I guess I'll start this one...hometownish show...a lot to live up to from last year, but they'll do it, because they always do. Katie knows our exact seats, but we're in the 600s about 10 rows back from the board.

a quick note about the inside venue workers...red, white or greenish shirts...will act according to the way you do...be cool, and so will they...conversely, be a jerk, and they might reflect that back upon you. Security in the gray shirts is a little flexible, but don't push too far.

Hope to see some of you all there...make sure to come in early for Robert Hunter. =)

Agreed, it should be a very cool show. It will be so neat to see Hunter in this setting, stalking the stage from side-to side like a wounded beast... He doesn't usually like the barns, so we owe him a nice visit.. I guess Phil has promised him 70 minutes to weave his web. Last year was lightning in a bottle, here's hoping for a second strike... Section 100, Row 7, right in front of Warren.. smile, smile, smile..

Dave

Here's a long shot >>> I'm looking to get better seats. I did MO first day and got section 600...which is directly behind the SBD and I think in the taper's section.

Anyone have any extras they will sell or trade? I have lots of shows to offer up as extras. I live 10 mins outside of Hartford so meeting up is no problem.

THANKS!
Dave Huck
Volcom123@hotmail.com

David...the tapers section is not in the 600s...its behind the 600s on the lawn...you don't have to worry...in fact, from what I hear, there's quite a few zoners in the 600s section, so keep your eyes open.

Holy COW! here it is saturday night, as i am watching the days roll on by getting closer and closer to P&F...if any one is interested in setting up a drum circle, i'll have my jembe in the lot i believe. i look forward to seeing you all there......peace
-chris out in bolton ct-

Four more days...

I have 4 tickets available for Phil in Hartford....Sec 100, Row I (9th row).....will sell for cost incl. TM charges ($45 each)....prefer to sell all 4 or 2 pairs....can meet at the show to deliver tix. Email me if interested.

Jim K

wish i had looked here before getting tickets ;) i'd much rather be sitting in sec 100 than 700. None the less, just happy to be going

Are lawn tix really 18.50 for this show? Me and my wife are thinking about making the drive from Boston, MA...we had fun at Greatwoods!! We don't have tix yet, also how is the lawn?

The lawn price might be $18.50, but that might not include the $4/ticket parking fee plus any service charges. They also usually add a couple bucks to the price the day of the show, even at the box office. P&F is still worth the price though

The lawn is wicked STEEP

if you have a 12 pack in you, my advice is to crawl up it


See you suckas down there.
Pray for Viola.

>>>Pray for Viola.

Well, that would be wicked pissah!

Really, now that we have NO shot at Tons Of Steel, we'll just have to hope to settle for Viola.....


PS: Sorry, I'm in a mischeivous mood today....

if you say you are going to the Expo center, (& there's an event there):

A)parking is free,

&,

B)it's wicked close...

OR!! If you can stand a walk, park in the strip mall just across/down the street. Get there early enough, don't hang in the vehicle, & they never suspect...

see ya there y'all~

PLUS! If the show ends early enuff, I highly recommend a cap off to your evening by means of visitng *VIP*, on Brainerd Rd~a helluva porno store (& I know, used to work there)

Just tell 'em Jilly sent ya~

who's gonna have the flag flying for this?

the best place to park is near the Jai Alai arena...CHA CHING! FREE!

if the cops have the entrance blocked just 4 wheel it over the curb and into the lot..

Expo center lot is free, and the Jai alai lot if open is free...the building was recently bought, and its owners may not want people parking there...but there are plenty of free parking places in the area...dont pay a dime for parking, unless you want to pay to park in the actual gravel lot on the Meadows property.

You don't have to say you're going to the expo center, they basically direct you into that lot, if you pull onto the street that the ampitheatre is on. There's a light with a private parking lot on one side, and a car dealership on the other, depending on what side you're coming from...take the turn on the side of the car dealership...and if that side is full and they have you turn around, go to the other side of the expo center lot and take that road, and there is plenty of free space back there, too.

Lot security will probably be driving around, but for the most part, they'll leave you alone...just look like you're supposed to be doing whatever you are (unless its sucking on a balloon or something), and they'll leave you alone. Inside the show...pretty much the same...just be cool...and no...if you have a lawn seat, you can't go in the pavillion...so I wouldn't bother trying. Don't follow my advice if you don't want to, but don't complain if you get down the aisle, and a venue employee makes you go back to the lawn...and most of the folks not on the lawn gates recognize people...I've seen plenty of people tossed out the front gate for repeatedly trying to sneak down.

I'd love a Viola...but, even though we've had one in both of the last CT shows...I'd love a St. Stephen...and since Hunter is around...toss in the extra ending verse just for a little fun. Maybe another Terrapin to make up for the botch in the last one...I can't really call anything, they seem to be really mixing things up...I can only say that it looks like Lay Of The Sunflower hasnt been played much.

Also...check out the Gov't Mule van in the lot area before the show...Warren has been sighted at the van in several venues, and you can preorder Deep End Vol 2 (comes out in september) and the Rising Low DVD documenting the making of the album, and Allen Woody.

I agree, don't pay for parking, it just isn't worth it. I don't remember where we parked last year (Mark, help me out)...but there were lots of cool folks in the lot and we had our beers without being hassled by anyone. The lot scene was definitely pleasant, no reason to believe it won't be the same this year.

The venue workers are pretty cool, but diligent about keeping lawn ticket holders out of the pavilion. Oh, and you've gotta sign a form to get a wristband to buy a beer (I dunno if that's like that everywhere or not).

So, where are everyone's seats? Mark (aka "Franklins Trane") and I are in section 600, row SS. We're celebrating Mark's 23rd birthday (albeit a day early), so join in the fun!

Bucky and I will be in the Handicapped Lot....just to the right of the main entrance....
4:30 or so....'88 Camry wagon, blue...

Sounds like a plan to me.

Honestly, all nit-picking aside, ANYTHING they do that's any good will be gravy after the last 2 weekends, specifically for me GOTV 7-5 & JB 7-14....

I guarantee a great show because I will not be there. It happened last year and I feel it will happen this year too. Also the band is coming off a 2 day rest.


Have fun all

Katie-dirt lot behind the expo center. thats where we'll probably be this year if we're not in expo center proper.

Blueish green Oldsmobile with save the sound plates...we'll probably be sitting on the back..we'll both probably have the new Zoner shirts on..look for big purple numbers.

As for a great show...it'll be great no matter what...especially if my dream happens and Scott or Mark from Max Creek show up and return the favor of John Molo and sit in. =)

From my experience at this venue, no hassles whatsoever..

Except making sure you have your ID for alcoholic
purchases.

>>>>As for a great show...it'll be great no matter what...especially if my dream happens and Scott or Mark from Max Creek show up and return the favor of John Molo and sit in. =)

Why would that happen when they were at the same venue as P&F two weeks ago (GOTV) & didn't set foot on stage with P&F?
BTW, interesting that Jeff Pevar sat in with Max Creek but didn't with P&F either.

bill Flesh wrote: "we'll both probably have the new Zoner shirts on... look for big purple numbers"

what are those new shirts? did you make 'em? Got any scans of what they look like? I'm stuck in the Midwest so I can 't check them out up front, but I screen print sometimes & I'm considering doing up a shirt or two for August... I'd Love to see what fellow Zonerz are up to...

Tonto
mike55rod@mindspring.com

if anyone wants a Team Phil 2002 *scorecard* (so's you could tell the playas by their #'s) you could drop me a line & I'll be happy to send you out a copy...

love,
jill

p.s.thanks to my beloved leo papa, I got me an H-Cap pass as well, so thass where I'll be parked from Hfd~~>JerryWeather!!!

(see ya there Bucky, Madame B, & Dan, & really nice hangin witcha in JB as well)

AS well as seeing SI, Dr LovePatient, Fritz, & anyone else I am neglecting to mention...

{{{BOSPHAN!!!}}}

Bucky....cause thats when Molo sat in with Creek.

as for the new Zoner shirts...they were done off the zone by a wonderful zoner...theyre gray shirts with dark purple printing on them. Personally, I'm number 826...if you folks in the handicap section see me walk by with number 701 (thats Katie) give us a yell.

Parking in Hartford:

Well, I went last year, and it was my experience that you didn't really have a lot of choice as to which lot you parked in. They sorta herded everybody from the highway to whatever lot they were filling at that time. When it filled up, they'd block it off and start filling up another one. But from what I saw, it was free at all of 'em. I didn't pay for parking. I parked in the dirt lot behind the Expo center for Phil last year, and at the Expo center itself for the ABB later that summer, and it was free both times.

Don

I'll be there, probably not much before, hope to see some of you, sec 200 if nothing else.

P&F DIDNT PLAY VIOLA IN HARTFORD

Shit!
we MISSED THE SHOW!

if anyone is looking for tickets....tickets.com is still showing availablity in the mid to upper areas of the 400s, 500s, and 700s...and I'm sure there are plenty of lawn seats left....pavillion sold out day of show last year, so if you want seats, I'd get em today.

Last year was a Saturday & ' Phil Lesh & Friends with Ratdog featuring Bob Weir' commercials playing Sugar Mag in the background were bombarding the airwaves for months.
This year, they've been giving away tickets for a LOOOOOONG time already.
I'd be surprised to see over 10,000 myself.


