Friend of the Devil

thanks rob

Rob you rock!

Little Mando action COOL think of the possibilities

Brown-Eyed Women

thanks rob

what did they open with?

Join chat. Setlist updated often.

Thanks TaperRob

Let the good time roll
Friend of the Devil (Larry on Mandolin)
Brown eyed women
Girl on the Mountian


at http://www.ratdog.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=16524& sid=904619a7533d9ea561e31387a29d2233

also updated often, but no chat, only posts.

Phil and Larry - Larry on violin

sick

You gotta love Larry he's a one man band!!

Yeah I am really excited to see the Larry Dynamic this weekend...should be great

[taperrob1] PLF, Sovereign Center, Reading, PA 11/21/05 Set 1: Let The Good Times Roll, Friend Of The Devil> Brown-Eyed Women, Girl On The Mountain> Jam> Mississippi 1/2 Step

Mississippi Half-Step

[taperrob1] PLF, Sovereign Center, Reading, PA 11/21/05 Set 1: Let The Good Times Roll, Friend Of The Devil> Brown-Eyed Women, Girl On The Mountain> Jam> Mississippi 1/2 Step..., It Hurts Me Too

It Hurt Me Too

[taperrob1] PLF, Sovereign Center, Reading, PA 11/21/05 Set 1: Let The Good Times Roll, Friend Of The Devil> Brown-Eyed Women, Girl On The Mountain> Jam> Mississippi 1/2 Step..., It Hurts Me Too, Loose Lucy

PLF
Sovereign Center, Reading, PA 11/21/05

Set 1:
Let The Good Times Roll
Friend Of The Devil>
Brown-Eyed Women
Girl On The Mountain> Jam>
Missisippi 1/2 Step...
It Hurts Me Too
Loose Lucy

Thanks Tar & Rob nice pics

any word on how the band sounds??

Tar and tperrob....thanx a bunch!

How is the sound?

Is the music hot or not?

Thanks boys!

jonesin' in SF...


Enjoy pholks. Go Phil!

all credit to taperrob... Thanks taperrob

im in San Francisco..

Larry Campbell on mando and fiddle, YEAH BABY. looks like Phil figured out a way to get Carbone and Skeehan in one package since they are on the road w/ RRE. Robinson on acoustic 6-string. oh yeah Sless has the pedal in the aresenal, I'm already liking the shape of things to come on this tour!

KK

thanks, taperrob. wish I was there!
great pics, too!

>>>>Carbone and Skeehan in one package

Dude Cambell shouldnt even be mentioned in the same sentence as RRE guys. they were lame in the one Phil and Friends groups IMO.

gunner





(grimace)

[taperrob1] PLF, Sovereign Center, Reading, PA 11/21/05 Set 1: Let The Good Times Roll, Friend Of The Devil> Brown-Eyed Women, Girl On The Mountain> Jam> Mississippi 1/2 Step..., It Hurts Me Too, Loose Lucy Set2: Casey Jones, Hard To Handle

How do they sound? Tight? improvisational? exploring? boring?

good work taper rob,ya freak..tomm in nj gonna be hot!!

Mountains of the Moon

[taperrob1] PLF, Sovereign Center, Reading, PA 11/21/05 Set 1: Let The Good Times Roll, Friend Of The Devil> Brown-Eyed Women, Girl On The Mountain> Jam> Mississippi 1/2 Step..., It Hurts Me Too, Loose Lucy Set 2: Casey Jones, Hard To Handle, Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring> Jam> Big River, Hurricane> Jam> Mountains Of The Moon

/image{36}

Sless and Molo

Sless and Molo

[taperrob1] PLF, Sovereign Center, Reading, PA 11/21/05 Set 1: Let The Good Times Roll, Friend Of The Devil> Brown-Eyed Women, Girl On The Mountain> Jam> Mississippi 1/2 Step..., It Hurts Me Too, Loose Lucy Set 2: Casey Jones, Hard To Handle, Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring> Jam> Big River, Hurricane> Jam> Mountains Of The Moon> Inspiration Jam > Terrapin Station

Damn, i wanted a Mountains of the Moon tommorow night

[taperrob1] PLF, Sovereign Center, Reading, PA 11/21/05 Set 1: Let The Good Times Roll, Friend Of The Devil> Brown-Eyed Women, Girl On The Mountain> Jam> Mississippi 1/2 Step..., It Hurts Me Too, Loose Lucy Set 2: Casey Jones, Hard To Handle, Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring> Jam> Big River, Hurricane> Jam> Mountains Of The Moon> Inspiration Jam > Terrapin Station> Jam >St. Stephen

PLF
Sovereign Center, Reading, PA 11/21/05

Set 1:
Let The Good Times Roll
Friend Of The Devil>
Brown-Eyed Women
Girl On The Mountain> Jam>
Missisippi 1/2 Step...
It Hurts Me Too
Loose Lucy

Set 2:
Casey Jones
Hard To Handle
Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring> Jam>
Big River
Hurricane> Jam>
Mountains Of The Moon>
Inspiration Jam>
Terrapin Station> Jam>
St Stephen>
U.S. Blues

Donor Rap/Intros
enc: Don't Let Me Down

Neat looking setlist!!

