tell us all about it ...

Where the hell are the setlists and reviews?!

Phil Lesh & Friends
Philmore, Denver, CO. 7/15/05

Set 1:
Jam>
Shakedown Street> Jam>
Not Fade Away> Jam>
Direwolf
Eyes Of The World>
Wharf Rat>
Must Have Been The Roses
Help On The Way>
Slipknot>
Franklin's Tower

No stream tonight?

no setlist info for Dragonflys

Thank you Taperrob. I'd love to be there, especially for the Rocks, but a friend's wedding calls!

Looks like a great time.

Phil Lesh & Friends per Taperrob
Philmore, Denver, CO. 7/15/05

Set 1:
Jam>
Shakedown Street> Jam>
Not Fade Away> Jam>
Direwolf
Eyes Of The World>
Wharf Rat>
Must Have Been The Roses
Help On The Way>
Slipknot>
Franklin's Tower

Set 2:
He's Gone>
Jam>
The Wheel>
Jam

Phil Lesh & Friends
Philmore, Denver, CO. 7/15/05

Set 1:
Jam>
Shakedown Street> Jam>
Not Fade Away> Jam>
Direwolf
Eyes Of The World>
Wharf Rat>
Must Have Been The Roses
Help On The Way>
Slipknot>
Franklin's Tower

Set 2:
He's Gone> Jam>
The Wheel> Jam>
Magnolia Mountain
St Stephen> Jam>
Birdsong>
Rosebud
Truckin'>
Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad>
Not Fade Away
Donor Rap/Intros

enc: Ripple

Wow... this looks great! I can't wait for tonight's show!

I'm assuming Magnolia Mountain and Rosebud are two of Ryan's tunes... how were they?

first set was unbelievable. highlight was must have been the roses. it was like an entire show in one set. the shakedown was slow and a deep groove. a complete alternative arrangement from the only one i've known. sick, sick stuff. warren would have cluttered it up. could barely hear sless. ryan sang great and they fucked up a few things, but the first set is a true gem.

second set was unfocused. lots of spacey feedback. it was really hot inside and when they spaced out, it kinda drained you. ryan's songs were okay, but the heat made them less powerful.

way looser than any PLQ show. that is a good thing. jimmy smoked all night playing wolf. phil's vocals were probably the best i have ever heard him sing.

tomorrow, dark star...

Jimmy playing Wolf...now that is mighty cool.

Lucky Mo^$#^f$@#ers!

<<<Lucky Mo^$#^f$@#ers!

yup.

So it was Jimmy, Ryan, and Sless on guitar? How was Jeff Sipe on the kit? Anyone have any observations/comments/thoughts on Jeff's performance and blend w/ phil? Glad y'all had a grand time.....

Jeff did a great job...several times I forgot is was not Molo.

Ryan did a real good job, but flubbed MANY lyrics. Especially during Roses and Truckin'.

I thought the first set was incredibly hot, and the second was serious hot.

Sless is only playing Steel, and Jimmy was THE MAN on THE WOLF!

>>>lots of spacey feedback. it was really hot inside and when they spaced out, it kinda drained you.

i like it when that happens.

i'll wait for the sideshow bob reviews to come in.

I was hot but not the band!!!!!! I thought that they tried butjust couldn't find the umph. you all know what umph is. I just couldn't find any umph all night.

>>Jeff did a great job...several times I forgot is was not Molo.

That's because Sipe is probably the best drummer on the planet!

>>I thought that they tried but just couldn't find the umph

That's what I've thought of all of the shows that Phil's played post Q...

...torrent?

I never, ever thought I would post the words I am about to post now.

Tonight's Phil Lesh and Friends show at the Fillmore stands among the
single worst desecrations of Grateful Dead music in GD history, bar
none.

Yes, friends, worse than that Weir & Wasserman gig at
Lupo's with that drummer Desdon Claiborne, who had *no* clue
how to play any of the songs that night. Well, take that and
apply it to one of the guitarists onstage tonight.

How bad was this gig? Folks...Ryan Adams DID NOT KNOW ONE
SINGLE GRATEFUL DEAD SONG!!! He committed so many vocal
train wrecks alone, not to mention that he never listened to
the other musicians onstage, stepping over so many toes.
Tonight, I saw the single worst rendition of Wharf Rat by *anyone*
in music history: The middle was so unbelievably horrid
that it made the worst Jerry blunders sound like Mel Torme!
And the Roses that followed was butchered so horribly...oh, and tonight
had also quite possibly the lamest excuse for a Shakedown ever,
as they tried a reggae arrangement that nose-dived into
embarassing sludge.

I really felt for Jimmy Herring and Barry Sless tonight,
because Jimmy was doing his damndest to make up for the
slack and was playing some solid lines, and Barry Sless was
just plain wasted iin this setup, set furthest stage left (our right)
and never had a chance to take full solos. The best song played
was Adams' own Magnolia Mountain, simply because it was a song he
KNEW, so it was easy for the band to follow.

But Ryan Adams was not -- and is not -- ready to play Grateful Dead
music in public. He had *no* idea what he was singing, and
his vocals were such a mismatch to begin with, but this was
like watching the first rehearsal of a band where they are
breaking in new musicians. Most of all, he never listened to
his bandmates, so he hit numerous clams, stepped on solos,
never finished his solos, and never locked in with the rhythm
section. Tonight, going from Warren Haynes to Ryan Adams
was like going from a new Jaguar to a 1989 Yugo with
300K miles on it..or like going from Tom Brady to Joe Pisarcik!!

