Without a doubt.....JERRY's b-day show at SPAC
it was truly a magical evening......Not to take away from any of the other shows i saw....they were great too....philly and jones beach....but
SPAC took the cake !!!!
God bless the good ole' DEAD
come east for nye please!!!!!

I saw SPAC, and both PNC's. 2nd night PNC was strong

The first show at Boston was it for me second runner up SPAC,six shows in all a great tour

Hartford without question!

SPAC no doubt

saw 5 red rocks marysville portland and camden and I feel that Marysville was far and away the best show I saw and the best I have heard so far.

I only saw two shows, Bonnaroo and Raleigh. I thought Bonnaroo was better set two was Live/Dead with Shine on Crazy Diamond in the middle of Dark Star, then an awesome Morning Dew Help/Slip/Frank a really jammy lovelight then double encore, no curfew restaints at the 'roo, we even camped in the parking lot just like the good old days. Maybe this show hasn't gotten any votes because ya'll were saving money for the tour and skipped Bonnaroo because of the expense, almost $200 for one Dead show, that will get you three or four regular shows I reckon.

No love for Boise? Boise was far and away the best out West. Nice small outdoor venue and the boys were on fire. Stellar setlist and tight sound. Boise gets my vote.

Runners up

Jones Beach 14th
Chula Vista

Chula Vista was a waayyyyyyyy good show, first 8 miles High, first High Time.....check it out!

>>>>>>Hartford without question!

Out of how many shows?

One?

Come on......

I was looking to see what people were saying about the rather underwhelming setlist from last night & saw this thread.

It really makes me laugh when people base the BEST show of an entire tour on their small slice of the experience.

From what I've heard, what I've read from people who's opinion's I respect & what I was at, I'd be willing to say that

Bonaroo
Jones Beach 8-13
Raliegh with Branford

And MAYBE SPAC (although I heard somewhat mixed reviews)

were the best shows.

Bonnaroo and 2nd night Great Woods, from attending and listening to the shows. Lots of sub-par shows, too!

Alpine was pretty sweet, the second set was fantastic.

From what I've heard

Marysville
Boise
First Night Grerat Woods
Spac
First Night Jones Beach (my personal favorite)
Branford

Detroit was pretty damn good too, as were parts of camden and some of second night PNC.

>>Chula Vista was a waayyyyyyyy good show, first 8 miles High

1st 8 Miles High was at Red Rocks

I saw all of Red Rocks, Phx., Marysville, Boise, Portland, Gorge, both PNC, and both Jones Beach and my favorite even after listening to almost all the shows is still Marysville. That show was just tight from the get go.

Close runner-ups were Fri. Jones Beach and Boise.
Both excellent shows. I think Boise had the most unique setlist of the tour.

I'd love to hear Charolette, as on paper it seeems like it could be a contender.

What? No love for Scrnton?

Boise was the best scene I thought. Perhaps the most laid back scene i've EVER seen. I was partial to Camden, but 1st night of jones beach and Boise were probably MY favorites (didn't say best).

I only went to Blossom and Alpine Valley but I have to agree with Matt and add that Alpine was indeed a sick second set as was Blossom's. The out of space segment at Alpine was one jewel after another starting with Dew and ending with Lovelight via Unbroken Chain>Uncle John's and China - Rider - Yowsah!!!The Brown Eyed Women opener and Sugaree>Touch of Gray ending at Blossom were smoking as well. Hope to see them again next year for the 40th Anniversary Tour!!!

SPAC was the best post Jerry show I've seen.

Of those I've heard from out west Marysville, Camden night one for the east. PNC night 2 in second. The Branford show probably will be numero uno but haven't heard it yet. Camden night one scorched. Pre drums set 2 epic. Plus a viola sandwhich post drums.

Of the 7 I saw I would say that SPAC was the best for many reasons. Next would be first night Boston with hartford in third......peace.

Boise for sure. Music Never Stopped in the second set had the thickest vibe and wa wa factor Ive heard in years.

Hi Bucky:
My rating of Hartford was based on 9 shows. In my opinion, both PNC's and Jones Beach shows were the "underwhelming" performances. Yes, I thought Hartford was the best show I saw.
Different strokes for different folks...........

And furthermore, your making judgements on what you've "heard" from other people?! Give me a break pal...............

Saw Fri-Sat-Sun Red Rocks, Scranton, both Camdens, both PNC's and both Jones.

Saturday Camden, Sunday Red Rocks, and Friday Jones are the three at the top for me...

I only made it to bonnaroo, so I am going to have to say SPAC was the best.

Or so I've heard that I heard I heard.

(~):^)

yeah bucky I guess i'm just drawing off of my small slice of experience but it's cool that two of my lil' ole slices (Bonaroo and raleigh) make up two thirds of your pie. I do feel lucky, and while i agree someone who sees all the shows may have more credibility isn't that then somewhat diminished by the vagaries of personal opinion. Bottom line, anyone that got to see even one show sub par or not should be in some way stoked for the opportunity, or did the cost of the ticket sting to much?

shoreline - dark horse of the west coast, with the exception of HCS, very well played show.

ticket cost was cool..got my 60 bucks worth for sure..

now I need some shows on disk..dial up sucks..

1. anybody out there who by miraculous chance happened to see boise, marysville, spac, AND raleigh? if so, i kneel before thee & ask thy humble opinion as to which among these four was best.

2. how bout a favorite 1st set? (recognizing it's a different beast from a 2nd set?) between san diego, shoreline, & marysville, i'd probably vote for san diego in that respect ...