[taperrob1] PLF, Sovereign Center, Reading, PA 11/21/05 Set 1: Let The Good Times Roll, Friend Of The Devil> Brown-Eyed Women, Girl On The Mountain> Jam> Mississippi 1/2 Step..., It Hurts Me Too, Loose Lucy Set 2: Casey Jones, Hard To Handle, Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring> Jam> Big River, Hurricane> Jam> Mountains Of The Moon> Inspiration Jam > Terrapin Station> Jam >St. Stephen< U.S. Blues, Donor Rap/Intros, enc: Don't Let Me Down

Great to get the blow by blow......any word on quality of jams?

listen in on www.live365.com/stations/2012_live

1st set playing now

it's amazing to be listening to a show that just ended minutes ago!!!


don't you love technology??

and taperrob of course!!

Trob is the man. Truely selfless individual. Love is for-giving. TY trob

come on guys. what did it sound like

mad props to TR!

Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring?
(Winwood/Capaldi)
We are not like all the rest, you can see us any day of the week
Come around, sit down, take a sniff, fall asleep
Baby, you don't have to speak
I'd like to show you where it is but then it wouldn't even mean a thing
Nothing is easy, baby, just please me, who knows what tomorrow may bring?
If for just one moment you could step outside your mind
And float across the ceiling, I don't think the folks would mind

sounds pretty good to me
nice setlist

thanks taper rob
who's the man now dog?

am listening on very choppy stream....but can get the jist of it....sounds pretty good

Big River!?!? whoa...

yes southern blues rock....nice soundin slide

PLF
Sovereign Center, Reading, PA 11/21/05

Set 1:
Let The Good Times Roll
%&Friend Of The Devil>
%Brown-Eyed Women
^Girl On The Mountain> *Jam>
*Missisippi 1/2 Step...
It Hurts Me Too
Loose Lucy

Set 2:
Casey Jones
Hard To Handle
Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring> Jam>
%^Big River
%*Hurricane> Jam>
^&Mountains Of The Moon>
Inspiration Jam>
Terrapin Station> Jam>
St Stephen>
%U.S. Blues

Donor Rap/Intros
enc: %^Don't Let Me Down

%Chris Robinson acoustic guitar
^Barry Sless pedal steel
&Larry Campbell mandolin
*Larry Campbell fiddle

it was great, i preferred the show to either of the PLQ gigs I attended (7/29/01 and the Tower Theatre '03-the free SBD show)

set 2 is cued up to play on the Zone Radio, sometime after the current track is done.

Just got home.. Larry TORE IT UP...WOW

Yea im getting the "very choppy stream" too Mr. K
ars.....better'n'uttin'...i suppose..:P

Thanks taper rob see you in AC

From what I can hear on the stream this sounds pretty damn good. What time did the show start and end? My Newark tickets say 7:30...did this show start right on time? Looking forward to the next two nights!

Excellent show- The Hard to Handle alone was worth the price of admission. It Hurts me too was incredibly good, with Chris doing perhaps the best vocals of the evening on that one. My other personal fave from the show was the KILLER Mtns of the Moon. Larry was exceptional on (what I believe was a) bazouki. Overall, a veryt ight show- If there was a lowpoint, it was probably Girl on the Mountain. If someone can tell me where to post it on this site, I'll gladly post some excellent video of the St Stephens- US Blues, and Don't let me Down. I also have the final 5 minutes of mtns of the Moon. If there's someway to post it here, let me know.

Hey chuck... what kind of camera did you use?

don't know how to post videos, shit don't even
know where the Zone Radio is...live365 keeps
playing set #1 ??????

The show started about 20 minutes late, I believe, probably because no one was in their seats! It ended right around 11.

set 2 on now!!!!

This is fucking great. Thanks to all for the setlists and posting the sets


vicariously yours....

Lightening Speed!!! Thanks for recording the show and getting it out quickly.

http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=20122&dllist=1# seeders

Chuck - Check:

http://members.cox.net/larrycampbell2003/bouzouki. htm

If it was a cittern, it looked like the ones on this page. (Technically, it's a cittern.)

Joy

I hope we get some reviews tomorrow

Wonderful show. Phil looked great. What a bunch of talented musicians. Thanks Phil

BARRY ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>If someone can tell me where to post it on this site, I'll gladly post some excellent video of the St Stephens- US Blues, and Don't let me Down. I also have the final 5 minutes of mtns of the Moon. If there's someway to post it here, let me know

go to yousendit.com
you can upload the file to their server(like an email), and it gives yo a link to put in emails.
then just paste the link over here for everyone.
easy to do

yousendit.com

Was that the Dylan Hurricane? If it was, they must have telepromptors for the words

anyone awake yet to give a detailed review....?!??!!?

im bored as shit here at work, ready to read and get even more pumped for the next 2 nights @ NJPAC!!!!

from Tooboard:
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------
We missed the first three songs due to horrendous traffic and rain. We had great seats that made up for it.

Campbell was GREAT. He really stepped up to the plate. He took the majority of the guitar solos. His violin also added a lot (especially on "Mississippi 1/2 Step") and he nailed all the high harmony vocals.

Robinson did a very good job, especially on "Hurts Me Too" (which sounded more like early Led Zep than GD). His only real misstep was on Dylan's "Hurricane" - he didn't know the words at all so he was reading them off a sheet on the floor, sometimes coming in late on the vocal lines, and generally sounding like a Dylan imitator.

Phil's voice was, well, pretty good! He did a nice job on "1/2 Step" and "Mountains of the Moon". And he was genuinely happy on stage. He dug Campbell's solo on "Loose Lucy" so much that he was DANCING.

Segel and Sless are capable supporting players, but not much more. They didn't detract from the sound, but neither of them really stepped up. Not sure why Sless gets the "second coming" hype around these parts.

All in all, a very good time!

>>Segel and Sless are capable supporting players

LOL... yeah, Sless is capable!

Man, too bad with Robinson on Hurricane...it was one of the highlights of the Mardi Gras show for me.

>>>especially on Hurts Me Too...

Black Crowes cover it, so he's familiar with it.

They sound great. Can't wait till tonite.

Does anyone have a rundown on who sang lead on each tune?

Chris Robinson was better than expected. He does rely a lot on the teleprompter, however, and not just on Hurricane. It seemed like the teleprompter was too low or something - he had to look down to see it, then look up to find the mike and deliver the line. Anyway, great chemistry on stage. I'm a big Larry Campbell fan, and he didn't dissappoint - he does bring that bluegrass vibe as necessary - Half-step w/ fiddle was so cool!
I also enjoyed Sless. I don't think I've ever seen him before, but he's definately one who has worshipped at the alter of Jerry. Nice leads on guitar and pedal steel.

Oh yeah, one other comment. No light show or fancy back drops or staging. Just the musicians. And that's a very good thing.

Not familiar with "Girl On The Mountain>" can anyone shed some light on this tune? Thanks.

I believe it's a Black Crowes tune..??

Does anyone know who's doing the lighting?

I dont do bit torrent. Any shn/flac downloads available ????. Thanks

Girl on a Mountain is a solo C. Robinson tune from the second New Earth Mud album, This Magnificent Distance.

Sort of starts off like Dreams. Has a slow, bouncy feel to it with a repetitive chorus, but the solo potential from either Campbell or Sless would be where the highlights would come from there.

Someone above said that was the lowlight of the show, but does it mean it's because they don't know the song or it isn't Dead related enough to qualify as being acceptable?

Also, the teleprompte comments are out of control. C Robinson and the Crowes just filtered in 50 covers on the 2005 tour and you expect him to master every lyric of Hurricane? Isn't this the tune he nailed before? I think it is. The Crowes just finished their tour like 2 weeks ago. Who cares if he needs some help on it? It's a lot of lyrics to remember and no one is perfect. At least he can sing. Phil has no business singing 1/2 Step. I cannot beleive he's singing great tunes over Robinson. Wow.

Overall, tons of possibilities here. The band/sound took about 3 or 4 songs to really get moving. BEW was the fist tune that seemed to have everyone on the same page. Hurts me too, 1/2 step and lucy were a great way to finish off. Second set opened really STRONG. Casey jones got the house rockin' and hard to handle rocked. Phil actually played his baseline to end the jam that he used to do in 71 and got the whole band rockin on the groove. After that seemed like kind of a lull until MOTM. Big river was kind of disappointing as I didn't feel like anyone took a real lead on it. The show closed SUPER HOT!!! The St. Stephen and US blues seemed flawless and everyone was singing and dancing. Encore was a pleasant surprise - everyone was singing along. This is a great one because you can really scream along. Overall, I thought larry was fantastic. For me some of the highlights of the show were when CR was not on stage. I was a little hesitant with the line up change, but now I can't wait until 12/9 in AC!!!!

Hard to handle jam=WOW!

>>>Phil has no business singing 1/2 Step.

and it's my opinion that you have no buisness making that comment

Maybe when they use the duct tape to affix the set list to the floor they should take a piece to Phil's mouth :-). Just kidding! I mean they could take it off for Box, Pride, Chain :-)

WOW - all I can say is WOW - this band is AMAZING - RUN DON'T WALK to see a show this tour - was SO shocked at how TIGHT they are - they must have practiced or Larry is such a musician's musician that he can just step into a band and be this good (ESPECIALLY THIS band!) - OK my time is limited due to PA library restrictive rules (MAN they are uptight 'round here - the breakfast place I went to everyone was SO dour and they all turned around and looked when I was a stranger walking in - an "Easy Rider" moment. I tried the Lehighton library - no internet - am in Palmerton now - 1/2 hour and I'm posting "illegally" now - ha what a rebel!). Well if there's one thing I learned from Zippy it's libraries are great hangouts 'tween shows.

OK just had to post a message to make sure I actually could. On to the show - from the first note they were ON - had great side seats right side - even with the stage - could see when sitting but no reason to sit all night! Show started at 7:15, sound was great (usually isn't from up close on the side) but it sounded balanced. Tapers were in the back corner of the floor - OK if the PA is mono (which it seemed like). Friend of the Devil was fast tempo, Larry on Mandolin, Barry on Electric, they jammed out of it into Brown Eyed - great transition, had hints of Wheels of Fire (the Band). Girl on the Mountain was interesting, very jammy, I liked it, Robinson played electric guitar, the intro sounded like the beginning of Cold Irons Bound (Dylan). The jam out of it was the first time they stretched out - first sounded like King Solomon's, then Hard to Handle riffs, then Millenium Jam hints, then Larry picked up the fiddle and started doing Irish jigs over Phil/Barry/Molo psycho jamming. Oh did I mention Molo is a total monster - the faces he makes are so funny! He signaled for water by wagging his tongue to the roadies. Friend of the Devil and Half Step Phil's voice sounded good. Set ended at 8:30.

Yeah Dickstar, afterall Chris Robinson can't sing and has no stage presence, so it's a highlight when he's not on stage (heavy sarcasm).

Phil is also a phenomenal singer and should be giving lessons to up and coming potential vocalists.

Unbelievable.

i agree with the hard to handle being one of the hottest moments of the night. i heard alot of the same stuff as phil's past three shows and also the hurricane he already did with chris last time at mardi gras. larry was amazing, barry was amazing , phil was in great form but wasn't as pumped as in vegas or colorado. my buddy i was with totally disliked chris. i think he has alot of potential to bring good music. i gave this show a 6.5-7.0 on a 1-10. looking foward to tonight. i have an extra. might have one for tomorrow as well.

Logging in from Texas to read these excellent reviews. Sounds killer!

set 2 was definitely way hotter played than set one. it's going to be hard to beat the show at the joint two weeks ago.

phil's vocals last night were on some of the best songs of the night

Yeah Gideon, it's fantastic when a bass player who wasn't a featured singer in his original band, now is considered a great singer over someone like Chris Robinson. That makes sense.

2nd set started at 9:15. Casey Jones to open was appropriate as Reading is a railroad town - such a tradition to do it in a Pennsylvania RR town - Scranton, Pittsburgh, etc. Hard to Handle was faster, uptempo, more the Crowes version, but with Phil on bass it was still awesome! Picked up on Who Knows . . right away, wow, what an appropriate tune! Big River with Chris on acoustic - his first vocal stumble of the night - had to reach down and rearrange the cue sheets - funny that it was the easiest tune every Deadhead probably knows by heart. Topical since the Johnny Cash movie just came out. Hurricane was well done, I didn't notice any major vocal stumbles, Larry on fiddle was great, the jam out of it sounded like Birdsong at first, Dark Star teases, you knew it was jam time as Chris left, then for me the VERY long-anticipated Mtns of the Moon (last good one I saw was fall 01) - and WOW this was indeed the highlight of the night with Larry on Bazouki (?) and Barry on steel - this could be the best version I ever saw - long, deep, spacey, intense, the jam out of it really heated up, both Larry and Barry on electric, with hints of Caution, Other One, Get Together (Youngbloods), I picked up on the Terrapin Pt 2 about a half minute before Phil sang it - I love watching the rest of the crowd "catch on" at those kind of moments - this was the peak intensity moment of the show, they had a disco ball in the rafters for this - nice! I assume Candace is doing lights again, very well done. St Stephen was as rockin' as ever, US Blues gave me a chance to catch a piss before the encore. Chris was good on the Beatles tune, did I mention he sang the first 5 tunes of the 2nd set? Show ended at 10:45 - 75 min 1st set, 90 min 2nd set for you fellow geeks.

Incredible effort for 1st show of the tour in an out of the way place. Only about 2,000 attendees, place was mellow, didn't see any hassles, people got away with stealth puffin', lots of cig smokers too, they just told people to put it out. The ushers, etc, seemed very local and proud of their town/venue. That's a nice touch. I parked on the street right outside the door - I could see my vehicle as I went out the door. Nice to have on a rainy night. The only downsides of the night - I had to freebie my extra tix to some crystal vendors (but had 2 seats!), the huge fat hippy next to me needed a bath and stank to high holy hell and to boot was blowing nasty dank farts all night - I just waved my hands around as I danced while holding my breath to get some fresh air.

OK see all you tricksters tonight! Again, anyone on the fence - GO SEE THIS BAND!!!!!

Well i like the format that the dead always used were all members contribute vocally and so does phil. i'm also usually disapointed when phil gives up a song ie morning dew to warren. i want phil singing the biggies even if his vocals are sometimes up and down. he has improved so much in recent years that i ask you Russ, who would you rather have singing " fare well to you oh southern skies, i'm on my way"?

Good reviews..Sideshow from the library..Thanks for posting dude..

Edit to add:

Gideon..!!..I agree..

Gideon, it's Phil's show so obviously he can do what he wants, but I think it's weird one of the most soulful, talented and versatile singers on the planet is on that stage and Phil sings a song that C Rob would kill on.

I just don't get it.

Maybe Chris can play bass on Scarlet?

hahaa

maybe chris could just leave the stage for scarlet instead.

Yeah Chuck, Phil thinks C Rob is so bad he's asked him back multiple times. What a horrible choice.

I'd rather hear monitone Phil sing than someone like Chris Robinson anyday! lol

Maybe Phil can grow a few more arms and morph into a human octopus and play some maracas too.

Gdad, i'll be in Atlanta, saw that you were thinking about it, if so we'll hook up.

Russ, not everybody actually digs that southern drawl/new country vocal style but phil does as well as in the music...which is why i'm so glad that Barry is rounding out the sound...at first i was way to critical of CR's southern ways but now i'm actually warming up to him especially on songs like the dolphin and such. all that being said ...Phil it's not to late to get Jackie and Gloria on a plane

sounds like a pretty decent opener, hopefully the folks of Reading weren't too freaked out by the freaks - and vice versa.

" Segel and Sless are capable supporting players, but not much more. They didn't detract from the sound, but neither of them really stepped up. Not sure why Sless gets the "second coming" hype around these parts. "

I'm not sure that Mookie has ever played a room the size of the one in Reading...and playing along side Larry Campbell might have been a little unnerving for Barry Sless..Barry is a great steel player and a very Jerryesque guitarist but posesses no sound that can be called his own. Larry Campbell on the other hand is a world class player whose credits easily matches his well deserved reputation - based on playing a wide array of instruments. Larry has a phenomenal tone on the guitar..and is a virtuoso fiddler too. Larry is also one of the music business's most in demand pedal steel players as well. He had the pedal steel out on stage, however, he didn't play it last night.

Phil has assembled one hot shit band!

Barry KILLS on Big River, he is the man

I'd never heard of Larry Campbell before Phil's announcement. He was fantastic on all of the instruments he picked up. Now if only he could sing, Phil could drop that loser Chris Robinson.

Gong

Can anyone tell me how well the Reading show was sold? 50%? 75% 100%? How many people does the place hold?

I too was a little concerned when I heard that Jimmy was out and Larry was in, as I had not really heard about Larry. I did my research though to found out more about him and was impressed with his credentials and now to hear that he is performing up to those expectations is awsome. I look forward to the shows in Atlanta!!! Just saw Ratdog Friday night and they kicked a$$ too!

LARRY!

THANK GOD FOR YOUR ARRIVAL.

The place holds slightly over 4000, and sold about 95%. The theater was made up of 1/2 an arena with a curtain. If this show was any indicator of the tour, this is gonna be a wicked ride. As for the critique of Sless by Nick above- you are totally off base. Barry was great. It is sometimes misleading when the spotlight is intentionally on one player, as it was with Larry last night, but both guys played equally well- meaning they were both outstanding. As for the critique of Chris on Hurricane, I have no idea what you're talking about. Like the sports guys say- "Let's go to the tape!" These guys did a phenomenal job last night, and everybody held there own. Also- last night was the best Mountains of the Moon I've ever heard live- and thanks Joy, it was the Cittern. Phil's vocals were outstanding for the tune. I really like the addition of Chris, because it allows Phil to sing fewer tunes, but ultimately a group of tunes that are more suited to his range. Mtns was an excellent example of the the extra unnoticed bang we get from having a guy like Chris on board. Even though he wasn't on stage for Mountains, Chris' impact was there. He let Phil be Phil- he didn't have to be Jerry or Bob also.

THank you for all the reports - Atlanta at the fox to close this tour will be unreal!

CHRIS IS GREAT ON HURTS ME TOO. ITS NO USE. ALLL THOSE HEAVY SLOW BLUES SONGS. HE IS LEGENDARY AT THAT STUFF. LIKE BEING IN THE HOUSE WITH A GREAT BLUES MAN.!

BRING ON THE MEATY RAUNCHY BL;UES JAMMING.

THIS WILL BE THE MOST EPIC TOUR PHIL AND FRIENDS HAVE EVER HAD.

Larry does sing. : )

Joy

I posted a few days ago that I'd be hearing some kick ass reviews here soon, and I was right!!

Anyone who has any knowledge of Larry Campbell knows he's versatile and can step right in and
shine in any band he plays in.



Joy

http://members.cox.net/larrycampbell2000

..>>..Larry does sing. : )

Ya think Phil "The Kid" Lesh is aware of that..??..

He not only sings, but sings well.

Frankly, I’m surprised to read such praise about last night’s show. Let me start off by stating Phil and Friends might be my favorite band of all time and IMO are always worth the price of admission as they were last night. However, I must report IMO last night's show was lacking the ‘it” factor and was far less than great….and probably ranks near the bottom of the Phil shows I have heard. It was one of those rare shows where the collective came up smaller than the sum of the parts. With tickets to the HOB shows, I hope Phil makes the necessary adjustments.

For those of you who don’t know me, I am a 49-year-old deadhead and have attended more than 25 Phil shows over the years and have listened to almost all the Phil shows since 1999. With that stated, unlike some of you who come off as authorities on the music, I understand I am one person with one opinion and since music and almost everything else in life is subjective, please take my criticism as this person’s reality to either share or not.

My number one complaint about last night is about the sound, which was overly loud and frequently muffled. Sitting in row UU directly in front of the soundboard in a small venue, I thought we were in prime position for optimal sound, so I don’t believe my location was the source of the problem. I’m not sure if it was poor acoustics, soundboard mixing or the band, but with live Phil, I am used to hearing a clear musical collective resembling more of a jazz/rock orchestra than a band. Last night I heard more of a rock cover band hampered with undistinguishable vocals (Mr Robinson) and way too much playing. It was like they were all trying to impress us with their musical chops all at once. The frequent result was noise. It reminded me of how a talented rookie ballplayer plays in his first playoffs game. This band showed no mastery of the transcendent spaces and subtleties that help create the musical journey. I didn’t catch a hint of a journey much less a theme last night. It was like one long first set sprinkled with predictable songs and weak transitions. My bro LG summed it up by asking, “Where is my jazzing rock band?”

Other Observations:

I’m nor sure if Chris Robinson is right to sing the Jerry or even the Bobby songs. His singing is just too powerful. I like him for Bluesy Pig Pen numbers, like Hurts Me Too, which was a definite highlight.

Larry Campbell can be a great addition to the band. His versatile ability to play violin, mandolin, bouzouki, pedal steel, slide, lead and rhythm guitar well is a big bonus. He seems perfectly suited to make some great things happen. And the man has a good enough voice to enable solid 3 part harmonies with Phil and Mookie

I’m a Sless fan and have been looking forward to his turn as a friend and thought he fit in well at the SF and Vegas shows. However in listening to those shows it seemed to me Jimmy dominated and I found it hard to distinguish Sless when he was not on pedal steel. So, I was intrigued to see what he could do outside of Jimmy’s umbrella. This is finally his chance to step up, stretch out and be heard. Last night I thought he was awkward in the role. I look for him to find more solid footing and to learn to share and create synergy with Larry. Same goes for Mookie.

Light show was virtually non existant. I didn't notice Candace. Anyone see her there?

Very kind venue.

Sorry this is a fairly negative review, however I am calling it as I heard and saw it. I must not have been drinking the same coolaid as some of you. I wish I was…...as it sounds like you had a great show! See you in AC with hopes of better music to come.

peace,
Uncle Al

NICE REVIEW AL.

Al...appreciate your review. I'm also a Head from way-back and have been a big P&F fan from the beginning. It's hard getting over the "Q" but this is now a new era without Jimmy. I will advise that last night's show will not prove to be predictive of the overall performance of this band on this tour. Larry is new and as talented as he is, they're giving him room to get used to this outfit and settle in. It also sounds like he was given most of the leads in order to quickly find his groove with each of the dozens of new songs he has had to learn. Once he gets settled in, you'll definitely be hearing more from Barry. It's interesting how in the The Grateful Dead's first 10 years (their prime years) they went through many changes....many influences; hard blues, twangy country, experimental jazz....but all with (mostly) the same personel. Phil is now innovating but by changing the players. No band will ever hang together as long as the GD did. As I said this is a new era for P&F and choosing Larry to come in for Jimmy was the big move. Keep the mind open....I think this is going to be a great tour....but a different tour than we're used to.

thanks for the reviews and all the fine detail!!!!!

Apologies if this info is listed in the thread but what's the capacity for this venue and was it sold out?

I guess I'll agree somewhat with Al and be a little more positive. Summary take: Not bad for first night with a last minute replacement player.

Definitely agree with Al about the sound. I thought it was somewhat tinny and high end overdriven. Needed more depth and balance even at the expense of some volume.

Highlights for me were 1/2 step, fiddle breaks were very nice, Hurts me Too, CR's voice does fit that one well and he added some nice harmonica to help the pigpen feel.

I believe they will get better and have smoother transitions with a little more experieince together. Security guy told me they set up in there Sunday and did some rehearsing, so trying to get Larry up to speed. He also pegged the Casey Jones for me from sound check, pretty cool for an amiable palooka from Reading and a fan of the minor league hockey team that calls that venue home.

Finally, for those of you who saw Barry Sless for the first time last night, he has not yet BEGUN to fight!! I'm a big Barry fan for 10 years now. I thought he was holding back some, letting Larry take extra breaks as a welcome to the fold kind of thing. I hope they use Larry a lot on the other instruments he brings so well and some on guitar and turn Barry loose more on electric and steel. Mookie's very good also, both instrumentally and vocally, but I'm an admitted and unabashed DNB supporter.

What a show!!!

Phil, you are amazing. Thanks for all the good times. Can you please show me that fountain of youth youre drinking water from? What energy you have!! Thanks for a real good time!!

In my personal opinion, and knowing that Chris Pigpen Robinson has his own career, I feel that he should be a permenant member of Phils band. His vocals bring a great dimension to grateful dead music.

Larry? That guy is amazing.... and the sounds he brings to the band are phenominal. I can already distincly hear him and his riffs. Love his mandolin and violin, not to mention his guitar.

Barry. Enough said. That guy is one of my favorites right now. More Sless. Make him Perm.

Molo. Its great to have him back. His drumming brings a fullness to the music. I don't like it when hes absent. Make Molo Perm.

Mookie. Very loud keys. I like his style. Im glad the keys are turned.

>>>i'm also usually disapointed when phil gives up a song ie morning dew to warren.

Funny, as soon as I had my mind blown by PLQ, the only thing I felt left was for Phil to realize he has no business singing songs like Dew and Terrapin with Warren standing there beside him. He obviously heard me, as he dropped those in '03.


>>> i want phil singing the biggies even if his vocals are sometimes up and down.

Sometimes? The man has an awful voice. Soulful, deep, heartfelt - clearly. But it's just a bad voice. It takes all the meaning out of Hunter's beautiful words to hear someone like Phil - or Hunter, for that matter - attempt to sing them.

>>> he has improved so much in recent years

Yeah, but look where he started. That really ain't sayin' much.

>>> that i ask you Russ, who would you rather have singing " fare well to you oh southern skies, i'm on my way"?

Anyone but Phil, thank you very much.


And I can't fucking wait to see this band rip it up in Boston!!

Thanks for the reviews everyone...

>It takes all the meaning out of Hunter's beautiful words to hear someone like Phil - or Hunter, for that matter - attempt to sing them.

gotta disagree--while he's not everyone's cuppa, hunter's like a warm blanket and a known antidote for the pain of jerry's absence at the same time.

plus hunter sings 'em the way they were meant to be sung--his way--he wrote 'em. even if they do reveal more each time the words pass his lips and their delivery is altered.

Just some random thoughts to add to the already great reviews.

I agree 100% with Uncle Al, that show last night was way way way too loud. The sound was extremely muddy to the point where you couldn't hear Robinson's acoustic or some of Larry's acoustic instruments. My ears haven't rung like this in a long time and I usually like it real loud.

This band blew me away. Amazing show. I wish I was hitting more than two shows on this tour. First set was pretty good, highlight for me was Mississippi Half Step and Loose Lucy was a blast. The jam between Friend of the Devil and BEW was real nice. I felt good after hearing that.

Second set was excellent. Big River was the highlight of the show for me. Just really got into that one. Also loved the Mountains, US Blues, and really enjoyed the encore. The crowd was really into this show.

I really don't think Candace was on board. That light show was pretty non-existant. I could be wrong though and she's just doing something different this tour.

Nice seeing you Fafa. Lude, as always nice to share the road with ya.

I love Phil's voice. And Robinson, who I wasn't all that excited about, really impressed me.

hey now, thanks for the reviews, especially to uncle al. like you, i have seen 46 phil shows, i have every show up to the ryan adams shows, and have heard them all. im listening to last night as i write this. its a good show, thanks to the taper who put it up so quickly. im a big jimmy fan, as i have posted here before. i hope to hear more, and hope the guys come together (pleasee no beatles jokes, or no beatles for that) and get that rythem we are all used to. i will be in DC and AC, so all i can say is that im going to listen to the music play. also, i still have tickets for 1st night in atlanta, work wont let me go...see ya's at the show, and safe travels to all who attend the shows, anywhere.
cheers
kdog

Ive made it as far as "Girl on the mountain" so far and this show is beautiful!! I knew Larry would be a great fit but Im really surprised at the tightness and some of the insane seques that Im hearing. Im a HUGE Sco fan as I am a huge Herring fan and have tix for Buffalo and my hood Albany but am really trying to figure out how to swing it so I can see this band too.
Rememberthat the Dead followed psychedelic albums like Aoxomoxoa and Anthem of the sun with down-home albums like Workingmans and American Beauty, everything is not balls to the walls psychedlic mayhem. Its my observation that Phil has been trying to get away from the Q vibe since the December shows and showcase another side of the catalog, yeah theres been plenty of mind-blowing psychedelia since then but you gotta switch it up if you can sometimes. Bottom line:Thanks for the music!

Someone said this above..."maybe chris could just leave the stage for scarlet instead."

They opened tonight at NJPAC, with Jam -> Scarlet, Chris was not onstage.

A couple of pics from the front row:

Loose Lucy

Hard to Handle

Hard to Handle

Big River

Terrapin

US Blues

Adios

here goes, my 1st Phil review in nearly two years!!!----

first off, it was a long slow rainy nightmare getting from Philly to Reading. It should have taken about an hour, but it took us over 2.
We made it to our seats just as Good Times was starting.

This was my first Phil show "disabled" (I was the shaggy kid on the floor with crutches) after fracturing my femur in a bicycle accident Halloween morning. But the staff at the venue was very accomadating, directing me to elevators and whatnot so I could avoid stairs.

The sightlines in the venue all seemed good, since the stage was set up right in the middle of the floor. I saw the metal roof and the girders and feared bad sound....and muddy sound was a big complaint for me at the show. The higher end instruments often sounded screechy. Especially Barry's guitar. He seemed to be playing good stuff note wise, but his tone was awful.

I tried to leave all my expectations behind for this PNF line-up, All 14 previous Phil shows I saw were with the "PLQ." I did miss Jimmy, but Larry definitely won me over, esp. when he was on fiddle and bouzouki. Mookie was OK on keyboard but seemed kind of low in the mix
and his individual notes seemed to get lost on most songs. Chris Robinson does indeed do the blues well. He was OK on most of the other songs too. I understand his need for the teleprompter with so many songs in the repetoire but his reliance on it (and having to look at it between every line) lessened the emotional impact of his delivery. Also, he strummed an acoustic guitar on many songs, but I usually couldn't hear it in the mix at all.

the song by song:

Good Times: a good tour-opener, thematically. Well played, but the song itself isn't anything special in my mind, not much potential for stretching out or variation.

FOTD: This sounded a lot peppier than the previous Phil versions (with the PLQ) that I remember. Molo's drums had a good kick to them and Larry's mandolin was a very welcome addition, mixed well in the PA.

jam>B.E. Women The jam was good, with some Warren/Jimmy-style tagteam leads between Barry and Larry. Phil was in tight control of this jam and others through out the night, calling the changes out through the ear monitors. Chris' vocals were a good match for the rockin' BEW that followed the jam.