>>>>(see ya there Bucky, Madame B, & Dan, & really nice hangin witcha in JB as well)

You guys made a quick exit Sunday......
As irritating as we can be complaining, we're about as giddy as you can get after a show like Sunday's.

And, Phil nearly hung out with us, he passed by so close in the bus.

Every time I hate the show, I am with a bunch of bubbly glowing good vibe people that loved every note. Every time I love the show, everyone around me is indifferent at best. This was true after Jones Beach this year, but I was not with Zoners. I was with some of you zoners after last year's Greatwoods show, which I still highly regard (the jam in Terrapin is stupendous), and everyone was indifferent (Stella Blue? - but it was far better than the Jones Beach version a week later, which you guys loved and I hated). Go figure.

Oh, and I have decided to doom this show once and for all by wearing my Team Phil shirt! Folks, it's not a good record: Last year's shirt worn to: Jones Beach, Raleigh, Louisville, Maine, Oakdale. This year's worn to: Toronto.

JB was great.
Well the 2nd set, except Stella.
The first, OK. Great Scarlet > Blues For Allah tease > Fire.

Hey Sideshow, bring me a copy of Sunday...
PLEASE?
I'll make sure it gets quickly & widely distributed......

BTW, If Rob or even Phil himself reads this (they do have 2 days off & might be bored), it's the last show for most of us New Englanders.
We're not above grovelling for another Dark Star & Eleven. If not, a nice long Playin' & a Dancin' (I miss it every time) would hit the spot.

But, please don't forget the Viola.....

How's that for a shameless grovel of a post?

ok, folks...just for fun...if you find me in the lot, I'll have a couple copies of 2 DTB shows with me..2 each of 5/18/02 and 1/20/00. first come, first pick, etc. If nobody ends up wanting em, I'll give em to passersby or something....gray team phil shirt, #826, brown hair, glasses....names Mark.

Come on Phil, Gimme some lovin ! A little over 12 hours and I am off to Hartford for the start of my 3 week vacation from the vacation that I am on right now. Hope to meet some zoners out there. Everyone drive safe and have PHUN I am off to do some packing etc... Peace, Steve (whitey)

VIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAA!

SHAKEDOWN STREET

Bucky, please no playing, I would love Dark Star over that tune...they have been on a roll, either we get a goody or we don't; either way, it will be fun.

Man, im stuck here at work, reading this shit. And i cant believe any of you folks have failed to mention the obvious!

The temperature will exceed 95 today.
Your second set could have a little rumble in it.
help-SLIPKNOT-franklins T-storm extravaganza.

Only an hour and a half till I'm out of work...

>>Last year's shirt worn to: Jones Beach, Raleigh, Louisville, Maine, Oakdale. This year's worn to:

Hey, no defiling *the shirt*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

& Bucky, begging is SOOO unbecoming of a man of yor, uhm, PRIDE

Greg: naah...if thunderstorms happen, or if Phil wants to start em, alls he has to do is nail the intro of TOO, and out they'll come.

im shooting for Viola myself....that song sticks in my mind and ill never forget the time on the way to the dead Albany '90(?), riding up in this dudes 'dead van', he was a dj and had this massive sound system in his van along with the biggest tape collection ever(remember when everything was on Maxell II's) blasting Viola singing along"...gotta keep rolling..." smoking away, we had allready dosed on lighting bolts(anybody remember them...ohhhhh lord!!!!)...we came across these two straight looking high school girls w/a flat....we popped open the doors to the van(Spicolli style of course) jumped out flashed a smile and proceeded to chnage her tire w/out even saying a word...Viola CRANKING in the backround the whole time...jumped back in the van and away to the show..the dude driving picking up the song were he left off..i can still see the look on the girls face...slack jawed...what the fuck just happened.....

hey bill, watch that slipknot though.........
7-7 brought the gods down on us!

Phil TOUR here I come

I'm really thinking Viola > Shakedown > Bertha like 4-29-01.

It all fits into place.....

How about FOUR verses of Viola like the old days?

FOUR!
FOUR!!
FOUR!!!
FOUR!!!!

I just hope I make it through the show before my wife goes into labor!!!!!! If the kids born today we may have to name it VIOLA

Bucky i was thinking ...
viola>shakedown>viola>shaKedown>viola!!

woohoooo

RRRRRRRRROCK A PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPARTY!!!!!!

F**K YEAH, Fritz!!!!
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROCK A PARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTY!
I CAN'T WAIT to get the F**K outta here!
One more hour!
Let the PARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTY commence!

jonas, that was a damn fine story. ya'll have a good time tonight ya hear. sorry though, phil is savin the viola for tomorrow. cheers!

Hey..you're a FUNNY guy there, Damon!
TONIGHT, BABY....TO-NIGHT!

And listen to you KEY!!!!
hardy, har.....har......

I'm witcha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hows the show???????????

hearing rumors from the field....opened with KSM? Wharf Rat in there...Eyes? A couple new tunes....first set was what I was hearing about....but that voicemail came at 10P

(ps best liberty game tonight EVER, one of the best....Phil could play....oh....Attics tonight and I'd be (shuddershudder) fine.....check yr morning paper for the bball recap - BEAT LA!!!)

whats up no live chat????

hey now, it sure would be nice to see a setlist from tonight!!!

1st Set

King Solomon's Marbles
Night Of 1000 Stars
Mason's Children
Welcome To The Underground
Eyes Of The World
...maybe something I forgot...?
Leave Me Out Of This

I think that was all..

Dave

NO setlist?? What's up? Who's representing CT? Don't ya'll know you're up for a jammy!?!

oh yeah..

Eyes
Wharf Rat

I thik that's all..

King Solomon's Marbles
Night Of 1000 Stars
Mason's Children
Welcome To The Underground
Eyes Of The World
Wharf Rat
Leave Me Out Of This

2

**forget**
new potato caboose>
space>
st.stephen>
i am the warlus>
11>
jam(watchtower teases)>
uncle johns>
lovelight

E: brokedown palace

Til the Morning Comes was before New Potato.

thanks Dksdad1 & Philphan1 we'll phil in the blanks later

Oh yeah, Mason's had a Cumberland tease.

well while you guys were gettin your phil fix, i was down in new london doin sound for the one and only self proclaimed prince or porn, john valby.
man, what a riot! this guy is the shit, and he even had a dirty limrick about jerry.... give me till the mornin to remember it...........

sounds like a mixed bag tonight. cant wait to hear all the *objective* reviews!!!!!!

Quickie one-word review: Pissuh! Full details tomorrow as Tour Diary 2002 continues.

Don

Oh yeah, Phil got a plaque from the NYPD tonight for everything he's done for New York since the attack. Thus the "Brokedown Palace" encore. Again, full details tomorrow as Tour Diary 2002 rolls on...

first set started hot(KSM), not too much jamming, but the second set was very good. thank you to GDSTOO, i was in the 3rd row center. after 25 years of touring, and 250 dead shows, possibly the best tix they have ever sent me!

anyone notice the jeff beck "freeway jam" tease in the second set?

overall a good solid phil show.

I sort of remember hearing a Mountain Jam tease, maybe towards the end of St. Stephen. It could have been wishful thinking too, but there were times I heard the space before St. Stephen ready to go into The Other One, if Phil had just dropped the bomb. A side note is that Robert Hunter opened his set with UJB.

First set opens with KSM and I'm thinking here we go again, just like last year in Hartford. The set settled down after that with some uneven moments. Mason's was hot. New stuff was played with a rather straight forward flair.

Second set started out nicely and just kept picking up steam. Beautiful jamming throughout. Absolutely heard the "freeway jam" in the second set.

Overall, another stellar performance by PLQ!!!!

looks like a monster on paper!

i wonder how come the NYPD gave phil a plaque at this show and not at a new york show?

Good point Peggy. I am not sure. One thing is for sure - the guy was so nervous giving Phil the plaque. He tried so hard to say the word "benevolent" he finally said "my union" was presenting him the plaque.

It was a nice moment - the dude got big hugs from Phil and Warren.

absolute monster show...the first set, while heavy on the new album still had a monstrous Eyes Of The World>Wharf Rat. The rest of the set wasnt bad either...but the second set put it to shame...as the space started after new potato, Rob went nuts with a chaos pad or something and right before I turned to Katie to say "uh oh, something freaky is gonna happen here", warren and jimmy went into the twilight zone riff...and then boom, into st. stephen, my third in a row. After the st. stephen, I had no idea what could come, and I didnt care...they were ripping it up...and a Walrus>11>UJB>Lovelight, does not dissapoint...in fact, they almost forgot to finish The Eleven...they went off in a completely different direction and then went "oops..gotta come back and finish that" All in all, a wonderful show...Hunter's set was great, too...I don't remember all of it, but I heard Uncle John's, Dire Wolf, Box Of Rain, and a couple dylan tunes I forget the names of.

Ok Bucky where is the review..
Im sure your sleeping..
But this show looks pretty damn good..
Give me some details bro...

Are you sure they finished the Eleven?? I thought they never did when they finally finished the journey to UJB.

