Last night, Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh hosted a special candlelight vigil titled “All The Children Are Our Children” for the victims of the recent tragic high school shooting in Parkland, Florida. At Lesh’s San Rafael, California venue, Terrapin Crossroads, outside at the Beach Park, the bassist opened the ceremonies by sharing his emotions and offering condolences for the young victims of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14th.
To begin the vigil, visibly anguished as he spoke, Phil Lesh offered these thoughts:
All children are our children. That’s kind of an idea that speaks to the deepest level of our common humanity, so in a sense, we’re all responsible for our children, as it should be. Almost 400 years ago, a poet wrote, “No man is an island entire of itself.” In that same poem, he said, “Every man’s death diminished me, because I am involved in mankind”–as we’re all involved in mankind, as a wave is involved with the ocean. We’re still all God’s children. If every man’s death diminishes us, what can we say about the murdering of a child? Another poet closer in time to us wrote “Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage, against the dying of the light.” And I’m feeling such rage right now, such anguish and grief thinking about these brave spirits cut off before their time.
He then introduced representatives from Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America to speak about gun control and activism, but not before he got in a final call-to-arms to the audience that had gathered, “This cannot stand. This cannot stand. We cannot allow this. Who are we if we cannot protect our children? Who are we if we don’t stand up, raise our voices, and demand to be heard?”
Afterwards, Lesh returned to the center of the crowd, where he passed around photos of the 17 victims of the Parkland high school shooting and spoke briefly about each. Lesh, Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz, Scott Law and Ross James then closed the emotional evening with an acoustic set.
You can watch the vigil hosted by Lesh below, courtesy of Deadheadland: