T-Minus 35 hours!!!


Bring it on Phil!!!!

does anyone have any idea what the lineup is going to be?

Jimi, Jerry, janice, pig and phil is as good a guess as any, lol

We Trust in Phil

Trust Phil - he has rarely (if ever) let us down before - and try to have an open mind. If you are still obsessing over the fact that Jerry is gone and bemoaning the demise of the Dead, then how can you possibly enjoy something new and different? Ryan is an absolute genius and Joan is an amazing singer. Chris rocks. Give it a shot, you might actually enjoy yourself if you can dispose of all those nasty preconceived notions. I will be there with a smile and a buzz on my face!

Me two and my wife three and my two boys make four. Friday at the Hammerstein will be a family affair, for the most part,as my 7 and 10 year old will see their first show Friday at the Hammerstein.

We think that Phil is playing like almost never before!!!!!

Will be trying to catch all except Lupo's.

See you there.

Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew and look up!

phil sless sipe joan campbell barraco - apparently rehearsed

that sounds like a nice lineup, even without any surprises

thanks for the info!

on goodiegoodie.com they are saying the line up is phil, Chris Robinson, Jimmy Herring, Barry Sless, John Molo, Steve Molitz, Jackie LaBranch, & Gloria Jones. who knows if its true

They're wrong. Go with Lesh, Sless, Campbell, Sipe, Barraco & Osbourne. (Sounds like a law firm doesn't it?)

Good to see Joan and Rob back. I would prfer Jimi over Campbell though

Getting ready to shake rattle and roll with the Phil bombs. Joan is great and Larry Campbell is incredibly talented. Everyone else we know is intimately familiar with the groove and I expect some fine chestnuts from our fearless leader and his associates.

Sounds like the CR, Jimmy, etc. line up was just taken from Phil's site - i.e. it's a former line and the site op's just figured that's his band - good luck and enjoy -

I'm really excited for tonight... it's been since Red Rocks for me and I'm overdue for another Phil fix!
Glad it's not going to snow, but we're going to get hit tomorrow.... bring your sleds!

Looking forward to tonight, and the 4 others that I'll be seeing on this tour. After blowing my mind for 2 nights at the house of blues, couldn't wait to see phil again.

I hear (you know, from a guy who knows a guy) that Chris will NOT be playing with Phil this tour. Also, as per the rumors page on this site, it looks like Sipe is elsewhere, so we can expect another healthy dose of the Molo thunder.

I also hear that there will be some very familiar faces from the last tour (best guess: Sless, Molo, Larry). This guy also said that we should expect some "treats." Warren? Trey? Who knows? Sky's the limit!

Can't wait to see what Phil comes up with.

Check out Larry's site. : )

Just went for a little walk from my office, no rehearsal as of yet.......but I did get offered dozes from the 1st dreadhead I saw!!! 8-)

Now who has 1 for tonight ? I'm within walking distance.

Heard Phil is on Sirius right now BTW.

anyone want to predict some bustouts that weren't played on last tour? i wouldn't be surprised to hear a sly tune.

on relix.com (http://www.relix.com/cgi-bin/content_list.cgi?type =news) it has the lineup as "Joan Osborne, keyboardist Rob Barraco, pedal steel guitarist Barry Sless, guitarist/fiddler Larry Campbell and drummer Jeff Sipe will join him at both the Beacon Theater this weekend and at the Hammerstein Ballroom next week."
i wonder if that will be the entire tour line up, since it only says beacon and hammerstein.

and as far as what bust i want to hear, how about "the eleven" i dont think they played it last tour at all

Now that we are set for Joan and Larry, I am psyched for the killer Sugaree and Mr. Charlie tonight - Joan rips those 2 better than any I've heard, although Susan Tedeschi's new cover of Charlie rocks too. Golden Road please. Lesh Philling, Bass Great!!!!

The band

Phil Lesh
Jeff Sipe
Rob Barraco
Barry Sless
Larry Campbell
Joan Osborne

The band

Phil Lesh
Jeff Sipe
Rob Barraco
Barry Sless
Larry Campbell
Joan Osborne

Playin' In The Band

Cold Roses

West LA Fadeaway


/image{16}

West La Fadeaway

You easties fucking suck!!!