I dunno...I thought they did...not vocally though...there was only that first verse that was sung..the jam definately went back into a theme not unlike the Eleven...so I guess technically they didnt really finish it, but they jammed on it after the fact. That whole part of the second set is a little hazy anyways, cause i was having too good a time.

I am in 100% agreement

Looks like another hot Hartford show that I missed.

I thought they teased Blue Sky out of St. Stephen....didn't hear Mt. Jam. And I also thought I heard a few Cosmic Charlie teases, most noticably before Wharf Rat.

Taper Rob, see you tonight. Yes, it was hot, and I missed the Marbles. Katie Bug and Mark...I was in KK...bummer.

Despite being sick as a dog, had the best time.

I think, but am not positive that that is the same cop who came out and said that Deadheads were the best kind of people at the Beacon in November...I think it was a fireman we sang happy birthday to. Either way...Phil rocks as does the NYPD and the NYFD...

Nice seeing PuckEwe, Bucky and MK, Snoey, Key, Fritzbonics, Bosphan, JMoore, Cryptical and Leda. Spotted some other Zoners having a real good time...

Second Set was just good clean fun. The Lovelight is blow your mind material...

It wasn't so much a Mountain Jam, it was more like St. Stephen ABB style, and the teases were the same chords and riffs as the P&F Blue Sky version.

Those Pocohantas jams were cool as hell, less Middle Eastern stuff going on...Walrus riffs running amok until it reared its heavy little head.

More after I read a setlist somewhere.
Hope everyone got home safe.

JHT and Fritz...words cannot describe. Two of my most favorite shows of all time delivered by two of the greatest people I know. Thanks heaps.

UJB always puts a smile on my face. The award Phil Recieved was well deserved and well appreciated but all the victims on 9/11 such a me and my family. Definitely no dissapointment for those who anticpated alot because of last year. Lot scene was pretty chill, but I did see some undercover walking around with guns and badges, feel bad for whoever ran into them at the wrong time.

Mind Melter. KSM and Mason's Children rocked the first set. Phil showcased his vocals and his unmatched jamming skills with "new potato caboose", the highlight for me. Just another example of why I'll be seeing Phil for years to come. Oddly, the crowd walked out without making a sound. Maybe everyone was as stunned as I. What do you think Corleone? I actually limped out. I made the mistake of wearing Steve Martin's "Cruel Shoes" which left my feet blistered from the early walking around trying to stock the chemical toolbox.

house

Review:


Til The Morning Comes!


The rest was boiler plate.

Next...

loved it but thought it was kind of slow, may be not kinda it was slow...was i the only one to see phil(havent seen this before) motion to the band lets pick it up , waving his hands up and down during eyes of the world, lets just say he didnt have his usual shit eating grin on his face..ive never seen him visably not happy with his band before(even when jerry was lagging way behind he didnt show it).....it didnt take him long to get back into it(please let rob sing eyes though...i love the bass line to much for phil to concentrate on singing)..i think it was just an offnight for john, which i dont think usually happens, and as all musicians know if the drummer is lagging your dead.....of course i still enjoyed myself immensley!!! BEST WARREN SOLO during st stephen, his fingers were working faster than jimmy's(a major accomplishment!)....enjoy the rest of the tour! the bus drove off, and i got off thats when it all ended....

thanks JHT and J.Moore for two great shows...
Had fun at last nigths show....completky off guard when they came out with K.S.M...first set nice...whart rat always nice to here, same with eyes...

til the morning comes...nice to finally see this one and it sounded SaWEEEET.
St stephen and UJB...seems like i always catch them...i guess i cant complain. :-)

Lovelight was rrrrrockin..

Brokedown Palace--->been waiting for this!

was going to do camden but after hearing Brokedown. I will rest my bones on a happy note!

see you all in Alpine
Ill see you very soon Sunshine

I didn't think is was possible to surpass last year's Hartford show. Shit, after what they threw down at Great Woods, I wasn't sure they'd be able to top that. Holy smokes! The last of the New England shows was THE show of the tour (so far). The love flowing through the ether between the audience and the band was palpable. They played with flawless, mindbending precision. King Solomon's Marbles was an unbelievable opener that clued us in on what was about to go down that night, and then first set Mason's, Eyes, Wharf Rat! The night's themes of light and dark, good vs evil were made explicit with Leave Me Out Of This to close the set.

I love how the shows recently have been structured, first set especially: they've been breaking it up into two distinct parts -- three or four song groupings separated by a full stop. Then a long, uninterupted second set saga.

Til The Morning Comes to open (first since the Warfield??) and I could have left happy. But then a perfect execution of the wonderfully complicated New Potato Caboose dropping down into deep space. Rising up with a blistering St. Steven and reaching the surface to release a bubble of fresh air: the BEATLES! Then they're off swimming in deep waters again. We pushed the Dark Star energy back at the band and got rewarded with a crazy Uncle John's Band and an pure spirit Lovelight.

The honor bestowed upon Phil by the NYPD was beautifully offered and received. It made explicitly present all those who have been lost and bathed them with strong love energy. Then it was time for Phil to send us back and welcome us HOME with Brokedown Palace. They did it so sweetly and with such peace. The lights came on to stunned silence. A reverent hush filled the space around us. We had witnessed magic.

Colt, nice review. Much of my sentiments exactly...and the Brokedown is such a New York thing for me...just about every run Phil or Dead ended with a Brokedown...makes me all sentimental.

People talk about either Phil or someone communicating to Phil what is said on this board about the band.

There have been grumblings about how Phil's sets have become more squared off in the traditional late Dead style.

...and then a KSM opener WOW! very nice...so much for 'square' sets...interesting indeed!

THANK YOU PHIL
"THANK YOU!!!!!"

THANK YOU JILL

AND A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO GRAHAM LESH
FOR TOSSING KEYSHAWN AND MYSELF HIS FATHER'S
RED,WHITE,AND BLUE SWEATBANDS AFTER THE SHOW

THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH!!!!

I guess it wasn't Mountain Jam, but I think Warren did throw in the riff (like in Alligator) and I thought to myself that it was coming, maybe not though. Anyway, does anybody have a copy of last year's Hartford show (7/21/01), or how would I go about getting one, as I'm not experienced in taping/trading, etc.? While I'm at it, I'll also ask the same about last year's Pittsburgh show (4/25/01), but I'm more interested in Hartford. Thanks

>>>if anyone wants a Team Phil 2002 *scorecard* (so's you could tell the playas by their #'s) you could drop me a line & I'll be happy
to send you out a copy...

This is also a good way to avoid certain people. (like me)ahahaha ...sorry couldn't resist

Jonas Pond must have been at the wrong show. If that was slow, I hope Phil plays slow every night. Clearly, the band was on fire. Have fun at the eminem show tonight Jonas!

oh man, last night was awesome. lovelight! as for square sets, ujb in the first set at great woods and eyes in the first set at hartford? johnd, i have tapes of last years hartford show, you can email to set up a blanks and postage deal

no i just call it like it is...like i said did anyone see phil egging them on?..clearly we have a difference of opinion....settle down there pal...i thought i sold those tics to you allready you were begging for them.

I don't think it was slow, and I don't think Phil was "egging them on" necessarily. I just think that was him doing his band-leader thing. He didn't look unhappy to me.

Don

Can definitely see a consious effort to keep the song placement from becoming predictable. With the exception of St Stephen, OtherOne Midnight Hour and a couple of the encore tunes, there's no (few) songs that are guaranteed to be in a certain or set. (course they put stephen and golden raod in set one on 12/30/01) And that they've been flip flopping recently shows Phil is paying attention. And toying with us. Cool! Look at Mason's--they'll jam that tune anywhere and everywhere.

Also, first 7 song first set in a long while--with eyes and wharf rat, I'd imagine it was pretty long to begin with. Seems odd to close with Leave Me Out of This...but I guess that "odd" is the point nowadays. Phil's digging it!

Colt--they did Morning Comes to open the 2nd in Phoenix. Rocked--love it in that place, with no preceeding jam.

Love the light vs dark, good/evil observation...but set one had lotta lotta dark and only eyes on the light side.

Did Jimmy shred the beginning of UJB? To me, that tune has turned into his show-piece.

Don, I agree with you. I've seen Phil "orchestrate" the band before. The boys certaintly were on last night. If anyone was having a hard time last night it was Warren. He was sweating so bad and at one time his fan turned off - major tech. difficulty. they eventually got the fan fixed and blowing on the big guy and all was well

Yeah, I could go along with that. Warren still sounded great, but I thought I detected a few technical glitches myself. I was on the lawn, so it was kinda hard to see for myself when the screens weren't right on him.

Kinda weird seeing him sportin' the pony-tail too. When the show first started, and it was still kinda light out, they showed Warren on the screens, and I thought it was Jimmy cuz of that. There were a couple times where he sorta looked like Jerry in profile too, at least on the screens.

Don

Great show last night. It was really nice to meet so many people before the show...it's always neat to put a face with a name. Mark and I found our seats and listened to most of Hunter's set...it was pretty neat, definitely better than the Disco Biscuits at last year's Hartford show.

