Last show coming up, started slow both first sets but rocked both second sets, with Saturday set 2 being something special.

For the negative folks, keep in mind this is he last of the Dead music, when Phil and Bobby hang it up, it really over. So take it for what it is, and enjoy, the rest need not show up PLEASE!!!

Joan adds the missing dimension.

das loon

amen brother!!

damn, i thought the first set last night was one of the most smoking things I have ever witnessed...to each his own but I think one thing we can all agree upon was that, overall, last night was a great time

I agree. Saturday nights first set was smokin. Friday definetely had a slow start but finshed strong.

Roger that!

Agreed, never thought Id say this but the only "weak link" (and that IS a relative term!) to last night was the Scarlet. From that jam on....... (no words to describe)

I think we'll catch a Low Spark, lord knows they teased it enough.

PS I like the direction that Joan sends them. No offense to CR, they hit it in their own right
Remember fall tour's lineup was kind of impromptu

frdiay second set paired up with the first set from saturday would be a monster. SUNDAY WAS A MONSTER!

What a great run! This was the "kinder and gentler" Tower, or so it seemed to me. I encountered nary a hassle, or even so much as a sidelong glance from any of the staff. Saturday brought out the Yahoos of course and the crowd had less of a family event feel to it (from my perspective), but as my buddy Jim stated, "I never go on Saturday night, that's usually the night for part-timers." At least from where I sat on Saturday, this was true. . .

The whole run was magical for me, but the Saturday show was not as good as the other two from my perspective. Friday was a very powerful and intense experience - the theme for the evening seemed to revolve around death and rebirth. Wow. . . P&F were sending the message that "One way, or another, this darkness got to give." Powerful stuff indeed.

As I mentioned previously, Saturday's show was the weakest from my own standpoint. That's not to say that I had a bad time, far from it in fact! It just didn't work on many levels, as the two other shows did. For what ever reason, on Saturday, I was sitting in the Darkness and I know that this was my lesson for the night: "it's got to give!" I was immediately aware of this when I found my seat and was asked if I was a Bobby fan, or a Phil fan by a fine fellow in the seat next to me. Hmmmmm, that's an easy one for me, however it seemed to be some sort of challenge to my neighbor who felt the need througout the set to compare Ratdog with P&F. Eventually, after slinging back close to 11 or 12 beers (during the first set alone), he slipped into a semi-catatonic state and drooled and giggled in his seat throughout the set break and most of the second set (somehow, he awoke at the start of the DEW and jumped up and began whooping it up, yelling and gesturing wildly). Indeed, this darkness go to give. . .

. . . And so it did on Sunday! Wow. Though I had enjoyed all of the Ryan Adams songs throughout the weekend (and I think Cold Roses - the cd - is brilliant), I found the version of MAGNOLIA MOUNTAIN to be somewhat disjointed. Joan was ever so slightly off key at times on this one. However, this was still a great song being performed by musical giants and Larry Campbell's solo on this tune made up for any shortcomings I might have felt regarding its vocal execution.

Let me state that Sunday's second set was as good as it looks on paper. I've written about this night in the Sunday review folder already, but I'd just like to put out there that this was a very special set. The sound was just dialed in during the second set. I was truly in the "sweet spot" and the sound was absolutely gorgeous - clear and full throughout!

In a nutshell:

Friday - intense

Saturday - darkness

Sunday - lux aeterna

Nothin about this run "sucked", just as nothing was the "best ever" either. I know I try not to live by extremes and clearly Phil Lesh doesn't either; these days, he builds a band and molds them into his own image as interpreters of what now. That kind of extreme thinking sounds to me like 6th - 7th grade school kid talk, where they are working to create a developmental identity about how to live as people in this world. If you feel a need to exist on this level, all I can say is I feel compassion for you - and get help, because it's available. . .

I have seen a couple of other "reviews" of the Saturday show that refer to it as having a "death theme" but I just don't see it from the song list.

I am not familiar with Cold Roses so I guess that could either be about death or relationships gone bad.

He's Gone is not actually a "death" song it was written about Lenny Hart (Mickey's father who had ripped off Grateful Dead for a lot of money when he was their manager.

While Morning Dew was originally about nuclear fallout, Jerry basically turned it into a love song.

I Know You Rider isn't about death at all, it is actually about a released prisoner singing to one of his former prison guards (known as a "Rider.")

So, someone please explain how this is a "death theme" show.

Also, I didn't see New Speedway Boogie on the set list, so where did the "One way or another this darkness got to give" show up?

Otherwise I really want to hear these shows and I hope this version comes to the SF Bay Area...

Final thoughts we're nit-picking here, based on personal bias, which is cool, but in the end they, the Phil-ly shows were an awesome three day run, the likes of which could never again be seen, let us hope not.

Just damn glad I was there to witness magic in the making, what a long great trip it's been.