The sad part is that I am not exaggerating. If you wanted music,
you had to get there early to catch the Dragonflys.

Prior to tonight, the only time I left a GD and related show was the
poor 6/25/94 Las Vegas show, leaving before the encore. Tonight,
after Adams started butchering Bird Song midway through the second
set, I could take no more and headed for the exits. This was not only
the single worst show I have seen since moving to Colorado over two
years ago, but easily stands as one of the absolute single worst shows
at *any* level that I have ever attended in over 25 years of live
music!

I am glad I did not get tickets in advance. I never thought I would
see the day when I would say I am blowing off Phil at Red Rocks.
But after last night, I will not pay money again to see another
beginning-of-preparing-for-tour rehearsal.

Sorry, Phil...but you and your new Friends really really stunk!!! And
you *know* it too!!!

Yes, folks...it was really *that* *bad*!!!

How do you really feel? lol. That bad, huh? Man...I gotta hear this show.

i didn't think it stunk, in fact, i was glad that it was different. with the Q, it was getting predictable. with the dead, it was like a vegas show review. this was somethig different. more organic. yes, ryan fucked up. and sipe fucked up quite a few times as well. i did miss molo. i didn't miss warren and that is saying something for me.

this isn't the grateful dead. nor should it be. phil, jimmy and rob were all smiles first set.

it was not *that* *bad*.

Yes it was!! This was like watching a person go
onstage at Amateur Night. Ryan did not have ANY
working knowledge of the material, and it showed:
His performance as far as I am concerned was truly
unprofessional, especially given that he had
plenty of time to prepare. I certainly do not
expect perfection and expected some rough edges.
What I heard was an abomination...the only
song that *wasn't* messed up in the first set
was Franklin's, only because Phil was singing!
Really!

I'm sorry, but yes...it was THAT BAD!!! To not be
prepared to play material and to not listen to
what your bandmates are playing is unacceptible.
The recordings will not lie.

Wow! That could quite possibly be one of the most ridiculous reviews I have read in a while. Last night's show was anything but shitty. I really don't have the time nor the energy to refute everything or anything that was just posted but please zoners take it from me . . . this lineup is different than the Q and any other Phil incarnation but very fresh and exciting. Yes Ryan flubbed the lyrics to Bird Song and Truckin just like Phil or Bobby fucks up a line or two every show I see anyway. The sound was great, the lyrics were superb, sipe was a badass and Adams adds a completely unique dimension to any GD tune. Worst Wharf Rat ever? Are you insane? One of the coolest renditions of that song I've heard in quite some time. The band was all smiles, had a great time and the Philmore was at an energy level I haven't experienced in atleast 2 years. The only thing I might agree with is the fact that Sless was non-existent. He was tucked away in the corner and without the pedal on a couple of those countryish dead tunes he might as well have been backstage. Phil is the fucking man. He continually puts together a fantastic show for heads in all places and this was no exception. I can't wait for tonight's show at the rocks. Long live Phil and his bass bombs.

I thought the show was amazing last night. I don't know what Woody was listening to but Ryan did a spectacular job last night. Did he miss some lyrics yes but the kid has soul. He knew the heart of the songs and played them his way.

I know some will scoff but all night I kept thinking how much better than Warren he is, and that's on his first night out there.

Shakedown and Not Fade Away were a little rough. I had heard that Shakedown had a different arangement and I thought why mess with perfection. Then Direwolf kicked in and Ryan found his groove. The guy definately has a feel for the folkier tunes. Phil sounded better on eyes than he has in years, I for one shed a tear hearing Phil on this song. Ryan kept up the pace with an outstanding Warfrat. I understand he plays this on one of his CDs, a little different the normal but he stayed consistant throughout the song and really nailed it in my opinion. Roses was well done and Help/Slip/Franklins got lost at times but smoked most of the way through.

Second set after coffee.

Bring back Tim Carbone and John Skehan from RRE
peace
jeff

http://www.gunsanddope.com/

..>>..Sless is only playing Steel...

No Guitar at all..??..

Was Rob Barraco there..??..

Thx for reviews people..

I'm sorry, but yes...it was THAT BAD!!! To not be
prepared to play material and to not listen to
what your bandmates are playing is unacceptible.
The recordings will not lie......

Wow! Phil must be a real fukin idiot to have thought this lineup was anything but pure fuking garbage! Has he lost his mind??!! I doubt it

Yes, folks...it was really *that* *bad*!!!

Wow your life must really suck.

It was sick, they changed up the tempo and Jimmy Herring playing the Wolf was psychotic. From where we were in the 2nd row in front of Phil Jimmy's stage amps were directly facing us and he was in the foreground musically. To watch him that close up and to see his mastery of the guitar was great. With a little work this band will smoke. Ryan was outclassed and he freely admited it on several occasions saying he needed a sixth finger to play with this band. It seemed Phil was stoked more so than usual with Ryan Adams being there. But during the donor rap part I got the feeling that Phil is realizing his age and wanting to begin to pass the torch to some younger students. The way a true master should. Truckin minus the word flubs smoked, and the GDTRFB was muffed a tad at the end but Ryan kept a little composure and brought back Not Fade a couple of times to salvage it a bit.

