Am I the only one who like this show? Loved Stella Blue.

I enjoyed this show as well.

Fantastic first set.

Killer Fire on the Mountain in the second set.

Am I the only one who enjoys what Ryan Adams brings to the table? Every song he did, he made it his own. He puts a unique stamp on it, a feeling I didn't quite get with Chris Robinson. I especially liked his version of Deal.

Can't wait till New York.

Do you know or anyone of the 4-5 victims of the accident involving someone falling off the balcony at the New Year's Eve Show? I was right there when it happened, a real bummer to say th eleast Please email if you do, I would like to make sure they are well taken care of and know a great victim's advocate that will help them get the medical help they need in this day and age of managed health care. neil0401@gmail.com is my email address. Our thoughts and prayers go out to these folks, especially the woman who seemed to be the worst off. A terrible incident like this puts everythign else into perspective, doesn't it?

Cross posting from Other Stuff:

The view from the balcony, stage right:

Mayer was one hell of a boring 90 minutes, but I survived. I like the drummer, though, he seems to be good people.

So, what can be said about a show that STARTS with Not Fade Away? Phil didn't come to fuck around, I believe the correct classification of what he was doing was "swinging for the fences." That might not be entirely fair, I think he was probably swinging for the parking lot.

So a lot of people dislike/hate Ryan, but when one thinks about it, is it really that hard to figure out why Phil is so eager to play with him? He pushes the music and he pushes the band. Sometimes he's close to pushing them over a cliff, but that's the risk you take, isn't it? All I know is that I can't count the times where Ryan got an incredible reaction out of Phil, the crowd, or myself.

[rant]Alright, I'm a novice when it comes to the music. NYE was my 10th concert; my first China Cat, my first Scarlet, my first Franklin's/Truckin'/UJB/Fire on the Mountain/Stella Blue/Bird Song/Wharf Rat/Ripple. Obviously, there are a lot of opinions more worthy than mine on this board when I say that Ryan is a positive influence on the band for all his flaws. There are also a lot of douchebags, so I guess the lesson to be learned here is to take everyone's opinion with a grain of salt, including sunshine up there at the top of my post.[/rant]

Anyway, Phil was hot out the gate with Not Fade Away and just never stopped. The odd thing was that none of the songs ever seemed to end... they'd sing the final verse and go into a jam but there wasn't much conclusion. That's a pretty minor detail, but it stuck in my head regardless. Sugaree was a powerhouse with Joan on the lyrics like you all expected it to be and Franklin's was a good set ender, but the novelty in the first set lies in the fact that... fuck, first set Not Fade Away!? Infuckingcredible~! Which makes sense, Phil set his phaser to "shock" at the very beginning of the run, the All 2nd Set 1st Set was just a nifty little rabbit out of Phil's hat. Which isn't to say that there was nothing special about the music, just that the whole set outweighed any of the individual songs... or something like that.

NYE turns into NYD with special guests Pan and Person in a Swan Boat and Truckin' hits and honestly I've forgotten everything about this set other than the following: Holy shit, Larry on Mando rocks/thinking no fuckin' kidding at the "Takes all you got just to stay on the beat" line from FotM/Ryan Adams lived up to the expectations of anyone with a pulse on Stella Blue and then some/Lady with a Fan > Bird Song were more or less Ryan at his weakest and sucked a little bit of the wind out of the set/Not Fade Away as the show's bookend was perfect. Also: I pogo'd. I always pogo when good music is being played (the music just makes you want to get up in the air), but this set almost wore me out. Almost.

Encore set had Ryan topping Stella Blue with an incredibly soulful Wharf Rat but I can't remember Peaceful Valley at all. The ridiculously drawn out SsDd was goofy, but it fit. It's NYE. You can cut loose. Ripple > UJB was an incredible finale and that's all there was to say about that.

The night had drawbacks, of course. Los Headbanditos were inaudible unless you really hunted for them, and Barry didn't get to top his beautiful China Doll solo from the Fillmore. If you went for Rob and Barry, I dunno, you might have been disappointed, but I went for the experience and I was rewarded as such. And Mayer was boring. Sooo very boring.

OK, so, final analysis? Most fun I've ever had at a concert? Check. People all around me enjoying themselves just as much as I was? Check. Stolen backpack with my dad's leather jacket in it? Check, much to my chagrin. :-( Stupid me. Great concert despite that, and despite all the haters? CHECK.

Nothin' left to do but smile smile smile, as I believe they say.

IN PHIL I TRUST!

I have traveled around 50,000+- to see HIS bands. Ups and downs are part of the Music & Scene. I was not disapointed. There IS no place I would rather be. The compilation of individuals that made up the band this/these night(s) goes with out question (IMO). To be able to share this music with my friends and family is truley priceless.

My highlight: Ripple (always)
UJB
Warf Rat

Barry IS the MAN, hopefully he will be turned up more next time.

Joan Rocks!

Nice, glad to see some others who appreciated this show, I thought the Stella was stellar, maybe one of my post Jerry. favorites. As i have said here, i have never left a phil show unsatisfied.

Poor Man's Whiskey played a great couple of sets on a side stage in between sets. Crazy fun, high energy bluegrass. I'll do that again ~

I was completely ready to hate this show because of all the negative stuff I had read about Ryan. In fact, I lamented the possibility of his appearing for weeks before the show. However, when we first heard him sing solo on China Cat (which I really thought was Viola Lee for a while) I thought, “wait a minute, this guy sings with his heart!” His guitar was a touch dominant and I was really excited about Larry and Barry after listening to the tapes from the East. I felt like Ryan didn’t step back much and let the others take the wheel much. While I missed what I wasn’t hearing, I kept liking what I was hearing. When Ryan stepped up vocally starting with Candyman and the rest of that set, and the whole show really, I was blown away. This guy sings the sweet soulful tunes with so much sweet soulfulness, I loved it! Catch 22 for me though, I am totally in love with Joan and wanted to hear her sing MUCH more! Loved her on the drums though and her stage presence takes the whole experience to a new level. Phil, please keep her around as long as possible.

All in all I loved the show. It was very different and that was fun for me. Vegas was the tightest Friends I have ever heard; wonderfully exploratory, well balanced and just incredible.

NYE, excellent show too! I have listened to it again since and my opinion holds. Ryan gets my thumbs up. He is far from my favorite friend but I’m very glad to have seen him. Different is good!

I’ll continue to trust that the musicians Phil enjoys playing with will bring us music that will entertain the open minded!

P.S. It was fun to see all the Zoners at the Yankee before the show.

Cheers
Wes

Thought it was horrible, left after the second set. I will not pay to see Phil with Ryan Adams again. He was okay in the first set and then he butchered the songs in the 2nd set. The other three people I was with felt the same way.

if Phil loves playing with the guy good luck to him, but I won't pay for Adams again until I start hearing some major improvements and consistency.

"(which I really thought was Viola Lee for a while)"

I always think the next song is going to be Viola Lee when Phil is playing. It's weird. Like 5/13, I basically spent the whole first set thinking to myself "OK, NOW they're going to play VLB." I mean, it doesn't really affect my listening too much, but one can only imagine how much I'll freak out when I finally see Phil doing Viola Lee live.

Uhhh... yeah. >_>

Muzzard is a wet blanket. Real bummer.

The RA element is really hard to judge, I think. I'm kinda glad I didn't have the board to make me pick a side. I'm an east coaster whose seen a few west coast shows throughout the years, although this was my first NYE, and I have to say, I always think the playing is tighter out here -- in NY, it seems they know they're on the world's stage and have to live up to it, whereas in SF, they're home, hanging out as it were. Not to say the west coast shows don't rock, but I think it's more an emotional rocking than a technical rocking, IMO.

RA fits perfectly into that. He definitely kept the band from reaching some of its more technically brilliant heights, like we saw PLQ do for so many shows. But at the same time he does what Dead shows, Phil shows even more so, are supposed to be about: he pushes the band to keep up with him, keeping it constantly fresh and constantly daring. I think Barry is a superior soloist to Larry, but Larry's the better musician when it comes down to it, and that's why he had such an easier time keeping up with the weirdness RA threw his way. When Ryan leaned over to Molo during the end of Sugar Mag and told him to slow it down, Larry could keep up -- it worked, even it if was something new that took some getting used to.

In the end I loved the show and had a blast, and I think Ryan is, in the end, a positive influence -- in limited doses. I don't think a full-on tour with him at the helm will really work, because his personal instability is reflected in his inability to seek perfection in music. But every once in a while, to give these brilliant and talented musicians a kick in the pants, well, they need him for that. And he sings great, and the songs he's singing -- in this case, almost all Dead song -- are the best songs ever written.

One more note, though. My wife remakred to me on the way out of this show how great she thouhgt Rob was, because we both missed him from the recent east coast lineup. I remember back in the early PLF days how enamored I was with Rob, until a The Dead show at Camden, NJ where Jimmy Herring finally came alive for me, completely took over the show, and was beautiful and soaring, and when they went to a Rob jam I felt a pang of disappointment, because I didn't want the guitar to stop. That's what Jerry was like; you never wanted to hear another instrument, maybe Branford every once in a while, but it was Jerry's guitar's solo voice that reeled you in for as many hours as he'd sing it for you. Rock and roll, I fear (for I, too, am a keyboardist), is a guitar medium, and when the concerts are *truly* great, the guitars are what you remember. When you notice just how great the keys are, that's when you know you've seen a sub-par show, no matter how good a time you have. I long for the days when I barely notice Rob's incredible skills, and hope that those days come again in the future.

Looking forward to New York. Keep on truckin'. Peace.

P.S. As far as praising RA goes, I actually thought that the different versions of some songs, especially Bird Song and Wharf Rat, were phenomenal. I wouldn't be so heretical as to call them "improvements," but, well, to hear new arrangements of these songs and have them be great is a rare and wonderous treat.