PETE, DAWN, MARK, glad to have been there with you, Happy Birthday Pete.

das loon

Otherwise I really want to hear these shows and I hope this version comes to the SF Bay Area...

We did see this exact version on Sat 12/30 at the Warfield when RA was sick.

I was at Sat and Sun Tower shows. Had a really nice time.

On Sunday, I got in for $20. A security guard let me in the back door as I slipped him a twenty bill.

Hi Steve !

Good to see ya here !

Just tried to email you but it didnt work.

I am at paddieu@yahoo.co.uk

Deafzone and Lori Abrams days, yknow...


Yep let's hope this band stays together. I'm curious as to how these shows compare with that Warfield 12/30 as I saw that and wasnt blown away [even though I wanted to be of course !]

The 12/30/05 Warfield had Molo on drums so it wasn't the exact same lineup. It was my favorite of the NYE run probably because I love the Warfield!

"So, someone please explain how this is a "death theme" show."

Thanks for your input Steve. I never knew Rider and He's Gone were not about death. On one hand, I feel embarrassed about taking my personal situation and attaching my own erroneous meaning to these songs...on the other hand isn't that (the ability to be interpreted many ways) one of the factors that makes these lyrics and music so great? I remember seeing a “He’s Gone” headline after 8/9/95.

So to answer your question, as I stated in my late night Sat/early morning Sun post,(not be considered as a review IMO), I experienced a death theme Friday and a death with acceptance theme on Saturday. I have no idea what Phil’s intentions were.

Got to have Lovin…..

Uncle Al

the philly shows were awesome this tour. it was a better run with the q in 03 though. that was the peak of PLQ if you ask me. i've seen the 2 newest line ups and heard em' all, and this new line up, when they're on, they are almost just as good as the q. barry sless is the fuckin' man, just rips it up when it comes around to him, and the pedal steel adds some good sound to many of the tunes. rob barraco is the best keyboardist phil's had IMO, and he sounds great singing bobby songs. larry campbell was a nice surprise last tour, he filled jimmy's slot just fine, but you couldn't really hear him that well i thought, so i didn't really get to develop a real opinion about him. he stood out really well at the tower, and his solo's were fuckin' sick, he definitely found his niche in the jamming much better this time around, and i really like the fiddle on the other one. joan is just joan, but she's gotten much better. the death don't have no mercy on friday night was awesome as was the he's gone. she's really stepped up a whole lot from her summer tour with "the dead" in 03' (she really ruined a lot of it for me in a lot of the shows i saw that summer). she had a small miscue here and there, but nothin' to really bitch about, very minor. i'm not a huge fan of her joan space thing, but they really don't last very long at all. the only hitch is jeff sipe, he just not as good as molo, period. john molo is a fuckin' beast on drums and he really leads the band right along with phil the whole time almost when they play, everyone else is just along for the ride and to fill in the spaces between them. sipe did much better than i expected though, had some powerful beats goin' on at some points. the wheel they played was fuckin' awesome, very powerful and with more life than i've seen in it in a long time, i actually got excited to hear it for the first time in a while, and jeff sipe's playing had a lot to do with it. like i said, he's no molo, but he's holdin' his own. this line up is good, i hope they stay together for the summer tour, they could really develop into something special.

I must say that I really enjoyed this weekend, as these were the only shows I could make this tour. I made great new friends and the "boys" did not disappoint. In general I would say this lineup held it's own vs. the Shadow tour, with Joan earning respect in a BIG way with her outstanding performances. Of course, the Q will always be dear to my heart and may never be topped by a post-Jerry lineup. That said, here's my reviews as I don't feel like posting it on three different threads:

Friday:
Great "Crazy Fingers" opener, such a pleasant surprise>an awesome Alligator that I've been waiting to see since '03.

Sat down for some smoke during Easy Plateau, but was able to enjoy it as the crowd was quiet and I could hear Joan's vocals.

Surprised by the No More Do I. I was really excited to hear the first post-Warren version of this song I have caught, but Joan just didn't do it for me. This was the only time all weekend I really missed Warren.>

A really sweet Althea! Much better than the CR version I heard on the Shadow tour.

Called the Cosmic Charlie, which was decent for a first set closer.
2ND SET******

Jam> New Speedway Boogie. Did I mention that most of these JAMS were nothing short of spectacular? You know you're at a Phil show when you're dancing and they're not even playing a song! New Speedway was great, and I'm so glad they are playing this with some frequency now.>

Get up and dance jam> Bartering Lines, another sit down and listen session. Maybe Phil is onto something with this Ryan Adams guy.>

Death Don't Have No Mercy. First time I have ever seen this live. So glad it was with my "Friends.">

Jam> Lady WIth a Fan. Honestly this version of Terrapin was a little slow for me. I appreciate the entire piece, but I kind of like how Phil has been jamming into Inspiration as of late. I definitely can't complain about the Wheel though. A thouroughly satisfying rendition IMO.