>>>>> how bout a favorite 1st set? (recognizing it's a different beast from a 2nd set?

Ummm, that was a setup - HALF THE LEG 2 SHOWS I SAW THERE WAS LITTLE FREAKIN' DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SETS 1 AND 2 . . .

I saw all 5 Red Rox and 13 in a row Leg 2 (Mansfield thru Bristow) - here's my take:

By a LONG LONG shot my favorite 3 of tour were the 1st, 4th, and 5th Red Rox shows (6/15, 19, & 20) - nothing in Leg 2 even came close - wasn't even the same freakin' band - why? - well, those shows were CONCEPTUALLY well assembled, well thought out, with nice litte jams and transitions between most of the tunes, with a setlist that got progressively better, with progressively spacier and longer jams as the show went along, and all 3 shows exceeded 190' of music. Not to mention the VENUE!!!!! The other thing that made these so good was that they were able to accomplish this without the "big" tunes such as Dark Star, Other One, The 11, St Stephen, etc (although 6/19 had Terrapin). Very much liked the way they toyed with Playin' throughout the 2nd set on 6/15, did both reprises (UJB/Playin'), and did 3 breakouts in 1 show (8 Miles, Cucamonga, Strange World), and did a nice long jam into Drums. Sat 6/19 had a mostly rockin' and short 1st set but featured the ONLY (!!!!) Operator of tour, the best Pocky Way (that I saw anyway), plus Cassidy. Then the 2nd set is a conceptual masterpiece - even the Queen Jane opener works very well, leading to way spacey jamming in and out of All That We Are, then a nice space into Weather Report followed by one of the best/longest/most jammed out Let It Grow's I've ever seen, the post-drums a DREAM setlist if there ever was one, with great little transition jams before and after Unbroken (even tho Phil muffed the 1st verse) - the Terrapin was basic but in a dream slot, then they threw in the Rubin & Cherise when they didn't have to - the show would still have been epic even without it. Sunday's 6/20 show had a lot of clunkers in the 1st set but they set up the use of Birdsong as a jammy theme thruout the rest of the show brilliantly - even the 2 Ratdog songs were well done - yes, there were serious trainwrecks in the last 3 tunes but they jammed well in between them and the 1st set exceeded 100 min's. Then the 2nd set was again as epic as Saturday's, with the Birdsong theme used thruout as a jamming theme - 2 Beatles songs in a row then Viola then Samson! - Wow! - then the space into a wild JAM into the best China Doll I've ever seen then Birdsong Reprise then the best China Cat - Rider of the tour (and the 1st night's was no sloucher either) - hard to top this show and it followed 4 great ones before it - not to mention the lightning and thunder during the show off in the distance!

Me likes Charlotte, SPAC, Hartford and maybe Darien Lake?

OK after those 3 "10" shows there's somewhat of a dropoff:

1st night Camden Sat Aug 7 (9.8): Short but good 1st set w/GREAT jam after Alligator - 2nd set as epic as last 2 Red Rox shows - my favorite of Leg 2 - lots of "big" tunes in this one (Dew, Terrapin, Viola Lee) and they're all broken up nicely, with well developed jams and transitions. The show clocked in at about 180 min's of music

Darien Lake Fri 8/6 (9.6): This show was all about the DARK STAR, which was thoroughly explored 3 TIMES!!!! - nice support work in the Help-Slip-Pocky Way (not as good as Red Rox) but then the BEST Mickey-era Fire I've ever witnessed - Warren was ON FIRE during this and it was at least twice as long as most versions. 2nd set was chock full of great jammy spaciness which made the rockers rock even harder - best Sugaree I've seen since '01 PLQ - thoroughly explored 2nd verse of Dark Star which I thought would only be Throwing Stones then nice transition into Franklin's which was very well done. The only weaknesses being the middle of the 1st set but made up for in overall length of the show. Another 3-hour's of music show.

(tie) Red Rocks Wed 6/16 (9.0) & Fri 6/18 (8.8): I liked these shows a lot more once I got the discs - had a bad impression after the shows 'cause on Wed I was in a bad spot (up close but WAY off to the side and surrounded by annoying assholes), and Friday it was POURING ICY COLD RAIN THE WHOLE SHOW - the Wed show's 1st set was inconsistent but had the After Midnight breakout and great jamming around Watchtower - the 2nd set featured the ONLY (!!!!) Cortez the Killer of the tour (this ended up being a HOLY GRAIL for some of the tapers I knew to catch but I had a feeling it was one of those once-a-tour things like the Zeppelin and Metallica covers) - the post-space featured what I thought was a relatively weak Other One (until I experienced the SPAC version) into an AWESOME Death Don't - the rest of the set kinda routine but they did jam nicely between some tunes. Friday's 1st set was my favorite of the run and the pre-drums 2nd set was great too - nice jam out of Estimated - the post-drums was weak but still decent compared to some Leg 2 shows - at least not hurried along by curfew issues.

Saratoga Aug 1 (8.7): VERY well played show overall - they were ON FIRE - my only complaint being that it was VERY SHORT - only Scranton was shorter - 1st set was 55', 2nd set + encore 90' - 1st set was uniformly great except for Down the Road - yeah I know it was Jerry's song on Jerry's B-Day but try as I may I hate this tune and the corny lyrics about Kennedy just make me wanna retch (and I ain't no Shrub supporter either) - 2nd set great most of the way except it felt very hurried at the end - Other One less than 5 min's, pretty sure there were curfew issues - too bad 'cause this would have been a much better show had they been able to explore the post-drums another 5 min's or so.