The show was hot and the were a few inconsiderate holes to deal with. One fucked up dude had me grabbing him and seriously threating bodily harm to him on several occasions. If Phil would have had a little more metal bent to it I would have cracked him...........My point behind this statement is if you can't handle yourself while on whatever drugs you chose to do, don't do them because not everyone wants to share your fucked up experiences and the love shown will probably not be a hug.

My favorite quote of the show....... Sideshow turned to me and said " if we get out here without decking some peace maggot it is gonna fucking miracle!" It was so East Coast

well hey now folks, I tend to agree that the person who wrote that long winded bashing was at some other show. Last night was very cool, I thought the different rendition on Shakedown among other slight changes made for an interesting evening. It is nice to hear change sometimes. Ryan has a great voice, and added plenty of character to the tunes. Sipe was awesome!! Phil still bangs it out!! And Herring was terrific on the Wolf. I did leave a little early due to my ailing wife, but am looking forward to the Rocks tonight.
The detailed reviewing of shows gets so old to me. I just like to take it as it comes, and try to enjoy it for what it is without making myself crazy about whether it was killer or not. I am just so glad to be a part of what is going on, as this music is not going to be here forever, as the Phil man is not getting younger.
So peace to you all, and lets enjoy the evening.

My two cents. That was the worst dead related show I've seen in a while. I really wanted to dig it too. The first set was ok. The second set was worse. The songs themselves sounded ok. The jams in between went absolutley no where and they all sounded the same. It was an amorphous sound that didn't go anywhere. The song selection was good and Ryan's vocals were fine. The jams flat out sucked. Why they didn't turn Barry up is beyond me. He may have been able to save the show. Ryan and Jimmy have zero sence of direction during the transiton jams. Why wolf wasn't strapped around Barry is another thing I can't figure out. Barry was a non factor. Nobody gave him room to play. I think I heard him play two solos the entire show. The last two shows with Barry and Al were head and shoulders above last night's show at the Fillmore as far as jamming is concerned. Compare last night's Help>Slip>Franklin's to the one from the Seva benefit. Seva was way better. They better bring their A game tonight and Barry better be turned way up or tonight's show is destined for more mediocrity. Bare in mind that I drove 30 hours to get out here and I really wanted to dig it. By the time set two rolled around, the energy was completely drained from me and at least half the crowd. The jams kept going no where. I was very dissapointed. At least Red Rocks is a cool place to see a show.

'all i know she sang a little while, and then screwed off!'

i think that he has balls to go up there like that, and i loved it

Can't wait to hear the torrent. Whether it was good or bad, I'm damn glad Phil's still making this music. That being said, the Mel Torme reference had me in stitches.

I didn't see the show and won't hear it for a while, so I should reserve my judgement, but Ifigured that the Ryan Adams bashers would be out quickly.

Wow I can't believe we were all at the same show. Everyone I was with and myself included thought it was fantastic. A couple of flubs but when Ryan was on he was on. I was a little twisted last night but I rank it as one of the top 5 Phil shows I've seen.

I can't wait for tonight. I just hope Ryan isn't overwhelmed by the big crowd.

It's easier to criticize than it is to create. The thing about art is that it's best if you leave your expectations at home and open yourself up to some moments of rapture. Remember to breathe.........

wow
sorry to hear that zeus

Ever seen Mel Torme???

Half our group loved Mel Torme, half our group didn't.

It's like fine wine...

That doesn't change the fact that the jams between songs were horrendus. All the momentum built up from the songs vanished during the transitions. I need my jams to have a little direction. Ryan did a fine job. I'm not critisizing his abilities as a vocalist or as a guitarist. I thought his playing was more inspired than Jimmy's. I just think that there was no cohesion in the jams to hold everything together. They may as well have come to a complete stop at the end of every song. I expect jams when I go see a Dead show. Last night had none of that.

between my friends and myself that were at the show there are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of shows In our past most started going to shows in the early seventies. and not one of about 20 people that I polled thought that there was any redeaming moments to the show we saw last night. I also left early so I could find something to eat. I NEVER leave early. No magic, no X factor. It was not good.And other than real close the sound sucked.

It seems that there's a lot of, well, anger about
a show played last nite. Does anyone out there think that the band in question tried to play poorly (whether they did or didn't). Anyone think
the sound was reproduced badly on purpose? And if you have some notion that there was any ill intent on Phil or any other players part, could you speculate as to why they would do this? I'm willing to entertain notions from Phil's too rich and doesn't care to Ryan Adams is such a coniving
asshole that he has Phil totally fooled and is out
to wreck the scene. Let us know. BTW, this is not The Dead.

Rock on John J. Wood!!!!!! I feel the same.

And Zeus, you're on the money too. See either of you at the Rocks? I hope Phil has a Jed Clampit style "long talk" with that boy.

JBH
On location in Denver

wow is all i can say...

it wasnt even close to Hot, yeah the venue was but not the band. Roses was the absoulute low point. it was so slow and moldy it wasnt even funny. the Highlights by far were the power stuff. stick to that Phil, becuase you dont have the right setup for the slow stuff. if they are gonna do the slow stuff then tell jimmy to leave the stage and Turn Berry Up.