Space? Very loose and almost seemed a resting spot for the band. I liked how Joan sang sustained notes though.>

The first Rosemary I have ever seen. Never played by the GD right? Although slow and hard to understand, I dug the vibe and special nature of this song.

Show closes with a bang during Lovelight>RIMSBA>Lovelight. Joan tore this up!!! I couldn't have asked for a better way to end the show except...

Mason's encore!!! Another song I've been waiting for post-Q. This one came out of nowhere and knocked me down to those trippy little lights that go up the aisles!

I'll post the other nights later kids, but I'll definitely say that I'm still glowing from a magical run at the Tower.

Nice review Scottieo. I can't wait to see your take on the other 2 nights as well.

Check out this awesome poster I scored for $10 before the Sunday Tower show. I love it and wish I knew the artist so I can get more of his stuff. Does anybody out there know him?

Great shows - personally thought Saturday was the low point; if there was one. But would love to see recordings of these shows posted some where? have seen the 24th with an error - no whell - aaagghhh- no 25th yet - and honestly do not remember seeing a lt of taping that night. Have the 26th. While I guess i can not complain as I have never made the sacrifice of taping - but they gotta be out there some where

OK, as you can tell, I don't get on the computer that often. Blame work and a social life I guess, but I thought I'd continue my reviews anyway.

Now I've seen a lot of posts that claim Saturday night was the low point of the weekend, but I would beg to differ. Maybe it was something in my kool-aid that night, I dunno.

Set 1:

Scarlet>Jam>Cats? Come on, this was incredible! I missed a CUTS during the five shows I saw on the Shadow tour and this subsitute for the more traditional Scarlet>Fire was MORE than adequate. Both tunes rocked the house and my buddy Paul, wearing his JGB "Cats Under the Stars" shirt had the biggest grin on his face I've ever seen!

>Jam. Jeez, they keep repeating this song, but it never sounds the same! Plus with Phil & the boys, you get to shake it too.>

Cold Roses. Don't know it so I may as well sit down and puff while I ACTUALLY listen to it. Hey I liked it, so sue me.

SOTOTW!! High energy song that I will never complain about, and this night was no different. Now I remember why I loved RB with the Q so much.

Good Lovin', which is exactly what the doctor ordered for me. By this time, I think my crush on Joan Osborne was in full bloom!>

Jam, (I just don't get sick of 'em)>Golden Road. Come on, if you haven't joined the party by this point, I guess you never will. My devotion still hasn't reached it's limit and I was buzzing like a bummblebee once this set ended!

Set 2:
JAM> He's Gone. I was in tears by the end of this one. Thank you Joan for some amazingly emotional vocals in tribute to an amazingly emotional scene. Nothing's gonna bring him back, but we're still gonna keep on truckin'.>

Jam>Eyes. Was this played on the last tour? Was it played before during this one. Totally caught me off guard, which is what I like. Sometimes the songs that we hear are just songs of our own.>

Jam><bathroom>WSRL. I got back about halfway through the RA song, but I think I was peaking and the scene in the hallways of the balcony seemed to suggest I wasn't the only one. I guess I had a hard time focusing on this tune since I didn't know it, and it started to bother me. It almost felt like I was trapped in a psychedelic situation until...

"There must be some kind of way ouy of here," WATCHTOWER!! I heard rumors of a Dylan appearance for this weekend and this would be as close as we could get. Larry and Barry were tearing this one up, and my mind was blown back into place.>

Phil turns around to face his amplifier, and I know what's coming...Feedback>Caution. The Feedback was so intense, the hairs on my arms were standing on end. I am SO GLAD Phil has resurrected this chestnut, because you don't appreciate it on tape as much as live...when YOU CAN ACTUALLY FEEL IT!! The balcony was literally vibrating during this one. Not to mention the shaking in the aisles during Cautiion. Joan, YOU are all I need ;)>

FIRE!!!!! I was afraid I was gonna miss it and I'm so happy I didn't. One of the best versions I've heard since the Q. I thought they were gonna end the set with it for a big Scarlet>>>>>Fire complete show sandwich, but...

Morning Dew, with sweet Joan reminding us all how soulful this song can be. Believe you me, I would of been the first to complain about a Joan led Dead after '03, but she completely redeemed herself by the end of this song. Did I mention how much I enjoyed He's Gone?>

Rider. Great set ender. March winds are gonna blow all my troubles away (funny, but as many as I have, I can never seem to remember them during a Phil show).

Band intros:

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Great crowd!! Some girl was so overcome she ran onstage and gave Phil a huge bearhug. Phil seemed a little surprised and then asked, "What do you want me to do?" during a sweet Box of Rain encore.

All in all, I might argue that this show was the BEST of the three nights, but then again, I was under the influence of Albert Hoffman's most important discovery.

Sorry if it takes a while to get ot Sunday, but I promise I will. Until then keep the vibe good and take care of yourselves.

Peace kids,
Scott

the dude who made that poster is a hick from west virginia.really cool guy.