Colorado and the west coast get carrot top and you guys get the band that the rest of us paid to see on New Years.

well, given how Uncle Phil likes to weave lyrical messages into his setlists, he sure seems to have done that tonight ! [I guess you had to know that Ryan was supposedly seen in LA today..whether Westside or elsewhere isnt yet known (!!)]

Beacon Theatre, NYC 2/10/05

Set 1:
New York New York (Barraco singing, RA tune)>
Jam>
Playin' In The Band> Jam>
Cold Roses (RA tune, Joan singing)
West LA Fadeaway (Joan)
No More Do I (Phil & Joan)> Jam>
Love The One You're With (Joan)
Lovelight (Joan)

Nice looking Set.

I'm real happy to see Joan, Larry and Sless in this lineup. Should be a hot tour

Set list looks good.....but are there updates on quality of music/Jamming?

nice lineup, seems like a good first set also.

Nice set (thanks TR!) and the band sure looks great! Yes, updates on the jamming/interplay please.

any 2nd set updates???

Nice, set 2 por favor?

Nice, set 2 por favor?

After Midnight/ Magnolia Mtn/
Birdsong/ Unbroken Chain

i can understand playing ryan adams songs when he's in the lineup, obviously.... but what's the necessity of playing his tunes when he's not there, with soooo many nuggets out there we'd all (at least the vast majority of us) rather hear?

it is called tough love- Phil's just throwin a little tough love at us

>> with soooo many nuggets out there we'd all (at least the vast majority of us) rather hear?

maybe because Cold Roses & Magnolia Mountain are great songs?

And don;t worry, you'll get your truckin in sometime.

Ryan writes great songs...

just listen....

you'll hear it..

I don't mean to be negative.... I think I just (sniff, sniff...dabbing my eyes) miss Warren...

get all the warren you can eat in March at the Beacom

sitting in last row lodge. it was very nice opening show

good sound up here

lots more fun tomorrow and sunday in the snow!

Encore?

Casey Jones

Beacon Theatre, NYC 2/10/05

Set 1:
New York New York (Barraco singing, RA tune)>
Jam>
Playin' In The Band> Jam>
Cold Roses (RA tune, Joan singing)
West LA Fadeaway (Joan)
No More Do I (Phil & Joan)> Jam>
Love The One You're With (Joan)
Lovelight (Joan)

Set 2:
After Midnight (Joan)> Jam>
Magnolia Mountain (Joan)>
Birdsong>
Unbroken Chain
The Rescue Blues (RA tune, Joan)>
Good Lovin' (Joan)
Help On The Way>
Slipknot>
Franklin's Tower


Food Drive rap
Donor rap
Intros

Encore:
Casey Jones

THANKS TROB!

nice.

thanks TROB! you rock.

sounds nice, wish I was there!!!!

Its interesting, all the Ryan tunes. Guess alot of you sort of got what you were hoping for...no Ryan...but he still is somehow there. What a prankster Phil is. I'm really wondering if he'll bust out any more Ryan tunes previously unplayed (God knows there are plenty). Anyone else wonder how Barraco feels singing NY,NY?

Beacon Theatre, NYC 2/10/05

Set 1:
New York New York (Barraco singing, RA tune)>
Jam>
Playin' In The Band> Jam>
Cold Roses (RA tune, Joan singing)
West LA Fadeaway (Joan)
No More Do I (Phil & Joan)> Jam>
Love The One You're With (Joan)
Lovelight (Joan)

Set 2:
After Midnight (Joan)> Jam>
Magnolia Mountain (Joan)>
Birdsong>
Unbroken Chain
The Rescue Blues (RA tune, Joan)>
Good Lovin' (Joan)
Help On The Way>
Slipknot>
Franklin's Tower


Food Drive rap
Donor rap
Intros

Encore:
Casey Jones

Nice 'parts' but not the whole chicken, parts are parts. I want my Molo, Sipe played it safe tonight (stuck with only 3-4 fills the whole night). I know he's still feeling his way, but he's a little too safe for me. Jamming wasn't even close to where it needs to be, but when they played 'songs' like 'After Midnight', 'Good Lovin', etc. they were solid in 'parts'. Enough out of my for now.

ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

I didn't sleep through this show.

The thing that I am constantly reminded of after every Phil show I see and after coming here after those shows is that 2 or more peopple who enjoy the same musician can see the same show and have opposite opinions.