Keep reviewing shows people..It's a beautiful thing...Thanks..

I liked NYE..but felt Phil gave Ryan too many songs...

Then ending UJB reprise gives me hope...that maybe we will all treat each other better..

I found it easy this run to be patient....

I only caught Stella Blue and the first half of Terrapin before the live feed cut out. The Stella Blue sounded awesome. I'm still uncertain about the RA element as well, but I'm willing to see where else this goes (if anywhere).

This was a phenominal show. Plain and simple. I went to all three of them, and thought the Warfield was the weakest of all (I mean, how many Help/Slipknots am I going to have to watch played exactly the same way? I've probably seen 50, including GD ones. It gets old).

New Years Eve was the one for me. I can't wait to hear the soundboards to relive it. Phil, please release them!

Overall thoughts.
PHIL: dropping bombs all over the place and smiling like a madman. He was even doing his "phil dance" all over the place. You could tell he was enjoying himself.
RYAN (since all the focus is on him...): Aquitted himself very well. I was expecting him to push the music in different directions (which he did), but was a little worried that he would noticably blow some lyrics (Must've Been the Roses 7/15, anyone?). Thankfully neither happened, except on Ripple, which at least he joked about. He changed the phrasing to a lot of the songs, but thats an artistic choice and not a mistake. Overall, I love that he changed it up. Like I said, how many Help/Slipknots can I see the same way before I get bored? I was never bored at this show, unlike the Warfield. I believe it was Ryan's influence.
MOLO: The rock. Kicked ass all night. Handled Ryan's eccentricities very well, and that's saying something.
LARRY: Couldn't hear him, even from near the soundboard. I don't think it was Ryan's guitar drowning him out, he was just turned down too low during his leads.
BARRY: SWEET PEDAL STEEL! He's a great player. A bit derivative of Jerry, but if you're gonna copy, do it from the best.
JOAN: not a big factor. Beautiful voice on what she did sing, but I'd still rather hear Ryan.
ROB: Couldn't really hear his playing. This was a guitar player's (and petal steal player's) show. Great vocal harmonies, though.

I'll go through set by set next.....

Set 1:
I was to stage right, kind of near baracco. Great sound, except for Larry's guitar on leads. I couldn't hear him. Which was a touch disapointing as a guitar player who was excited to hear his virtuosity live after listening to the Shadow Of The Moon boards.

NFA: It rocked. Plain and simple it set the tone. This was gonna be a show for the dancers. It you wanted to let the beat take you to another place, this was gonna be a show for you. Me and my friends (there were 9 of us) were rocking out like no other.

CHINA CAT: Ryan's first vocal lead. Very different from how the Dead did it, but thats Ryan's style. I've downloaded some of his live shows since I heard he was playing with Phil and even his songs are done differently every time. This song kept with the upbeat vibe. We danced our asses off.

SCARLET BEGONIAS: The jam coming into this was NICE. Kept rocking but it got WEIRD. Definitely Ryan's influence, with Phil helping him along. Scarlet was rockin. Wanted to hear Ryan's take on this, but Phil took lead instead. Cool, but I've heard it before.

EYES OF THE WORLD: This is where the show took off. GREAT vocal turn from Phil, better than I've heard from him on this song. Amazing vocal harmonies from Joan as well. Those two seemed to overpower everyone on this song. It was a song for the vocals.

SUGAREE: JOAN FUCKING OSBORNE! What a voice. It's like the female Warren, which is probably why they both do such great Sugaree's. Slow compared to what came before, but with such a groove! Molo tore it up, and Joan absolutely shown. She has quite a range of emotions, from this to the stunning China Doll at the Fillmore. Such different songs, but both equally amazing.

FRANKLIN'S TOWER: Back to the rockin'! While Sugaree was a full on bluesy groove song, Franklin's was ROCK-N-ROLL! Faster than I'd seen it before, but damn if it didn't rock. Larry tore it up. It was one of the few times I could hear him completely. Ryan took a verse and rocked it, and Joan and Phil harmonized a couple too. But it wasn't about that. It was about the VIBE. And the whole place was rocking. Everyone I saw had huge grins on their faces. It was more fun than I have had at a concert in a long, long time. And I've seen a few in my day.

Back later with the other sets.....

Ryan did much better on NYE relative to the Fillmore. That's all I'll say about that.....all things being relative.



But I was hoping to hear more Barry/Larry interplay like the night before. More Rob and Joan. Kinda bummed me out to have the show seem so one dimensional. There were a few repeats in the NYE show from Thurs. My favorite of the 3 was the Warfield and by a VERY large margin. Listen to the tapes and tell me what you think.

I do have to say that the zone outage and subsequent skirmish over at Ryan's fan board seems a bit out of character for what this community is supposed to be about. That being said, if someone from this board did in fact send a death threat or whatever to Phil's staff, that's FUCKED UP. WTF?


We do get obnoxious Gunner/MikeW/Nick/etc but I was pretty surprised to think that people took some of this shit seriously.

Glad to hear you all enjoyed yourselves. Sucks to spend all that dough and have an unannounced friend ruin your weekend, which seems to be the general consensus. I'm glad I went and got to see it all first hand and now I know.

Nice to see some of you ".org-ers" visiting us. Fair is fair, right?


Hey can you ask Keef to unbann everyone? I would do it myself but he banned me. I'm "observer" and I don't think I really said much that could be considered "Ban-Worthy". But who knows maybe I'm more of a tough guy than I thought.

If you want to start a dialogue with us (I know some of us started some shit over there. ) we can't do it without being able to post on your board.




Listen to all 3 shows



There's no place like home...

SET 2: We moved to near the soundboard for this one. Great setbreak by the way. Good times with great friends. Great vibe from everyone. Midnight moment was cool, but a little weird. Was that woman riding a duck? haha

TRUCKIN: They started with Truckin? AWESOME! I had hoped they would play this, as its one of my good friend's (who was at his first show) favorite songs. We all enjoyed the hell out of it. Strong vocal turn from Ryan (how can he do Jerry and Bobby songs equally well? I'm starting to love all his takes on Dead tunes). Especially at the end. Barry plays the main theme while Ryan brings the WEIRD again. Phil joins in, and the dissonance leads perfectly into....

DEAL: Ooo Ryan's winning the crowd over! Somewhat surprising considering I'd read this board after the Colorado shows, but everyone was really getting into it. I loved this. It was not quite as upbeat as the Dead at Red Rocks in '03, but like Sugaree, it had groove. Neither me nor my friends could help but dance.

UNCLE JOHN'S BAND: Another friend's favorite song! But this time a friend who is already a Head! Great version again. No miscues, which was something that has plagued this song even with the Q. This whole show has been very upbeat all the way through.

FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN: AND STILL WE DANCE! Rock N Roll, people. What a rocking show. Good vocal turn by Phil and Ryan. Different, but the both worked. Again, like Franklin's, this is a guitar players song, but the vocals added to it.

CANDYMAN: Molo takes a break, and the band plays on! Ryan sang the shit outta this one. Emotionally as all hell, and it gave us a chance to rest out legs! No bathroom break here, though. I loved it. Joan on drums at least kept the time well, but nothing special.

STELLA BLUE: Easily my favorite of the show so far. Brilliant vocals. Ryan is amazing. This is where I fell in love with him tonight. I almost wept. This song always got me when Warren sang it, but tonight was something special.

TERRAPIN STATION: Ryan keeps amazing me. I really don't see how people can dislike him. The only reason I can think of is that he doesn't play it like the Dead did. Instrumentally, Barry showed off his stuff. Great Jerry-like leads leading to the big finale. He can add his own touch to the leads even when his tone is so much like Jerry's.

BIRD SONG: Ryan does a great Birdsong too! Not as epic as the last few songs, but by then I was already converted. I was just enjoying the hell outta the moment with my great friends.

NOT FADE AWAY REPRISE: Ahhhhh! Time to dance again. Just as rockin' as the first one. Set ended at around 1:45 (Philzone setlist backs this up...), and I was pleasantly exhausted by then.

OK....time to write one more....

OK, set 3 time. I'm calling this Set 3 even though they treated it as an extended (VERY EXTENDED) encore.

Big cheer for Ryan when he got mentioned! Almost as big as Joan's and Molo's. That got my attention, as I am NOW firmly in his group of supporters.

WHARF RAT: This version ALMOST topped the version at the Fillmore. Almost. Something about how Ryan sang "the good lord willing..." just killed me that night. Such emotion in his voice. Usually I need a visual image of a singer's face to see how much the singer is emoting. I don't want to start the Ryan/Jerry comparisons, but both of them make you feel their emotions without needing to see them. Its a rare gift.

PEACEFUL VALLEY: A Ryan song that I'm not very familiar with. The vibe fit well with Wharf Rat, and I liked it despite not knowing it well. Sounded good though. Its hard for this band to not sound good, it seems.

SUGAR MAGNOLIA/SSDD: WOW! More dancing. If it wasn't so much fun, I would have collapsed from too much of it. I don't know how the band plays this long nights in a row. This was a song that seems to be on the verge of collapse. But it never did. Be it a testament to Molo, Phil, or Ryan's gift for taking the band to the edge but never over, it was something to behold. Ryan slowed it down for the last verse before the SSDD, and was obviously leading Molo there. It was awesome! What killed the vibe was someone yelling "you suck" from the balcony to my left as Ryan slowed the song down. (begin rant) If that person is a ZONER, then I would like to kindly tell you to shut the fuck up. Ryan has more talent in his left pinkie toe than you can ever dream of, and even if you can't realize it, yelling shit like that at a concert is uncalled for. Post it here instead. That way Phil can respond. (end rant)

RIPPLE: Beautiful version. More great pedal steel from Barry. It really is his showcase song, just like the Denver Fillmore in July. Ryan did mess up the lyrics at the end, but he smiled, laughed at himself, and pantomimed pulling out a gun and shooting himself. It was sweet. He realized he messed up, but for some reason it didn't detract from the experience. Its hard to mess up Ripple.

