so simple. I was in college as a Dance Major and had to take a class in Dance Improvisation and let me tell you from first hand experience that improv is not easy and it is a learned skill. Not everyone can do it, but The Allman Brothers Band had those skills and totally killed it!
2) Phish
After Jerry Garcia from the Grateful Dead passed away in 1995, Phish moved into the #1 spot of touring jam bands. I saw them at Polaris Amphitheater in Columbus. Ohio. My best friend and I got lawn seats and another friend of mine had box seats that they were sharing with a friend. Well my friends friend got in an argument with his wife and she forbade him from going to the show. So being that my friend was such a groovy dude, he gave us the two extra box seats and he sold our lawn tickets and kept the money from the other people. So for $20 each we saw Trey Anastasia and his Phish friends jam the night away. They were amazing. They were even better than I had imagined and I have a very vivid imagination and an even bigger desire that whatever concert I’m going to is going to blow my mind and be the best concert ever! Phish did not disappoint! Funny side note: During a break, my friend who gave us the set of unused box seats came down from his box seats to visit with us. There were two plastic chairs with a plastic table in the middle. He wasn’t a small man and he perched right on the edge of this plastic table which happened to be directly in front of where patrons were allowed to record the show without penalty. Well, I don’t remember exactly what happened, but one second we were chatting and the next thing we saw was our friend flying backwards into the die hard Phish fans expensive recording equipment. No people, animals, or recording equipment was injured or broken by the mishap. Except for that plastic table. It was toast! PHEW! 😅
1) The Grateful Dead
I’m pretty sure everyone knew The Dead would be #1 on my Top 5 Jam Bands of All Time and they totally deserve the spot. The Dead were like no other band when they came out. Instead of perfectly rehearsed and played shows, The Dead’s shows were never the same. Besides the mass amount of music they have in their collection, they were the masters of turning a 5 minute studio recording of a song into a 20 jam session. They often went on stage with out a set list. They just went where the music called them! Unfortunately, even after much begging, (because I was still in high school) my parents did not let me go to their show at Buckeye Lake Amphitheater in 1995. I was pretty bummed out about not getting to go, but then Gerry Garcia died in 1995 so my dream of seeing Jerry and the rest of The Dead came crashing down at my feet. After Jerry died, the group did continue their musical journey as solo projects and as a bands with a new names, such as The Dead and Company. They will continue to amaze us with their jamming skills until there is no one left to play. And that will be a very sad day, for sure!
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Rusted Root Widespread Panic
Cream
Gov’t Mule
Moe
Do you think my list is accurate and in the correct order? Would you put another band in place of one of my choices? Well chime in and let me know your thoughts, comments, and questions right down there! ⬇️⬇️⬇️
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