1st Jones Beach Fri 8/13 (8.5): Another psychedelic mind-fuck - by this time of the tour my expectations were so diminished, and I was tripping my balls off, so I had thought this was the greatest show ever. Upon sober analysis, though, it's obvious there were flaws. Weather Report, Help, and Shakedown had many glaring mistakes, mainly Bobby's fault. The end was very rushed due to curfew issues - didn't notice this at the show as I was completely out of my mind but not suprised the Franklin's was less than 5 min's. No 2nd verse of Dark Star and forget about finishing it the next night.

OK now a dramatic fall-off:

Hartford 8/3 (7.4): The best of the "2-1st set-no jamming" shows typical of Leg 2 that I saw - 1st set saved by a good Weather Report (but nowhere even close to the Red Rox version) - 2nd set pre-drums a waste of time other than Easy Wind - post-drums was what this show was all about - GREAT Phil-led space jam into the strongest Wharf Rat I'd seen since 11/9/79!!! Box and Gloria decent but better than the Sugar Mag I was expecting. Then the encore really made the show - Eyes-1000 Stars - very well done - the entire post-drums played with thought and patience.

Scranton 8/4 (7.2): This show was all over the place - great moments interspersed with downright awful moments plus VERY short due to curfew issues - 1st set and pre-drums chock full of once-a-tour rarities interspersed with filler then post-drums a very spacey/bizarre Banyan Tree-Mason's then more filler then a great Attics encore.

Bristow VA 8/15 (7.1): This show was AWESOME up to The Weight then sucked dogshit (except for space) after that - the good part featured some of the best song-oriented playing of the tour - very well done, no screwups, lots of energy - the most disappointing parts being the rushed-for-curfew versions of Cumby and Samson only to fit in the DREADFUL J B Goode (3rd version of that and Stella in 13 shows for me - zzzzzzz)

Jones Beach 8/14 (7.0): As with Bristow, good 1st set except for last 3 tunes, 2nd set not really that great but at least FELT like a 2nd set . . .

I SAW 6 SHOWS ON TOUR
SPAC/HARTFORD/BOTH PNC AND BOTH JONES BEACH

I THOUGHT SPAC SECOND SET WAS AMAZING- VERY INTENSE STEPHEN AND OTHER ONE!!!!!!!!
HARTFORD SO SO-VERY INCONSITENT
1ST PNC WAS SOSO- SAME AS HARTFORD-
2ND NIGHT PNC WAS GREAT MINGLEWOOD LUCY IN THE SKY-CHINA DOLL,SUGAREE WERE HIGHTS FOR ME
1ST JONES SHOWS- WRS TO THE END WAS UNREAL
HELP>SLIP>SHAKEDOWN UNBROKEN CHAIN AND WE BID YOU GOODNIGHT WERE MY HIGHLIGHTS
2ND JONES BEACH WAS MY ALL AROUND FAVORITE.
HIGHTLIGHTS WERE THE ENTIRE SHOW. THATS WHEN YOU KNOW IT WAS THE BEST. EACH SONG WAS BETTER THEN THE OTHER AND TO CAP IT OFF WITH RIPPLE REALLY MADE IT ALL THE MORE SWEET

THANKS TO PHIL, BOB, MICKEY, BILLY, JIMMY, JEFF, AND WARREN

IT WAS MAGICAL
PLEASE COME OUT EAST SOON

Then there's the ones I woulda been happier staying home for and saving up my days off from work:

Both Mansfield shows
Both Holmdel shows
2nd night of Camden 8/8

Yeah I guess there were probably SOME decent parts to these shows but most were exceeded by better versions elsewhere.

Purely going by setlists of shows I didn't see I'd hafta choose (from Leg 1) Bonnaroo, Sacramento, Portland, and The Gorge, and from Leg 2 St Louis, Alpine, and Charlotte (w/Branford) and possibly Raleigh.

1st night boston was my fav, 2nd place spac

this is an interesting thread to me. anyhow, I'll rank the shows I went to just for the fun of it

1. Jones Beach - 1st night
2. Bonnaroo
3. PNC - 2nd night
4.Jones Beach- 2nd night
6. Camden - 2nd night
7. Camden - 1st night
8. Great Woods - 2nd night

that's just me though, take it for what's it's worth!

btw, I tried to do this based on the music, not on overall experience/scene/frame off mind/etc.

my 5 shows

1. darien (tie) camden 2nd night
3. camden 1st night
4. scranton
5. blossom

i saw six, most the "mediocher" midwest shows(yeah right)...here are my rankings(of what i saw):
1.alpine-high energy show & crowd
2.1st night camdon-the 2nd set was for real
3.(tie)blossom-good all around/ pineknob-great dispite the Days Between(and i like this song)
4.camdon 2-good rockin show
5.deer creek-could have been 1 or 2 if the pre-drums wasn't so ho-hum

The first set form the first night at PNC smoked. i would no i was there. The cumberland blues had so much energy it was insane. Also they debuted time never ends

Awesome...the Sideshow Bob Taper Copendium. Nicely done.