First set: KSM was a good opener, nice and tight. Night of a 1000 Stars was one of the songs I was really hoping for, and I was thrilled to hear it...basically a short, fairly album-like version. Mason's Children was awesome. Welcome to the Underground seemed to be a convenient bathroom break for a LOT of people, for some reason. I like the song, but did feel like it slowed things down a little too much after the high energy of the first part of the set. Things picked up again with a wonderful Eyes...I thought it was even better than last year's Hartford rendition. I did notice Phil making arm motions to the rest of the band, but their tempo seemed fine and he didn't seem mad, so I'm not sure what was going on with that. Wharf Rat was a first for me, and it was nice, although I really can't comment on it due to a massive headache (stupid me hadn't eaten anything but beer since lunch and my blood sugar level crashed). Ditto with Leave Me Out Of This...no comment, my head was pretty fuzzy. I recharged with some rather expensive nachos during set break and quickly felt fine for the start of the second set.

Til The Morning Comes and New Potato were nice...I'm not overwhelmingly fond of either, but they sounded solid. I got a real kick out of the "Twilight Zone"-esque sound effects going on before they ripped into St. Stephen. St. Stephen is one of my personal favorites to play, and hearing a band of P&F's caliber tear into it is extraordinary. Apparently, the answer to the answer man is "coo coo ka choo", with a quick transition into I am the Walrus. The Eleven is another favorite of mine, and UJB was a great follower. Lovelight just kicked...it had me floored. The plaque presentation was neat. Brokedown Palace was an excellent encore.

Overall, an awesome show...I was actually dancing (!), which says a lot more than anything I could type.

>Til The Morning Comes to open (first since the Warfield??)

They opened the second set in Phoenix with it 5.23.02.

Looked like a good show in Hartford last night.

peace...

Top Notch show - I thought this one was way higher than Great Woods - which was also good, but not this good. The "Walrus" was excellently played, hte audience partipation on the "OOOOOOOOOOHHH" after I am the eggman was very impressive.
The eleven was finished I believe - I remember them singing ",,sink beneath the waters to the coral sands below...."
NPC was nearly flawless - well sung - great harmonies. Lots of little OO teases theorughout the night.
The band was high energy and the crowd was high energy.
Meadows is a great scene - nothing like Great Woods -very mellow and chill. It seemed like Phil was happy to be back there. Phil's bass was Booming all night - big love bombs. Pyrotechnic guitar interplay between Warren and Jimmy was amazing. Barraco was in fine form - Molo slow - I don't think so - the dynamics were shifting a little but all in a groove and really nothing quirky about it.
Warren on Lovelight was calling up the spirit of PigPen. Phenomenal.

>>>>Review:


Til The Morning Comes!


The rest was boiler plate.

Next...

ROTFLMAO - still.......

That's the best one I've heard since sunday's "A hot Dire Wolf can be better than an average Dark Star".

How do you know you've seen too many shows?
When an awesome St Stephen & 11 are just fodder.....

I think Cryp liked the fireworks in the parking lot after the show better. He was staring at them like he wqas hypnotised.......
"Wow! Look at THAT one!"



After the usual pleasantries with the Zoners, we headed in.
Nice to meet the old faces & a few new ones like Jay Moore & Don Corleone. And Fritz with GOTV 7-5 - thanks. I listening to it now & the whistler's there but a 'safe' enough distance to not overwhelm the music.
On 2nd thought (I just heard another whistle), Cryp, how about a little fireworks display straight at this guy next time he whistles?

The show started right up with King Soloman's Marbles/Stronger Than Dirt. I know I'm in for it here, but, this song is just too 'the same' for me. Every version's just like every other version. Jimmy with the lightening quick leads, Warren laying back, with his hair in a ponytail, probably to avoid having it drip onto his hands & guitars due to sweating. It was rather opressively hot in there.....

So anyhow, KSM/STD was a good opener, if you get me - it wasn't a (supposed) 'highlight' in the 2nd set after all.

Right into another rockin' 1000 Stars.

I was just saying to Mrs B that I was expecting a few singular first set type songs giving the opportunity to dry off with a towel between songs when they started a jam which reminded me of the newer (90's) Cassidy, then into another rockin' Mason's Children, played about the same as JB, nice jamming, space in the middle, then out of it into a UJB tease, a bit of Birdsong & a little TOO jam. They went into Welecome to the Underground, not too bad, but nothing special. I did like it better than 1st time at GOTV though.

Another break, then a nice Eyes. Let's face it, Eyes is not one of the tunes P&F goes wild on, but it's a good song & always welcome. This one was one of the better ones I've heard, with each guitarist taking the lead in one of the instrumentals. Then into Wharf Rat, another tune I can enjoy a lot more in the 1st set....
The crowd really dug it & went nuts on the wah-wah part Warren starts at "I'll get up & fly away"....
This was followed by an upbeat jam that seemed to me to be heading into Sittin On Top Of the World, & while Jimmy was putting down some fast leads, Warren was laying down these cool 'spacey' slide sounds.
It wasn't SOTOTW, it was the lead in to 'Leave Me Out Of This'. It was a good rockin' ending, with a very Samson-esque instrumental.

At 75 minutes, it was the longest first set of the 4 shows I saw, & very good.

The 2nd set started with the aforementioned 'Tll the Morning Comes'. Total bubblegum AM music, circa 1970. It's very easy to see why the Dead never played this or if they did a few times, stopped so quickly.
Fortunately for us, the song stopped just as quickly.......
A jam that hinted at Dark Star, the New Potato Caboose, which, like Wharf Rat, sounds similar to DS, so it always seems like they're teasing DS before they start these 2 songs.
A nice jam out (as usual), then leading into a space, & just as I said to Mrs B "Dark Star", they started St Stephen, just like last year.
9 out of my last 11 shows now.....

This was a powerful, intense version, the best I've seen except for the epic Jones Beach 2001 version.
Great instrumental at the end, Warren with the great leads like Jones Beach on Sunday, but they built this one up alot more at the end.
I was hoping Viola next, but no.

A silence of 3-4 seconds, the beginning of......
Lucy In The Sky?
No, it became I Am the Walrus.
I was happy for Pukewedan's friend Jody, who has wanted to hear this song.
And, I must admit I enjoyed it.

They came out with a nice jam, I saw my last chance at Viola slipping away......
Thy sounded like they were doing the beginning of The Other One, then into The Eleven.
This was a great version, lots of double ripped leads, then headed out into UJB.
The best UJB in terms of buildup at the end since '99 when they stopped doing it that way (see 11-10-99), I thought for sure they'd end the show with it, but they jammed out & a minute later, we were at Lovelight, a first for me.
Up & down, in & out the jamming went. A bit of space in the middle of the first instrumental, plus some great vocals & playing at the end. Quite nice.

The cop came out, gave Phil a plaque, a nice mment.
Phil seemed genuinely touched.
Unlike the guy behind us who wouldn't stop yelling for "One more, Phil!"

Don't even get me started on the crowd......
We were next to a guy in the 1st set who could give Ric Flair lessons in how to yell "HOOOOOOOOO". Of course, he only did it as each instrumental took place.......
It was so bad, Mrs B (YES, Mrs B!) made me move in the middle of the first set.
And, at the start of the 2nd, the guy behind us wouldn't stop talking about how great New Potato was. So, we finally ended up in the front row right behind the SBD.

Anyways, back to the encore.
Brokedown.
As Fritz said "A perfect way to know it's time to end the tour for me." Me too.

I would say this was a damn good show, & left very little to be desired - unless you're sick of St Stephen & The Eleven kicking your butt.
Sorry, I sat through enough Truckin > Peter > Around & Around's hoping for TOO > Wharf Rat > Sugar Mag to complain about this setlist......

All told, I saw 3 very good ones, including the Sunday show which I think was as good any show I've seen, two really nice shows (7-5 & 7-18), & one decent but hardly exceptional show (7-6). That was alot more than I expected going in considering what I saw last Fall......

Peace, & enjoy if you're going, Bucky

i can igree w/lots of comments, just what i saw...orchestrating? i thought it was more like lets go here boys....buts that what its all about, the music and your personal reaction to it... i was digging the spaceyness also, thought for minute about them bringing back drums/space...believe me the last two shows i saw were f* awesome and some would probably say they were par....Barraco was definatley into it heavy all night, he seems to enjoy playing these songs the most

Dewitt: yeah, sorry we missed you...me and Katie checked the rows ahead of us a few times, but we didn't see you...we met up with a bunch of folks at the van in the lot, though...thanks to the new zoner shirts...hehe...we're walking in and I hear somebody shout "TEAM PHIL!" and I look over and there's the white van full o folks. We managed to come across 4 lawn seats from Katie's dad's workplace, and we made four folks very happy.

Awesome show, though...I cant even say enough about it...holy cow...I've never seen a show with that much energy coming off the stage.

>>>How do you know you've seen too many shows?
When an awesome St Stephen & 11 are just fodder.....

Ouch...my feeling exactly after seeing St. Stephen>Eyes>11>Golden Road on 6/28/02.
Is it us or is it them? Phil plays a lot of St. Stephens. It's still good stuff.

The most huge moments tend to evolve during transitions and outside of any given song lately. Improvised planned jams have been great this year.