UJB REPRISE: Ahhhhh! Why are they making me dance again?!? My legs are crying out for me to stop, but I can't! Beautiful vocal harmonies here, similar to the Reprise at the end of Red Rocks 7/16.

Oh brother, what an amazing experience. All in all a great show. GO PHIL GO! And I am behind you 100% now in regards to Ryan. Rock on, both of you.

I was not very happy with the NYE show. The look on the band's faces(all of them except RA) pointed to something not being right. Worst Phil show for me ever. sorry. But that is how I called it.

"The look on the band's faces(all of them except RA) pointed to something not being right."

hehehehehe...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Umm, seriously, man? Not projecting even a little bit? I mean, I couldn't see Los Headbanditos' faces from where I was at stage right, but everybody else seemed to be rocking it out pretty hard and ahppy...

From the old school, and my own ears, but armchaired.

Fillmore - disposable, sucked, and rehearsal
Warfield - Great, and Joan just rocking, which was fabulous to hear again.
BGA- One of the best old school shows "I have seen in years. A return to the good ole days for me".

Someone mentioned the shows in Denver with Adams. The Fillmore was a terrible, terrible show, thrown in with an inappropriate climate (no a/c during the summer, please people, that is stupid scheduling) and a truly great show at the Rocks. Was it great because of Adams - not from the front row?

Only thing ringing clear is that the shows with Adams seem to be Horrible or Fabulous. That is the definition of inconsistent.

But as illustrated from the outage, the ticket paying public's opinion don't mean crap. In fact, our opinions are so insignificant that they were aniliated because one of the "artists" inability to stay away from internet reviews was more important than those who actually pay to see the music.

The news that the outage came from a death threat is none of our business. It is a police/legal matter. Repeat, NONE of our business, never should have been mentioned, and is a very poor excuse for bringing down a PRIVATE entity, responsible for more free PR then perhaps ever shown before.

I look forward to hearing 12/31 in it's entirety. I've heard it was fabulous.

So, when do we get to write about the shows we were at? Like Mule, Crowes, RRE, my fave, Tishamingo?

an amazing show
best i have ever seen phil play
unfortunatly i had to leave after the first set to walk my freind back to the hotel (he wasent feeling to swell ;) ) i sprinted the 10 blocks back as fast as i could but i made it just after truckin had started.
but that aside it was killer night. iv never danced that much in my life.
and yes i did see that guy fall off the balcony...vividly. the guy was clearly out of his being. he had been stumbaling around the aisle kicking and groovin for a while, at one point he started bowing down in a sort of meditative trace, and he ended up mooning the whole crowd because his pants where almost around his ancles but he couldent tell
well as i watched the guy he started getting farther and farther out of control, and as the music peaked the dude built o\up some momentum and made a mad dash for the stars leading to the edge of the balcony. at first i was hoping he just fell down the stairs, but soon i saw what really happened. that was another bummer, but one i did not fully peice together till the next day

as for mr.adams i think he did a fine job. he does lead the band in new directions, and thats what i like to see
and yes i noticed phils huge grin and "phil dance" aswell
he looked like on happy camper

one of my favorite highlights was durring the second not fade away
while phil was sining he points his finger in a circle at the whole crowd and belts out "your love for me has got to be real!"



your gonna know just how i feel

its real phil. as real as it gets

Cross-posted from Other Stuff

Missed the Fillmore - 2nd set looks great on paper - haven't heard it yet.

Warfield - first set was great! No Ryan, good sound, band mostly in synch. Highlights were UBC and New Speedway. 2nd set a little hazy in my mind, but UJB and Lovelight stand out, and parts of Help were OK, but first set def. better.

NYE - an up and down show. Too much Ryan. He does OK on his own songs and he can keep up, guitar-wise, on the 2 and 3 chord songs and rockers, but on more complex and flowing songs he gets confused or his crunchy style doesn't fit in. That said, the first set was excellent overall.

2nd set was more hit or miss. Truckin' was pretty good but they just couldn't quite hit the big bomb after the build-up, even with 3 tries. Fire was better, but Ryan gave weak versions of Deal and Candyman. He did a little better with Stella. Lady w/a Fan was mostly lack-luster, and Birdsong was kind of a train wreck due to RA's confusion, although it did contain a nice jam or two.

3rd set was OK, esp. WRat and UJB. Overall I would hav liked to hear more Barry on guitar and more Larry on steel. I was very impressed with Larry, anyway. It took him a while to loosen up, but then he really wailed. Rob still needs more volume on both keys and vox. Molo is always great, but I thought his energy was a little lower than usual. Phil was a MONSTER! Clear and loud, lots of inventive lines - what else can I say? He's amazing.

Worst Show Ever!!!!

You can quote me "I'll never go see a DEAD related New Years show again....."

If it wasn't for my friends and fellow zoners I would have left.Saving my money already to see Widespread Panic next new years.Should of been there in the first place....jeezz

...had so much fun @ NYE. in early @ 7:15 and accidentally "found" Poor Man's Whiskey in Polk Hall. since I almost went to see Hot Buttered Rum in Mill Valley this was a huge treat. check their website and read about how they got there:
http://www.poormanswhiskey.com

my sweetie really wanted to see John Mayer so we secured a sweet spot 30' back DFC and for the next hour and half I was blown away by his playing. personally it was a disappointment that he was not brought back out for the NYE set. I will definitely go see the JMT on thier own, a very nice musical surprise for me.

Phil set #1: OH MY GOD! loudest, cleanest, most crackling bass I have heard from Phil since the 8/4-5/79 Oakland shows. this set was the highlight of the night for me, because it showcased the *entire* band. Joan's take on Sugaree was so sexy and sublime....when she came walkin across the front of the stage towards Larry she had this huge grin, looking straight at Jill Lesh sidestage [who BTW was dancing like a fool and her grin and interplay w/ Phil was off the hook at that point] and the rest of the band was just having the time of their life. great song selection and just a huge set.

Phil set #2: the NYE ceremonies were somewhat anti-climactic...were the girl and guy characters from Chronicles of Narnia??? once the music hit we just started going off again, super fun and everyone rockin. UJB, wow! and Fire was sweet. once Candyman started the show took a turn for the *melancholy* IMO. look at all the slow Jerry ballads sung by Ryan, a nod from Phil to his dear long-lost partner in the wierd Jerry. things just started to get looonnnggg abd slloowww. somewhere in the Candyman jam into Stella Ryan took a break from playing, doffed a funky cowboy hat that someone had thrown on stage, lit a cig and blew smoke right into Molo and had a sip of his drink. in a matter of seconds this really changed my mood for some reason. my sweetie's not a late-night party person, we had been rockin since 7:15 w/ no additives save beer and 420 and decided to say our goodbyes during Terrapin. and we were fine with it, it had been a great evening all around and it felt really good to leave and be content with things. when I saw the setlist the next day I wasn't disappointed at all, and listening to the stream I still say set #1 was *the one* of the night.

looking forward to another run in the Bay Area. how about some shows celebrating the centennial of the 1906 SF Earthquake in April Phil???

thank you Phil, the friends and the community. what a way to roll one year into the next.

one love, Oso Rojo

I loved it all, energetically the music just flowed all night long seamlessly. Sigh of a great show IMO. Even the after listening to it a couple of times I realize the highlight for me was the peaceful valley>jam>sugarmag>ssdd. I know some may think I'm out to lunch but it is just as steller and refreshing as I remembered it. The celtic jig larry was playing and the energy in SM was so new and fun; energy just swirling and rising and falling with ryan just it taking way out there. I saw colorado shows (which I enjoyed alot) so was prepared for anything and to me they just picked up where they left off and took it to the stars and back. Can't wait for more..

I enjoyed the hell out of the first set but was pretty let down with the second set. That's about all I will say except:

Did no one else notice Ryan steal the Stella right out from Joan? Joan approached the mic at the start of the Stella and Ryan jumped right in and started singing it. Joan turned around and walked off stage. At that point I was ready to leave the building and did not too soon after. Joan came to Phil's side in a pinch when Ryan couldn't get his act together in October. So nice of Phil to return the favor by giving her 1 song to sing at the NYE show. I'm sure Joan had better things to do that night than watch Ryan sing.

With the exception of the Warfield that run left a pretty bitter taste in my mouth. Being close enough at the Fillmore to see some pretty uncomfortable and not too happy faces on the Friends definitely took away from the music for me. It's too bad I was really looking forward to ending my year with some good music. Oh well. Happy New Year to all.

Poor Man's Whiskey!!

Everyone in that room enjoyed the hell outta those guys!!

Yes, Spacement, for what it's worth, Ryan "stole" the entire show.

I just listened to the 2nd set for the first time since being at the show....What a horrible caterwauling. That has to be the most uninspired Deal ever played. Even the brilliant Barry Sless couldn't save it with his wonderful pedal steel. I thought Adams was being totally disrespectful to Joan all night and her singing is so much more soulful and powerful than his.

The Candyman is so bad, on the tape you can hear people having full on conversations it is so boring.

for those of you who loved it more power to ya, I will not call you a wet blanket or any other names cause you have a difference of opinion.

you're right Nancy, Ryan did "steal" the show....I hope he gets arrested for his larceny.

>>>Being close enough at the Fillmore to see some pretty uncomfortable and not too happy faces on the Friends

I'll second that and could almost see them again from my spot way in the back upstairs on 12/31.


Plus all my friends both regular and cyber who were there agree. Some zoners, some never heard of the zone.