I happen to be one of the many people who enjoyed the Ryan Adams tunes. As far as the other covers, I had never seen Love the One You're With Before, and thought it was great - and I hadn't seen After Midnight before either and thought they did a good job with that too.

The last time I had seen Larry Campbell was in Newark and I feel he has really stepped it up a notch as far as his comfortability in his solos goes, which i think is fairly normal. The more he plays, the more comfortable he'll feel. I really do enjoy the Barry/Larry tandem - still not as much as warren and Jimmy, but they shine in their on right.

barraco is my favorite Phil keyboardist, head and shoulders above the rest, IMHO. sure, I think most of us would love to see molo, but this is still an amazing band to me.

thanks for still playing phil. great show tonight. your shows are always worth the money, time and effort to me.

Sipe was ripping it up on Help.... they hit some really sweet and energetic spots tonight... that cloudy silent punch in Slipknot was... was... cosmic. Joan on Lovelight... Good Lovin' old style and smokin'. LTOYW really lit the place up... Birdsong jam was beautiful... Sless was great, Larry was thrilled to the gills and amazed at what the music was eliciting... Barraco was in harmonic heaven and really sang well. Phil was blissed out and impressed. Man did he ever give everyone a solid canvas to paint on... no bombs but driving rhythm and melodic interchange... he brought some of the jams down to almost nothing and let them hover there... only to morph into the next theme... Larry did'nt play any violin... tight help slip and a nice chain with a good jam at the end... super musical show.... those two guitar players are my favorite P&F combo so far. Good vibes and fresh talent.

RIDIN' the TRAIN AND THE WAVE OF THE ONCOMING NOR'EASTER FOR STA SHOW!@
I AGREE....................MOLO MOLO MOLO!
I AGREE................Why play Ryan Adam tunes
when the fans, us "HEADS," want to hear DEAD/GARCIA/LESH
SLESS IS THE BEST!
I have seen over 300 Dead, as well as JGB, ETc.
And have seen at least 2 shows from every Further festival and Phil & Friends Lineup since it began and......KUDOS to Barry Sless...
After seeing last Fall's Oakdale, CT show, I am convinced he is the best fit and sound, and I am a huge Jimmy Herring fan too!He blew me away!
Sless has it, and Garcia would be most pleased, as am I.
Thanks Phil for recognizing this too!
Looking forward to Saturday and both Tuesdays!
Robbie G/Dancin' Dawg (My CT. band)

...that samson / liberty / throwing stones jam was in there again...also hints of the albany arabian jam...

"I AGREE................Why play Ryan Adam tunes
when the fans, us "HEADS," want to hear DEAD/GARCIA/LESH"

No kidding man, I still don't understand why all the guys have been covering Not Fade Away all this time. Buddy Holly? Pfffffffft. I DEMAND WAVE TO THE WIND, DAMNIT.

the 2nd and 3rd RA tunes are better "Dead" tunes than anything Phil & Friends did on their record, and the last number is a blues you can picture pigpen singing...and I'm sure Rob felt quite fine singing that opener, the band was cooking...

go listen here>

www.live365.com/stations/2012_live

thanks rob, your work is always deeply appreciated

yeah....

thanks ROBS

Magnolia Mountain is a Ryan Adams song too .. I wasn't there so I guess they could have played another song called Magnolia Mtn, but PL&F did play Ryan's Magnolia Mtn at previous shows I was at and I am happy to see those songs in the line-up .. you could have gone to a JGB show at almost any given time and heard 2-4 Bob Dylan covers and 99.99% of the time Dylan wasn't in the house .. what ever flots thee boat ...

>>>you could have gone to a JGB show at almost any given time and heard 2-4 Bob Dylan covers and 99.99% of the time Dylan wasn't in the house


If you like Ryan or hate him......He aint no Bob Dylan....Nor will he ever be....sorry....

The setlist reads like a message to Ryan.
West LA, Bird, HSF, Casey....
"Cause talk and suspicion
Give an exhibition..."

Phil doesn't play what you want to hear; he plays what he wants to play and hopes that you enjoy it. After all these years I would think that this would be obvious.

This guy (Thom2) gets it - so should the rest of you. Ryan is a songwriting genius, Phil appreciates that, and he hates to be dictated to, so the "tough love" came in the form of great music that he chose to send a message. He played what he wanted to, and personally, I loved it. Most importantly, Jerry would have totally loved it. A great night, and I called that Help>Slip, ask anyone in the Upper balcony stage left!

i wonder why the secretive nature if the lineup wasn't actually anything suprising.