Highlights for sure
Eyes
Shakedown
H>S>F
the uptempo GD stuff.

I like Ryans voice but he does not belong on stage with Phil. Its like Phil is Ryans Back Up band.

It was ok. I will not download these. if i did they would get NO play. hopefully tonight they work out a bunch of the kinks.

of course alll IMO.

I was trying to be nice.

and then I read some other peoples posts. Glad alot agree. I thought it was one of the worst GD related shows I have ever seen. and i have seen some bad ones. They need to Fire Ryan before Red Rocks. I like him Solo, not with Phil though. He dosnt Fit at all.

My recording of the Fillmore show is up at COtapers.org.

http://www.cotapers.org/torrents.php

So we got to the show just a tad late as we were still shakin our thangs down with the guardian angels but came right into a fun little NFA which worked it's way into a respectful version of Dire Wolf. NEED MORE STEEL PEDAL. Phil's Eye's were shining bright all the way through when Ryan called out Wharf Rat loud and clear mid-jam. I understand there were differences of opinion concerning Wharf, but I thought it was great - I treasure the variations in the middle even if they aren't all on the same page. Have to say I enjoyed it much more than the version played at the Jammy's, which I thought was borderline acceptable. Roses was a nice treat even with the maybe/musta flubs - c'mon is that ever perfect?? It was played beautifully nonetheless. Needless to say Help/Slip/Franklin's was nothing but pure power. Phil tied the knot on the first set leaving nothing to be desired. Group hugs abound onstage after the first set, nothing but pure love and enjoyment of a new sound.

So then Round 2... He's gone was fine, nothing spectacular but pretty right on. The Wheel started rolling soon after and took a few different turns right in the middle and got so far away from me that I couldn't remember if they had played the while thing out or not. But by the grace of god that big wheel was turnin' again before we knew it. Ryan's Let it Ride was all right, maybe not the best place in the setlist for it but he tried to say that Phil had forced him to play it.
Stephen was miraculous with some true moments of brilliance from Jimmy all throughout. Birdsong was nice and easy but by the time the other Ryan tune came around, the pace had really come to drag. The combination of that and the heat in that no ventilation skating rink made it time for some fresh air. Sorry Ryan, I'll have to buy your CD and check it out, last night just wasn't the place for it. So a raucous Truckin' brought us back inside quickly. And then the inevitable flubs really began to shine. Were Ryan's beers beginning to catch up with him at this point? I have a hard time believing that he got more nervous at the end of the show, but damn he was all over the place! Twice he tried to throw the busted down on bourbon street line in long after they had already covered it. It even got to the point where it really sounded like he was trying to outsing Phil when they were singing different verses. As if he was correcting him. Oh well, takes the cake for most Truckin' flubs that I've ever heard - live or recordings. Truckin' mutated into a rather slow GDTRFB with some more lyric flubs compliments ala Ryan towards the end. Tie on another NFA and you've got yourself a set 2, folks.

Encore arrives and what's that I hear?? DOES PHIL AND FRIENDS HAVE A STEEL PEDAL?? Well I'll be damned! They do! And when the rest of the band realizes it too, wow do they make some awfully purrty music. Ripple was by far the best "sounding" song all night. Because for the first time we actually heard Mr. Sless, but also because for the first time it seemed like the band was truly listening to each other. How about as a treat for us at the Rocks tonight you boys play some more of that FINE COUNTRY MUSIC you got in your repertoire?? What about takin Sugar Mags way back and re-countryfying it?? You could drop the rock version and even open with it tonight, LET BARRY SHINE.

All in all a fun show despite the numerous flubs. It was their first time all together on a stage with a crowd so I was expecting them to be ironing the kinks. As far as people saying that Ryan doesn't know Dead songs, I have a hard time believing it. When he played up there last night you could just see him ten years ago playing Dire Wolf for his high school friends in somebody's basement. I'm sure he had the time of his life no matter how the performance played out and he know's Phil *knew* that, too. Ryan, tonight just take some deep breaths ease up on the booze and let Phil take you down that road, you are in good hands. Let's make it fun.

Oh yeah - MORE STEEL PEDAL!!

Much love from Geebus to my Harrisburg crew. You were all missed last night, but sure as hell with me in spirit. Thanks, Phil!

Wow, I am amazed at all the bashing. Last night's show was very very good. Granted, they played abit looser, but at the same time, were very tight when they needed to be.
Clearly, Phil (and the others) was having a blast playing with Adams. Often, everyone had big shit eaten grins on while playing. I do not know if this was intentional, but all the songs (safe shakedown) were from the era of the Wolf, and their playing style was also similar. The spacey jams were very reminiscent of the spring tour ’74, Adams did some ole time feedback work that sounded very good. The opening with a funcky slower version of shakedown was very fun.

Phil-sounded great, lots of energy, vocals were on the mark, and clearly was having a very good time.

Adams- had great stage presence, but he was all of 90 lbs soaking wet. His guitar work at time was rhythm, other times noodled out some nice leads (he reminded me of a young Tom Petty). His voice was stronger and more generic than Chris Robinsons, except during his cowboy songs and ‘it must have been the roses’, when he sounded more like Hank Williams Sr. Many times others in the band looked towards him for timing and musical cues. He sang most of the vocals.