Well at least I'm not crazy, which is reassuring in a depressing sort of way

Nowhere else I'd rather on NYE and stage left of Mr. Phil Lesh, formerly of the Grateful Dead.

Was it a night of perfect Q inspired tight-turning jamfest? No. Was it a loose, experimental rocknroll fiesta? Definitely.

Phil continues to push and pull the music in all directions, without a net, without regrets. Godbless Phil for continuing to take chances. Even with the bumps he's the only one who can turn the Bill Graham into the Winterland'esque playhouse for a night.

Great time. Great crowd. Family fun.

To all the haters, DSO will be playing near you soon. You'll get your old fix soon enough...

>>Great crowd. Family fun.

with a few exceptions. you did hear about the big guy who was throwing punches and eventually went over the balcony and critically injured one woman. kinda glad our kid wasn't there...
DSO? Hey, never seen 'em, and I've been thrilled with the other Phil and Friends shows I've seen this year where he's taken the music furthur...thanks for the tip

By Family fun I don't really mean traditional families as such. Different kind of family.

DSO = Dark Star Orchestra

Check it out brothers and sisters. I spent my life following Jerry and the boys from 87, untill jerry died. I have never wasted my time bitching about a show on a fucking werbsite, but I sit here and read your reviews of the new years show, and I cant believe a bunch of whiney ass people can possibly bitch about this show. I saw jerry over 500 times, and let me tell you, the first set on NYE waS SOME OF THE MOST RIPPIN MUSIC EVER!!!!! Fuck man, NFA>China>Eyes>Sugaree>FraNKLINS TOWER? If you have ever even seen Jerry, you know that set fucking ripped!!!!!! I just spent 5 years in prison for pot, and I was so stoked to see that show! Any one who wants to critisize and knitpick that set has never seen Jerry, and has no Idea what the fuck they are talking about. Jerry was god.Thats why we gave our fucking lives to him. Since he died, not much has come close, but that NYE show was rippin! If you want to bitch about it, you have never seen the dead, and you are some kind of Phil Elitist. Get off your fucking high horse, and dance, thats what it was all about in the first place!

guess I haven't seen Jerry enough times to comment. oh, well.

>>>>>If you have ever even seen Jerry, you know that set fucking ripped!!!!!! I just spent 5 years in prison for pot, and I was so stoked to see that show! Any one who wants to critisize and knitpick that set has never seen Jerry, and has no Idea what the fuck they are talking about.

i think the important statement there was

"I just spent 5 years in prison for pot"

if i had done the same it would have been the greatest show I had ever seen.

Welcome back

Very upbeat and rocking first set for my money. I had just seen the first two Steve Kimock shows and The Warfield Phil show, so I was very tired, but had a great time. It looked like Phil had some new cabinets, and the sound all night was GREAT!!! Really loud, even Ryan's microphone was turned up pretty good. I was in corner of balcony in the front row, but moved to dead center for second set, and the sound there was much better. I had a feeling Terrapin was coming, and I really wanted a Stella Blue! The group came through for me with that one, I was very surprised. " Down every lonely street that's ever been...". There was this street called South Ave. in Alamo, Ca. that led to the court I grew up on, and it was the loneliest street that Robert Hunter is talking about in this song. I think people, at least myself, make a judgement of a concert they have seen, and they come to one conclusion, then they hear a tape or cdr of that concert, and their opinon changes. I am just glad I got to go to this show and glad that Phil is still making music we can all enjoy and tape and enjoy some more. That might have been the last New Years ever, so be grateful you were there. I thought the band was tighter than the Mardi Gras show there in February. After seeing a show at The Warfield and then going to BGCIVIC, something gets lost , but they have to play a auditorium that size for a NYE show, and everyone that wants to get in can get in. I heard it sold out. I know a gentleman who tried to stop that one individual from going over the balcony, and he bruised his sternum trying to stop the guy on the rail, and had to leave the concert to go to the hospital, ended up tearing some muscles in his chest. I remember seeing two stretchers and a back board being brought out from up in the balcony, and I figured this can't be good. Besides that it seemed like a pretty good vibe and well behaved audience. It looked like Phil wanted to keep going after Uncle John's closer, but the lights came on. I was ready to leave, being so tired after four shows in a row. Thanks again to Phil and Band and GDTS for making the whole NYE run happen, hope to see you all soon, have fun back east folks, love eddieboy (Bruce Weber).

Cudos, B>A>R>R>Y!!!!!!!!!

So great to see some positive postings on this show. It was a real treat. I'm also glad Phil has piped up about his collaboration with Ryan. I couldn't agree with him more. As a fan, if I want to see buttoned up perfect renditions of the songs then I'll go see Cubsensis or DSO. Why would I want to see Phil play the songs the same way he did for 30 years? He did that with Jerry - and did it well. I love the weird slant that Ryan is adding to this band. It's not psychedelc cosmic noodling, it's loud expansive rock and roll. I love that Ryan stops a song then comes roaring into to another verse (Fire, Franklins) and how he re-invents the classics (Deal, Candyman, Ripple). These songs are like jazz standards - every band should play them differently. All the sanctamouneous crap about their purity is riduclous - Jerry wouldn't approve and never took it that seriously.
True - the band could be more rehearsed, the NYE Terrapin was a train wreck - Larry and Ryan simply didn't know the song. Whatever, I'll let that one go. A week of solid rehersals will make this band really awesome.
But mainly - I'm glad to see that Phil doesn't give two shits about what any of us think, he's doing it for himself, for the love of music NOT for us or to support 75 people at GDP.

GO PHIL!!!! I'll come see the P&F with Ryan Adams band ANYDAY!

I had a blast @ NYE. I remember when I realized it was going to be a celebration of Jerry this night.
It was in the middle of Scarlet when I looked over @ my buddy and said" Dude you know what is going on right? Our Love will not fade away? It's all about Jerry tonight."
From that moment on the band could do no wrong in my ears. I felt the love all the way through the show and tried to show mine as much as possible.The only non Jerry tunes were Truckin' (which was appropriate for moving forward), Sugar Mag(Traditional NYE song)and a beautiful Peaceful Valley which fits in w/ the best Jerry ballads.

I will ALWAYS be @ a Dead related NYE as long as they keep doing them. It's all I know and all I want to know until I am forced to move on.

another great show. phil keeps getting better with age. nyc is going to smoke. thanks for so many great memories phil. as for ryan thought he did a good job and will continue to get better-wish people would cut him a break. at some point everyone on this board has been cut a break and given some slack-how about giving a little of what you get. ain't no time to hate.

>>Poor Man's Whiskey!!

>>Everyone in that room enjoyed the hell outta those guys!!


I'll second that those guys rocked. I wish my legs didn't need to rest from standing and walking all day cuz there were cute honeys working the dance floor.

We have the right to bitch and moan all we want! Ya know why I think so? Because I paid over $60 of my hard earned money to see a show which I thought was going to be mostly sung by Joan Osborne, who I LOVE. I also thought John Mayer (who I think is pretty cool) was going to play with Phil and Friends in the final set. This was all advertised on Philzone, Phillesh.net, gdtstoo.

Yet that is not what I saw. If I would have known Ryan Adams was going to be there, I wouldn't have sent away for mail order in November. It's my personal opinion and I can have it. I don't want to kill Ryan Adams, I just don't want to try to figure out what song he's singing and then realize it's Ripple, and then be upset that he sang it without any reguard for the original melody.

Review:
1st set rocked!
2nd set I sat down the whole time and was even embarassed a few times.

>>I'll second that those guys rocked. I wish my legs didn't need to rest from standing and walking all day cuz there were cute honeys working the dance floor.

Hey, I know those 'honeys' - you should have joined us

Laura makes a good point about the official posting (especially on Phillesh.net) about Mayer playing with Phil starting at midnight. Mayer definitely has some chops so I think would have been a pretty rocking set.

I don't really care either way but I'd imagine other people do. If Phil wants to keep the "friends" list to last second decisions, don't post an erroneous lineup.

Is Adams playing the entire NE Feb east coast run? I'd normally post this question in the Rumor section but...well...ya know...

I caught theFllmore & Warfield Shows and many of the past PLF configurations. I'm a GD fan for over 25 years, used to tour in the early80s. There were frequently points in the 80s that the music lacked in quality vs the amount of time, money and hardship it took to be a loyal fan. Don't get me wrong, every show at some point revealed magical moments. But it meant staying the course to hear stellar sets, when the set "list" made no difference, it was all about the music between the lyrics. The songs just served as a "frame" that outlined the contents of the art, specifically the Band's (GD) ability to create on the fly. I guess what i'm driving at is that art and artist are not supposed to be all things to all people, all the time. Most of time artist aren't really understood or appreciated untill they have died. What some of us have been lucky enough to witness is a body of work that most musicians will NEVER even approach even in there wildest dreams!

So what does all that have to do with the PLF, NYE Show ????

IMHO you are witnessing is an interesting twist that brings a different set of talents to the PLF experience. It does what Phil hopes it will, and keeps us wonder what will happen next! Would we have remained loyal fans if the element of surprise didn't exist? "Gave all you got..why you want to give more?" Please give Phil the respect to play with the musicians he feels will yeild the best results. Phil drives the Bus, you are just along for the ride. If you trust your Bus driver, i know you will enjoy the path he will take. It won't be the obvious route and it may have some bumps, but the "compass always points" in the direction of creating music that inspires our lives and brings joy!!

A much deserved thanks to Phil for all your efforts. Phil you inspire us to make a difference in this backwards world.. Bring it on!!!

I've been typing with one hand while donating platelettes and plasma at The Blood Center in SF.

Peace,
Dave

upon entering BGC after not attending 12/29 or 12/30, I was very satisfied with what I was hearing in the 1st set, the sound was loud, the vocals were energetic, which IMO is a key ingredient in these line-ups, and the joint was shakin' pretty hard from the halfcourt point and beyond

2nd set had some great jams in UJB and Fire

I just listened to Stella Blue

http://audio52.archive.org/2/audio/phil2005-12-31. flac16/phil2005-12-31d2t07_64kb.mp3

and to my ears, Ryan clearly sings, "it seems that all this life was but a dream", not "something unitelligible green" as has been suggested by someone in the last few week or so...

sounds OK to me

"I just don't want to try to figure out what song he's singing and then realize it's Ripple, and then be upset that he sang it without any reguard for the original melody"

don't go see dylan, then LOL

ROLLING THUNDER

Yeah, I was pretty clear on the lyrics to Stella, Some folks want Adams to fail and I cant figure it out. I know hes a little kooky, but I have been listening to Cold Roses and have three other albums, he is a incredible songsmith and Rosebud sends shivers down my spine. I hope he to see him again sometime soon.

Also,

To add, The BGC has some tough sound zones, but from front row center balcony the sound was good. Barry was a little low, but can Barry ever be loud enough?

I too enjoyed this show. As Phil stated in his message, there is a real energy that the "youngsters" bring to the stage. Personally, I would have liked to hear more Joan and I wonder what happened to the John Mayer combo set that was supposed to happen at midnight. Despite that, this was a lot of fun. I initiated my partner this night...it was his first NYE show. Any more info regarding Phil's comments about a Terrapin Station weekend this summer to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the greatest band in the world?
Cheers to all

>>> Is Adams playing the entire NE Feb east coast run? >>>

Do we have reason to believe he's playing *any* of it? Isn't he going to be in Europe?

I'm glad as hell Mayer was a no-show for Phil's sets - I only wish Adams had been.

I think Adams will come around. It was interesting reading Phil's message. I totally agree with what he said about Herring. Herring fit in good with the Q, but I haven't cared for him as much when he's the sole guitar player. Him and Warren really click together.

Is Mayer that bad? I've heard he has a blues/rock band and playing more like Hendrix and Clapton now. He said he's embarrassed of his old pussy music. That's just what I've read about him, I haven't heard any of his new material (or old for that matter!!). I am curious to hear his stuff to see if he's got what it takes to hang in the blues scene.

Finally got to listen to this fully and again all I can say is wow! The first set is good. The second set ist Stella(r)! I just love the vocals on Deal and Candyman. The jam out of Terrapin->Bird Song is fun stuff indeed.
The 3rd Set/Encore is terrific. Ryan's singing on Wharf is great. Vocals haven't been rendered on Rat with similar emotive skill since the earliest versions. Peaceful Valley is very good, and like all the material this new band is learning, will improve to the level that the Cardinals have it at, and then surpass it...easily. The Sugar Magnolia->SSDD is beyond belief. Whether the time change was planned or organic matters not. That Ryan had the cohones to help Phil lead the band through this is astounding and telling of his ability and charisma. Then to move into that Ripple? OMFG! That is one vocal flub away from being the best version of the song ever...and is still amazing.
I'm still not sure where the anti-Adams energy is coming from. Maybe some feel he's disrespectful to the material? I don't know, maybe I've been watching too much football, but I see him as a guy who Coach Lesh put in as QB, and he's just out there trying to make some big plays. He's sure made a bunch of them in my opinion and had an intereception and fumble too. The more you play, the better you get.

here's another vote for RA's departure-terribly unfair to Phil fans-Ryan apologists-yeah you are right the dead were all about Not Fade Away and not all that classic 60's stuff-yuch.

Thank g-d for 12/31/03 and 12/31/01 for that matter. This show was worse than those two by a long shot!!!

If you love this show maybe we can have a separate tour for you deaf folks with Phil backing Ryan's goofs and some other lesser hack musicians-well there have always been fans that don't care what is played and how and there always will be.

Just sad.

my way or the highway, eh?

Another openminded head.

Rael: I'm not quite sure how Phil being excited about who he's playing with is unfiar to Phil fans? Especially when many of us are truly enjoying the results. Without reducing myself to your insults and name calling, I would gladly put my discerning ears up against yours anyday.
Question for you: Was the end of Genesis when PG left the group, or was Phil's new interpretations acceptable to you? Was Phil's removal from the kit OK, or are guys like Bruford, Thompson & Steurmer just lesser hacks? Personally I think "Seconds" and "3 Sides" are great live interpretations. I'll tell you this, the first few shows with Phil up front were pretty rough. Maybe you should stick to studio recordings or show a little patience.

I haven't heard so much dissent about any other members of Phil's experiement as I've heard/read about RA...I wasn't a big fan of Chris Robinson (mostly because he was very unfamiliar with material) -- last Dec. at Warfield CR seemed to be the only one reading a teleprompter -- nevertheless, he was not a destructive element for the band or fans....I think that the problem is not that RA is playing with Phil, but that Phil lets him lead the band and run the show....I had the feeling 2nd set at NY's Eve was "Ryan and Friends," a band that I did not pay to see and would not see again, paid or otherwise...

Ryan ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLZZZZZZZZZ

i am not a huge fan of ra, but he does have his moments and i can see why phil likes him.

on the other hand- if you dont like him- fine-
he still has more talent than we do....
dont bash the guy- thats uncalled for.

you can certainly choose not to listen or go to a show....

i was not a big martin fierro fan back in 73/74
i went-i cringed-i went again...
i thought this show had some great moments in it
what i dont like - i dont burn...

were you the only one that liked this show? hell no!!! this show rocked!!!!
second time i have seen phil, first new years show ever. and it was sweet!!!! i must say one of the best shows i have been too.
the first set was just amazing. highlight for me was eyes (sung by phil), especially during the sless solo on the steel pedal after the first verse. man was it sweet. i cant believe how much sless adds to the band, i hope he sticks around for a long time with phil.
second set was amazing too. truckin after the new years countdown was awesome, and for some reason i had a gut feeling that they were going to play it after the countdown. deal and fire were my favorites also. i was just stompin up and down during fire. very cool.
third set (or long encore) was pretty cool to. best part was for sure the sugar magnolia. i wanted them to play it, but i thought it would be coming at new years, not here, but good placement, because after a chillin wharf rat and ryans song, place was mellow(not in a bad way). once they started playing sugar mag, EVERYONE started dancing again. that was way cool.

as for other comments, i just got a couple. all i have to say is JOHN MOLO. damn he is so sick!!! i saw phil & friends at red rocks, and was less than impressed with jeff sipe. i mean he wasnt bad, but i had heard all these shows with molo and they rocked. when i heard sipe was supposed to play, i was kind of bummed. as phil & friends took stage, i thought it might not be sipe on the drums, but was not really sure, and nor did i care really. but then they started with not fade away, and man it was awesome! one of the favorite parts of the show, because the drums were so powerful. awesomeness. right then i knew that molo was on drums, and the whole night he did awesome. i think he is one of the unsung heroes of phil & friends.

larry campbell was sick too. excellent quitar work.

also, thought i would put in my two cents about ryan adams. i, unlike pretty much everybody, am more or less in the middle about him. when i saw him at red rocks, i really enjoyed his voice, really sweet. his lyrics flubs annoyed me like most other people.
this new years show he overall did a good job. i really like the way he sung deal, that for sure was one of the highlights for the whole show for me. but i must say i was downright dissapointed with terrapin. they were jamming into it, and i knew they were going to play it. i was so psyched when they started the terrapin riff, but from there it went downhill. it seemed like ryan did not know the lyrics, and when he did, he would sing them weird in the terrapin time signature and screw things up royally. i could have swore that after one verse phil looked over at him like "dude, what the hell are you doing?" type way. the singing really was hurting my ears in this case. furthermore i should add that they played lady with a fan, not the terrapin part, because im sure everyone in the band just wanted to end the nightmare knowb as that song for the night. im not hating, i love his voice, but this was just one of my examples were adams really dissapointed me.

all in all, a great show. phil & friends still have what it takes to put on a great show. i truly feel blessed i went to this show.

i forgot to mention that i enjoyed the john mayer trio, and wished he would have came out with phil & friends for the second set after the countdown.

regardless, superb show.

Now John Mayer.....

He sucks.

>>.I think that the problem is not that RA is playing with Phil, but that Phil lets him lead the band and run the show....I had the feeling 2nd set at NY's Eve was "Ryan and Friends," a band that I did not pay to see and would not see again, paid or otherwise...

Nicely put, in my opinion. Well, I would probably give it one more shot, but it just may be that I'm a bit of a masochist.

>>on the other hand- if you dont like him- fine-
he still has more talent than we do....
dont bash the guy- thats uncalled for.

Agreed - I don't think he deserves to be bashed, and personally I don't think I've yet to "bash" him - I know many have, not denying that.

>>you can certainly choose not to listen or go to a show....