Interesting looking setlist, though.

>>>when the fans, us "HEADS," want to hear DEAD/GARCIA/LESH

If you want a Grateful Dead tribute band I suggest you stick with DSO!

the setlist was irrelevant . it wasn't about what song they played but how they played. the band was extremely hot , the larry...barry...phil.interplay amazing..phil playing that bass like a lead guitar..and joan being hot sassy and sultry led to an incredibly fun entertaing and hot evening of great music. never knew where they were coming from or where they were going ...was a great show and the rest of the tour should be awesome.phil was
very animated and gloating through out the night .

Phil:

Brilliant!!!

Thanks for bringing back Joanie and Rob!

Absolutely, totally, phucking brilliant!

I thought the show was pretty nice. A little disappointed when i got there, not because I don’t like who was in the band, but i was really hoping for Ryan, or another surprise like warren or even trey. Some of the song selection was cool, but i feel the jams are a little bit to drawn out. Sometimes it as though they are sort of forcing a impovision. The band seems like its waiting for a cue from Phil the entire jam. Still it was really fun and i thought Joan was awesome. She really fits better in Phil and friends as opposed to the dead. West La, mag mountain, UBC, good lovin and HSF were the highlights for me. Good encore, nice buildup with "Drivin that train". Only other minor complaint is the Ryan songs. While i absolutely adore Ryan, i could have done without cold roses and the rescue blues, but both were played great anyway. All in all a good show, great people and one hell of a venue. I definatly think Joan brings a little more to the band C'Rob , and look forward to seeing some other set lists from the beacon. Hopefully ill get a nice surprise Saturday the hammer, but if not ill dance my ass of with this band!
Thanks Phil!!!!!!

Does anyone know why the show is not streaming?

OK. Was in last row loge. Very good sound, to my surprise.

Liked: the new tunes(i am neutral re: RA), liked LC taking a little risk(he has one of those Jerry-like phrases where he has to squeeze a lot of notes in just before the downbeat, and he did some nice straight 16th note under a swinging rhythm during ? the Franklin's which Phil clearly dug), Sless is soooo good a fit-what a rich sweet sound, Baracco shares my love of early 1970's GDm and his playing and singing is all about the GD spirit, speaking of spirit Joan, IMHO, totally gets IT and she looks like she was plucked off the field at Veneta '72, Sipe is a nice change(though I really dug the interaction of Phil and Molo) as he has a bit of a 'jazzy' feel, a bit like a Charlie Watts: and Phil was ripping up everything as he needed to lead the rhythm section.

Less liked: the overly long transitipns, the way too slow 'No More Do I'(though the jan was incredible it took too long to get there, Phil was too loud(if that is possible- I like him very loud, but there were few quieter segnebt, so there was no as much variation, dynamics-wise), Joan seemed a bit uncomfortable as she was off stage a fair amount„and she clearly felt awkward standing around waiting for 'Birdsong' to begin and for Phil to finish the verse, so she could sing along in the chorus, Sipe's hesitance to take risks.

That is enough alrewady.

I LOVED the show, and I am open to whatever may lay aheadYeven RAm lol).

See you all tonight and onward.

Peace, and be safe,

Rich

This looks like a decent show. Wish Joan would've sang Playin' instead of Phil, but at least they played it. Surprised by all the RA songs. One thing though, it cracks me up when people post stuff like"Jerry would've loved it." How the Hell do you know for sure whether Jerry Garcia would've liked a damn thing that was played last night? Granted, it sounds like the music was played great from the reports, but please, unless you knew the man personally, I don't think you can really speak to what Jerry Garcia would've thought. Not trying to stir it up, just making a comment.

>>If you like Ryan or hate him......He aint no Bob Dylan....Nor will he ever be....sorry....

Jerry wasn't Holland-Dozier-Holland either, but he played the fuck out of Motown songs. No one was comparing Ryan to Dylan, just making a point about cover tunes.

Phil is losing it. The new direction he is going is lame.
I was there last night, and actually left shortly after the second set started (never done that before)
Everyone should notice one thing, which speaks volumes to me.
Rob is not "ALLOWED" to were his trademark tiedyes or HEADBAND!