Sipes-He had a smaller drumset than Molo, and played very well. Also reminiscent of Kruetzman during the ’73-’74 era. He was not however the drum monster than Molo is. He also zinged the zinjals like Billy during the 69-70 runs (I have not seen than in a long time).

Herring-was in top form. Playing the Wolf was certainly an honor and a nice nod to his guitar work. He was oftem smiling and having a very good time. His lead work was very good. However, he had the Wolf tuned and sounding like his own guitar (or style), and lacked the tonal quality that Jerry achieved.

Baracco-played well, his plinking was always heard though only took a few solos. He only sang backup and supporting vocals (thank you). When he played organ, his riffs were only rhythm, never a lead on organ (unlike Molitz and Mookie).

Sless-I a great musician, but I could not hear him play throughout the night, with the exception of ‘Ripple’. His steel playing was mostly to fill out the overall sound, much like what he did during the Mardi Gras show (background work). I first thought he was just mixed down, but I spoke with some of the sound guys and they said he was just ‘playing down’ and that he was very much in the mix. Apparently, he is just a really nice guy and was taking the back seat. I would prefer though that he took some nice leads at times. His steel playing sounds very good when he takes the front seat.

Yeah, wow.

Big bummer for those who went & were disappointed.

Those negative reviews did not come off to me as "bashing" btw, but as thoughtful, coherent, carefully worded accounts of one's personal musical experience.

Sucks, esp. when expectations are so high.

Still wish I went.

After reading this entire thread I still have no idea whether the show sucked or not. It seems like an even split.

I'm with you, some say great, others say it sucked. P&F is so subjective, but some watch and expect to hear a certain sound and get dissapointed when they don't get it - I think those are the bad reviews. You can't compare this arrangement to Warren, Jimmy, Barraco, and Molo (just one example) - they had their own sound, this is a totally different band.

"...warren would have cluttered it up..."

I strongly disagree with that statement. First off Warren would have been more of a front man. Secondly Warren and Jimmy have a lot of experience together and know just what and when to play. Thirdly Warren is a very experienced and dynamic player and I've found him to be very careful not to clutter the music in full band arrangements. But that doesn't matter - he wasn't there, so it's really a stupid point to bring up. Just review the band at hand people. Later ya'll

The show didn't suck. It was a decent show. The jams sucked and the fact that Sless wasn't up front in the mix sucked. Ripple was definately the highlight of the show. Barry finally tore it up and you could hear the difference immediately. As a matter of fact, that may have been one of the best Ripple's I've heard post Jerry.

Yo Jjwood64...did you become a member of this forum just for that review?

LOL...too much...I guess everyone has to have a place to complain...

Man...this is a great forum...Enjoy it!

>>>After reading this entire thread I still have no idea whether the show sucked or not. It seems like an even split.

but one things for sure...i didn't know (or can't remember) it was possible to flub the lyrics to bird song ... let phil sing

Couple of other things,
the views expressed here may not reflect the views of the entire audience, particularly when taken into account that after the final song, NFA, everyone in the audience sang
'know our love will not fade away'
clap, clap, clap, clap-clap
until Phil showed up for his donor rap and encore.

one more thing-
the entire show was shot on 3-4 high quality digital video cameras, so I suspect there will be some DVD available, may as a an unbroken chain fundraiser??

thanks to all that provided their thoughts and observations about the show

Cheers-H.

I had great time last night hanging out with Canyon, Lisa and 2dank at the pool. I didn't get a chance to meet any other zoners but maybe next time.
I thought last nights show was OK but nothing special. Ryan can sing and play but the whole thing just seemed kind of cheesy. I left the show feeling like Phil had sold out, and just like I had predicted, these shows are all about Ryan. Rob did not sing a single song all night, and why the hell does phil even have Barry on stage if he's not willing to let him actually play?
With that said, I still think it sounded better than the December shows, but that isn't saying much.

OK, well, I'll try to not repeat anything that anyone else has already said.

I tried to go with an open mind, and to trust Phil that he knows better than any of us what is gonna work/not work. Yes, there were sloppy moments, but overall a nice effort for a "break out" lineup show. Lengthwise this was over 3 hours, 95' 1st set, 100' 2nd set. I think they had a 12:30 curfew. Dragonflys played for 45', were OK - will definitely see them in NJ.

Ryan comes off poser-like at first, what with wearing a denim jacket & hat in 100-degree heat/humidity - then there's the pink hair "do" with strands tousled into his face - so apparently he must have a personal stylist backstage - I'd say a bit gay but then again so does Howard Stern but then again lots of peeps sayin' he's gay too. He did thankfully lose the jacket after the 1st tune or he mighta ended up a puddle on the floor. His leads were OK but Barry woulda been so much better. Yes he does have humility and said at the end what an honor it was to be able to play these songs. Nice to see Phil "passing the torch" to a wider cross section of musicians, and to see a lot of musicians coming up who are into the GD's music. Ryan's vocals were pretty good - better than Chris Robinson in most places, certaily less annoying.

