Hey now,
I noticed the growls about the security in Chi-town. Made the G-Mule show at the Orpheum in Oct. and was surprised. Got my fanny pack looked into and the line was SLOW. While inside the security was grabbin' pipes and smokes. Didn't see anyone carried off, but lots of confiscation. Anyone who has been to the Orpheum before knows the unusual kindness from the venue, but things are being examined much more closely now. Did anyone have a similar experience at WSP a couple of nights ago?

I was at both the Mule and Panic shows and didn't see anyone having problems inside. That is probably because I was in the double letter orchestra seats which always seem to get a lot of slack, along with the back of the balcony. I'm sure that somewhere in there there was a blue shirt or two giving out major hassles both nights. Orpheum security has always been quirky inside - I've seen them change between sets. Outside they added wands to the standard quick patdown for Mule, just the pat for Panic. Again, I get the bald guy discount a lot on patdowns and such, YMMV.

Enough with the technicalities, I'm reading the setlists and reviews, getting that anticipation contact high. Thank you Ruby and GDTSTOO for the kind chairs and we'll see you all starting the 21st.

Is there a parking lot at the Orpheum, where we all gonna chill before the show? Will there be a lot? What time is the party starting?

There is a public garage under the common as well as some smaller ones over near Washington Street where the old Combat Zone is.

There is also a large garage over near the Wang Center right smack in the middle of the theare district.

"The Wang Center?" Is that where the American Dildo Exhibit is?

, its actually the nicest theater in boston, well the biggest at least

And we have about a snowball's chance in Hades of getting to see Phil or anything Dead related there.

They wouldn't let riff raff like us anywhere near the place.

So no place to chill before the show for all us underage folk eh? bummer, looks like my friend's basement will be the place, see you all at the show

Cryptical,
The Dead played the Wang several times 1978, 1973, 1972 back when it was the Boston Music Hall.
I saw them there in 78 and the vibe was er...smoky and goods were plentiful in the downstairs smoking room/foyer/bathrooms.
A beautiful place that was well treated by the heads...most of the big acts used to play there...Zappa is one of my fonder memories...

You're right...but over the last decade or so the amount of concert related activity dropped off there substantially..

I think the last act I saw in there was Bunny Wailer back in like 89-90

I am on my hands and knees here. Who's got my extra? Looking for one (1) extra for the Friday (23rd) show. Will trade cash or ___________.

?Still looking?

Still looking for that extra ticket for Friday.

Who's ready for Friday? Where is everyone going to be hanging out before the show?

THE BEANTOWN PUB IS GOOD!!KINDA PRICEY BUT GOOD THE BEST BET GRAB A BROWN BAG AND HEAD OVER TO THE COMMONS SEE YA THERE!

see y'all there I surely do hope~there's just TOO many pholks i have yet to meet...KenH~I'm digging your email addy pretty hard!!! (:

I'm usually at the hub pub before and after orpheum shows.

If you're looking down at the Orpheum, it's left, to the end of the block, one block back and then one block over, it's on the right side of the street.

Hey, anyone else tape last night's show?

I'm listening to it right now, and can't, for the life of me, tell where one song ends and the next starts. Any approxomate track times greatly appreciated.

PS, my copy of the set list has the date as 11/20/01 anyone else score a copy with the same misprint?

morning folks....any predictions for tonight-anybody? anybody? Scored 4th row tonight and will be bringin' big sister who brought me to my first show in '88....Hope to see ya there(or maybe at the b-town pub) woohoo

Here we go....

I.
Jam>
Shakedown>
Brown Eyed
Dear Mr Fantasy>
Tast Like Wine>
Wave to the Wind>
Alligator

II
Jam>
If the Shoe Fits>
Viola Lee>
Other One Jam>
Help>
Eleven>
Slip>
Bertha>
Viola Lee
E. Bid you Goodnight>
Tom Thumb

I sense a couple of 90's phil nugs comin out tonight...wooooohhhhoooooooo

I'd be happy with that set list.

I'd love to hear them do tastes like wine. The mule show blew me away, and that was one of my favorites.

Funny, looks like the real list is even better than that!! Holy Bejesus

the real list is unreal.. look how long that show must have been.. let's hear some reviews people!!

SEE YA NEW YEARS...

HOLY SHIT! FIRST SET UNREAL

Cut and paste from live chat

whateves: Set 1: Jam>Into the Mystic>
Jam>The Wheel> Jam>Passenger>
Jam>New Potato Caboose>Mirror of
Thalassa> Jam>She Said, She Said> Jam>
The Wheel

whateves: set 2:Cryptical
Envelopment>Other One>Dark Star
V1>Terrapin Tease>Unbroken Chain>China
Cat Tease>Low Spark of Low Spark
ofHigh-Heeled Boys >Dark Star V2>China
Cat Sunflower>I Know You RiderE: Cosmic
Charlie


Ga ga ga ga hommina hommina hommina
booing booing booing [eyes popping in and out of head]