Well, the one incorrect item here it the fact that I had no idea Ryan Adams was going to be playing at the Fillmore show until the moments before the show started and my friend told me he was rumored to be playing. I'd never seen him before, so I certainly wasn't going to leave (especially not after forking out over $150 to attend the most anticipated P&F show in recent memory - if not of this band's entire history), but I did have some jitters, given some of the reviews of the Colorado shows from July. However (and I say this with ABSOLUTE sincerity), I went into it with an open mind, regardless. I wanted the guy to prove all the naysayers wrong as much as anything. And, to my ears, he didn't. I'm not denying his talents as a songwriter, singer (pretty good, I don't know if I'd say great from what I saw) or guitarist (interesting, quirky, a little too crunchy for my tastes), but he just felt and sounded out of whack. You know, I need to listen to the shows and maybe I'll come to my senses and realize I had been wrong (but I don't think I could be THAT wrong). As JT put it, it seemed like it was Ryan and Friends at these shows, and that was just a little bit more Mr. Adams than I thought was right. I felt Phil loosened the reins too much and didn't take control when it was necessary (and it's his band, so I think that's not unreasonable). Now, for the most part, the jamming was fine - improvisation and space jams (such as most of Dark Star, etc.) don't really require the same type of attention to the structure of the music as do singing the lyrics and remembering the changes. OK, I could go on endlessly, but those of you who really liked what you heard and saw are going to say I and others like me are closed-minded - I don't believe I am, and I think my sense of musicianship is keen enough to tell me something didn't work right. I'm not dying to see this lineup again anytime soon, but I'm willing to give the guy another chance in the future. I really think his dedication to actually gaining command of the music needs to be a higher priority. I don't think you can just step onto the stage with Phil and Molo and Barry and take the lead with minimal practice time. I'm not looking for another Grateful Dead imitation band (as had been mentioned in Phil's comments, or by others on these threads) - I've seen DSO once, and felt completely empty from the whole experience - they don't do a THING for me. I just would like to see any musicians Phil plays with take the role seriously enough to prepare and come ready to perform (and don't smoke a cigarette through an entire song!).

>>i forgot to mention that i enjoyed the john mayer trio, and wished he would have came out with phil & friends for the second set after the countdown.

Like the fact that Ryan wasn't advertised, and this combination was, I felt that was very odd. I'm not really sorry that I didn't see it though, as I can't quite imagine how this would've worked. As much as I may have misgivings about Ryan's performances, he's got way more soul than Mr. Mayer ever could. Mayer's got some chops, but he seems virtually soulless to me. It's probably what happens to you as the result of being a teen-girl-idolized pop star for a number of years before you decide to try to do something seriously musical. He's got some talent, but I think his stage persona is zilch.

OK, I'm done and I will go burn the 29th and 31st this week and see if my initial perceptions and reactions were at fault or too strong.

"Like the fact that Ryan wasn't advertised, and this combination was, I felt that was very odd. I'm not really sorry that I didn't see it though, as I can't quite imagine how this would've worked. As much as I may have misgivings about Ryan's performances, he's got way more soul than Mr. Mayer ever could. Mayer's got some chops, but he seems virtually soulless to me. It's probably what happens to you as the result of being a teen-girl-idolized pop star for a number of years before you decide to try to do something seriously musical. He's got some talent, but I think his stage persona is zilch."

My thoughts exactly on that matter. Pity, Mayer's obviously learned a lot about the guitar, but the things about it he hasn't learned are the ones nobody can teach him... hopefully he finds his way. Until then... good God, snoooooooooooze.

Didn't attend but got around to downloading this show and listening - I'd give it a solid B+. The jamming is as solid as ever for a Phil show and that's basically really what I go for. The biggest pleasant suprise was when Ryan and Joan sing lead parts together - although rare, it reminds me of those great Phil/Barracco duets on Franklin's and Eyes in late 02 thru 03. Ryan ranges from OK to pretty good, seems like he's better as more of a occasional/ special thing, dunno if I'd wanna see a whole tour with him, the repeats would get very boring very fast. I can see why Phil likes playing with him, with all the different interpretations of the same old songs: Is it a trainwreck or a new interpretation? I like that kind of stuff. He's certainly better than Chris at a lot of the Jerry tunes (Candyman, etc). But as someone pointed out you don't get the blues tunes Chris is good at (Caution, Hard 2 Handle, etc). But then NO ONE does Jerry/Blues tunes like Warren (sorry). Again I view Ryan, Joan, and Chris as all kind of B+/slightly above average/mediocre each in their own way. In comparing this show to the Mule New Year's show (yes in fairness I only heard Phil on CD whilst actually saw the Mule show), I regret to say it but in this particular case I'd go with the Mule show . . .

I will make this brief. I was not at the show but like Bob I listened to the download. I really liked the first set as song selection,vocals and pacing of tunes were all very good. Jamming was pretty good for the most part but cut short on a few if not all the tunes. The following 2 sets were a different story. Very laid back renditions of rocking tunes like the Deal and uncle Johns band did not do them justice. Barry and Larry tried to pick up the pace and the jam but it did not quite click ( IMO ) as the renditions produced vocally were .......so different. With these new arrangements and a selection of slower Jerry tunes (Candyman>Stella>Terrapin>Bird song>Wharf Rat and Ripple) I was soon hard pressed to stay awake even after shotgunning three capacinos.

Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year!

people, there is no right or wrong in how we each experience music so stop being defensive and calling the other camp names.....the only thing fair is for phil, now that he knows how divisive RA's presence is, is to announce in advance if RA will be part of the friends....let each music lover decide for his or her self whether to spend money and time on a ticket....

This is my first posting. Having read many reviews (positive and negative) regarding the NYE show, I will add my observations.
Over all I had a good time. The first Phil set was outragious and totally worth all the effort and expense. The crowd was great and it was a real treat to wander around laughing and smiling with old and new freinds.
Is there anything as fun as a hall full of heads bursting balloons, jumping around screaming, kissing and generally running amuck?!
Then when RA showed up I was initially very open to his contribution.
I was greatly disapointed.
My main citicism is that RA seemed to stop most of the jams from developing. I personally like it when the band comes back to a song in an unexpected place (yay... like when Jerry was here with us!) but I cannot agree with stopping the jams before they even get going. Repeatedly RA seemed to cut off Campbell's solos (like he almost had something against him personally) but I really think he was just focusing on himself and not really listening to the entire group.
This is the root of my perspective. I went to see the band that was advertised; Barry Sless, Larry Campbell, Rob & Joan.
What I got after the first set was the show seemingly being led by RA. Who was not who I payed to see. (and how many songs did RA sing that could have been performed by Joan?)
I personally would have benefited from the knowledge that RA was going to be present. I would at least have been prepared.
These are my overall concerns of the entire event;
1-The money that we all sent in for mail order was sitting in a Federal Bank Account (Post Office money orders) and earning money for the government for months while we waited to hear whether or not we would receive our tickets. Why should the government make money on all of us when we want to support the band not a federal bank. Even the band can't use this money until the ticket orders are fiiled. Maybe there is a better way?
2-Also to travel to a major city and obtain lodging with only ten days notice is pretty much impossible. Remember folks not all of us live within driving distance of the Bay Area.
3-I would like to know what happened with the Phil/Meyer set advertised for so long on the website? (I personally would have liked to have seen what happened when Mayer was jamming outside of his comfort zone).
4-I think that RA pushing the band is a good thing. Most of the time when I hear the boys individual bands it seems as if everyone is afraid to push "the boss". RA definitely has a fearless quality in this regard. However it would be much more entertaining to allow the rest of the band to contribute, ease up and let them build up some momentum so they could take off. I am sure this is just a reflection of RA's lack of experience.
I am very glad that Phil takes such an interest in the younger players and wants to give them the experiences that will help them to become great artists.But I would rather be hearing Phil lead the band then RA.
Remember this is Phil Lesh! One of the greatest bass players in history. The Grateful Dead, The Rock-Roll Hall of Fame!
We are all there to be with Phil.
Rock on Phil!

First set of the NYE show was beautiful! In fact I would rank it as a peak experience. The NYE countdown/craptacular with Swan Girl & Goat boy was good cheesy fun and I was truly ecstatic to be breaking in the new year dancing to Truckin. Yes, as a hindsight critic I would have to say the rest of the show didn't live up to these lofty heights. The jamus interruptus/confusion which ensued was beginning to diminish my intensity and eventually threatened to harsh my mellow. Still, I had one hell of an evening due to the fact that I had come to play and kept my critic at bay. Hell, I even had fun dancing to the John Mayer Trio. Put principles before personalities folks. Some of you were too busy hating John to notice that Jordan was in full swing on the drums. He's one of the best in the business and definately not boring!!

10-4! JM3 ROCKED!

I think ripple was fairly interesting, I can always listen to the LP if I want exactly what was recorded...one of the things I like most about dylan is the way he constantly and continually reinvents and restructure existing songs...most notably in 66 and 75...I view this as somewhat the same...I bet if Garcia was still around, we'd be hearing some new interpretations of old favorites...

So since we're out a Rumors section, and we're all pretty much voicing our RA thoughts and hopes/anxieties here, what do you guys think? RA in Feb.?

I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing, but, ......F*CK all you Ryan haters....... F*CK you haters! You are lucky to be seeing Phil at all! It's Phil and Friends, and he's allowed to pick them and if you don't like it......then stay home. I wish I could have been there. I saw the shows in CO, and I was thrilled that you west coasters were going to be treated with a P&F with Ryan (AND Joan!)......I'm imagining harmonies now.......I can't believe the f*cking whining. I feel lucky to have seen the shows in Denver and Red Rocks........it's the closest thing I've had to a Grateful Dead Experience since Jerry died, God rest His soul. Jerry would have loved Ryan, I don't even need Phil to tell me that....seems like people need to just do a quick check on themselves. Again, I'm not one to post anything on the internet, but, I love this music, and I love this community......can we please use our powers for good and not annonymous death threats. Jeeeezz! THANK YOU PHIL!!!! for bringing this music to us. I love you.....see you at Red Rocks!? or my house!....let me know!

Dude chill. People are allowed to express their disatisfaction with Ryan. He hasn't been on the ball. I think criticism is not only fair in this case but it should be expected. Even you can admit that Ryan has the potential for better.

The first set at NYE was great but it went downhill after that with a few high points here and there. We go to shows for Phil, not for Ryan Adams and if one of Phil's friends is preventing us from having a great musical experience, then it should be noted in hopes that it could be corrected. Whether it be Ryan putting more time in to practicing the material, or getting another player all together.

We all dish out a lot of money on these shows and we have a right to critisize as long as it doesn't cross the line. Some people may be a bit harsh, but they are voicing there opinions.