I enjoyed the pysch-folk feel of Chris' Girl On the Mountain. I've never heard the song before, but it was played well. It was fun to see Phil watching Chris as the leader for a while, instead of the other way around.

jam>1/2 Step. Larry really made the jam and the song with his fiddle-playing. The jam had a sort of Celtic feel and then I thought the Eleven was coming, but 1/2 Step was a welcome surprise. Larry's fiddle solos were great. They had me cheering and they certainly invoked the spirit of deceased Vasser Clements. I thought Phil's vocals were strong...they are an acquired taste, but hey this is the Philzone...

It Hurts Me Too was the highlight of the set for me. It was Chris' best vocal moment of the show. His harmonica playing was tight and as Jaystraw posted here earlier, the song had more of a Led Zeppelin feel than that of the old Pigpen version. It had a certain head-nodding crunch akin to LZ's "You Shook Me" and I think that worked very well. My only complaint was the tone on Mookie's solo sounded like he had his keyboard set on "cheap piano" mode. It sounded thin and tinny.

Loose Lucy was a great set-ender. Everyone on stage seemed to be having fun, Chris' vocals were perfect for it and everyone around me in the crowd was singing along.

set 2: Casey Jones was a strong opener. Chris' vocals were as good if not better than Barraco's from the PLQ version. I thought the accelerondo at the end wasn't as energetic as the PLQ but that's not really a complaint, just an observation.

It was fun seeing Hard to Handle with Chris Robinson since the first version of the song I ever heard was the one by the Black Crowes back when I was in middle school... This version sounded half way between the BC arrangement and the one that the Dead did with Pigpen. It sounded a lot different from the deep bluesy versions with the intro jam that Phil would do with Warren. Larry's guitar was out of time on the intro, but Phil locked eyes with him, got him quickly back on track and made a wide smile.

Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring--- I'm not familiar with this one. I guess it's a traffic tune. It seemed well played, but I don't have a clear memory of its details.

the jam into Big River was unexpected. Big River itself was high energy. Larry's intro sounded very Johnny Cash-esque. Before Chris started singing I thought the tune might be Sittin' On Top of the World since they both have that fast paced country feel (and both mention the Mississippi, incidentally.)

Hurricane was also unexpected. Before the singing started I thought it might be "Watchtower." Larry's fiddle-playing was excellent. Chris's reliance on the teleprompters took away from the vocal impact, but it is a very wordy song. Molo's drumming was strong but I was hoping for a more groove-oriented beat like the Dylan original.

The Mountains of the Moon that followed was the highlight of the show for me. The use of the "tie dyed" back lights added to the psych effect of the tune (and made me miss the back lights during the rest of the show that they had going throught all the other Phil shows I've seen) Phil was really in tight control of the dynamics, making sure no one in the band played too loud. So for really the only time in the entire show, all the instruments sounded clear and well balanced in the mix. Larry's bouzouki playing matched well with Barry's pedal steel and Mookie's harpsicord keyboard was welcomely prominent in the mix and well-played. Other times that I've seen Phil do Mountains, it's seemed too spacey and unfocused, but this version was perfect!

Barry's guitar screechiness came back during the jam into Terrapin. The jam and Terrapin were high energy and I was pleasantly taken off guard when Phil belted "Inspiration!", but the mix sounded very muddy again. I really enjoyed the dizzying disco-ball lights around the arena throught out.

Barry's tone was awfully grating during the St. Stephen intro. The song itself was good. Chris' vocals were strong, but I was hoping for a sandwich with the Eleven or something else.

US Blues was another high-energy rockin' set closer and had me meditating on all the problems with America right now (response to Katrina...the mire that is our military involvement in Iraq, etc.) but in that "I love my country, but hate my government" sort of way

even though the 2nd set was 90 minutes, it still felt short and left me wanting more. And that's a good thing.

The Don't Let Me Down encore was unexpected. It was well-played but very straight forward. I thought Chris's vocals were weak on the "I'm in love for the first time..." bridge and Molo's drums also didn't have enough bite for me. But I still enjoyed it.

So, in closing, despite all my nit-picking I really enjoyed my first "post-PLQ" Phil show. I'd give it a 7.5 out of 10. I'm excited for the 3 nights in AC in December and I feel confident that the band's on stage synergy will be great by then.



PLF, Sovereign Center, Reading, PA 11/21/05 Set 1: Let The Good Times Roll, Friend Of The Devil> Brown-Eyed Women, Girl On The Mountain> Jam> Mississippi 1/2 Step..., It Hurts Me Too, Loose Lucy Set 2: Casey Jones, Hard To Handle, Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring> Jam> Big River, Hurricane> Jam> Mountains Of The Moon> Inspiration Jam > Terrapin Station> Jam >St. Stephen< U.S. Blues, Donor Rap/Intros, enc: Don't Let Me Down

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I just got a recording of this show from ravin, and it is the first music I have heard of this tour. It sounded damn good! I am really excited about Phil and his band and can't wait for New Years! I understand everybodys complaints and concerns, but looking at the big picture, I am real glad this musical journey is continuing! I am sure there have been sound problems, but we should all be thankful that Phil is still around to make this great music, love Bruce Weber!