A love-one-another encounter on Planet Earth between the Half Step Band & fellow passengers in a Garden City Cathedral

Thomas Tittmann
May 6
6 min read

Updated: 1 day ago

Come join your fellow passengers as we explore a tale about some "Dead" music that was included at a Garden City, NY Cathedral's month-long series of events entitled:

"GAIA: This Fragile Earth, Our Island Home."

(link with details is further down)

Life's adventures are always continuing...SO, consider yourself a fellow passenger on this trip...AND, if following Jesus appeals to you, click the link at the end for an interesting comparison between his tribe and Jerry's...as Tom Coogan, the author of "Deadheads and Christians You Will Know Them By Their Love," returned to the Cathedral two nights later.

Some appropriate liturgical vestments...

He's got the whole world in his hand...

Praise from one of Saturday night's "PASSENGERS"

FYI - link to Brian's Facebook post follows his images.

The following is REAL...not a backdrop...Appropriate for an album cover for Led Zeppelin's "Houses of the Holy"...

Jerry in votive...

And recent arrival: Bobby...

Below, our emcee - Kyle Sabo (Dean's Verger) - adding further light to our evening.

Note: Candles are "old" but not in the way...because even though we have

'two good eyes...sometimes we still can't see'...

Half Step's Tom San Filippo leading "worship"...(more on Tom below)

Scott Bardolf

Craig Privett

Cindy Lopez

Drummers Adam Polabov (left) and Dave Diamond (right)

Jason Crosby. Tom San Filippo sent this bio: "He was our special guest for the evening. Jason has played with Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Jackson Browne and John McLaughlin, to name a few. He is a Long Island native who relocated to California and is a longtime friend of Half Step band members."

Facebook source for all the above images in Brian's post

Seeing Furthur:

Source

After seeing the two large Greek letters on the book's pages, I searched for "Grateful Dead and Alpha Omega" and this resulted:

As far as I can tell, the above comments were generated by AI, as I never found these words in the main Wikipedia article.

We are fellow Passengers...

Considering the current shape of our world, Half Step chose this interesting number - a song penned in 1977 and never played after 1981. Using author Tom Coogan's terminology in his "Deadheads and Christians" (see link at end to the related post on his book), I'd categorize this as a type of song Tom terms "SORROWFUL." (Liturgy Chapter 10)

Passenger

Lyrics By:

Peter Monk

Music By:

Phil Lesh

Firefly

Can you see me?

Shine on, glowing

Brief and brightly

Could you imagine (note 1)

One summer day

That same night

Be on your way

Do you remember?

Hearts were too cold

Seasons had frozen us (note 2)

Into our souls

People were saying

The whole world is burning

Ashes were scattered

Too hard to turn (note 3)

Upside out

Or inside down

False alarm, the only game in town

No man's land, the only game in town (note 4)

Terrible, the only game in town

Passenger

Don't you hear me?

Destination

Seen unclearly

What is a man

Deep down inside

But a raging beast

With nothing to hide

Source

Greatest Stories Ever Told - “Passenger” - David Dodds

I'm a regular reader of Dave's observations. A key reason is that he creates an environment for open conversation with his readers. He doesn't tell us what to think. This mirrors the same approach of Tom Coogan, author of "Deadheads and Christians."

Here's how Dave expresses this openness at the beginning of his blog:

"Here’s the plan—each week, I will blog about a different song, focusing, usually, on the lyrics, but also on some other aspects of the song, including its overall impact—a truly subjective thing. Therefore, the best part, I would hope, would not be anything in particular that I might have to say, but rather, the conversation that may happen via the comments over the course of time—and since all the posts will stay up, you can feel free to weigh in any time on any of the songs! With Grateful Dead lyrics, there’s always a new and different take on what they bring up for each listener, it seems. (I’ll consider requests for particular songs—just private message me!)"

(Source: Above link)

Peter Monk bio (from above link):

"The brief biographical essay about Peter Monk included in The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics was contributed by Alan Trist. It notes that Peter Richard Zimels, aka Peter Monk, was born in March 1937 in New York City. He studied philosophy and graduated from the University of Michigan in 1958, and then served in the US Navy until 1962. After leaving the Navy, he traveled extensively, especially in Asia, where he became an ordained Buddhist monk. Therefore, his adopted surname is more of a trade-based honorific (think 'Peter, the monk'. He returned to the States in 1967, and acted as a spiritual figure in the extended Grateful Dead family, attending births and performing wedding ceremonies (he officiated at the wedding of Jerry Garcia and Carolyn 'Mountain Girl' Adams, for instance). He died in 1992."