I saw the two Colorado shows and the 30th and 31st. The Warfield show was by far the best show out of the four I mentioned and that was because Ryan wasn't there to throw everybody off.

Ryan has potential. He has a good voice and he is decent on the guitar. He needs to learn to play in a collective and give everyone else in the band the room they need to work their magic.

Pete......You said a mouthful!


Crazeefeengers.....cop a life!

Thanks, Crazeefingers.

I, too, had a wonderful time at Red Rocks and the Fillmore with Ryan.

I, too, love this music and love to hear it interpreted with whomever Phil decides to put on the bus.

People don't need to check themselves except into some homes for the bewildered and leave the dancin' to us.

Some of these haters need to find a new band and these jet-set hatemongers need to stop seeing live music for awhile. They're jaded.

I sure won't miss 'em and you know Phil won't.
Btw, countless musicians never announced their line-ups.

Anyone heard of Miles Davis, John Coltrane?????

"F*CK all you Ryan haters....... F*CK you haters! You are lucky to be seeing Phil at all! It's Phil and Friends, and he's allowed to pick them and if you don't like it......then stay home."

Sounds like the RA fans are a bit hateful themselves...will phil protect us?

I think once you've used obscenities in your comments to other Phil fans, you've pretty much negated your credibility anyway. As great as Phil Lesh is and always will be, why does this mean that fans can't be critical - and in a constructive sort of way - not bashing for the sake of bashing - of Phil's decisions or performances? Did nobody ever criticize the Grateful Dead's shows? Most of us continued to see them. What's the point of having a review section if you can't express the way you're actually feeling, whether it's positive or negative? I really don't care to see a review section that only runs the gamut from "good show" to "amazing show." I want to know what people really think. And I can't stand the comments like "if you don't like it...then stay home." If it actually got bad enough, some of us would. I don't think it's nearly to that point, and I love Phil too much to let a "friend" make it not worth seeing him - I just think things could've been better. Do you think jazz critics never had anything critical to say about Miles Davis or John Coltrane or whoever? Do you think they stopped buying their records or going to their performances? It's called musical criticism, and if you can't deal with it, don't read the discussion board - you may see something you don't like.

Damn - this is getting to hot to handle. Here's the deal: People whining and bagging on Ryan shouldn't go to see him or make lame ass posts. There's a difference between whining and critiquing. Whining is just pointing out all the bad things, because you have it set in your head that you don't like the guy. Critiquing is looking at the whole picture.

I've never seen him, so I don't have much of an opinion. I haven't listened to a ton of Phil with Ryan yet either.

Regardless, if he's good enough for Phil, he's good enough for me. The GD material is hard to tackle - lots of it. I would expect mistakes at first - it's not his full time gig.

That's it from the west side-

For those who might want to get an idea of what Ryan is about, he will be on next week's Austin City Limits. Though by all accounts it was a one-off and he wasn't completely thrilled by it.

I thought that the show was rocking. My criteria for reviewing the performance is the same as what I wanted from the Dead: pulsing music, not hung up on replicating the past, that pushes the envelope Further. I don't care personally if it faltered a couple of times or if the musicians weren't completely synched. The important thing for me is that it was creative and new. Jerry cringed at the idea of playing the same stuff thirty years out. We all agree that they "rewrote" several songs and had a few epic jams. The music was emotionally textured, and sometimes complex. It wasn't always easy and comfortable to deal with but being comfortable isn't what it's about. For me, it's about being real. The music can carry more information and it seems relevant to what's happening right now. All in all the music was raw and futuristic sounding. There were many many moments that sounded like such an awesomely incredible Dead show, the show you always wished you could see.
More than that, those moments were and are like moments that can be- your ultimate fantasy show.
To sum it up, it seems to me that Phil loved the show because it was honest somehow, fuckups and all. RA carried on in the true spirit of Jerry and that's what I go to shows to see. Phil plays with him cuz that's where he's at now, he's over the past and pushing it Further again.

Okay, I'm going to take a shot at reasonable criticism of Ryan. First of all, I loved the NYE show and will happily buy tickets to every Phil show I can make in the future, with or without Ryan Adams. This is still the best stuff being done out there and Ryan is far too good to make that untrue. However, when I list the "greatest" Phil shows I've ever seen, from a musical standpoint, I don't believe that the Ryan shows so far could ever make that list. This is mainly because he tends to break down the jams just as they're getting cooking. The ideal Phil show, to me, was in Philly on 11/30/03, whose opening number was this beautiful Scarlet which took a 20-minute jam so far away that you were sure they'd almost forgotten the song, and then *bam* you were right back in it and all of a sudden you were transitioning into Fire. That kind of precision takes a lot of focus and a long time to develop, and Ryan doesn't give things time to develop.

Phil Lesh & Friends is different from The Grateful Dead. The Dead was centered around Jerry, and around songs he liked to improvise off, usually neat blues riffs or expansive basslines. Sometimes Jerry even got disenchanted with Dark Star, and we all know he dropped St. Stephen completely. Not only has Phil made St. Stephen a mainstay, but he's brought Viola Lee Blues into the regular rotation. These differences reflect musical differences; I think mainly that Phil likes songs that have a number of scripted sections with complex arrangements (Unbroken Chain, for instance), allowing the ability to go very very far away musically and then come all the way back. To do this, the musicians need to have some idea of where they are going. Jerry never played with a setlist, let alone a friggin' music stand; Phil gets his creativity from greater control whereas Jerry got it from complete freedom, yet Jerry's "freedom" also led to predictable setlists, and Phil's setlists allow him to do things like string a classic medley over the course of a whole show. Each approach has different merits. I love what Phil has given us because it is new and different, and therefore does not need to be judged against the Dead and we can love it for itself.

Every time a new lineup was introduced it took a while to take hold because what Phil demands is especially complicated. It took Jimmy Herring a long time, I think, before he fully worked himself in, and that tour in Summer '03 with The Dead, where he was front-and-center every night, really helped him, I think. One of the things playing guitar with Phil requires is the ability to take the band by the hand and lead it, something Warren and Jimmy came to excel at and something which, IMHO, Barry and Larry, despite being brilliant musicians, have yet to do -- emphasis on "yet." Ryan clearly does this, and that's why Phil loves him and why I'm happy to see him.

Of course he is unpolished -- that is not criticism. But my sense of Ryan Adams, not only from my experiences with Phil but from what I know of him and have known of him over the years, is that he does not believe in becoming polished. He is the cliche volitile genius, and he will constantly break what he is in the process of creating. This can be fascinating to watch and listen to, but I do not believe it is what will give us the best Phil shows. To be more specific: At NYE, Ryan single-handedly took apart and rearranged Sugar Mag in the middle of playing it. That was an incredible step. His new arrangement was fascinating. But it would have been even better if he had told the band in advance. This is not the problem of lack of rehearsal time -- it is Ryan's style to change things right at the point of attack. We all know how awesome it is to feel the music anticipating something incredible, let the band build up to it, and then have it happen -- like when Phil splits up H>S>F, or when Jerry took extra long to move from Scarlet to Fire, or whenever we hear the opening chords of Terrapin and know that that huge jam at the end is coming soon. Ryan throws all that off -- and I fear he always will, by rule. There was a certain predictability to Jerry's playing that gave him even MORE freedom, paradoxically. China always led to Rider; Hell, Playin' usually led to UJB. Knowing where he was going, the band knowing where it was going, helped them to do even more daring stuff because they had a strategy to get themselves back. You can't soar to new heights unless you have a foundation, and Ryan enjoys working not only without a net, but without a leg to stand on.

I think the most innovative and creative thing an artist can do is stop being a cover band and make NEW music. Phil Lesh & Friends did that, once, after the same lineup had been solidified long enough to make that kind of freedom possible. I can't see a Ryan Adams band achieving the kind of stability necessary for REAL innovation. Spontaneity is a tempting idea, but I do not believe that it is the way to where Phil wants to go. Phil and I disagree, obviously, and since I'm some schmuck named Adam and he's Phil Lesh, I'll let him lead me. But of course I have the right to criticize, as do we all. We have the right to listen to 6/18/95 and say "Wow, Jerry fucked up that Wharf Rat so bad, I hated it," and we have the right to say "Ryan kept stopping the show right when it was taking off because he couldn't stand not being the center of attention." Of course we'll still go and love it.

The irony of me taking this position is that I loved almost everything Ryan did -- just not the way he did it. I loved his Sugar Mag, I loved his Stella and his Bird Song, I especially loved his Wharf Rat, which the band started out slow and he took a pause, and then strummed into the louder, earlier version. The only thing that really annoyed me was that Joan had been so good, and she didn't deserve to be essentially ignored by Phil as a singer for almost the entire 2nd set; thank god she had a chance to play drums so she could get herself invovled. Again, though, Ryan was great; but I still have my doubts about whether the band with him in it can reach the heights of the Q, which is, to be honest, what I'm always wishing I were seeing -- not the Q per se, but something that good. And I don't think Ryan can ever be.

I'm a New Yorker who was just visiting the West for NYE; I have 8 shows in February and I hope nothing more than to be proved completely and foolishly wrong. If so, I will come to the board and tell everybody how wrong I was. If not, I will come and reiterate my concerns. But no matter what, I will have a great f*cking time!

Very good point! I preferred the Grateful Dead when the biggest knock on them was that they were unprofessional. There was a musical tension back then which could produce transcendant moments. Later shows became professional, predictable and eventually expendable. If I want a professional show for nostalgia purposes I'll go see the Eagles. They do spot on reenactments of the glorious past and it's a good time but you don't need to catch the next show. Phil's got the fire in the belly! Following what happens matters..