It is that true that Rob isn't "allowed" to wear his headband or Tiedyes anymore?

naysayers are either lying or ridiculous

the band was very good last night - only a closed minded person would think otherwise

mind you, there are a lot of closed minded people in the world

oh well

one mystery solved - the "Samson & Delilah/Liberty" jam was actually apparently part of "New York, New York"

Phil likes how Ryan Adams' tunes are GD like - guess what? he's very right - all the Ryan songs were very well played last night, and having seen Albany and Wallingford and Newark I in the fall, this was a very nice show to add to that arsenal - busts outs, different songs - a great Bird Song/UBC combo - excellent HSF - Playin' very very welcome

this was a very solid, well executed show - if you are not coming with a predisposition, that is....

>>>>if you are not coming with a predisposition, that is....

I'm stuck out here in CA. Didn't go to show and it isn't being streamed. Could you explain? Similar sound to this line-up in the past? or different musical approach? or are you just referring to song selection? thanks. I'm curious. Not many reviews.

Being Open minded does not mean you have to like everything. It means you listen without prejudgement and give it a chance. I did. I went to the Beacon with high hopes and great expectations. I just do not dig this musical direction. If you like it, fine, I am just sharing my disappointment.
Freedom of speech is a great thing. This forum should not turn into "Only say good thing about Phil"
It is true about Rob. If you go to a show, you'll see. If you think it is his choice not to wear his tiedyes and headband, you also must buy the 20+ reasons the gov't tells you of why were fighting in IRAQ.

>>>It is true about Rob.

No headbands at the New Years show.

Why in God's name would Phil tell Rob what to wear?

Sless has an exclusivity (only headband on stage)
contract with his headband provider.
(J/K) You never know.

>Rob is not "ALLOWED" to were his trademark tiedyes or HEADBAND!

what is the source of this information?

>Sless has an exclusivity (only headband on stage) contract with his headband provider

LOL!!! perhaps promoters lopped off part of Jerry's finger to create a distinctive image, rather than insisting he wear shades 24/7

Someone please shed a little light on the New York, New York tune... was it a Ryan tune? Or the old Sinatra tune? Enquiring minds need to know....

I'd rather not say. It is possible it is not true, but I do believe the person who told me. Anyone that has seen Rob in any of the bands he is in, knows he only wears tiedye shirts, and always has his headband on. Hence his nickname - HEADBAND
If anyone sees him with his headband during this run, I'd love to know. If it is true, it is very sad that Phil of all people would go along with the ban

Maybe he just wants a new look. Maybe he doesn't want people to confuse him with Barry. Maybe they flipped a coin to see who would wear the headband. Didn't Rob get a haircut. Might negate the need for a headband.

Did either of them wear a headband lastnight?

from the photos i've seen it looks like neither Rob or Barry are of banded heads...

why the hell would Phil care about Rob's clothes?

didn't the zone give rob that nickname...

here is what you are suggesting?
phil: rob, you can't come back to the band until you ditch the headband
rob: barry has a headband
phil: fuck, okay, nobody gets to wear any fucking headbands
barry: what about armbands
phil: don't be a smartass

introducing the foreheads

barry: what about armbands
phil: don't be a smartass

LMAO

I didnt see Rob wear a headband until TOO tour '02 for what it's worth. All the Phil shows I saw in '01 he was headbandless.

more pics thanks to MaxRod

Great Pics. Listening to the show right now, sounds pretty good.

he let molo where a cap last time I saw them

I think Phil seems pretty liberal about how he permits his band to dress. He even let CR where pig tails

Sless is great did they turn him up more this time? he was a little mixed back in the fall I thought

I've been following Phil around for some years now (80 some shows) and I think what he's done for the music is incredible but someone has to be negative so here it is:

1. Why is Joan singing West LA? When she meets a West LA girl, does she already know what she needs to know? Why doesn't she sing Loser, Wharf Rat and Sugar Mags next. Seems kinda weird to me, unless of course she's a switch hitter...

2. What's up with all the RA songs? It just seems silly. I like Ryan Adams and think he's an excellent song writer, but If I wanted to see his songs live I'd go see him in concert. It seems like Phil's pushing Ryan Adam on us whether we like it or not, almost as a punishment for people talking smack about him. Why won't they play Mule songs? Is warren not deserving enough to have his songs played while he is not there? Furthermore, it's kind of f'd up to think that the only way to understand 1/4 of the song's phil plays is to go out and buy a RA CD.