Im my book Jimmy is the living God of jamband guitar right now, and you can tell by the interplay between he and Phil that Phil KNOWS it, and the Wolf definitely belongs in his hands -altho I would REALLY like to hear Barry play it too - in fact I'd like to hear Barry play ANY lead guitar at all in this band - he was definitely a 3rd wheel on the pedal steel and as stated many times couldn't be heard at all till Ripple.

Barracco was, well, Barracco - fine enuff for me.

Sipe was merely OK on drums, sorry to say but this lineup NEEDS Molo - the wildest part of the Dec Warfield shows was the familiarity of the Phil-Jimmy-Molo triumvirate, with the newer members filling in around. Of course this being his first gig makes it very difficult to fairly judge. Oh and the Jimmy/Barry guitar interplay magic of the Dec shows was also missing.

Highlights of the show for me as always was the jamming - and there were many stellar moments - many Dark Star/Other One teases throughout - can't understand the person above who thought the jamming was the worst part or that Jimmy sucks (or any of the bashers) - then again I usually find those same zoners in other reviews gushing on and on about how great Ekoostic Hookah or Moe or Umphry Mc'Gee's or some other Phish-derivitive muck is and then I know their opinions aren't worth the bandwidth they're taking up . . .

As for the venue, nice if a little hot - lots of room in the venue - Red Rocks is gonna be less than half full tonight - security/staff courteous - well then EVERYONE is out here - being a grumpy leastcoaster it's quite the culture shock when even quickie mart employees are actually NICE. One thing that sucks is the lack of restrooms - sucks having to miss music to take a piss, and for me I will knowingly buy less beer if I know taking a piss is a major hassle.

As for the crowd, well here goes my rant for the day - guess it was my mistake to decide to take in the show from way up front - 2nd/3rd row, behind the "rail riders" - this gives you the unenviable task of constantly dealing with the assorted rude asswipes who wanna shred their way up front - always the dregs of the crowd - just like being a taper on the edge of the taper's section. Worst offenders was the X-ed out dude who thought he needed to be everyone's "brother", embracing one guy after another - the hippy dudes who went along got hugged and yakked up even worse - he went for me and I had to elbow him away multiple times then he went for Bill (see above) - dude go to an F-in' SF Bathhouse if you need man-love that F-in' much - maybe you have 'roids up yer ass and you'll be greeted as a conquering hero!

Then there was the gaggle of jerkoffs who came right at the beginning of the 2nd set - yakkity yak yak yak then the one girl tries to wedge her way in front of me with her elbows into my stomach - hell if she'd just asked nicely maybe I woulda let her (I did let several other girls in front of me all night) but then their yakkin' distraction woulda been in front of me - NFW that was happenin' - besides all the "rail riders" up front were the tallest fattest dudes in the place and they weren't given up their spaces even for the hottest of chick's. So Ms yakkity elbow then pulls out her cellphone during the spacey mellow jamming and proceeds to yak it up ON THE PHONE AT THE SHOW WHILST TRYING TO ELBOW ME OUT OF THE WAY - this was the last straw for me and I gently but firmly elbowed her away from me - of course she reacted in shocked indignation and all her yakkity friends started in on me with the same old tired "hey wow cool kind hippy vibes" bullshit - but THEY were the ones annoying me and everyone else around and I had actually endured it for 20 min's of having my show ruined trying to be nice before I'd "had it" - F that, I'm always as nice as possible to cool people but anyone who acts like an ass gets the same treatment in return.

My motto at a show is: "ALL I ASK FOR IS TO BE LEFT THE FUCK ALONE SO I CAN ENJOY THE SHOW - IS THAT REALLY TOO FUCKIN' MUCH TO ASK FOR????" Apparently for some hardcore assholes who cloak themselves in "kind hippy vibes" it is.

UNFUCKINGBELIEVABLE.

I doubt very much I'll ever go near the front again . . .

And oh yeah- the jamming out of Birdsong was the show highlight - way sicko shredding - I don't think they really "finished" birdsong either.

one more thing, people were applauding at the end of the first set like they were trying to get them to play an encore. pretty telling IMO

any pics of jimmy with the wolf?

the show is up on Live365

www.live365.com/stations/2012_live

A DVD?? I've been waiting for a DVD for years, it's dissapointing that Phil would choose this fresh line up & show for a DVD. I wanted a good Warren/Jimmy DVD after they had been touring for a year. Son of a....

Listening to Stream!

The "Truckin" reminds me of the Dwight Yoakum version..............straight out of Bakersfield!

don't know if its been mentioned, and it probably doesn't need to be, but the song after birdsong is about jerry's guitar locked up in cleveland.

glad you all could be there and thanks for sharing your reviews - listening to the stream at the moment. being a Sless fan, I wish he played a bigger role - but I understand Phil's desire to mix it up and test out new arrangements, never know until you try, right? so as much as I miss hearing Sless (on wolf!) I gotta say the music is sweet music to my ears, lucky phreaks getting to have to have the music to your eyes as well, looking forward to reading more reviews (and hearing more stream) tomorrow. kudos to the tapers and of course to Phil and Friends for making it all happnen~

ive missed rob.no lead vocals?