Hey Adam, did you catch any of the shows on the Shadow of the Moon tour? The reason I'm asking is because that band reached these amazing musical heights. I thought they were every bit as good as the Q if not better. Check out the 12/10/05 HOB show. Barry Sless is fully capable of grabbing the bull by the horns and taking the music to an incredible peak. I think that was part of the reason that the Ryan Adams shows didn't get me there. They never got to the point where they just caught fire and you could tell that the band was firing on all cylinders. The Warfield show managed to achieve that on several occasions.

NYE was a lot of fun but it wasn't the music that really got me there. It was the company I was with that really made that show special. Ryan doesn't know how to play well with others. It turns into the Ryan Adams show when he is up there and that hasn't been the case with any of Phil's previous lineups. It's always been a colaboration and with Ryan in the fold, it becomes more about him and less about the collective. I'm willing to give him another chance at the Beacon but he needs to change his approach in order for the shows to be all they can be. My .02

I have read every single post on this thread, maybe I am insane. I wasn't going to post anything, because who really cares what I have to say?! Probably only I do.

My wife & I had the best New Year's Eve's of our lives. Babysitter for our daughter, a memorable dinner in Chinatown, and out for the night with the "extended family!" A few notables: Thanks to Steve from Michigan for upgrading our seats to VIP. You made our night! We were with wonderful people all night, old friends, and making new ones. The "Not Fade Away" opener is a statement and stands more vital after all this shit about threats, taking this board down, etc... It's kinda what this whole "thing" is all about right?? I came in with all this junk in my head about Ryan Adams from reading this discussion board, but I came in open minded, and Ryan blew me away in that 1st Set. There was so much energy and it was explosive, creative, different, fun, whatever! His vocal phrasing on some of the tunes was fresh and deep. The "Stella Blue" & "Wharf Rat" were amazing. I have been reading the Annotated Lyrics book and this material is so expansive, and full of imagery, we all need to stay "open!" to fresh interpretations. Sure, some of the 2nd Set & encore vocal mishaps and gummed up jams were a tad rough at times, but so are we at times! Can we just be human, frail, weak, and REAL, or do we have to be perfect?! I just listened to the show, and it is so different than the other 30 some odd Phil shows I have been to. If you want to hang with a familiar spirit, DSO is around. And I mean no disrespect to them, they are great... Phil keeps it real, he bakes the fresh bread, and he is carrying the torch. A Phriend of Phil is a Phriend of mine!

Rscalcione....Well put. Thanks.

I have to weigh in with a message - The New Years Eve Show was electric & dynamic and jammin' the whole time. Excellent set list. Phil and the band looked like they were having a great time and the effect was catching. Ryan Adams is a fantastic addition to the group. He looks like he was born to play these songs. All you have to do is listen and watch him and you can see all his heart and soul is there as he sings the tunes. On his own, Ryan is one of the most gifted songwriters alive today and he has 50 different beautiful voices that he uses. I read Phil’s posting and everything he said was right on the mark.

Joan was wonderful, of course, along with John Molo who is godlike, and Rob Barraco , Barry Sless, Larry Campbell who hold it all together. Music is all about the here and now - and what's great about Phil Lesh & Friends is the different interpretations each of the Friends brings to these timeless tunes. Just check out the John Scofield concerts from 12-3 and 12-4 to get a taste of what another Master can do with Phil. I am not one of those people who believes that there are songs that "only Jerry can do", but I never thought I would hear a Stella Blue again like Dead could do until Ryan opened his mouth on this song. It was a rapture. Thank you Phil for giving us the chance to see Ryan in concert here in SF, playing songs we know he loves. This was the first time at a NYE experience for my 14-year old daughter and her friends and we never stopped dancing!

Thank you Fishtown boy! Jessie (Pennycook) thanks to you as well, and there are so many great posts and great people on this board. We don't have to love everything we hear & attend, nor do we need to agree or simply rah rah all Phil does, but PLEASE let's heed to Phil's words and watch ours. I have enjoyed so many hours over the years reading what many have posted here. Rememeber what Mom taught you, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it, or geez, at least say it respectfully!

Hey Now Phil- THANK YOU for NYE (and the Warfield) did not make the PHILMORE! Thank your friends too. Keep on keeping on ...give us MORE! Peace Chief

>>> I am not one of those people who believes that there are songs that "only Jerry can do", but I never thought I would hear a Stella Blue again like Dead could do until Ryan opened his mouth on this song. It was a rapture.

Man, either I needed some psychedelics that night, or I just missed it. I guess I was still trying to recover from my disappointment with the Fillmore show. You know, I probably need to listen to the show(s) again on disc, but I fail to believe that my ears deceived me that badly. I ended up walking off the floor in frustration with the way the Bird Song was developing (or devolving). Honestly, I don't get off on Ryan's changing (or missing) lyrics and the song structure (perhaps I would if I thought it improved the song in some manner) so I'm clearly biased towards the other side. I don't know his solo work (interested in checking it out) and I think he clearly has some true talent, but I think it's not well-suited for P&F. Hey, Phil thinks he's great, so what the hell does my opinion matter (go ahead tell me)? Like some others here have said, I can only tell you what my experience was, and you can disregard it as you like. However, I'm not going to say I loved what I saw just because Phil tells me he loves the guy - that wouldn't be honest. Oh, and please don't tell me to go see DSO if I want my Grateful Dead like the original versions - I wouldn't waste my time on that band or any other "Dead cover band" - thanks, but no thanks.

First set did rock, though, no doubt (d'ya notice that Ryan only sang one of those tunes by himself?). Had the show kept up the energy and playing of the first set, I wouldn't even be writing this.

For those of you who had the religious experience I didn't (that night), more power to you. I just wish I'd felt it more myself.

i love the jazz reference. for the experts in the audience, the Dead were originally interpreters of traditional american music, which is what Dead music will be in 100 years. the circle stays unbroken. for the adams haters, download ryan and the CARDINALS XM loft session. That is what rehearsals get you. Listen to 12/31 and that is what a mere couple of rehearsals get you. like 68 dead (rehearsals on acid dont count) but the spirit is there both shows.
also, check out Allmusic.com and look up ryan adams, and the reviews of his solo records 3 straight 4 of 5 star reviews. AMG is a pretty fair standard critical judge.

finally, i predict Lesh plays a full Cardinals show in 2006 if adams tours a lot with a band. seems he's jonesing for new, quality material to interpret and a bandito to partner with. thx

jay

2 plus weeks after the fact and still reading excellent reviewing of last run shows...

I say thank you for taking the time to write here people....

"finally, i predict Lesh plays a full Cardinals show in 2006 if adams tours a lot with a band. seems he's jonesing for new, quality material to interpret and a bandito to partner with."

great news for RA fans....should weed out the ryan haters... as well as those of us who would prefer anyone else

at the same time, the band appeared to be "RA and friends" NYE....

ugh

Jerry never played with a setlist, let alone a friggin' music stand

The GD absolutely did play with setlists and at the end, Jerry was using a teleprompter!

Who's post is this last comment responding to (bad English, I know)?

I'm still baffled by the recent comparisons of the latest P&F run to the Dead of '68, but I'll hold my comments until I can formulate a less impulsive thought. Then again, that may never happen.

Agree with GDad, though, on the continued reviews and responses. It's the next best thing to actually being there.

Got some Beacon/Hammerstein tix for sale, btw. Check the ticket trade board.

I don't see the problem with playing with music stands. If I don't play a song for very long, I totally forget it. Not everyone is a concentration champion. They are especially necessary for guest players. Who cares - isn't what the music sounds like?

Maybe we can have a Zoner at Beacon as guest Conductor...

Ha!.

I just want to give a shout out to cornjulio. The analogy of Phil as the coach and RA as QB is the way it is, true dat. Thanks for the Spring 1985 tour memories! Cheers!

Ah yes Grover Cleveland was president :-). Oh 1985 not 1885. You have memories...that's pretty good. It was a great time! Every spring I miss Hampton and Maine shows more!
Excellent Ryan performance on Austin City Limits this weekend.

I've heard Bobby run down the entire set list to the band right before opening the 2nd set on some live tapes from the late 80's
NEW Year eve was great!!
In re: to Ryan Adamsm, a bit of a butcher, but if Phil likes it,It's his band folks. You can come and play or stay home and whine.
I was impressed that he got most of the songs more or less right,considering that he probably is less familiar with the materiel than most deadheads.
Minor butchery,great music, After 1995 I never thought I'd hear music like this again, so for me it's all a bonus.
Thanx guys

Wasn't at the show but just gave it a listen and it's pretty good. I haven't seen anyone mention the beautiful jam after Truckin' and right before Deal...really melodic, wonderful stuff right there.

-re:Pete, "I saw the two Colorado shows and the 30th and 31st. The Warfield show was by far the best show out of the four I mentioned and that was because Ryan wasn't there to throw everybody off. "

-My take as well. The interplay between Larry, Barry, and Phil at Warfield was amazing. Heads and shoulders above the other stuff. Add Joan with her soulful voice, and sexy sultry stage presence, and that's the band for me!

Roger>>Dodger>>>>>>>>

Seems that I was completely swept-off my feet at that Warfield show. It had a quality that is "un-classifiable", and the exquisitely luvly Ms. Joan.
I can remember having the "sweetest-dreams" that evening. Thanx Phil, and Thanx Joan, too!

p.s.>>>>>>>>>awesome NYE, TOO..thanx Ryan, also.

CrypticAlex (Alexw) (69.32.163.3) wrote:
>First set did rock, though, no doubt (d'ya notice that Ryan only sang one of those tunes by himself?). Had the show kept up the energy and playing of the first set, I wouldn't even be writing this.<

absolutely agree with this one, that's how I heard it too. that was phil & FRIENDS. too bad Phil couldn't get a soundcheck rehersal together w/ Mayer for the 2nd set... then he could have had his Ryan set for #3 and everyone would've been happy.

ymmv, KK