3. I don't think I have ever seen such a lovy dovy setlist before.

4. In my humble opinion, I think they need a more masculine voice with Phil and Joan to take it to the next level.

Oh yeah I forgot, Phil and Joan are definitely knocking boots.

Management of the band wants a more professional look. I don't think Rob or Sless fought it, but it is strange, since the crowd that goes to these shows wouldn't care how any of them look. Personally, I think they are trying to attract a more contemporary audience. Last night was very enjoyable.

>>What's up with all the RA songs? It just seems silly.

Fortunately for myself, all the RA songs that Phil does are excellent songs that I really love. If Cold Roses, Let it Ride, Magnolia Mt, and Easy Plateau become permanent setlist options I am all for it.

http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=22644

All this talk of headbands is kinda crazy. For the record, rob dosent always wear headbands. I used to see him play almost every week for like 6 years or so when he played W/ the tricksters @ NY ave. in huntington. Most of those shows were headbandless. (new word) The headbands and tydyes are a relativley new phenomona, and I would guess he made a personal choice not to wear it. I could be wrong i guess, but the day phil institutes a dress code, is the day I stop paying for tickets. I mean honestly, just look at some of the old photos of phils attire over the years. Good God! Hes really in no posistion to tell anyone what to wear, based on some of his get-ups. Really the whole band has always been, "fashion challenged" over the years. Its kind of a trademark, I think. And ahh....oh yeah? How was the music? It guess it is fashion week in New York afterall, but come on, this is ridiculous. I joined this discussion board because I thought people talked about the music.

Glad to see the lineup...finally...kinda juvenile, imho, keeping it in a shroud of secrecy! WTF??!! Especially since there were no huge surprises, either good, or bad (what's bad?), though i love molo! Those who are coming will be there, and those who aint, aint! so next time, give us a break, and announce the freakin lineup!! Most of us will be there and cant wait, Phil being a favorite amongst favorites, no matter who he's with! Cant wait to see ya in Philly! Have a great tour!!!
Gratefully yours,
Dashiki Joe
~9 mile skid on a 10 mile ride! Woohoo!!

>>You easties fucking suck!!!
Colorado and the west coast get carrot top and you guys get the band that the rest of us paid to see on New Years.


LOL! Best post on this thread. :*)

someone told me the kid who went up on stage last night asked phil for a kidney....

I'm new to the list

Hello, hello, I'm Tom



I was at the show Friday night and here are some of my thoughts.

Unfortunately, the most overriding one is that Larry Campbell didn't really belong up there. He seemed lost and unsure. And worse he seemed unprepared, he was missing changes left and right. Most of the night he banged out pentatonic scale riffs that were too timid to dominate, his solos petered rather than peaked. Unbroken Chain ain't Highway 61--you need a different game plan. He did seem to catch some fire on Franklin's, as he switched to modal playing, no doubt spurred on by Barry's brilliant playing in Help/ Slip, although even there, he fumbled finding the scale.

Did I have a great time? Yes. Was I pissed at Larry? Yes. I paid real money for these tickets, I expect a pro show.

I loved Joan, she blew out every song. LTOYW was great and the Lovelight was the hottest and sexiest version I've ever heard live(never saw Pigpen).

Barry is great, I'm a huge fan. Very Jerry, but then that's my thing.

Sipe needs to do more homework, but he had his moments.

Rob is like Phil's John Kahn. Phil's playing is so out there, he needs a solid accompanist to keep the changes and melody alive. Barrocco is flawless like that. Brings a great vibe to the band too. I hope he doesn't get fired over the headband thing. Who knew Phil was the George Steinbrenner of rock? Warren better watch it, he's looking a little shaggy around the edges.

Phil is amazing. I'll never get tired of hearing that guy play bass. His tone, his runs and rythyms. The guy has got to be one of the most inventive bassists ever. And he certainly seemed in top form Friday. What a uniquely sublime joy it is to hear him play bass.


About all those RA tunes- I had a funny idea that Phil only found out VERY recently that RA wasn't gonna be there, and already had the setlist ready to go, and decided not to change it. That being said I liked them. They are good songs. Sure UJB or Hard to Handle with Warren would've been better, but what the hell, every show can't be a classic.