>>>>>
1st Jones Beach Fri 8/13 (8.5)
Hartford 8/3 (7.4):
Red Rocks Wed 6/16 (9.0) & Fri 6/18 (8.8):


What, is this, the Olympic scoring system?

only saw five and listened to sacramento and banaroo

by far the best i saw was camden nite 1.

last nite at RR was probably 2nd but sat at RR from terrapin on was sublime.

banaroo and sacramento both sound very solid on cd.

cant wait to get those camden shows (except for that stagger lee the 2nd nite, OUCH)

I saw just 4, both Jones Beach, Raleigh and Charlotte

all outstanding in their own way

my individual and cumulative experience is based on set and setting of each occassion (setlist construction, location, ingestibles, special guest?, neighbor factor, degree of Bobby Flubbage, favorite tunes played, and and and...)

and even though some feel THEY can quantify a Dead show through formulaic scientific method (ie. personal preference ;) or whatever means they think works then swing away..

it's like ranking "what's the best food?"

Here?

NO VOTE FOR ME!!!!!

(I WAS blessed to see 4 perdy hot damn shows tho)

Life may be sweeter for this, I don't know
See how if feels in the end
May Lady Lullaby sing plainly for you
Soft, strong, sweet and true

So to rank order my favorites of the ones I went to it would be

Boise- Great set, great sound, great vibe
Jones Beach 14th- I know most seemed to go with the 13th, I felt the 14th was way tighter and I thought the crowd was more into it as well
Chula Vista- Smoking first set and groovy second
Irvine- Got to see some goodies plus Warren was highlighted I felt with Glory Road and Patchwork. I am a big fan of Low Spark as well. Not your average setlist
Jones Beach 13th- Solid
SLC- Good setlist and maybe the most fun. I had my daughter and she was AWSOME. The music seemed a step slow to me most of the night.

Great summer tour in all, Looking forward to 40!

my favorites that I saw

1)7/30 Mansfield
2)Alpine Valley
3)6-18 Red Rocks

My least favorites were
1)Saturday Jones Beach-even a Ripple couldnt save this clunker.
2)San Diego-Shoulda gone to Gorge instead
3)Atlanta-Almost left at set break a very weak show but was bailed out from being as bad as sat Jones beach by great post drums.

Based only on the shows that I saw, I'd have to say S.P.A.C. The 2nd set at the S.P.A.C. was TREMENDOUS! It ranks right up there with some of the best G.D. show's. If I could mix various sets from different shows, then Id say, Boston (1st night)as my favorite 1st set, and then S.P.A.C. as my favorite 2nd set. The 2nd set at P.N.C. the 2nd night was goin well until Joan showed up and really bummed me out! Oh well

I only saw 4 shows; Fri & Sat Red Rocks, Salt Lake & Boise.
Boise was a smoker! Cool atmosphere! Cool venue! Very Interesting weather which definately sparked the band's performance. Mind blowing "Death Don't have No Mercy"

Fuckin' St. Louis

Boise was my favorite. SPAC was one of my least favorites.

paul a: why the thumbs down on spac? (just curious)

to all reading this thread: i realize it's kinda ancient history at this point (& slightly off-point), but imho (& the missus agrees) the best "bring laughter tears to your eyes" review of a show had to be 6/27/04 (marysville/sacto) by Agent_towlie. it helps if you heard the show but migod, WONDERFUL! check it out and E-N-J-O-Y

1. bonnaroo
2. camden 1st nite
3. jones beach 1st
4. jones beach 2nd
Four solid shows, the show at bonnaroo had some great footage playing on the big screens. it was shot really well with multiple cameras on the band and crowd. reminiscent of grateful dead movie with seriously high end camera work big budget movie quality + very trippy and intense psychedelic effects going on. would love to be able to see it again, hopefully a dvd release. great scene too, gravity bong on the concert field about 100 yards away cant beat that!

Man,
Nissan rocked. Espically Set 1.

Not having done the whole tour, I can't say. The two shows I saw back to back were both worlds apart, personally. First show was Detroit, with 'shrooms and it was pretty emotional, seeing first show in 20 years with friends I toured with 20 years ago. Playin' opener was really a kick. Security was cool, so I danced as if it was 20 years ago to Sittin' on top of the World, Ramble, and Iko. Like a Rolling Stone was pretty heavy for me, few songs have what that does lyrically. But seeing Pride of Cucamonga live was really just about as good as it gets.
Bobby doing a mock up of his rooster crowing or primal scream or whatever you call it from days gone by on Estimated was funny. I find it hard to believe that THIS GUY doesn't have the same voice I'd become familiar with back in the day.
However I give him his due, he's sung A LOT of songs in his day. The Not Fade this night was the most enjoyable of any I've ever seen. The clap and chant by the crowd before Johnny B Goode, got me thinking that those of us who stopped touring in the 80's (not stop going to shows), who've been with this scene a long time, still love these guys, and they love us and there'll never be anything like this again. So bad show here and there, I'm still with them and the spirit for which this stands, and God bless the Dead and all y'all.
Next night was Cleveland for me, and it was a good show, but a major bummer personally, which I won't bother explaining. Too many of those cookies with the ganja butter and me a little too melancholy. That's my 2cents.

Howdy again...I started this thread and I am pleased at the variety of opninons...As for my self...AFTER 262 dead, 72 jerry shows..and countless other incarnations.....SPAC's second set was orgasic...that Death dont have no mercy..was orgasmic...YEA the show was a bit short...but who can complain for real....WILL BONJOVI BE PLAYIN AFT 40 YRS...I DOUBT IT....
This year's summer tour for me was awesome...I saw 5 shows...
1. SPAC 9.89
2. Camden 1st night 9.45
3. Jones beach 1st night 8.9
4. Camden 2nd night 8.7
5. Jones beach 2nd night 8.5

It seems to me that the second night of a run seems to be less for me...I dunno maybe its age?\
JUST MY 2 CENTS

the BEST? well, they all were in their own way, at least they all had some of the BEST moments of my summer in them. Of the 16 I saw, the ones that stand out the most, for all kinds of reasons, are: bonnaroo, red rocks (except that cold rainy night), pnc nite 2, both jones, virginia, raleigh, and charlotte.