Folks what is wrong with all this narrowminded bashing of the Phil show because Ryan is a terrible singer and flubbed lyrics. Folks, Jerry flubbed lyrics with a telepromter is front of him. The two shows in Denver was not a Grateful Dead shows. They are Phil Lesh and his friends that he brings together. I think some people don't realize that. The Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995. Let's be grateful that the members are still out there providing magic with Phil and Friends, Ratdog, Hydra, and the Dead. I am listening to the stream of the Fillmore. There is nothing wrong with it. Also, stop bashing Ryan. I'm sure that they had a short time to rehearse and I have been to many Phil and Friends shows where Phil, Warren, and Rob flubbed lyrics. Cut Ryan some slack. He's an artist who is exploring what all is out there. It is easy to be critical. I would love these bashers to go up in front of a crowd , play with Phil, and sing those classic songs. Good Luck.

I'm another of those who ENJOYED the show. I thought the slow burn Shakedown Street opener was great. I love it when Phil puts a new twist on an old song. I also really enjoyed the turbo-charged Truckin' but the lyrical miscues did get old after awhile. I think the one thing every reviewer has agreed on was that Jimmy Herring smoked, and I really enjoyed his leads on Eyes of the World. I thought Ryan Adam's persona was very appropriate for the blearier songs in the GD canon, and I especially enjoyed his takes on Direwolf, Roses, and Wharf Rat. Help > Slip > Frank was a strong, fun set closer.

Nice long jam into He's Gone, and The Wheel also contained several unique, interesting passages, along with the usual rousing choruses. The highlight of the show IMHO was the St. Stephen. Phil really let the bombs fly on this one, and Jimmy provided plenty of fireworks as well.

I'll end with one question: did ANYONE else think the band began playing Dark Star, but then Adams sang Bird Song so they just went with it? I could have swore that was how it happened, and I distinctly remember a sheepishly surpised look on Phil's face when Adam sang the first verse of Bird Song. But the Bird Song jams quickly took my mind to other places, so now I'm not sure if I just imagined the Dark Star or not?!?!

Mark Save it guy./

Save it. What do you mean. The truth hurts. A lot of people that they are seeing the The Grateful Dead in their eyes. I love the side projects and think they are stellar. Just stop being so critical unless you are a musican. I, myself, am a fan and just love what they create. I just believe that people expect to hear the Grateful Dead and what you are getting are Dead members creating a different sound. I'm not trying to be a bad guy here. Believe me.

Well, first off thanks very much to Todd R for posting his recording of the show. I think it sounds GREAT as far as the sound goes. And the other thing I've noticed is that despite what seems to be the prevailing opinion on this board, I think the show is AMAZING. I can't believe there are people saying this show is the worst thing. I think it's maybe one of my favorite Phil and Friends shows. Yeah, Ryan flubs some lyrics. Seems that bobby does his fare share. But I think the energy in the playing and the fact that songs like Truckin and NFA are ROCKING so hard is good enough for me. I have never liked Ryan Adams. Always thought he was some kind of arrogant prick. But this show has really turned me around. I am very surprised to say this, but I think his addition to the group is amazing. I enjoy it wayyyy more than Chris Robinson.
Cannot wait to hear the Red Rocks show which apparently was mind blowing. But for my money i suggest everyone download this show and give it a listen. I think it's great.

Amazing show!

First off allow me to say that it was great to meet Brent, Zippy and Carl at the Ramada pool briefly on fri aft.

Shakedown opener was disappointing as the very slow tempo stole the energy out of a song that should pummel your chest with bass bombs and yer ears with rainbows. It didn't bode too well. However, things started improving with direwolf and then the HSF soared with the emphasis on the Slipknot. Here, Jeff Sipe acquitted himself admirably. What an outstanding drummer. Wasn't familiar with his work but walk away most impressed.
Set II highlights include a great He's Gone>Wheel(Barry's steel).
Jimmy playing the shit out of that bad Wolf.

Lowlight: include the oppressive heat (a/c went out last Tuesday) and the bathroom lines.


I was very impressed with Ryan's ramblings at the end where he basically said that it was a huge honor for him to be singing the songs he's loved all his life. Ryan sang 'em great. Gee, lyric flubs...good thing Jerry never did that. What a set of pipes.

Way to go Phil you cagey old fucker.
Get these young 'uns carrying the torch of these timeless songs.
Ripple fucking encore...whoeeee!
I crashed with a smile on my face.

While all have a right to their opinions of course, I personally feel sorry for anyone that could not enjoy and/or appreciate the great vibes and sounds of this show and entire weekend. Hat's off to Ryan for his effort in singing almost every tune at the Fillmore and the Rocks, he brought a ton of energy and enthusiasm to these shows. He even stated that he "cherishes these songs" and that they "kicked his butt." Phil clearly enjoyed the heck out of playing with Ryan, and all of us that traveled out from the east coast had a blast. The first set of the Fillmore was one of the best sets of music that I have ever heard (vet. of 220 GD shows); I encourage those who were not there to listen to the CD's ASAP. Peace and thanks Phil & guys!!

>>>>>>The first set of the Fillmore was one of the best sets of music that I have ever heard (vet. of 220 GD shows);

that is just unbelievable.

>>"cherishes these songs"

Maybe if he cherished them he'd know it was "Must've been" not "Maybe it was" the roses??

Er, uh, just a thought.

Ryan's attempt to ingratiate himself with heads by saying how much the music meant to him was very disingenious.