"I’ve always thought that the 'passenger' is, as are all of us, a passenger on the planet we inhabit, hurtling through space at some ungodly rate of speed."

"That one line: 'What is a man, deep down inside, but a raging beast, with nothing to hide?' hit me hard when I first heard it. I internalized it in a big way—and given the manner in which it was performed by Bobby and Donna on Terrapin Station, it seemed to be meant to be heard as an important line. In my mind’s eye, I pictured the silhouette of a man, set against a sunset sky, rampaging across the horizon, swinging some kind of hammer or sword, and this image seemed archetypal, proceeding from 'deep down inside,' and carrying with it the potential for the seed of understanding of who I might be, and who my fellow-travelers on the planet might be. That Grateful Dead sense of light and dark, or roses and thorns, of the totality of existence all seemed wrapped up in those lines and in the imagery they brought to my mind."

Source: The above link

Eyes of the World

Notice the Cathedral's Stealie under the 2 spotlights keeping a watchful eye on our planet...

Here's a closer view from Ron's earlier pic:

Source (Ron Rig's Facebook post)

Cathedral's Gaia Event...

Click next link for details.

See the Earth as astronauts do — floating in three dimensions in our historic Gothic nave

Gaia at the Cathedral | April 25–May 31, 2026

Luke Jerram's sculpture will be the first exhibition of Gaia in a US house of worship

Measuring six meters (20 feet) in diameter, Gaia is a breathtaking replica of planet Earth created from detailed NASA imagery of our planet's surface. The internally illuminated, rotating sculpture will be suspended in the Cathedral's historic neo-Gothic nave, offering visitors an extraordinary opportunity to see Earth as astronauts do—floating in three-dimensional space.

"After the profound impact of the Museum of the Moon last spring, we knew we wanted to continue exploring the intersection of art, science, and faith," said The Very Rev. Canon Michael T. Sniffen, PhD, Dean of Long Island. "With Gaia, we turn our attention from our celestial companion to our own fragile home, inviting reflection on our responsibility as stewards of creation."

The installation's theme, "This Fragile Earth, Our Island Home," draws from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer and underscores the urgent need for environmental awareness and action. Gaia aims to inspire what astronauts call the "Overview Effect"—a cognitive shift that occurs when viewing Earth from space, characterized by feelings of awe, an understanding of the interconnectedness of all life, and a renewed commitment to environmental stewardship.

Accompanied by a specially commissioned surround sound composition by BAFTA award-winning composer Dan Jones, the installation creates an immersive experience that has captivated audiences worldwide. In Greek mythology, Gaia is the personification of Earth, the ancestral mother of all life.

Created in partnership with the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Bluedot, and the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres, Gaia has been presented in museums, cathedrals, and public spaces around the world. The sculpture has consistently drawn massive audiences, with some installations attracting over 200,000 visitors.

Visiting Information

Daytime Visiting Hours

Daytime visiting hours begin Wednesday, April 29 and last through Thursday, May 28. Please check this website before coming as last minute changes to this availability are possible. Daytime admission is free.

Tuesday: 1pm–4pm
Wednesday 1pm–4pm
Thursday 1pm–4pm
Select Saturdays: May 2 and May 9, 10am–1pm

Select days are available for Group Tours. Please email connect@incarnationgc.org for more information.

Evening Visiting Hours

Evening visiting hours begin Tuesday April 28 and last through Wednesday, May 27, 2026. There are selected evenings available from 6:00pm – 9:00pm. Evening admission is $10 suggested donation. Reserve your timed evening entry on Eventbrite — evenings under Gaia are not to be missed.

Questions? Contact us at connect@IncarnationGC.org or (516) 746-2955.

Possible "Furthur" Enhancements at a new wing for the Cathedral

Windows upgrade

Grateful Dead band members depicted in stained glass on 1972 Hundred Year Hall album icon.

New Columbarium...Ashes to Ashes...Dust to Dust...

As the Cathedral's Verger, Kyle Sabo is responsible for their columbarium - the repository for the ashes of those who have passed on. Here's a novel approach:

Rest in Peace, Man, in This Groovy VW Columbarium

Includes this video: