Set 1: jam > help > slipknot > lovelight, till the morning comes > jam > lay

of the sunflower, mason's children :: Set 2 Jam> dear mr. fantasy > Other One

Tomorrow Never Knows > The Eleven... so far

happiness >>

peace >>

08/31/02 Red Rocks


phil
set 1:
jam>
help on the way>
slipknot>
lovelight
till the morning comes>
jam>
lay of the sunflower
masons children

set 2:
jam(immigrant song tease)>
dear mr fantasy>
jam>
the other one(v1)>
tomorrow never knows>
the eleven>
st stephen>
the other one(v2)>
the wheel>
cosmic charlie

donor rap/intros
slipknot outro>
franklins tower

Bummer.
I'm going tonight and was hoping for a H>S>F.
Back to back? I don't think so...

And another thought...
To tapers out there for the 9/1 show,Are you going to get Willie's set too?
That would be cool of ya...

Having seen the Dead many times at Red Rocks I was thrilled to have another few hours within those sandstone walls to hear Phil's mighty bass rumbling and old songs reinterpreted. "Tomorrow Never Knows" was profound, "Dear Mr. Fantasy" seemed to me a tribute to the '84 show at the Rocks where Brent unveiled the tune and Jerry soared with it. The jamming intense, soothing, mysterious. A beautiful show that didn't end until after midnight. Did I ever think I would hear Cosmic Charlie or Mason's children again except on old tapes? I have to say that bringing the old songs to life with sparkling, reinvigorated arrangements is awesome, and the new material I am liking as well. It's a beautiful thing.

Ihope everyone heard the "Immigrant Song" jam to start the 2nd set. My mind was blown from that point on.

to MattK, yes

Does anyone know the reason why Bobby didn't play with Phil last night?

No worries. I saw Phil and Bob hug after Ratdog's set. They talked for a while and then Bob split. It was all very amicable.

Bob probably had to hit the road pretty quick? It all seemed pretty harmonious to me...

Last night, the interweaving of Jimmy and Warren was so fabulous...Jimmy's playing was outrageous, Warren's stage presence as strong as I've ever seen it...what a lovelight!

Looking forward to seeing you all tonight... namaste
James

08/31/02 Red Rocks

ratdog: * w/dj logic
jam>
cassidy>*
birdsong>*
the winners>*
little red rooster>
good morning little schoolgirl*
ashes & glass* (w/ds tease)>
space*>
eyes of the world*>
drumz/bass*>
standing on the moon>
dear prudence*>
one more sat nite*

The WARREN HAYNES SHOW! He grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and never let go. Everyone including the rest of the band just watched him in awe. Lovelight and TNK were way longer, with more twists and turns than I'd ever heard them. TRIPPY! Wouldn't be suprised to hear some say their best ever. Did they leave any wiggle room for tonight? I've learned to trust these guys but only a monster DS/Viola sandwich could do it, IMHO.

Warren also shone during his acoustic set, featuring a great moment: a heartfelt STELLA with Molo on snare and RB on lead guitar!

Ratdog dog sounded like a balsa-wood glider next to P&F's F-14 whatever fighter.

The views from RR are amazing!!

Georgie, I never saw Pig Pen, but between 1983 and 2002, that is by far the best Lovelight I ever saw or heard!

I agree about tonight--man, they really pulled out all the stops last night--Viola would be fantasic! I'm not even going there yet. I'll just keep the mind and heart open to what these excellent journeymen have in store for us.

Warren obviously digs Stella Blue--you listen to his own writing, the spirit of Stella is very close to his own art.

Also agree w/you about Ratdog v PL&F, but Saturday Night to close was awesome!! :)

Ratdog..>>Saturday Night to close was awesome!!

I heard Bob had the spit flying for this show closer..

Damn, Gr8ful, I guess I'm glad I wasn't first row!
Spray it Bobby, Spray it!!

Having Warren,Schools (Beautifully Broken, Soulshine),plus Molo on stage with Barroco playing guitar on Stella was definately one of the highlights of the day. Warren was really on fire later in the night - not enough can be said about that Lovelight.

08/31/02 Red Rocks

warren:
the real one
one
patchwork quilt
wasted time
before you came
glory road
new years eve???
in my life
stella blue w/baracco-guitar, molo-snare
beautifully broken w/dave schools
tastes like wine w/dave schools
soulshine w/dave schools

Thanks for Warren's set list....

warren's solo during "Again & Again" last night was brilliant. i almost cried

I spoke with a friend from Evergreen that was in attendance on Saturday. He basically said that both Bob and Phil sucked. He said they all seemed to be very tired. This comes from a guy that has seen both acts many times over the past few months, and was at Alpine as well.

He even told me that folks were heading to the exits early.

One guys opinion, but one I value...

>>He basically said that both Bob and Phil sucked.

Your friend must have made a wrong turn somewhere. He wasn't at the shows I went to.

Wow your friend must be pretty smart. What does he think about the future of the real estate market. I really can use his imput.

Phil looked great at the Saturday show. You don't see him that energetic very often. He was bopping up and down and smiling like a school girl. A couple of times during the night he would get so excited he forgot he had to sing soon. Then you would see him running up to the mic just in time to hit his lines. It gives me energy just to see how happy he is up there.

amazing shows. met all the zoners. cant wait to see you guys again when we can "hang" more . the shows are always hectic. all you zoners were sooooo cool. saturdays phil show blew up the cozmos. warren was amazing all weekend. this is the best rock-n-roll band in the world. jimmy is outstanding and rob shines. molo--what can i say--he steers the ship. now ive done redrocks. i wont be the same. if the show was no so crowded i wouldve mingled more but i had great seats and only focused on the band for the entire show all three nights. aspen was an amazngly beautiful scene. the landscape wooped the bands ass first set. no comparison.

SUCKED ???? Your friend is crazy. Haven't seen a show like that with no slow tunes in quite some time. We even really enjoyed Ratdog. Great to hear Sat Night again.......

The setlist alone speaks for itself.

If anyone out there has a line on a copy of this show would you please contact me? I could not be there but I was with you all in spirit. The setlist looks amazing and I would love to hear what the band created that night. I have been amazed by the responses I've received from you zoners when I put a request out and if I could strike gold just one more time....I can trade or whatever necessary. Thanks and lets all hope Phil gets this lineup back on the road again this winter or spring. What a cool band.
billfussner@hotmail.com

Bobby didn't suck, but the "We Support Bob Weir, Even though this is as boring as it gets Club" was mighty populated at its first Red Rocks get together...why didn't Bobby play with P&F? I don't know, God doesn't usually acknowledge those prayers, but....

Your friend, got some bad shit...this show was so much FUN...too much fun!

I will pick it apart later....but had to respond.

WOW!!! They left my mind a smoking crater for sure! I can't remember when I've seen back to back shows (8/31 + 9/1) of this quality. This band is the Grateful Dead 2.0, and they rock the universe. The incredible intelligence of their playing, coupled with the full-on Grateful Dead mind-meld and the intense love that flows between them and their fans --- I'll follow these guys anywhere.

Having not seen Ratdog in years, I was really blown away their fascinating take on the Dead canon of tunes. Bobby and Phil are taking this great musical heritage into uncharted territory, and I just love it. That Prudence>Sat. Night closer by Ratdog was a powerful a musical statement as I've seen in a long time, and the crowd went completely berserk (justifiably so).

As good as Ratdog is (without taking anything away from them), the contrast when the PLQ hit the stage was unmistakable. Although Ratdog brought their music to a very high level by the end of their set, the PLQ started theirs just a bit higher, and kept on going from there. These guys have an effortless quality that is breathtaking to watch --- crystalline sound and constant communication flowing between all of the band members; 5 fingers on one hand, indeed. For me, both nights were a non-stop highlight reel. I never thought they'd top Sat. nite, but if Sunday wasn't better, then Bob's my uncle.

Ratdog played Red Rocks last year.

So, Willie played Red Rocks and Phil (duh!!). Did Ratdog play there too?

Why let facts get in the way of the truth ..

Has Eleven>St. Stephen been played before..I did search at deadbase and came up empty...

Now I'm really confused.

OK, Ratdog played 8/31. I'm surounded by a bunch of Pranksters!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Phil was blowing the venue away - RD memory was Eyes and Sat Night!!!!!!

I'm lucky I could remember that of RD.

FRANKL

Baffled, I'm right there with you.... 2 nights of diamond-shattering awesomeness BACK TO BACK??? It's been a very, very long time since I've been so blessed.

Also, we were nine rows back from the stage on the "Barraco side" and ALL of these guys were ON FIRE, winking, laughing, grinning like cheshire cats. On Viola, Barraco was slamming his elbows and punching the keys during the chaos section!!


I LOVE THIS &*$(#)#_@#_#$$ BAND!@!!!!!!!!!
James

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE if anyone has copies of these shows, I will go far to get them!!!! My love's third and fourth shows of all time, and she "caught the bug" on Sunday.... I'd love to get them for her.
Still dribbling on my shirt front,
James

What amazing shows! My highlight for Sat. Night was when Phil hit the Bass Roll running into The Other Ones. I heard him hit it at Vibes and so I was wondering if he had starting doing it all the time. The band moved towards TOO and they were starting to rage it pretty solidly, so I suspected he wasn't going to do the roll.

Then the band started laying off and quieting down into a spacy mode and I thought maybe it was just a TOO Jam heading off to somewhere else. Then, as they had transcended back into the embryonic passage from which any song can emerge, the spotlight hit Phil, he stepped forward and...

bada ba bada ba bada ba bada ba BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!

From there on, you could've stick a fork in me. Left a smoking crater in my mind!

That smokin crater must of been a hugh one..lots of minds like they were blown away...tapes will allow you to be re visit..us not there hear and feel..but not quite the same ba ba ba BOOM..

Yeah, forgot about bringing back the bass intro to kick in the other one- YEE-HA !!!!!

post of the year was georgie1's comparing bobby as "balsa-wood glider to P&F's F-14". while i've seen bobby before this was not his night. Phil and the boys showed just how much distance there is between the bands.
also thought warren's set went long (not complaining at all). did anybody notice it was like 10 or 15 minute from when warren left to when bobby came on, they were almost running on to the stage. (was this done by warren on purpose?)

it wasn't coincidence that the venue was 90% full when Warren came on...

>He basically said that both Bob and Phil sucked.

well...he was half right.

p&f friggin' rocked the house. just returned from red rocks. remind me never to drive from cali to denver again folks. damn...22 hours is a long time on the road. with the first notes from warren's acoustic set though, it was worth it. amazing the energy and soul that man puts into songs. two of the people i traveled with turned to me during his set and showed me the goose bumps they had on their arms during different songs from warren. that's pretty damn amazing. also amazing how moving the songs are, with warren just playing the basic chord structures and belting out the lyrics. we're all so used to intense jams in songs, i love the straight, simple approach of warren acoustic.

ratdog is not my bag. it reminds me of all the reasons i stopped going to the dead toward the end.....i hear what they're trying to do, but it just sounds like uninspired, slow, dragging versions of songs. i couldn't wait for it to end. just my opinion folks.

p&f hit us with power right from the get go. solid, solid help, with phil starting the bouncing (he sometimes looked like he was riding a wave) he did throughout the whole show. smiles exchanged all around already during help. slipknot melted powerfully, twisting and turning and it seemed like we were going to get the whole trilogy when....bang....lovelight. this ain't your ordinary lovelight people! wow. warren trying out some new phrasing, melting down into near silence and then back into lovelight again, and again, and again, and again. i think they tricked me 3 or 4 times, sounding like it was going into a song change and then here comes lovelight again. damn fun!! 20 minutes or so? we'll find out on the cd's. they finally put it to rest, took a little break to smile at each other and then burst right into till the morning comes. great, funky version with a sweet jam leading into lay of the sunflower. very powerful version. i really love that song. mason's children rocked the house to end the set. shorter version than i've heard before, but tight. the energy was amazing after they left the stage as the crowd was just buzzing. great start to an incedible night, 'cause....the second set...

can you say, smokin'???? do my ears deceive me? is that really an immigrant song jam? oh yea! no doubt about it as warren takes to the slide and does the "ahhhaaaahhhaaa ahhhh" part that robert plant sings. uh huh...that's right. p&f getting me to bang my head. they rock on this for a while before sliding effortlessly into dear mr. fantasy. warren owns this song and this version does not disappoint. as it's wrapping up, hints of the other one start showing themselves when phil hits us with the big, blasting intro rumble. wahooooo!! haven't heard that in a while and we're off into the first verse that just flies by. such energy tonight. we were teased before fantasy with the crunchy guitar intro that warren does to tnk and knew it would be coming some time in the set. well, at least knew there would be a beatles tune. heard molo request it in the first set, but seems he got turned down. molo said, "and now we bring out the beatles" and phil shook his head "no". they must have promised it for the second set, as molo then grabbed his mike again and said, "ok. remember you promised ladies." too funny.

sorry. back to set two. tnk, nice trippy version that twisted pretty quickly back into the rock and roll we'd been treated too all night...the eleven. jesus! jimmy friggin' rocks this sucker out. how can he play so many tastey notes so damn quickly? st. stephen does not disappoint with warren kicking in some heavy rock licks. solid rocking back into the second verse of the other one, which drifted pretty quickly into the wheel. one of the best versions i've heard from this band. wow. cosmic charlie is just a great way to end a set. nice version. perfect vocals. kinda knew they'd be encoring with the slipknot!>franklin's we hadn't heard yet, but am definitely not complaining. i can ride that franklin's groove anytime.

wrapping the show with franklin's fit this "circle" show. especially the second set...other one, eleven, the wheel and the show itself coming back in a circle.

damn, damn, damn good show.

Hate to dis bobby, because he does bring strong musical points, but I feel the same way about the last years of the Dead--it got to where I was dreading LL Rain (I'm one of those who cannot STAND that song)or some cheesy deal coming out of space...a CONSTANT litany of Throwing Stones> NFA... although I think he writes and does some great stuff, GOD I got tired of the same second dross night after night.

And I get this pheeling, too, that Phil has finally gotten the opportunity to unleash his REAL power. He's not tied down any more...

cinderoo, great reviews and i like the on stage commentary between molo and the 'ladies!' lol!

Right on Burnerben, never have sound waves come so close to knocking me off of my feet. His bass couldn't sound better than at the Rocks. Thank you Phil for that bomb.

I thought the Saturday show was great, though I have to admit I'm not as impressed with the Lovelight as most seem to be. To me it never really took off. There were a lot of points where I thought it was about to just fly, but then it would fade into more subdued jamming. If this band has any fault, it just might be too much jamming/jams.

Between the two shows I'm surprised that most folks seem to like Sunday over Saturday. To my ears Saturday was easily the hotter of the two. This two show pair was great, but I think the 10-24-00 and 10-25-00 at the Denver Fillmore were better still. Those were the most recent shows I have seen before these Red Rocks dates.

I'm looking forward to hearing both nights again. Maybe I'll hear what I seeminly missed in that Lovelight, and I'll figure out why Sunday was the popular night.

Cheers,
Gary

Gotta agree with Gary. Night number one sounded better to me, too. Less lags in the energy and slightly better song selection, imho. Night two was great, too, and had some absolutely mind-blowing moments, though.

i'm with you guys. saturday was the biggy night for me.

Saturday knocked me out. Having not been to a two-night run since Jerry, though, I was amazed by Sunday--that they came back with such a vengeance. The Shakedown opener on Sunday just felt really aggressive, really physical. Like they wanted to establish a certain energy level and leave it there, and leave it open for a lot of jam opportunities. It's all pretty subjective for me. I wouldn't have missed one single note of either night.

They were so good I literally don't even know what to do with myself...work? HA! Some part of me shook loose and got free last weekend. I feel like this little kid version of me is yanking on my shirt and saying "come on, let's go!! come on, let's go play some more!!"

Seeing and meeting all of you there was so beautiful. I haven't felt so with friends like that in such a long time.

You all make me see what I've been depriving myself of in my life.

And now I feel bad about all that s*** I said about Bobby. Hell, I loved Cassidy. I loved Bird Song, Saturday Night...

That poor guy from Evergreen must have done some bad acid to think Bob and Phil sucked. Glad I wasn't standing next to him... In general, I've always felt the Bobby bashers are pretty clueless, not to recognize what an incredible guitarist and songwriter he is, and what a huge part of the Dead he was. I'd stake my life that any member of the Dead would wholeheartedly agree... I caught him at Paramount earlier this year and think he's better each time I see him. Why compare him to Phil? They do different things.

Also, a note of clarification, since I think most folks missed it - Molo did a brief Ed Sullivan impersonation during that moment of dead air when he said "Before we bring out the Beatles...", which is an actual quote from Ed in '64 before the Beatles performed -- just a moment of levity there from Molo, as though we were all waiting for something earthshaking to happen between songs. I thought both shows were great. Just a bit disappointed with Willie, though... Thought he slacked off on his vocals too much by narrating the lyrics rather than singing them as he does so well.

I must add my too sense ! AMAZING !!!!! If you
missed it, I'm sorry. If you were there and missed it, I'm not sorry. It simply means "YOU DON'T GET IT" , never have and never will. simply stay away, you take up valuable space and spread bad karma. stay in evergreen for evermore. that was the BEST 2 phil shows ever !!!!! meltdown first nite, revival second nite. get these tapes !!!! I hope there is still a future with this band !! I hate to think I just saw the best 2 shows in some time and they could be our last of this line up.
a highlight of my trip was running into jimmy at the airport !! we both went through security together and both got the major shakedown !!!
we both made it threw !! what were they thinking ?

as a long-time lurker/reader I thought I'd add something positive to the community & provide some thoughts regarding the labor-day weekend shows.....

Aspen: seats FOB, ...show was clearly a warm up for the Rocks, enough said (check out the setlist....UGH). Crowd energy (or lack of it) partly responsible...

Highlights: opening jams to both sets, Cumberland..and...?
Lowlights: openers: 1st set Celebration & second set FOTD. Is it just me or could we retire that song forever please? Give it to Wille.

Mule set was hot...might have danced more to Mule than Phil...maybe P&F did not want to show up the mule? Notable moment when Phil was doing an Arsenio Hall fist-wave at the Mule during some crunching late in the set...

RedRocks Saturday: WOW. WOW. Guitar dueling back in style(notably missing in Aspen...as well as Austin). Seats row 36 I think, Leftof board...truly outstanding bunch of folks around us.
First set highlights:
1) opening jam
2)Lovelight (by the way, my setlist reads:
Lovelight >
jam >
Lovelight>
jam>
jam>
Lovelight );
rest of set was tight, loud, & funky - all deserving mention.
Second set highlights:
1) immigrant jam> fantasy opener
2) eleven.
3) everything else.

Maybe the best show I've ever seen anywhere anytime. Red Rocks has replaced the Greek as my favorite venue.

Ratdog was fine...Liked them a lot.
Warren acoustic Saturday was probably more enjoyable than PLQ/P&F Friday, in my lonely opinion.


RedRocks Sunday: WOW WOW WOW....the boys made up for a dreadful Wille performance. (Maybe I ingested a little early)...seats row 23? again left of board. again very cool folks around us.

First set ...
long delay while Phil, Rob, Molo & Jimmy wait for Warren...looks like the 4 of them are getting pissed...finally, warren strides in from backstage left...Jimmy meets hium and it looks like Warren is really pissed....anybody know what that was about?

The opening jam is wonderful & strange...warren seems to be trying to grab control several times...seems a little out of sync...but then it's.....SHAKEDOWN and we were off to the races with a show that rivaled saturday....during the jam between china-rider Willies harp player joins...trys to find the pace with poor results for a while...tring to join the boys during a warp-speed rider jam...finally realizes just how friggin high ebnergy these boys are & finds the groove...rest of set magnificent...although having Jimmy and Warren yield to ANYbody is a shame...but the boy did good.

