First off...I'd like to say thank you P&F for the AMAZING performances I saw at Raleigh and Charlotte!!!!! ABB - they rock too! First time seeing Derek play and watching his style blows me the f*** away!!!!
Now - as for this board...what is going on with all of you!! I respect your concert reviews...but all of this bashing people, cops, and tapers.....for God's sake - we are all in this together! Practice what we all preach!!
It's simple...there are anywhere from 15,000 - 25,000 people at these shows. We will all run into our "bad neighbors" and non-interested concert goers. This is a free world. The last time I checked all you had to do is buy a ticket and you you were in the show! I KNOW it's annoying and it pisses me off too, but I deal it or move.
Second - the cops are doing thier jobs! Lay off them! We want a peaceful scene...well they do too! Most of us have seen enough shows to know what the cops expect of us. Just do it!!! Be very discreet, "read" the scene, and respect what they tell ya! They say leave...do it! They don't want to be there till 5am just because we are tripping and not wanting our phun to end. Remember - we give ourselves a bad name...not the cops! Think before you do!! A wrong decision can reflect on our community!!!
I hope everyone understands where I'm coming from. This is not intended to be negative...only some constructive critisism!!
Again - let's work together to develop the scene we all know and love!!
Have a GRATEFUL DAY!!!!!

I just want to agree on the WOW!!! Phil and his boys kicked down a phat show last night and I couldn't have been more pleased with the song selection. The crowd didn't bother me like it did some people. I caught a very good vibe last night, like I always do when i'm in Phil's presence. Yes there will always be the kids there, sucking out their brains with N2O. Despite that, capitalism looked as though it was thriving like ever. The Dear Mr. Fantasy opener was sweet and followed by a phat brown-eyed women. The whole place was singing and dancing to this one and everytime Phil sang the last verse it made the whole place cheer. I loved it. The Unbroken Chain was awesome. I saw the Dead do this in Charlotte in 95 and it was great. Last night I felt that song peirce my soul, it was beautiful. While i'm speaking of beautiful, that Stella Blue had my in tears, (thinking of Jerry on the Grateful Dead Movie @ the Winterland). The St. Stephen>Eleven>St. Stephen, Golden Road E: Patchwork Quilt, Blue Sky was a great ending to a great day. Phil kicked down on 4/20/01 in Charlotte and it is hard to compare, but they were both great shows and I hope that Phil comes back again real soon. Lots of love here for Phil and the boys. Stay Grateful, Smile on your brother and try to love one another, good music, good vibes, and peace to everyone. TE42075@aol.com

Trevor - the song selection couldn't have been ANY better! I don't think the Dead could've pulled that off!!!! I was at the 4/20 show also! I think the only reason it was a better show was because Phil was there for 2 sets, not just one!
YES.....that Stella was just incredible...tears streaming down my face too! And that Golden Road!!!! SOOO right on!
Ahhhhh - when we going on tour?????

I second that WOW!!!! My first Phil show & I was stunned. I have been listening to the sbd releases and always enjoyed them but these guys have gotten so so tight. The communication going on between them is incredible. This is absolutely the best act on the road now. I hope they continue to keep this group of Friends together for the long haul and continue to take us to higher levels.
While the intial pairing of ABB PAF is what sprurred me to get off my backside & head south I would have enjoyed 2 sets. Don't get me wrong the Allman's sound better than they ever have (thanks to Warren & Derek). The blew me off the lawn in Raleigh. It's just that in a huge insert corporate name pavilion/amphitheater the daytime band always kind of gets screwed playing to empty seats and thousands of squinting people from the lawn trying to make out the small figures on the stage. They may be playing there asses off (and they were) but it's not quite the same. There are a bunch other things that must make this particular mini tour a logistical nightmare and hard for the musicians to adjust to.
A two set show by either band would probably be a whole hell of a lot better.
A couple of other observations---
Warren Haynes continues to a amaze me in Gov't Mule, PAF, ABB, solo or guesting with anybody. He is a top notch musician who can sing or play any song, a fantastic songwriter who more and more reminds me of another big burly guitar player we all know & loved.
The lot & scene----- same as always anywhere you go and it will continue to stay the same. Just do your thing, be kind and enjoy the music, it's the most important thing.
That said I thank you Phil, I am officially hooked and will be hop skipping my way to FALL TOUR.
See you out there in the great wide open.

Charlotte has twice over treated me WAY righteously now: 4:20 & once again this summer. Phil couldn't have chosen a better place for his final closing set city...

Kind & beautiful folks abounded, inside and out. Unfortunately I did hear of yet another *Parking Lot Melee* like the one I came far too close to: in I think wherever was before Charlotte.

But the cops were the ones to help, calm, bring about peace & resolution while STILL at the SAME time, treating all parties like HUMAN PERSONS. In the case I personally saw, the "Russo's Kitchen incident" was a horrific site of young heads banding together to physically brutally bloodily beat this dude. AND destroy his vehicle. Literally. And no, I did not see or hear what happened to cause all of it. Just saw the hideous site of innocent vending kids fleeing with their coolers, tie dyes, & hemp jewelry, then the brutal aftermath.

I used to strongly believe in self-policing. That somehow our "community" would see us through. I don't want to blame the age of these people, or the potential drugs they may or may not have been on. Frankly I personally find this development is horrifying.

The last night of tour I saw my sweet WV Mtn Mamma Kate, in tears over that night's particular incident, where her sweet (I think 2 year-old) angel Isaac was right nearby. If Isaac had been in the line of the "Russo Incident" he literally could have been killed.

There was awesome love and kindness, especially from some of those MOST Dreddie of tour kids (as in most especially one of Muadib's friends who is truly the most kind and caring person I have the priviledge to know) who do understand the scene is about mutual flow of love, energy, ideas, AND material possessions. And I love being a part of that world: feel ridiculously *at home*. Beats the mofo hell outta what we got going in *society* at large.

I guess the moral to my babbling is I am torn between loving what we have and wanting to try to fix the things I see wrong: do I just say *fuck it* and go on as a happy, blind tourist, or do I really get in there and care to improve things my own damn self??? Shit, I can't even get one damn fence built...

I Love You All~