Ryan was a mistake and it's sad people can't admit it.

Bring on generator tour 2006!

JBH

>>Ryan was a mistake and it's sad people can't admit it.

Absolutely, Jason. Some things never change on The Bus over the years, and many still put on rose-colored glasses.

>>>>>>The first set of the Fillmore was one of the best sets of music that I have ever heard (vet. of 220 GD shows);

ok...you can come down now!;-)

I absolutely don't think that Ryan was a mistake after seeing the shows, but I was a bit concerned before hand. With two shows being almost nothing but GD tunes and feeling, I have no iontention of "coming down" anytime soon. Guess I got tired of those 6 - 7 song GD first sets and very predictable second sets the last 5 years of the run. phil is fresh and he rocks!!

Thought I'd throw in my $.02...

Honestly, I thought this was the sloppiest P&F show I think I've seen. Ryan was pretty bad... I mean... "It may have been the roses"... come on.

That being said... I felt really bad for Ryan. I think he was really nervous and as he said "needs an extra finger to play with this band". He could have used more practice before taking the stage.

By the way... Jeff Sipe rocks and I think he and the rest of the band just weren't gelling on this night. Everything felt like a struggle - the energy was not there.

This is a classic example of the risk you take by bringing a group of people together who haven't played much together. It just didn't come together this night.

Red Rocks was complete redemption and rocked!

AMEN MARK CREECH!!! - i was front and center both nights and there were nothing but smiles coming from the stage and phil was bopping around like a teenager....and before we go on a ryan adams bashing spree let's consider that he's just a couple years older than me, i've been playing guitar, bass, and keys (respectively) for 10 years (since i was about 13)and i would be scared shitless if i was out there playing with those guys. i've heard a few people talk about ryan not connecting with the band as much as he should have been but he's not used to playing improvisational music.....i'm sure those same people would whole heartedly defend jerry even though he spent more time staring straight down at the stage than connecting for more than a few YEARS, and he'd been playing the songs almost as long as ryan has been alive.....

ryan was swimming with sharks and he knew it; not to mention that he, on more than one occasion, fully acknowledged that fact....the second set of the fillmore show was the 'worst' of the four but both shows were SMOLDERING!!! - in my humble opinion...people said the same things about bruce hornsby that i'm hearing about ryan when the dead took him in, just because you play popular or 'pop' music dosen't mean you can't play/sing and do it well.....the dead have always been about exploration, experimentation, and open to change... it's too bad some of the 'fans' don't feel the same...i had 3000 miles (about 44 hours)or driving invested in getting there and back, plus the money i invested, and it was worth every cent and every mile. I KNOW MY LOVE WILL NOT FADE AWAY!!!KEEP IT UP BOYS!!!

Alright, i've said my piece.....now i'm prepared to be crucified...and if a man among you has no sin upon his hands let him cast the stone at ryan for playin' in the band

Maybe the flubs were a'tribute' to Jerry (and Bob). Don't believe I ever saw a GD show where they didn't have at least one apiece.

Gettin' my blanks out to Canyon today, but a may check out 365Live if I can't wait.

Maybe the flubs were a 'tribute' to Jerry (and Bob). Don't believe I ever saw a GD show where they didn't have at least one apiece.

Gettin' my blanks out to Canyon today, but a may check out 365Live if I can't wait.

Please don't even compare Ryan Adams to Bruce Hornsby!! Hornsby came in at a time the Dead
needed him, and has almost always displayed
top-shelf musicianship; and there was not an
ounce of that in Ryan. Zero! A good number of shows from September 1990 and a good chunk of 1991
were because Hornsby had the ability to push
the band, particularly Jerry.

I am well open to change by all means, but I
will not pay monety to hear somebody that was
*not* professionally prepared to play the songs.

Ryan needed more than an extra finger: He needed
much more time to get to know the songs so
he could do them with *some* level of competence.

John J. Wood...you are an idiot. Ryan ADams is an incredibly talented musician, who sure, may not know all of the words to songs, but neither did chris robinson in december/mardi gras. Those shows were incredible too.

i think you are a cynical bastard.

But we forget--they are playing songs of a band renowned for their precise choreography, for split second costume changes and never making a mistake either musically or lyrically.

What specious arguments. Clearly, the GD had bad nights and, when they did, we called them on it. Now that you who cringe from responsible critics who call a spade a spade, and you're all politically correct, we'd never do that with an unprepared guest who doesn't know the material, now would we?

John is right on.

And, no doubt, unfortunately for us locally in Colo., Ryan will be better equipped to actually perform the material in Las Vegas. I'll look forward to hearing the improvements. If he gets it, I have no doubt the boy can pull through.

And enough with the name-calling. That ruins the board. Stick to the substance of things; this is a forum.

Plain and simple. Since the break-up of the"Q" EVERY line up that has been on stage since, has been nothing short of a DISASTER (vocally)! You name it, Jackie, Gloria, Chris Robinson, now Ryan Adams? Absolutely atrocious! I can only pray that Phil wakes up and puts the "Q" back together, or at least can find some people who know how to sing "DEAD" tunes respectably!

The lead into truckin ripped my head off. Ripple made me cry.

Other than the lack of air conditioning I have no complaint at all.