Set 2: WOWWOWOWOWWWWWWWW.
I called the unbroken opener from the first sets of the jam.
That is probably the best Unbroken EVER.
bobblehead jam> unbroken> jam I NEED these shns...

by the way, PHIL >>> We want both shows on DVD...here's my AMEX card number (smile).

after unbroken, another amazing jam..into dark star?????no... a wharf rat that may have been even better....WARREN!

interjection>>>Warren is a better slinger than Stevie Ray Vaughn. Jimmy is technically better than Warren (and verybody else that is human)...buy Warren plays with such soul...& to tell the truth he can play some godawful fast shit, which he proved tonite.

the rest of the show...epic...harmonizing on again & again magnificent...Phil was dropping so many bombs during terrapin that the military probably wants him.

NFA & finally bid u goodnite....

Phil, Warren, Rob, John & Jimmy: please do this again a lot. Please don't let fake dead replace what you guys create. my love will not fade away....

>>>>>>by the way, PHIL >>> We want both shows on DVD...here's my AMEX card number (smile).

I can't agree more...These two shows really are a good example of what this band can do. I think they touched on all aspects, all facets that I have experienced in the last 2 1/2 years. They danced, they rocked, they spaced, they connected with the audience, they soared, they guided, they gave back to the land, and they kept us all together as a group.

The way I rate a great concert now, seeing as how the bar is so deservedly high for these guys, is how talkative the audience is when they leave. If the Audience is talking on the way out then it wasn't "The Show" on tour. It is something that I really wish the band could experience and it sucks that they can't. The stillness.

When I left the first night at the rocks it was so eerie and calm. So much so that the cops were looking at each other and seemed to be saying “Why am I even here?” All the cars were filing out at exactly 5 miles an hour, exactly 1 car length between them, no radios playing, no people talking, every 5th car waving to the cop and saying, “Thank you”. They didn't know what to do. Now I was out of the lot pretty early but there was still a long line ahead of me. The Second night as we were exiting the venue there was a guy who was talking really loud and saying “Why is everybody so quiet? You need to make some noise!" as we were doing the Chinatown Shuffle down the steep stairs. HE WAS ACTUALLY HUSHED BY THE CROWD! That is a great show.

The veggie burrito girl was just standing. The cold water guy was not yelling. They just did their business in silence.
We Knew they were there. They Knew we were there. We all Knew what we needed to do.

I will never forget my two days in Morrison, Colorado. They were truly what I would like to expect from the scene. At one point, I really didn’t know where the vibrations were heading, but I let the hesitation slip away as I realized that even though the vibe was so wrong, the music was so good that it had to be right, because it felt so perfectly wrong. A typical Leshism if there ever was one. Sometimes you need to have that scrim of order and familiarity taken away, so that the light can find the nooks and crannies that it might not otherwise. When the winds are filling sails, and the pull is there for us to follow, band and audience just get swept up in it together. Red Rocks is one of those places where this is not only possible but probable.

The sense of local community that I found seated around me was pretty palpable. You could sense the locals looking out for all of us who hadn’t acclimatized to the altitude. You could get a sense of the local people’s commitment to their scene and the pride they had for having stopped here, on their journey west. Denver has added 1 million people in the last 8 years and I can see why. The fact that I was watching thunderstorms in Kansas during Help on the Way was absolutely numbing. Then I spent the rest of that first night with my eyes falling on the twinkling lights of Denver.

“Oh how pretty.”, I thought.

It wasn’t until the next night, during the Unbroken Prairie Jam, while listening to the Native Drum beat filling my heart, that I looked up and Denver was gone. In my mind’s eye I could see nothing but miles of prairie and grass. I was on horseback with my tribe, moving easily across the flatlands of my home, until I rode up to this…lodestone.

This place so perfect it had to be a work of the gods. A place where great shaman would meet and find their place, their way in the world. To come to this place, this natural formation, the site of many, many truly miraculous events, this phenomenon, this geological point of interest, these towering red rocks.