Shoreline set one; listen to it.

Of these 11 that I saw (in chronological order):

Red Rocks 6/15 and 6/16
Phoenix
Chula Vista
Irvine
Marysville
Both PNC
Both Jones Beach
Nissan Pav.


For whatever reasons, I found myself paying very close attention to the energy and communication between the Boys at every show I saw this summer, and by far they seemed to be the "tightest" (i.e. no trainwrecks) at Nissan... but for me, the real joy and bliss comes from feeling their creative and improvisational energy, and since they've only been playing together as a band for a few months, I'd rather see them take the chances and explore new territory, even if it means a missed chord change or lyric. So for me - I felt that the most at 6/16 second set and Marysville... especially Marysville. With only 3 songs pre-Drums, I figured we were in for a Sunday night early-curfew.... I've never been so happy to be proved wrong. Pure lunacy after Space... my touring crewmates and I had been saying that Golden Road is the Sugar Mag of 2004.... never would've expected to get them back-to-back.

The 6/16 Red Rocks post-Drums was probably the heaviest most spiritual post-Jerry GD 'moment' I've experienced... from Warren's haunting Death Don't, through being able to hear a pin drop during Bid You Goodnight... Yummy!

Funniest moment of the summer - Mickey's "Rubber Chicken Space" at Nissan

Thanks to Bobby, Phil, Mickey, Billy, Jimmy, Warren, Jeff, CANDACE, and the entire crew... especially for supporting Headcount each and every night, and giving us the inspiration to keep doing what we're doing... I hope we did the same for y'all..

REGISTER TO VOTE!!!
www.headcount.org

Only three this time 'round so i'll bust 'em up by set:

#1 $ 2 - Warren Solo Acoustic - U of Penn 8/9 - It was truly excellent.

#3 - Sat. Camden - Set 2 (China, UJB, Lady, Dew, Terrapin, Rider - WOW!)

#4 - Sun. Camden - Set 2 (Eyes, CR&S, and Samson were very good - and After Midnight>Brokedown encore - bravo!)

#5 - Wed. PNC - Set 2 (Joan was a great addition that night - esp. on Sugaree)

#6 - Sat. Camden - Set 1 (Alligator, Mr. Charlie, Arrow and Strange World stood out)

#7 - Wed. PNC - Set 1 (LSD saved it!)

#8 - Sun. Camden - Set 1 (Milestones should be REQUIRED to be done with BJ)


Thanks for a great time boys (and Joan) - let's keep on keepin' on!!

I saw 2 shows this tour.(7/31 and 8/6) Even though I saw some repeat tunes and 2 scripted sandwiches, I thought Darien Lake on 8/6 was the better show.

Always a good time, but I'm not sure what to think of this band.. There were highlights at both shows but I walked away kinda shaking my head a bit. Part of me thinks this line up should continue and hopefully they'll grow and get better. The other part of me thinks Mickey, Billy, Bob and Phil should drop everyone, go get Branford and just play anything but dead material. Dig up some old jazz and blues tunes, see what happens with just the 5 of them. A break it all down, build it back up with something NEW kinda thang!

Here's my 4 w/ a few notes:

1. SPAC - Slightly better than 1st night Great Woods, most likely because it's my favorite venue in the world. I think if they played an awesome encore, people would have walked out in a daze, going completely nuts. But The Real Thing encore really seemed to pop the balloon. Everywhere I looked, people were sort of standing around, looking like they were really hoping for a 2nd encore to pick it up. No such luck. Once I got over that, I looked back and realized it was a pretty hot show. None of these 4 were *that* great - nothing close to almost all the PLQ shows I've seen - but they all were fun, and this was the best for me.

2. First night Great Woods. I still can't believe how great so many people thought this show was. Everyone I've talked to has said they thought it was quite good. Nothing real special. First set was a bit weak, but pre-drums was smokin', including quite possibly the hottest Terrapin I've ever heard from any band, including you-know-who. Post-space was so rushed because they screwed up their timing and got burned by the curfew that it keeps it from being a really great show.

3. 2nd night Great Woods. 1st set was my 2nd favorite of the 4 shows. Pre-drums was decent, but got pretty mellow, and was a little too Bobby-heavy for my taste. Then it was Mickey doing Only the Strange, and this was starting to feel like a really bad show. But post-space was just awesome, with the exception of SOTM which is painful to hear Bobby sing. But even the ending of that tune was really great, and the closers were rockin' and I had a great time. But pre-space was weak enough to keep me from getting too excited.

4. First night PNC. Easily the best of the 4 first sets I saw. I was having such a blast, figuring I finally was catching a big one. Second set started out ok, but nothing great, until they blistered a Passenger - the first time I've seen a Dead band play a tune as well as PLQ, and we were back on track. I figured with a stellar run out of space, this would end up being in incredible show. Instead they took a big stinky dump, and played far and away the worst "4th Quarter" (do other people use this terminology for post-space?) I have ever seen any Dead-related band play. There's times where the setlist doesn't matter because they're playing so well...this wasn't one of them. Jerry and Pig could have been up there playin' their assess off, and I don't think they could ever make fucking Days Between> Jam> Throwing Stones. Built To Last. U.S. Blues sound like a good way to end a show. It was so bad I just couldn't really get myself psyched up enough to remember how hot the first set was.