Tour Diary 2002: Hartford (pt1)

When we last left our intrepid protagonist, he'd just gotten done with Jones Beach and was spending a much-needed few days off to let the ringing in his ears subside. We take you now to the ongoing saga that is Tour Diary 2002...

Jones Beach had been a cosmic event, so despite being pitifully destitute, the siren song of Phil and Friends was too much for me to resist, especially when the venue's only a short, half-hour jaunt from home. This outing was going to be different than Jones Beach. No limo, no kickass seat, no booze, very little money... A shoestring budget for what CAN be a very dollar-intensive hobby. It would take all my finely-honed touring skills to be able to make the most out of the night, but I knew Phil wouldn’t disappoint, so I figured it'd be a helluva night out, even in a worst-case scenario.

Day started out fairly early, with me rolling into the parking lot around quarter to 4. Rob Hunter's scheduled to go on at 6:30. I'd like to catch Hunter if time allowed, but having not found any quantity of doses at Jones Beach, I was forced to get there early and go "on the clock" so to speak. Business before pleasure and all that. The day is a scorcher. Blasting heat, as apparently the sun's switched to microwaves recently. ;) Humidity's brutal too. And me wearing my BLACK Simpsons/Sopranos T-shirt. A poor color choice, to be sure, but it was SUPPOSED to be cloudy, and the Simpsons T's are always a big hit with the P&F crowd. And this one, with the Simpsons posed in a mock-Sopranos poster, is a particularly cool shirt.

Parking at the Meadows is very accommodating. They have a premier lot for $15, and all the other ones are free, the furthest being no more than a 5-10 minute walk from the gate, tops. I get parked and setup, go get my ticket from the box office (the show's not even CLOSE to sold out), then hit the lot scene running. I've still got one of the hits of X I bought at Jones left over, but as I said before, I'm not a big fan, and it wouldn't be enough for a whole show, even if I was, so I've got my heart set on tracking down some of the unperforated "fluff" doses I've heard are floating around. Or some mushrooms at least.

I hit the lot behind the Jai-alai building, which has become the unofficial drug den for the Meadows. That's where everybody congregates and tries to look inconspicuous. I start doing laps up and down the rows... I pass one guy and hear him say, "Who needs some hash?" This gets my attention. I always love the kind hash when I can get it, so of course, I move in to investigate. "Yeah, man, you got hash?" To which he replies, "Yeah man... Wait... Socks and shoes. I got nothing for you man" and walks away?!?!? He's apparently thinking I'm a cop because I'm wearing sneakers and socks instead of the "approved hippie uniform" Birks that he seems partial to. I'm blown away by this, since half the lot is wearing sneakers and socks, two dozen people in our immediate area easily, but he refuses to talk to me anymore. I take out my wallet and show him the dozen or so tickets stubs I've got in there from recent tours, including a couple stubs from Charlotte and Atlanta. "C'mon, man, how many cops are gonna have ticket stubs from Charlotte and Atlanta..." He seems to relax a little at this and asks to see my ID. I show him my license. Turns out he's from the same town I am. Paranoid little fucker lives a half-mile from my house! He's still not admitting to having any though. He's changed his story to, "Well, to be honest, I was sellin' some for a friend, but I'd have to go find him to get it and it'd be a big hassle, etc..." I get the distinct impression that while he's not as paranoid about me as he was, he's still giving me a line of bullshit to get me to go away, just to play it safe. I can sorta understand. I do look a little clean-cut overall, but that's by design. Guards tend to leave you alone if you don't "look the part" so to speak. Still, kid's obviously an amateur... Oh well, guess it just wasn't meant to be.

I wind up running into my "associate" from the Jones Beach show, the guy I had miracled with the X. I stopped to say hello, but I don't think he recognized me. No problem. I know how it is when you go to a lot of shows. You see a LOT of faces. Besides, I hooked him up to make myself feel good, not for recognition, so it's no big deal. I saw him again later bitching out some kid, "Don't go telling people I sell fake acid, mother-fucker! If you got a bad dose from me, it wasn't on purpose, I might have sold it without trying 'em first." Thought it might actually come to blows for a minute there. A guy like this can't have people sullying his "professional reputation" after all...

I leave him, and start trolling again... All around me there's people saying, "X...Molly...K..." But no offers of anything that didn't come from last weekend's subway tunnel rave-scene. Personally, I think it's an ugly trend. X, even the good stuff, raises your body temperature a lot. Most people you read about dropping dead from it do so because they dance all night without taking a break, then they overheat and die. Well, in a show in 95 degree weather, that's definitely not the right kinda buzz. And K is even worse. Basically it's the bastard cousin of PCP. Same kind of dissociative semi-hallucinatory tranquilizer stuff. Man, I don't want any part of a drug that comes from a vet's office. (It's a cat tranquilizer) I hope this is just an isolated incident, and not a sign of the way tour's becoming as a whole, cuz if it continues like that, you're gonna start seeing a lot more stories about ambulances and overdoses at Phil shows in the future. Call me old-fashioned, but I'll take a hit of the kind liquid or some shrooms over something some glue-sniffing problem-child cooked up in his parent's basement outa drain-cleaner and laundry detergent every time. Again, the amateurs are takin' over...

Tour Diary 2002: Hartford (pt2)

So, I continue the search for the next hour. Bleak. No "happy chemicals" at all, just a bunch of that rave junk. Plenty of kind bud going around though. I look at an eighth but it's $50 and I'm on a tight budget, so I have to pass. A shame, cuz I can smell it right through the plastic as soon as he takes it out of his pocket. As much as I'd love some kind-bud, I figure the doses are my highest priority. The friend I'm meeting is likely to have some bud, and if not, there's always a few kind souls inside willing to let a joneser mooch a hit or two here and there.

By now, it's nearly 5, and I'm supposed to be meeting a couple friends at Will Call around then. I head on over to make the hook-up. As I suspected, he's got a couple bowls stashed away for us... Not the kind, but adequate to our needs. He's on a fairly limited budget too, but he's also a total professional, so we both head back over to the "Little Amsterdam" lot to continue scouring. Again, tons and tons of X, K, Molly, but no doses, no shrooms... Starting to get a little discouraging. Kinda hard to stay focused too, cuz once again Hartford has apparently been invaded by an occupying army of teen-aged super-models, just like last year. The benefits of having 20 or so colleges within an hour of Hartford I suppose. No complaints here. Nothing like a horde of half-naked hotties to help brighten up the scenery.

So, we're well into hour two of our search. We pass another kid who's selling hash. I ask to take a look at it. Doesn't look too good. Doesn't smell like hash, and doesn't have that black, clay look to it. Looks more like a small piece of fine-grained particle board. "Hey man, does this look legit to you?" My friend looks it over and comes to the same conclusion I do. Garbage. I thank the kid anyway, but tell him I'll pass.

We continue our search, occasionally pausing to check out the warez of the various vendors in attendance. Shirts and pipes and bongs abound. There's even a few tables setup with people mixing drinks. I mean, full bars... Needless to say, they didn't wont for customers, though I don't know how anybody can pound hard liquor in blazing heat. Man, that's just askin' for trouble. Personally, I stick to water or Gatorade in the summer when the sun's out, then maybe throw back a couple cocktails later once it gets dark. And this is downtown Hartford, so I don’t really wanna get too liquored up when I gotta drive home later anyway. Moderation, as I've said before... ;)

Then it finally happened. Partway through our 20th lap, a whispered, "'Cid!" As I said, me and my friend are total professionals, so we don't miss much. If a mouse whispered it from the other side of the lot, we'd be right there. I approach the kid, "Man, I have been lookin' for YOU all day!" He looks a bit confused, clearly he's been celebrating a bit himself already, but he rolls with it. "You got doses man? What kind?" He says, "The fluffy white ones." Score! I'd done my homework and knew that the "fluff" that was floating around was good. They were the same ones my friend had scored at Great Woods that we took at Jones Beach. I say, "Let's go over behind these cars so we're not so obvious." We walk over... Well, me and my friend walk. Our friendly neighborhood salesman stumbles over. He's carrying what turns out to be a 2-liter bottle of rum and coke that's easily 3/4 empty already. As I say, me and my friends like to stock up for the off-season, so we ask what he's got. "I got 10 for 50" he says. Seems fair to me. A little pricey, but cheaper than the $10/ea I heard the pyramids were selling for. And like I say, there were NO other options for doses here. We give him the $50 and he fishes the foil out of his pocket, falling over a couple times in the process. This guy's clearly feeling no pain. I unwrap the thing and there's only one strip when I expected two, so we haggle with the guy a bit and eventually talk him down to $25, cuz it looked more like 5 than 10 to me. (Course after looking at it closer later, it was a FAT 5, so maybe he actually thought it was 10. It was more than 5, but definitely less than 10, lets put it that way.) So, mission accomplished! Took a couple miles worth of trudging through the lot, in furnace-hot weather, but we got the job done!