That is when I felt Phil leading by example and pouring, not pounding, his bass deep into the rocks. I felt his desire to make sure that cup was full, for the next one that needed, to draw from it. I felt the energy that is usually focused on us the audience being redirected down, down, down straight into the earth, giving back what we had taken the night before. Hot molten lava flowing back to the source, or better yet he was gently bending the lattice of magnetic lines, carefully reweaving the pattern to guarantee a continuous flow of energy through that spot. I never felt prouder than that moment when I knew that the respect for the “scene” was universal. It isn’t respect for tie-dyes and flowers. It isn’t respect for recycling or not littering. It was a universal respect for music, mind, and heart, not regardless of time and space but in fact BECAUSE of time and space. Truly a perfect actualization of what I always thought it was about.

I have to say in all fairness, I am not sure why what happened on Sunday night happened. It seemed a little more out of control then Saturday. It ran hot and cold while Saturday was more evenly paced. I am sure it had a lot to do with the fact that I took someone’s advice and had a few tokes of “the marijuana” during set break and for someone who has been on “the pot” only twice in about 8 years it definitely could have contributed to me missing a few cues or openings. But it felt right, as I mentioned earlier, even when it felt wrong.

The highlights came fast and furious with amazing clarity and conception. Pure moments like the harmonies, the distinctly different readings on classic songs, and the magic that was Wharf Rat. The pure love during Again & Again was almost heart breaking. After Phil’s Donor rap the drop into NFA was perfect, given the mood.

I don’t want to know what is going to happen to this band. I don’t want to hear the rumors. I don’t want to be privy to the backstage gossip. I was part of it. I felt it grow legs and stand. I was there when it took its first steps. I saw it sprout wings and learn to fly. If it comes to pass that Red Rocks 2002 was its last hurrah then it shone like a diamond till the very end. If the band/crew/family could only see how much it means to us to be a part of it from birth. We made our own rules and followed them, we forged new friendships, christened new venues, wrote new legends in the books of our lives.
This isn’t about two days in Colorado. This is about the rest of our lives.

>>A place where great shaman would meet and find there place, there way in the world. To come to this place, this natural formation, the site of many, many truly miraculous events, this phenomenon, this geological point of interest, these towering red rocks.

Gettin chills reading this Lessthan. It sounds truely magical. Thank You. :*)

That first pic was my fav out of your album. The contrast of the rock, & the people standing is incredible. :*)

Very spiritual analysis, lessthan...very nice....

...the band obviously loved the audience Sunday (not to disparage Saturday at all)...with some evidence provided by the intros before NFA:

1) from Phil: "...you people in Colorado are as high as the mountains"

2) Molo's acid sway during his intro ...

....to everyone, thanks for helping feed the energy at the Rocks....& please use your mental energy to will these guys to play many many more times....

Killer word-painting, Lessthan!! Thanks for writing that.

I've posted a haikutimes issue from the saturday show, with photos and haiku...check it out at

http://www.dimensional.com/~jon/sub_haiku.html

and click on the 'red rocks' link.

enjoyed all the other commentary for these shows.

they know lessthan--they know... just think about when your off tour and people "don't get it" how you spend your time, money, and patience on a band, on the road, with ""those people". now think about being part of the band, crew, or immediate family and going through the same thing off tour. the most validation i need comes from within--but think about it. for the crew or band(mainly phil--because the other guys live OUTSIDE of the grateful dead bubble)-it is so hard off tour to validate all the time, money, and patience spent on "those people"(you never see those people anyway-"mrn.dew") our whole world exists only when the lights go down and yet one more time pens and paper mate to form new setlists. believe me. i am a fan. i am family. and also i come from "those people"(you never see those people anyway). in the big money scene of business , and rock-n-roll it is even more hard to validate all the time, money, and patience spent on "those people". "when are you going to do something serious??"--asked of fans, crew, bandmembers, and investors alike. this is serious. i dont know what will happen either. every last one of those crew members and band members want to play/work again as PLQ. the only thing that would hinder that would be the growing of the other one's scene(and i dont mean in numbers--but in real life real time exploring of our music, math, and scene. ) both ratdog and PLQ want to extend and validate their own organization and existence. every one of those crew, every one of those band members, every one of "those people" ( i guess it doesnt matter anyway....)...

peace

The communal model...the tribal instinct...the loyalty to friends....the need to explore......the need to forget..the need to not forget

the fans..the family...the self..