I've seen 9 shows this summer (Bonnaroo, Portland, Gorge, St. Louis, Great Woods ((Both Nights)), SPAC, 1st night Camden and 1st night PNC).

Here is the ranking for the shows that I've seen:

1) St. Louis (this show is very underrated in my opinion). By far and away the best 1st set of the tour - Shakedown>After Midnight, Minglewood, New Potato Caboose, Viola>Into the Mystic>Viola, West LA, Keep on Growing!!! The 2nd set was very strong - especially Eyes>He's Gone

2) SPAC - The 2nd set was just absolutely the tightest set I've seen this summer

3) 1st night Camden - Very well played show

4) The Gorge - High Energy show (had to be good, they followed the Allman Brothers)

5) 1st night Great Woods - Great Setlists, however plenty of train wrecks - Abbreviated version of Scarlet>Fire and China>Rider

6) Bonnaroo - 1st show of the tour, energy was really good however needed to work on transitions

7) PNC 1st night - Had some good points, but disappointed in chemistry among the band members

8) 2nd night Great Woods - no energy at all (was spent after the previous night)

9) Columbia River (Portland) - By far and away the worst show of the tour. The band had no business being on stage!! However, I met Bill Walton at the show.

Overall, the tour was a mixed bag. There were great moments, good moments and some downright bad moments. This band can improve, only if the setlists can be evened out between Bobby and Warren sharing the vocal duties. Bobby should stick with his songs and Warren should be singing the Jerry's songs. The most glaring difference between Bobby and Warren singing Jerry's tunes was evident in the 2nd night of Great Woods when Warren sang Stella Blue (Beautful) and Bobby sang Standing on the Moon (no flow at all)! SPAC was the next night and Warren sang all of the Jerry's tunes that were absolutely outstanding (Death Don't have No Mercy, Comes a Time, Reuben and Cerise (BTW, this was the best played song on the tour IMO).

I only made it to 2 this year.Bonnaroo and Alpine.I would have to say Alpine but my opinion may be clouded by emotion as I was celebrating the 20th anniversary of my 1st show, 7/6/84 Alpine.I was surrounded by a dozen good friends,a couple of which were my main touring buddies back in the day.Anyway,Alpine really grabbed me,especially the segment out of space.I had that old feeling I dont always find anymore.Not to mention a few tears.

I caught twenty shows this tour. I got to see Bonnaroo, Shoreline>The Gorge, Great Woods>Jones Beach(only missed Darien during that run), and then Raleigh>Atlanta(missed Bristow and I'm kinda kicking myself because of it). Here were the best in my opinion:

Marysville- this show smoked from start to finish, It's the only show I walked out of that I had to buy the soundboard right after it was over. It felt like the best sex you could have and that feeling of being completely spent afterwards. The show holds up just as well on disc by the way. This was probably the best show I've ever seen with surprises around every corner(no, I never got to see Jerry)

Boise- This show was right up there with Marysville. The thunder storm was perfect and the band was playing great. St. Stephen>The Eleven and Death Don't Have No Mercy made this show stand out. I will have the vision of the band playing DDHNM with their hair blowing in the breeze and the red horizon under dark thunderclowds ingrained in my mind for eternity.

Bonnaroo- This was a monster show played for the faithful. After what we had to put up with prior to the band hitting the stage, it was only fitting
that the band play and incredible show that night. It was the longest show by far, and they were playing as if they had been playing together for years. The Dark Star sandwich was incredible. I would have never in my wildest dreams imagined the Dead covering Floyd. The whole show rocked, and many people left before the band hit the stage. And they were already soaked, go figure. Magical night.

Friday Jones Beach- Another amazing night where the band exceeds your expectations and actually surprises the hell out of you. If you like mindbenders, this was the show for you. I would have never expected the Dead to play a Metalica cover, and actually jam it out and explore it. I was thinking it was gonna be a DDHNM. This was one of the worst times I've had at a show too, but muscially, it was incredible. Easily top 5 of the whole tour.

SPAC- Great Great show. One of the best times I've ever had and musically excellent. A little bit of everything. Heavy on the Jerry tunes too. The whole show smoked, and the vibe was quite possibly the best. A little crowded, but that doesn't bother me at all. It felt like a huge birthday party, and the band played the perfect show for the occasion.

Hartford- All I have to say is that this show totally made up for the crappy show they played at Hartford last year. If you like Pigpen, this was the show for you. Easy Wind was explored to it's fullest. The encore was one of the best I've ever seen as well. Great show and vibe. No real weaknesses.

Sunday Camden- This show was oozing with love. That's what it was all about, from beggining to end. The band played excellent. And you could feel the love coming from the crowd to the band and back around again. Great show. Much more mellow and laid back crowd compared to the night before. The band loves us, and we love them, and that's what this particular show was all about. Every song had some referance to love. I loved it.

Wed. PNC- It was a great show. Heavy on the Beatles in set 1. Set 2 my dream came true. Joan propelled the show into the top of the heap for me. It was definatley one of my faves. St. Stephen>He's Gone>Drums>Space>China Doll>Sugaree was incredible. This was the best post Jerry Sugaree I have ever seen. Joan and Warren tore it up together, and I was as happy as can be to see Joan with the boys again. China Doll was what I was looking for when I saw Joan come out during Stephen. I knew it was coming, and it was so great to see her back with the guys in all their glory.