Time to relax. We start heading back toward the gate/will-call area. On the way, we pass a guy... "Opium!" Well, reaaaaaaallly? Again, this gets my attention. I haven't had much luck buying opium at shows in the past, but I managed to get some real (though weak) opium here last year, so we decide to give it a look-see. He's got a half-dozen baggies tied off in grams. Looks the right color... Feels about the right consistency... Sure smells like opium... But I've bought some fairly convincing soapium at Dead shows in the past that turned out to be bunk, so I'm very careful when I scrutinize this sort of stuff these days. I tell him, "Do you have one that's untied so I can take a look at it?" At this point, I half-expected him to tell me he didn't and he didn't wanna open one up cuz it was a hassle or whatever... Typical song and dance that any scam-artist would give you. But that wasn't the case. "Sure man, I can untie one. No problem." So at this point, I'm starting to think it's legit. Take a good hard look at it up close. Black and sticky... Check... Floral smell... Check... Looks good, so I pick up a gram for $20. I still half expect it to be crap, even if it's real, so I don't bother buying more. I'm on a budget anyway, and I'd be pissed to blow all my dough for garbage.

Tour Diary 2002: Hartford (pt3)

Now, I do feel a little strange buying it, cuz I know damned well it comes straight from some Taliban poppy field somewhere, but honestly, I don't really think that my $20 once a year is doing much to prop up Al-Qeda as an organization, so I don’t have that much trouble rationalizing it. And besides, if it's legit... Hoo-boy! In addition to being a nice little buzz of it's own, it's a great safety-net when you're tripping. Nothing cures a bad trip faster than some good opium. That's advice that came from Ken Kesey himself when I saw him speak at my college a bunch of years ago, so you can pretty much accept that as gospel. If anybody would know, Ken would.

Now that we've gotten business out of the way, we can relax and socialize a bit. We head on over to the handicapped lot by the gate to see if any of the Philzone crowd is gonna be there. No CDead guys in attendance that I met, but I knew a bunch of the Philzone crowd was gonna be there. Good bunch of people. We hang out and bullshit a bit, talk about Phil shows, have a beer, etc... I recognize a couple of the names in attendance from my first stint at the Philzone website, when I firmly established myself as the Darth Vader of the Philzone but everybody was cool. No disgruntled Phish-heads in attendance. Anyway, we hang out for a while, then take our leave. Everybody was pretty cool, but as I said, me and my crew are pretty serious mutants so we tend to like to just hang with established psychedelic veterans that we know when we get good and twisted at a show. When you're in the midst of watching the sky split open and hosts of angels in Deadhead tie-dyes come pouring out, it can make small-talk with people you don't know that well "complicated". ;) We head back to the Will Call area to meet up with the third member of our party.

The last member of our crew shows up and it's time to head inside. By now, we're sitting on around 6 or 7 doses, a hit of leftover X, a gram of opium, a few bowls of average bud, a joint of the kind bud, and a flask full of vodka. Once again, properly provisioned, and ready for mayhem!

They're announcing over the PA system, "If you have a cell-phone or keys on you, have them OUT with your ticket. No bags allowed. If your bag contains taping equipment and NOTHING else, you can bring that. Each person is allowed to bring one, factory-sealed bottle of water inside only. No pocket knives, mace or anything like that. Put it back in your car if have that with you." Between these repeated announcements and the fact that all the guys letting people in are wearing rubber surgical gloves, I knew that the initial search would be "rigorous". But again, me and the crew are professionals, so we have no worries. We step boldly forward for our pat-down/colonoscopy. I won't elaborate on our hiding techniques. Why give the secrets away in public? The guards may read it here and check next time. Besides, all the other pros out there already know anyway. There was no shortage of dope inside, in spite of the fact that they felt the need to delay us an extra half-hour for a pat-down that accomplished nothing anyway. But whattya gonna do?

We head inside and cop a seat on the lawn. We're ready to kick back for a few minutes. We'd spent the last few hours walking around and around the lots outside, takin' care of business. We've missed Rob Hunter again, but again, tinsel on the tree. Rob's a genius song-writer, but I'm not a huge fan of acoustic music overall, so while it woulda been cool to catch a little of his set, I'm not that pissed I missed it. We kick back and gobble a hit of the fluff a piece. We also break out the pipe and smoke a little of the average weed, to help prime the pump, so to speak. It's about ten of eight, and I figure Phil will probably be going on a few minutes late anyway, since we saw Rob's bus arrive late...

Mercifully, the sun's started going down. It's still warm, but with the sun out of the way, it's not oppressive anymore. Humidity's still considerable, but there's a nice breeze blowing through the venue, so it's not too bad. The boys take the stage and immediately launch into King Solomon's Marbles. Full blast, from a dead stop, no noodling Jam foreplay or anything, just right into the KSM. This is always a favorite of mine. They did it last year in Hartford and at the Beacon this past fall, and it was great both those times. Phil and company doing the tight jazzy thing... KSM is less an improvisational jam as it is an orchestrated one, but it's very impressive in its own right. It's a fairly complicated piece of music, and to be able to keep everybody in the band perfectly in time, totally synched up, while they play something as challenging as that is extremely impressive. They've been playing it here and there lately, but not with anything close to the frequency of St Stephen for example, so when they decide to open a show with a gem like this, you just know you're gonna see something special.

Next came the Night of 1000 Stars. I was a little surprised they played this considering they just played it at Jones Beach, but it was adjusted appropriately. At Jones, it was the encore after a very high-energy show, and they ripped it up as such. Giving it that "final big jam of the night" treatment. Here in Hartford, it still sounded great, but this was definitely a "first set version". The guys do amazing first sets too, of course, but I don’t think it's any secret that they save the real serious jamming for the second set. They've been doing that for a while, and I doubt it's an accident. I think they try not to make the first set too high a mark for fear that the second set won't live up. So they deliberately have their "first set mode" and "second set mode". I could be wrong, but that's generally been my experience over the course of the last 20 or so shows I've seen in the past year. Anyway, they played it very well, as usual. Definitely becoming one of my favorite new tunes.

Tour Diary 2002: Hartford (pt4)

Next comes the Mason's Children, a classic from the hey-day of the Original "Boyz"... Again, another ripper. This is definitely a song that they've got nailed at this point. A rollicking, good time tune that's always sure to crank up the crowd's energy a few notches. Once again, it does not disappoint. P&F never does.

Next came the Welcome to the Underground. This is a new one for me. I'd never seen it before. Seemed like a pretty cool tune. Another one of those songs that showcases Warren's Whiskey and Marlboro voice. Seems like they toss in one or two of those nearly every show. Seems appropriate. Warren's got the best voice in the band. Phil and Rob both sing pretty well too, but Warren is the only one who was born with a good singer's voice.

This leads us to a great Eyes of the World. By now me and the crew are feelin' a little melted from that dose we ate. My friend's got a big smile on his face and is boppin' away. This is a favorite of his from the Grateful Dead days, and P&F do it justice. No surprise. They did a pretty amazing Eyes here last year too.

From the Eyes, it moves into Wharf Rat. Definitely odd to see this one in the first set, but as people have noted already, these guys are definitely into breakin' the rules when it comes to setlists. I was a bit concerned, cuz last year at Jones they played it, and I had to agree with the criticisms of it. While the show as a whole was a raging run-away-freight-train, I thought the Wharf Rat was kinda slow and uninteresting. It was sung well, but there was no jamming really. It was kind of an energy-sink on the set. I've read similar complaints about a couple other times they've played this too. I suspect somebody in the Phil organization probably read 'em too, cuz this one wasn't like that at all. A far more animated and interesting version than the last time out. Nobody can really do the Garcia-style, flowery jams that he used to do during this one, and they don’t try to do it that way. It's for the best. The way they do it now has a definite P&F stamp on it and keeps it from being a half-hearted retread. Overall, I was pretty happy with it, as this was always a favorite from back in the day.

Wrapping up the first set was Leave Me Out of This. Again, another new tune I've never seen before, and again, seems like a pretty cool tune. Kind of an odd choice for a set-closer, I thought, but then again, I thought they were gonna wrap things up after Wharf Rat, so I guess it was a bit of a freebie anyway. Pretty long first set, a solid hour and fifteen by my count, at least.

So, half-time comes and we head out to the concessions area to stretch our legs a bit, hit the restroom, etc... It'd been a good first set. KSM, Mason's, Eyes... Good stuff. Overall a more interesting first set to me than Jones Beach. Jones was great too, but was a bit hampered by having Reid Genauer sitting in. The band never seems to gel as well with guests sitting in. I don't mean to sound like it's Reid's fault necessarily, cuz they had Mickey sitting in for a bunch of the tunes too, but Mickey can blend in on the drums without really impacting the overall sound that much. Trying to squeeze another guitar into P&F is always trickier.

So a quick piss-break and beer-run later and we're headed back in for the second set. It had been a slightly confusing setbreak, given our state of mind, but so far we've managed to keep track of everybody without too much trouble. We make our way back out onto the lawn and grab some turf as we wait for the second set to start. We sit fairly close to one of the big monitors, towards the front of the lawn section, and the sound-quality at the Meadows is pretty good on the lawn. Definitely better than a lot of amphitheaters anyway. While we're waiting we decide to smoke that joint of the kind, to get ready for the second set. It's too dense to draw through, so we break it up and use the bowl. It's amazingly tasty bud. Traditionally, this would be a good time for a booster shot of psychedelics, so we review our options. The other two guys are good. They're both getting off pretty good. I am too. I could do another one, cuz I like to trip hard at these things, but it IS downtown Hartford, it IS a week-night, and I AM going to have to drive home in a couple hours, so I decide to not take any more acid. I DO however, still have that hit of X I got at Jones Beach. I pop that about ten or fifteen minutes before the second set starts. I figure that'll be just about right. I'll get that X buzz for an hour or hour and a half, and be mostly down in time for the drive home later. Besides, I'd rather save the good doses for a future occasion than save this hit of X.