Looking forward to Wed. Tix mustve been easy tonight with the blizzard. Im so pissed i wasn't there. Probly coulda got in for ten bucks.

Tom

fri show ... i'm calling it like i saw it there: weak. too many songs from some unknown, RA. it seemed liked this show was the warm up for the tour, like it was their first night practicing together. (the sat. show was tons better.)

the highlight was unbroken chain, they all nailed it, made some nice transitions and performed some tight jams.

the rest was a bunch of throwaways.

i'm happy sat.'s show was better. otherwise, i'd be regretting buying tix for the whole NY stay.

headband schmedband....

I mean, wtf????

It's still about the music, ain't it?

Thanks to those of you actually reviewing the shows...

Everyone looks heavier on stage this tour except Phil... So very happy JO and RB were back with Phil...If Jerry were around the combination of JO and Jerry would have been mythic. She embodies and fleshes out the stories (which is what the songs are anyway) better than anyone except of course Jerry. Rob brings Brent's color and expertise to the band without the baggage, although I am a die-hard Brent fan. Cold Rain and Snow for sure tonite... Blizzarding here in the wilds of Brooklyn but by mutual consent Beth, Bruce and Ari be walking to the Beacon if we have to tonite!

I M H O after 30+ years of shows:

Having Joan in the lineup rocks, she adds such great energy, every show I've seen without her since the Dead's '03 tour was a bit of a letdown.

Sless and Campbell are great musicians, but many great musicians can play those lines . . I like them both, pedal steel sounds great, but really, many times I felt that Warren/Jimmy, great as they are too, were just paying some standard lines without any new or inovative sound.

The jams . . not there yet, some great moments, but only moments, the band needs time to gel. But don't forget, no other band out there can play anything anywhere close to this kind of stuff!

RA songs . . .stop yer bitching. You know how many times over the years the GD or Jerry Band or Bobby and the Midnights pulled out odd song choices that two years later became a favorite? You think the first time Jerry played Second that Emotion people raved about it? Pu-leaz. They play what they want. If they play it enough times, people will rave about it.

Hey Phil . . keep having fun! And keep Joan and Rob in the band!

>>Quote (Chip): The thing that I am constantly reminded of after every Phil show I see and after coming here after those shows is that 2 or more people who enjoy the same musician can see the same show and have opposite opinions.<<

I'd like to echo that. I had a great time Friday night--my first Phil Lesh show in five years (also at the Beacon). I've seen 50 or so Grateful Dead concerts, and a dozen Dark Star Orchestra shows. I look back to some of the Grateful Dead shows I saw, and realize that sometimes I got caught up in a little Grateful Dead snobbery: I'd come out of a perfectly nice show disappointed because they didn't play Dark Star or St. Stephen. I would have been better off enjoying the moment rather than being a critic.

Not that there's anything wrong with a post-show critical discussion. That's why I'm here, I love to read the comments. I thought Friday's show got off to a sort of slow and spacey start, and I was worried. A spacey Playin' in the Band seemed an odd choice for the second song, and the lines for beer grew long. Then I loved the vocals on Cold Roses. West LA Fadeaway was great, as was Turn on Your Lovelight. There was a LOONG intermission and they come on rockin' with After Midnight. It was definitely more rockin' in the second set. Birdsong was beautiful, and Unbroken Chain...worth the price of admission. Good Lovin', Help>Slip>Franklin's was a great closer. The Casy Jones was very energetic, dare I say more energetic than I heard the Grateful Dead do it? The pace just got faster and faster...

I really enjoyed most of Friday's show. I was up close which helps but I still think it was well done for the most part.

Opener was great. High energy, great to see Rob sing. Phil came out thumping, singing animated back-up. Great.

I loved Playin' in the second slot, those who scream "let Rob sing" must have been psyched. I thought the jam broke down a bit at the end but for the most part a crisp, clean version.

Cold Roses sounded really good. Okay -- I will say that four Ryan Adams songs in one night was a bit much. I love Ryan Adams, but I felt that only two of the four were played really well last night: NY, NY & Cold Roses. One was decent: Rescue Blues. One just didn't do for me: Magnolia Mtn.

Loved West LA Fadeaway. Nice little surprise and Joan sounded great. Oh yeah -- time for me to say that to my ears, Joan Osbourne was much more enjoyable than CR. Not just her voice but she sang songs with passion while it seemed like CR was going through the motions.