Raleigh- One word: Branford! He is the best sax player I have ever heard. Even better than Osby and he is a perfect fit for this band. They had great chemistry with him as if he was in the band all along. Monster playin', great Low spark, Scarlet>Fire was played as good as can be with this lineup, Space was the best I've ever seen thanks to Branford, Eyes was just what the docter ordered, and the vibe and crowd felt super mellow, on the level of a west coast show in terms of crowd feel and band performance and vibe. Super cool to see Branford with the boys.

Charlotte- Kick ass show. I liked it even better than the night before in raleigh. Pride of Cucamonga was played to prefection. I even dug(to my disbelief) The Hell in a Bucket and West LA to close out set 2. They were on fire on this night and the setlist was very unique. You know you are probably in for a great show when they open up with set 1 with St. Stephen.

The rest of the shows were all really good, but these are the ones that stand out in my mind. The most amazing day of the tour was the Gorge. If you have not been there yet, go. You wont's regret it. The whole day was amazing, and the venue is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. The Allmans played great and the Dead put on an incredible show. The place is magical. The only reason I didn't include this show on the list is because it didn't matter how good any of the bands played that day, the venue itself was what realy stole the show. The show was excellent by the way. I love Red Rocks, but I think I may just have to give the nod to the Gorge. Why are they not playing 5 nights there? It would be like a week long festival at the most beautiful venue on Earth. Scranton was the worst show of the tour for me and the only one that I can say sucked. The scene, the venue, the security, the crowd, even the band that night, it all sucked. Sorry, but there has to be at least one per tour. Overall, the tour was amazing and I loved meeting all of you beautiful people out there. I'm looking forward to doing it again. Untill then, take care, stay cool, and I'll see you down the road. Peace.

20 Shows...WOW...I been a phan for 35 years have I even seen that many shows..??..

Ha..

Thanks for posting up Pete..

Damn..I got to get on trading thread and B+P me some shows to listen to..

nice post pete, but didnt you think the 1st nite in camden blew away the 2nd nite?

that stagger lee killed me, the 2nd nite. definetly thought the 2nd nite was very solid, but sat was by far the best show i saw since 2003.

nice post pete, but didnt you think the 1st nite in camden blew away the 2nd nite?

that stagger lee killed me, the 2nd nite. definetly thought the 2nd nite was very solid, but sat was by far the best show i saw since 2003.

Maybe not the best show of the tour but I want to give darian lake some love. It was THE dark star show of the tour. Three times they explored it. Also kick ass versions of jack straw, truckin, sugaree, 8 miles high and a great help slip pocky fire to end the first set and then ripple to close. Also a nice acoustic blackbird with bobby and Warren.

hey zeus, I saw charlotte as pretty bad show man, guess you saw something i didnt but this show was 7th on my list.

hell in a bucket is not a post D/S song...the encores have sucked all tour too. Atlanta was a little better but it wasnt so good either...

none of the last few shows touched spac or boston 1st night.

one comment on Atlanta, killer Dew, crappy Touch, killer Shine On, crappy old Althea,
this is how I saw most of the tour, many many valleys, and few peaks, better than phish though.

still love em tho!
NYE NYC, never, never, never in BOSTON please hell no the cops suck in beantown, just ask that guy that got moshed and maced 1st night tweeter.

I only saw Blossom, and I don't eat, sleep, and drink their music (as much anymore) ,but that show revived my obsessive interest in the Dead and cushioned the fact that Phish was disbanding. Props to the remaining members, especially Phil who in my mind holds the pieces together as they continue to refine the wall of sound. Any news of a fall tour???

> killer Shine On, crappy old Althea

dude those were in Charlotte

I concur w/ Zeus, up through Rubin Set 2 was a rager, yeah the songs outta D>S kinda too the air outta the sails, tho I can handle the Bucket closer, ya gotta love the symmetry of bookend "Buckets hanging clear to hell" with the St. Stephen opener, most prankish Phil ;)

was thinking what would have been better instead of West LA out of space, Born Cross Eyed would have been MONSTROUS. Ah well, still a great show for this happy camper.

>>>I only saw Blossom

Blossom was a great show. There was no deep spacey jams, but the show was an overall very tightly played show. Listening to it right now. China Doll>Playin Reprise and Tom Thumbs>Brokedown are great!

Yes Damon...7/28....great show...much better than 7/27.

oh yeah, the crappy shows @ the end of tour are merging

raleigh was best of that stretch

but u are right sorry that was charlotte ooooops
DOH!

how about a frickin wharf rat out of space?

>>how about a frickin wharf rat out of space?

Personally, I could do without the Bobby Wharf Rats.

yo a.p. -
Warren sang wharf rat, not bobby.

maybe this should be a new thread, but in listening to the 6/16 Red Rocks show again, I hear riffing on Eleanor Rigby very clearly coming out of No More Do I, starting around 7:30. And then later in the set, they played After Midnight. I'm not aware of the band ever actually playing ER, or jamming the two songs together as JGB did on occasion. I've assumed that Warren was playing it, but if anyone could confirm it, I'd appreciate it. BTW, my favorites from the tour were RedRocks, 6/22-Phoenix, 7/3-gorge and the 8/1 SPAC show. I haven't heard the Marysville or the Boise shows - I might have to!

Only saw 5 shows this tour, but out of those 5:

SPAC was AWESOME!
1st night Boston was also outstanding! (Except the pigs...they suck big time in Mass!)

And some lovin for Darien...good show at a fun venue.

I just came to the realization that, @ the 2nd PNC show when Joan came out, if they'd only done "Caution: Do Not Stop On Tracks" with Joan and Warren trading vocal improv's (like Pig and Janis on 7/16/70) then I woulda got right up on stage and given Joan head for the rest of the show, pregnant and/or fat!