Hey Joe, I checked out the haikus. Nice work! I loved the photos.
So, Red Rocks... I rode on a bus from San Diego to see these shows. It was worth it! For one, Colorado is an overwhemingly beautiful state. I stared out the bus window during that stretch of my journey and kept muttering, "wow". Red Rocks Ampitheater was as great as everyone said though it didn't hit me right away. One of those things you gotta let soak in. I've heard it described as an ancient ampitheater, the kind of place where people have gathered for thousands of years to hear music. My only complaint is I wish there was a lawn section or something--more dancing room--because I don't know about you guys but when Phil and Friends go on, I get DOWN.
Saturday night(that's right!) was the one I enjoyed more. I have a confession to make. In the beginning, I didn't like Warren. He sounds like Bill Clinton and his guitar playing caused me a headache at a San Diego show last year. But I've warmed up to him. I even nearly cried when a friendly Head I was seated next to told me that this may be it for Warren. His solo set was very good(now, that's an understatement) and I rejoiced when Rob and John joined him for Stella Blue. They were great the rest of the night too. And Jimmy was phenomenal.
RatDog was weir-riffic as usual, though it did seem like they might've been a little off. An awesome set, though! Eyes of the World was perfect. Yea. And I was very happy to hear Good Mornin Lil' Schoolgirl^_^ Btw, if anybody saw a sign being held up that read: Portland Girls Love Ratdog, that was me and my two Portland friends I went to the show with. I hope Bobby saw it!
Phil and Friends bent my mind in so many ways. I found myself not caring what they played as long as they kept playing. It could've gone on til 3am, I wouldn't mind. Up til then, I was kinda tired and cranky, but Phil bombed me to my soul and I knew that this was it. This is where I'm meant to be. An ancient ampitheater overlooking starry Denver, with good friends, good green and good, good music. Now, since there's so many reviews, I'll just comment on something that stood out to me. Which is Phil. Sunday, it felt more like I was listening to the band. But Saturday was Phil's night. His bass hit me at the center of my being, flowed through me, washed over me and moved me into The Groove. His voice was so pure, deep(in every sense of the word) and full of love it was like hearing an angel and as I watched the wind blow through his hair as he sang of "waiting for a windy day", I felt like he may've transcended humanity. But, no, he's just wierd ol' Phil Oh, and did you catch that craziness at the end of Tommorrow Never Knows? What was he doing with his voice? It was unreal! Ah, yes, what greatness; what a good fucking band! I loved the way they brought everything into a full circle by the end. This wasn't just a rock concert, my friends. This was a spiritual event.

THANK YOU PHIL {oh yes} and FRIENDS!!! This was no vacation for me even though I travelled from the east coast to get here {or there}. YES, SPACE and lots of it, that was until I had my first encounter with a space invader.{ The vibe was so powerful that his life may of been altered!} Also another first {I hate to say this phrase} a bobby basher. Fuckin frightening!!! What possesses someone to turn into a basher? Certainly not bobby!!! I may add as an organic tip I said "hey man your not bashin bobby? are you? then magically it was dead quiet again! Other then these two very real entities the shows were 98% LOVE,LOVE,LOVE. I still feel that I'm at the rocks!!! YEE FUCKIN HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! Phil whatever you got planned next PLEASE give us fair warning. THANKS MUCH!!!!

Does anyone know if either of these shows will be available as official SBDS? I'm really looking forward to hearing these again.

Gary

You can download Sunday at further.net

Don't bother the recording on Furthur SUCKS, but the show was great

i got this one from further and it sounds great. listened to it a couple of times on the road this weekend...

The furthur Sunday show is very bass-heavy & thick......on the other =hand , the furthur saturday show is F**KING awesome recording.

alright....are you'all talking about www.furthurnet.com ?

i think it is furthurnet.org.......sort of a deadhead napster...sugarmegs led me to it

just got warren's solo set on cd. man, can that guy sell a song. he thanks everyone for showing up to listen to him. doesn't he get it already? we are ready for him to play ANYWHWERE...