Love The One You're With was cool to see.

Second set was hit or miss for me. After midnight was a fun way to start but I think Magnolia Mtn took the momentum away. My perception was that the set got off track here. Bird Song suffered I think from the lack of energy in MM and it really didn't do it for me. Unbroken Chain tried regain the energy but it just didn't quite get there although it was a treat to hear as always. Good Lovin' got me going a bit but at the end and at too many points in the second set I heard jams that started to get cooking and ended up going nowhere. Sorry to be hyper critical but parts of Friday's second set felt slightly forced.

Help>Slip>Franklin's saved the second set for me, not just because it is classic but because it was well played. I remember being happy that went into Franklin's Tower and not something else. I really enjoyed it even though I've seen it many times before.

Overall, I thought the show sounded really good. I was happy with the song selection (maybe minus one RA song) and was very impressed with the playing and singing.

i love joan !!!

weak effort...

ill add my late review....first of all the place was PACKED to the fucking gills!!!!! i wasnt a fan of all the ryan adams songs--i like RA and think hes a great writer,,again id rather hear other tunes.. that said heres my skinny:

baraccos always brings his A game and he did for NY NY,,, surprised they broke out playin..some cool spots in the jams
joans voice was great the whole night,.,,added some sass to the band. love no more do i,,,though im partial to the q and there and back again songs,,larry and sipe need to listen to the song a few more times.. which is a recurring problem that i heard throughout the night. larry needs a brush up--i think he realized that during unbroken. sipe is out of his element--he seems like a very solid drummer but not for phil and friends.,,,phil was jumping at him several times to help him find the grove
lovelight was cool..again joan added that special something to that song that at this point has come to be a little bit tired
2nd set
after midnight was sweet,,some great playing by barry and larry. magnolia mountain is my favorite RA tune and joan once again gave it up...sweet and sexy. bird song was cool--a little reworked version,,ill take it... UBC like i said before,,,by the end of this run it will be ON. enough RA at that point. help slip franklins was cool---i think the band thought they were supposed to stop after slip knot---they all paused but not phil and he egged them into franklins.
anyone know the deal with the kid getting up on stage---i dont know the situation- but it seemed like phil was a little but surprised and didnt know quite what to do...im probably 100% wrong about that
good show,,doesnt touch the 4 that i saw last time around though. id like to catch the philly shows....they should be smoking

>>>>All this talk of headbands is kinda crazy.<<<<

I don't know....maybe they're on to something......
How about Joan in her leather skirt & leather boots...very Gestapo-like......
And both Phil & Larry in RED shirts....Clearly Phil is expressing his feelings about political oppression in communist RED China......

Just a bunch of inane drivel......

This show was awesome, Phil is a genius, and he apprecites the brilliance of RA, as would Jerry, or anyone who knows anything about rock songwriting. You people who are still pining for those (lameass) early 90s GD shows ought to wake up and smell the coffee - if you don't like it when Phil tries new things or different combos, just DON'T COME TO THE SHOWS!!! I distinctly recall, after 50 shows in the 80s, how sad and lame virtually all of those those 93-95 shows were, or do you not remember that because you (and Jerry)were too wasted? Get over yourselves and listen to Phil!

there you go folks, Andy has laid down the law...

...just like that, poof, your ability to voice an opinion is g-o-n-e.

ES

Andy is correct.

Very good show, good for the opener. This tour is gonna build really nicely. Larry is fitting in better all the time, he is learning to let it go and jam. Overall a very enjoyable show and a fun tour opener!

see there, Bob too thinks ones ability to voice an opinion should be limited to opinions that only he and Andy share...how nice.

facts are that some shows are smokin', some are weak, and most are somewhere in between...Friday was very weak.

Larry fitting in "better" is not an issue...he had it figured out for sure by the HOB shows in Dec.

take a look at setlist.com for a broader view of the relative merits of the shows at beacon this past weekend...

ES

eric-great points about larry,,,saw all HOB shows and larry more than fit in...fri was a diff story.

<how sad and lame virtually all of those those 93-95 shows were
and thats exactly why i stopped seeing shows in 93

Merits?????????????

How about committment, committed to PHIL.

Musically, challenging,,,,,,,,,,

But me, I'm ALL googly-eyes for Joan,........

Ah, sweet, sweet, JOAN!!!!

"If I Had My Way">>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<??