>>yo a.p. -
Warren sang wharf rat, not bobby.

I heard Bobby sang it in Salt Lake.

right on fred i agree and i saw 8

I saw three shows live and have listened to a dozen more shows on cd-r and without a doubt the St. Louis show on July 23rd is the best!!! From the soundcheck "Keep on Growin'" which I heard in the parking lot, to the encore Ripple, the St. Louis show is heads & tails above all other shows!!!

"Thank you for being such an enthusiastic audience!!!" Phil Lesh @ the St. Louis show.

Well I don't think it was the best overall, Nissan had the best 1st set.

I saw six shows and this is how I rank them.

1. Holmdel 2nd nite
2. Camden 2nd nite
3. Bristow
4. Camden 1st nite
5. Holmdel 1st nite
6. Scranton.

This factors the setlist and the quality of the band that nite.If you wanna base the show on the scene then Camden,Camden,Camden!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bristow was great but by the time we got to the show we had already heard all but maybe 3 songs that they played there. The camden energy was great and holmdel was just plain fun. Scranton and Bristow were just crawling with authorities and thye scene was really uptight. The rain did not help in scranton.Lightning was great in Holmdel.I thought the east coast leg was great but don't have any post Jerry west coast shows to compare it to.

spac was the show---awsome venue---great tunes---grest people---set list of the six i went to was nissan---cops were out of hand though----

st. louis awwwww yeaaahhhhh!!!! ya'll all need to get a copy of this great show...from shakedown which we heard pullin up to the show to the Ripple encore..... dr. mr fantasy for brent, and the eyes---> he's gonewowo oii oii !!! and the viola lee sammich was the shhhhhittttt!!! peacelove guineas!!

Only saw 7 shows this tour. 5 Red Rocks and both Camdens. Marysville setlist looks very good and the reviews are excellent, but I haven't heard it. My friend was at Boise and we usually like the same shows, but again I haven't heard it. It looks great to me as well. So of the shows I have seen the best two are:

1) Camden Saturday
2) Red Rocks Saturday

I thought the Camden first night was a very good first set with a great Alligator and Smokestack. The second set was fantastic and sounds it on disc as well. Jazzy improv and strong setlist (I love Viola). Second night had a great opener as well SOTOTW->Bertha->New Speedway. I also enjoyed Mason's Children, always have. Second set had a nice Stranger, Eyes, cold Rain and hard to Handle, but the energy wasn't as good for me as night one. Post drums was not nearly as good. I actually like NOATS - something about the imagrey of the topaz moon and swimming naked in the resevoir reminds me of growing up. I also like the sweet piaon notes by Jeff. After Midnight was upbeat.
Red Rocks is now my hometown venue. Overall a bit uneven, but with some very high points. 6/15 first set was fun. Shakedown good, but drifted, MMilestones gave them a chance to groove. Duprees was botched. The highlight was New Potato->Eight Miles High-> She Said. I turned to my friend (who was at boise) and said "this is going to be good run". He nodded. Into The mystic. West LA Fadeaway was made good by Jeff playing his solo on the floor after his equipment collapsed- listen to the crowd go crazy. Pride of Cucamonga breakout, Strange World ok, Days Between (Joand blows Warren away on this song - listen tyo last years Red Rocks version.
6/16 nice opening, but uneven first set - Hlaf Step, Alligator, After Midnight. Second set with CORTEZ - if you haven't heard it, go to the music download site on deadnet and check it out. Post drums with a great Death Don't->Golden Road->LSD->Midnight Hour E: GDTRFB->We Bid You Goodnight. That was good!!
6/18 - best first set of the shows i saw. cloulds all through the rocks, light rain, Candace bouncing the lights off the clouds, rocks, tress - whooaa! Very trippy and mystical. Music->HCS->Cumberland->TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS wow. Cosmic Charlie->Eyes great set. Second set was a lot of rain, and boy was it cold. Only highlight, besides getting out of the rain, was the thunder and lightning on cue during Estimated and almost on cue for the wheel.
6/20 was very disjointed for me. Good songs with big lulls. Love Supreme->Truckin->Smokestack, Passenger, Till The Morning Comes, Come Together, Strawberry Fields, Viola Lee, China Doll and a very nice China->Rider to close (I was actually a little disappointed as they already played this on 6/15, but much better on 6/20).
6/19 was the best Red Rocks for me. The first set was really rockin from Alabama getaway to a really good version of hey Pockey Way. Cassidy is also available for free download and the only Operator of the tour. Second set with a long Queen Jane and All that We are, but the meat of this show is WRS Prelude->Part I->Let It Grow->ds->Comes A Time->Unbroken->Terrapin->Rueben->Sugar Mag. All well done. Warren really nails Comes A Time. Sugar Mag instead of OMSN (a One Less Saturday Night show). ANd if you edit drums and some of space you can fit that all on one 80 minute disc. Thats a good disc.

Only two complaints - I didn't get either Easy Wind or Doin' That Rag. Both of which were on my must see list. Come to think of it I din't see Born Cross Eyed, St Stephen, William Tell, The Eleven, Dark Star, HelpSlipFrank, Lazy Lightning, High Time or Cryptical. Oh well.


I had fun at every show. best first set 6/18, Best second set 8/7 with 6/19 number two. Bset overall 8/7. Thats my take anyway

Every Show touched me in a differnt way. I really love this band and the lineup . Thanks for a great year and cant wait till the 40th Anniversary tour.