To put it succinctly, I will never buy parking-lot Ecstasy again. What garbage! I mean, there was nothing wrong with it in that it wasn't spiked or poisonous or anything like that, it was just crap. About two milligrams of actual X mixed in with a hundred or so milligrams of ground-up Vivarin. (Thus the brownish color I guess. Yellow vivarin plus an off-white plastic capsule.) Yuck! I had a BIT of an X buzz going, but mostly I felt like I'd eaten a bunch of No-Doz... Wired, slightly nauseous... A very "dirty" buzz. I felt like my nervous system needed a shower afterwards. Oh well, it was an experiment. There's been a ton of "molly" floating around these shows lately, and I figured that if it was that dangerous, then word of bad experiences would've filtered through the touring grapevine by now. It was only the third time I'd tried it. The first two times were from very reliable sources and it was pure and clean. This stuff was total crap and a waste of money. As I said, the amateurs are takin' over. But what the hell? It was worth a shot. It was better than nothing, but not by much.

Tour Diary 2002: Hartford (pt5)

Anyway, the second set starts with Till the Morning Comes. I know the song, but I'd never seen P&F do it. Pretty good. Not a major blow-out jam, but it's not really that kind of song. I thought it made for an interesting, somewhat different set-opener.

Next came one of the big highlights of the show, the New Potato Caboose. Another classic from the old days of the Dead. Again one I don't know all that well. I have a few tapes with it on there, but not nearly as many copies of that as St Stephens and Elevens from that same era. Didn't matter whether or not I knew the words. This one was all about the jam. They threw down a huge ragin' version of this tune, jamming away in classic Fillmore/Avalon Ballroom style. Very, very impressive.

They did a little spacey jamming after that, teasing this and that all over the place. P&F loves to throw little teasers into every show, and you can count on hearing an Other One tease at the very least almost every show. Eventually it gels into St Stephen. Personally, I don't understand how anybody can get sick of seeing P&F do this tune. It's definitely one of their "money" tunes. A guaranteed home-run every time they play it. I mean, it's like saying you're sick of sex. It just doesn't make sense. Anyway, as always, they blow out this eternal crowd-pleaser. Phil and Friends never disappoints with St Stephen.

Next came I Am the Walrus, a tune I hadn't heard since I saw P&F do it on New Year's Eve of 2001. Back then, it was nice, but they pretty much played it faithful to the Beatle's version. No real jamming really, just a nice tight, pseudo-studio version. Well not tonight. This is a sentence I never thought I'd say, but "The Walrus Jammed!!!" Not the biggest jam of the night, but they definitely ripped it up pretty good. Much moreso than I thought you really COULD play Walrus.

Walrus gives way to The Eleven, another "money" tune I could watch 'em play every night. And again, it's another guaranteed home-run every time they play it, so of course it's scorching. Also happens to be my favorite Dead tune from the early days (And I'm sure a lot of other people's as well), so I'm ecstatic to hear it. Once again, they do not disappoint.

Uncle John's was another major jam. High-energy and animated, guitars blazing away... I mean, it was obvious that in this set, the band could do no wrong.

Next came a good Lovelight. This is a tune that I've never really thought anybody but the 60's era Dead could play right. This one was pretty hot nonetheless. Not quite in the same league as the best versions the Dead did back then, but that's a pretty high bar to set, so they can't be blamed for not being THAT insane. Besides, no Pigpen, and Pig was always the star of the best Lovelights. Still, a great version for P&F.

It's getting' to be close to the end of the night, so I decide to break out the opium to help take some of the edge off whatever acid was still working on us. It's been a warm day all around, and it's been in my pocket all night, so it's pretty much a melted mess, sticky and hard to work with. I manage to get some and scrape it off my finger onto the screen in the bowl. There was no way I could roll up any and drop it in. It was way too viscous at that point. I've got the stuff all over my fingers, but I don't mind that much. I love the way opium smells. I mean, it's flower-sap after all, of course it's gonna smell good. There's a reason they make opium-scented incense after all. Anyway, I spark up the bowl and take a couple big hits. I had tried to pack just enough for myself at that moment, cuz opium keeps on burning once you light it. Generally it's more economical to pack each person their own rather than one big one, you don't waste as much. As the sweet, florid smoke filled my lungs, and that familiar taste hit my tongue, I thought to myself, "Damn, sure TASTES pretty good." And it was. ;) Two big hits was enough to convince me that we'd scored the "dank opium" in the parlance of the youngsters... I don't know how to explain the buzz really. It's kind of a body buzz and kind of a head buzz at the same time. It's hard to tell exactly what's doing what at this point, cuz I'm on quite a cocktail of stuff by this point anyway. Regardless, I could tell it was legit. It has an interesting effect on tripping too. I can see why Kesey said it was a good bad-trip cure. It doesn't really make you stop tripping completely, but it does mute it considerably. It knocks a good 70 or 80% of the trip out of you anyway. And it's a very relaxing buzz, physically and mentally, so you feel very loose and comfortable. Anyway, it definitely helped us unwind a bit and prepare for the ride home.

Tour Diary 2002: Hartford (pt6)

At this point, Sgt Wayne Lynch from the NYPD took the stage. He announced who he was and that he was with the NYPD. There was a MOMENT right after that reminded me very much of when the NYPD officer came up to the stage at the Beacon last fall. Basically it was that for a second, you could tell that the crowd didn't quite know whether to boo or cheer. Obviously, most Deadheads' first instinct is not to applaud for the police. But eventually a little clapping started. I mean, this guy's an NYPD officer. They're the good guys. Anyway, he starts his speech, "After 9/11, a lot of people were afraid to come to NYC, but not Phil. Phil came to the Beacon and kicked our asses all week long with some great music. In recognition of everything Phil's done for the city of New York, me and the members of the New York Benev... Bevena... Benevala... (embarassed pause) my Union, we'd like to present you with this award." It was an engraved plaque thanking Phil and everything. Then Phil and Wayne posed together at the mic. Phil had a big ole grin on his face... It was a very cool moment. Some people have asked why they didn't do it at Jones Beach. The only theory I can think of is maybe the plaque wasn't ready in time for Jones. Regardless, I thought it was cool. Phil loves NYC, and NYC loves him back. Nice to know that the band we love is actually APPRECIATED by the law enforcement of at least ONE major city.

Of course this was followed by the donor rap and intros... Brokedown Palace for the encore, which I thought was remarkably appropriate. The WTC was a pair of Brokedown Palaces... Course, it wasn't a PERFECT analogy. "Goin' home, goin' home, by the waterside I will rest my bones..." By the East River? Yeck! You'll get a syringe in your eye! ;) Still a very touching encore, sung beautifully, showing off more of those magical harmonies the band have mastered in recent tours.

Overall, an amazing show. Phil was on fire from beginning to end, as usual. It's like I tell people, seeing a Phil show is like one giant Phil solo and the other guys chime in once in a while with their own solos here and there. But always, there's Phil... The throbbing heartbeat of the band, constantly pounding away on that massive bass of his. The guy's just amazing. What is he now? 61? 62? And he still goes out there and slaps out a funky one night after night, like he's a kid playing back at the Fillmore again. Truly a mind-boggling musician.

So, everybody starts filing out, and once again, it's dead quiet on the way out. I just don't get it. It was another great show, and people were filing out in silence. People weren't even talking amongst themselves. Nothing. I walked into the bathroom to take a quick leak, cuz there's no facilities once you leave the venue, and I went in there clapping loudly and said, "Well, am I wrong? Was that one helluva show or what?" Nothing. No reaction at all. Everybody just kept staring straight ahead at the wall in front of them. No cheering, no agreement to my obviously enthusiastic reaction to the show, just nothing. Maybe it has something to do with all that X and K that was floating around. Maybe everybody was just crashing hard from that stuff and felt kinda shitty. I dunno. I have no idea why nobody would be cheering. Great show, great setlist... But whattya gonna do? Too many kids there, I suppose. Like I say, the amateurs are takin' over.

So me and my friends slowly file out with the herd of humanity making its way to the exit. Now that we've established that the opium is in fact legit, we decide to look for the guy we bought it from and see if we can score some more. The opportunity to score some doesn't present itself that often, at least not in the circles of people I tend to run in. No luck though. We made our way back to where the guy was setup earlier, but he'd split. Oh well. Them's the breaks. Sometimes it works out, sometimes not.

We head back to my friend's truck to hang out and wait for the initial rush of bodies and cars to filter out of the lot. We're all more or less back to sanity by now, but we're still a little high, so having a half-hour or so to chill before driving home was a welcome respite. None of us is all THAT wasted at this point. Oh sure, there's still some patterns all over stuff, and the pupils haven't quite shrunk down to human proportions yet, the fluff hits were pretty good after all, but we're definitely on the downward slide. My friend puts on a Reconstruction disc, which hits the spot nicely. Mellow, jazzy and rippin' all at once. A perfect way to wrap up the night, after the huge expenditure of energy we'd already witnessed. Things got ugly for a little while, because the people we were parked next to came back and put on some kind of Eminem-sounding noise... That almost made us flee to where I was parked, but mercifully, they took that noise and left shortly after they got there.

Not much going on in the lot afterwards. No balloons that I saw, not much post-show partying, but that's pretty typical. The cops there aren't really DICKS, but they ain't gonna let you hang out for TOO long. They give everybody a good hour to leave, then after that, they do the walk-through and start telling everybody "okay, show's over, time to go home". Not obnoxious about it, though. They made it clear that we had to leave, but they were pretty casual about it. I'd say that's typically been my experience whenever I go to the Meadows. VERY thorough pat-down on the way in, but no real security hassles inside or outside and fairly understanding law-enforcement. They do a good job of herding everybody out and directing them to the appropriate highways which are thankfully close to the venue.

Slapped on my copy of P&F from the Beacon, 12-1-01 and listened to the outrageous Viola>Other One>Viola>Sugaree>Viola that I was hoping to see but didn't tonight and slowly made my way home, where another bong or two of opium put me down for the count and a VERY good night's sleep. Home safe and sound with my legal status unchanged yet again. We'd gone to the middle of downtown Hartford, gotten twisted beyond belief on a pharmacy of different controlled substances and made it home safe and sound, able to laugh about it all later, with The Man none the wiser! Mission accomplished yet again. See you next time Phil. Thanks again!!!

Again, not everybody's gonna agree with my review of the show, but this is how it went for me. And I'd like to say that I'm not really trying to advocate or glorify drug use. Perish the thought. Personally, I doubt there's too many people going to shows who could do it the way me and my friends do it without getting themselves into SOME kind of trouble, so it's probably best if most people DON'T try to have this kind of night out on the town. But, I had a blast and I always do, and in the interests of accuracy, I thought I'd do my best to paint just how a show goes down for me and the people I go with. We've gotten pretty good at this sort of thing over the years... ;)

Anyway, that was it for me this tour, so I'll probably fade away again for a while here at the Philzone. Hunter Thompson can get away with writing about this sort of stuff, but then again, he also did ten years or so in prison too... I've enjoyed writing about my touring experiences, and I probably will again, but considering how many laws got bruised along the way, it's probably best if I don’t advertise my presence here TOO prominently. This IS a fairly public forum, after all. And as I've said all along, stealth is the key to getting away with stuff like this.

So, until next time folks, vaya con dios. Look for my next rambling review in the fall for Tour Diary 2002: The Beacon Theater.

Peace all,

Don

here, here. Couldn't have described our experience any more eloquently! Thanx for not mentioning my bone-head manuver with the ticket.


House

Don Corleone:

"NEVER tell anybody outside the family what you're thinking again."


The jam out of New Potato is always great, but it is not in the least like the 60's versions. The jam back then was a big, powerful Other One-ish sounding jam.

Basically, the jam P&F does is much more like the way they do Cryptical as compared to the GD doing it in '69-'70: Nice, very nice indeed, but nowhere near the intensity of the oldies......

Hey "Don" --
Had to get stoned (No. Cali outdoor, hand-trimmed, white widow seed) to read your review. It delivered. Very vivid. Be careful with the opium, that's a narcotic and apparently you've read the history books, but I guess, as you say, you're a "professional." As far as being "stealthy," you've probably said too much already, but let's hope they're not listening.

Agree with what you said about Phil in that nice paragraph. You read a lot of these reviews and it's like Phil is just a given. But take a moment to listen and watch him on that old six-string. He's so animated...so young...and definitely the "throbbing heartbeat" of this band. You see him up there at 62...what he's doing...it's mind-boggling and inspiring. 62 apparently ain't that old.

>>>Not the kind, but adequate to our needs.

With your tastes? Shame on you. Merely a transitory phase, I guess.

>>>Wharf Rat (used to be) slow and uninteresting.

Glad they've speeded it up.

>>>I took a hit of X. What the hell? It was worth a shot. It was better than nothing, but not by much.

You should try a show w/one joint of the kind I just smoked. Half before the first set; the other for the second. Then again, since you're a mutant...

>>>Hartford has apparently been invaded by an occupying army of teen-aged super-models... The benefits of having 20 or so colleges within an hour of Hartford I suppose.

Schools out for summer, bro. Just your typical CT/MASS suburbanites converging on a convenient city.

>>>I don’t really wanna get too liquored up when I gotta drive home later anyway. Moderation, as I've said before.

Take the limo! My insurance rates just went up.

P.S. My own first leg of spring tour top ten is coming. It's basically composed, but since I'm going to Camden, have to see where that fits in. After which I'm packing it in for a while. Thanks to everybody for listening and to the band for art at its finest...

Well, as I said, I'm not REALLY familiar with New Potato from the Dead days. Really I just meant it was a long, rolling, constantly evolving jam while they were playing. A jam reminiscent of how the Dead used to play in general back then, not so much how they used to play New Potato back then. But I could be wrong. My recollections of the show ARE a bit...hazy... ;) A lot of the jams melt together a bit in memory.

As for the kind, obviously I prefer it, but you take what you can get sometimes. We were on a tight budget for this show, so beggar's can't be choosers. Same goes for the limo. That's not a regular occurrence, that's just an occasional perk from a generous benefactor. Nice when we can swing it, but not something that'll make me stay home without it.

And thanks for the warning, but I think I can handle my one gram a year habit... ;) That's the beauty of the opium. It's fairly rare and by the time you think you might be smoking too much of it, you're out anyway. Not a buzz you go for on a regular basis, like pot, cuz like you say it IS a narcotic, but a nice occasional treat when it does show up.

Glad you liked readin' it Georgie. I had fun writing it. Hell, I had fun living it. And if the man tries to drop the hammer, I'll just deny it all... ;) "Just a little flight of fiction officer. None of those heinous crimes REALLY happened..." Besides, there's not a shred of real information about me attached to the "Don Corleone" pen-name, so it'd be hard for anybody to track me down just based on this stuff. Like I said before, I'm a total professional.

Peace,
Don

>>>. My recollections of the show ARE a bit...hazy... ;) A lot of the jams melt together a bit in memory.


I hear ya there.
Like, "When did that space come? Before or after New Potato? Oh yeah, both..."
Or when they tease Dark Star or The Other One 5 times in one night, it does get confusing......

BTW, to me, the style of jamming's much more like 1972-1974 than '68-'71.
But, now I'm splitting hairs - I know what you meant.

Yeah, I could see that I guess, Buck. Well, to be honest, I love all years of the Dead, but I got started late in life, so generally I listen more to the Brent-era and onward than I listen to the 60's and 70's stuff. I mean, it's ALL great, but you may be right about it being more like 72-74.

I think maybe it's Phil himself who reminds me the most of the Fillmore/Avalon era. The way he plays now is very active, very animated. Kinda reminds me of the way he used to play the old 4-string.

Don

Well, I am certainly not the most experienced Dead/Phil phan, but I have been chasing the tunes for over 20 years and I must say that this was one fine show. Solid first set and a tremendous second set, both full of surprises. The high point for me was New Potato Caboose-->Saint Stephen, can't wait for a tape (CD) of this to show up.....now if only that Other Ones thang turns into a tour, life will be just heavenly.

anyone notice the jeff beck "freeway jam" tease in the second set?


Just getting caught up oin the reviews, but they did the "Freeway Jam" tease last year in Hartford as well...intersection on 84 & 91....very clever.

hey, i caught that freeway jam, too..Warren did it at the GOTV also, during NFA i believe..Blow by Blow is one of my favorite albums and i guess Warren digs it too.

ok, anyone remember this moment?

i think it was after New Potato...the band was rolling along on a semi-fast jam pace and then Phil just starts speeding it up faster...faster...faster...and as he's quickening the pace, he's leaning foward and bending over really low, pointing his guitar at the crowd....when it reached a full frenzy, couldn't get any faster, they dropped out fast, they switched to a slow jam...

it was as if Phil was trying to capture the full intensity of the almost unbearable humidity, trying to reach an inhuman intolerable blistering pace, then drop it...very cool..

also, i believe it was during this jam that Warren played some riffs from "LA Woman"...

There were several Caution-ish jams in there, that's how I'd describe them, but same thing....

I HEARD A ST. STEPHEN-ESQUE'DARKSTAR-ISH FLOW THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE SHOW!

I heard it too somewhere in the 2nd set. Great show. Loved Lovelight, Hunter...

I loved this show. It was a very healing show for me. I think the Policeman was overwhelmed by emotion. I found the presentation moving myself. Brokedown Palace was incredible and emotional.

Right on Eric, I know whatcha mean...Got to spend time with my beloved Uncle Dick and just felt the love of *hometown* in a way I never did when I was still livin' there...

right on to pet kitties too!!!

GOOD CALL SJF ON L.A.WOMAN

JUST GOT THROUGH LISTENING TO A DISC KEYSHAWN LET ME BORROW AND THERE WAS LA WOMAN TEASE RIGHT AFTER WALRUS