What the hell boston leave some for the rest of us guys!!!!! is this show as hot as it looks????
pass the gravy I wzant secondz

ummmm i think lessthan took the words (or lack there of :-) out of my mouth...can i please have a review?!!?!?! and i KNOW they will save some for the Beacon :-)

hello one and all,

i found tonight's show to be very similar in tempo to conn.'s on tuesday in that there were extensive spacey jams between almost all songs. if that is what rocks your boat, far out. personally, i prefer them to segue right into other songs the way they did in maine on sunday and the way they did in boston on wednesday. keeps the momentum stronger.
the playing was much better tonight than it was on tuesday. always love into the mystic and passenger was killer and did they ever actually finish the wheel?
loved cryptical>other one>dark star and such a funky china cat tease before low spark (which as always, was performed flawlessly).
can't wait for saturday night, because if they follow the pattern it should be smoking!
i am sure i will be getting some "what show were you at?" repsonses but i know what i like and what i have always liked.
i am a phil phreak and can't get enough of him no matter how he chooses to play on a given night. this is just my take on the show to add along with everyone elses.
peace to all and to all that are going saturday night i look forward to seeing you there and sharing it with you.
good night one and all.

I'm with Bill on the jams. The show was great, but Wednesday was better in my book.

We'll see how things turn out.

My great seats tonight were ruined by talkers though.

If you've got front row seats to see a great show, why not meet before and chat, or save it for after the show? What is so friggin important that you have to try to talk over Phil Lesh???

Okay, I noticed reviews lacking on the board, so here goes with my take as best I can articulate... a really great show on the whole, good first set (into the mystic, passenger), top-of-the-line second set - massively woven fairly dense at times rich tapestry (cryptical, other one, dark star v1, unbroken, china tease, low spark, dark star v.2) with great cathartic ending (China-Rider) and special Cosmic Charlie encore.

Here’s the entended description of my experience of it:

OUTSIDE SCENE ETC. - lots and lots of folks looking for tix, pretty reasonable vibe on the whole, was only out there 10-15 minutes and mostly across Tremont on edge of the Common yet it seemed entirely chill there and closer to the theater..

Getting inside was also fine - they did a quick pat up and down, yet their attitude and energy around it was fine - reasonable people, a friend of mine had a fanny pack and after going through it, they let her through with it, though I’ve heard no backpacks... They let me take a water bottle.

THE INSIDE SCENE - by and large it was a great scene inside - people to me seemed courteous and mindful, good-spirited, friendly and such - a few slightly drunk folks, though only noticed one rude guy - all others were right on. Sat in a good section - people around us were happen to trade song tips and info, and though I’m into that at present, other things were being shared as well... I did not experience a single drunk yelling guy within 5 rows or 10 seats of me - though one guy about 5 rows back did yell “Pride of Cucamonga” 10 times with full gusto at start of second set.

We had nothing but kind good folks in the rows around us.

FIRST SET

First set I found was good, yet not stellar - some real nice gems including Into the Mystic and Passenger, though others for me dragged a little. Comments on tunes:

Good opening warmup jam as I recall...

Into the mystic - this could have been the signature theme for the night. Really clean, georgeous, energized, subtle, straight, spacious, open yet focused. The band had good energy, was tight, and Warren set the tone for the night with soulful, rich singing.

the wheel - somewhat crisp and good rendition, yet seemed to lack power, emotion, energy in some ways... Crowd seemed to get into it, yet it didn’t seem to rev or come home as strongly as I felt it might have.

Passenger - gosh, I can’t remember too much about this, yet recall enjoying it very much, and particular felt like it was powerful, tight, energized, and I guess I also simply love the song and lyrics and thought they pulled it off quite well (fire fly... no man’s land, the only game in town...terrible the only game in town...)

New potato caboose - nice but seemed jagged, or scattered or something, and I liked it, yet couldn’t get into it as much as I would have liked. Might have been me -would be interested to hear what others thought...

Phil tune, perhaps new - nice guitars and music, yet the vocals were rough - simply did not sound good. If they could keep the tune entirely and rework the lyrics and vocals, it would be right on.

she said, beatles tune seemed kind of cool at times, yet lost me to a good degree. I felt their playing on it was fine, though the song for me is kinda weak

back into the wheel - fairly short - crowd got into it somewhat, then gave a loud applause to end.

the jams between the songs were good, thought I heard a Here comes Sunsh. tease at one point (though maybe I heard that 2nd set), and the transitions were good - guy who was in our group who went on Wednesday said he felt the transitions were much better this set compared to Wednes, and that they were more on..

2ND SET

the best note I can say is this - is that I’ve heard lots of other ones, dark stars, and unbroken chains in the last several years b/t Phil and TOO... and honestly if you told me I’d hear this pre-show I would have hesitated some - wanting some others - yet I would not have traded this set for many others - honest... They seemed really on, and I felt like I was hearing these songs played really well, with a balance of jam and crispness, and great musical communication occcuring, nice energy....

Vocals were mostly strong - Rob and Warren great singing, Phil also lots of the time, harmonies real good, musical connection between them strong and powerful, good connection with the crowd (though they started to lose some folks a few times), crisp playing with at times lengthy jams, really close listening to each other though (versus random noodling - which only occured a few times), they did a lot of explorations along the way, yet followed each other, and kept if well-aimed..

low spark - clear, clean, redemptive

dark stars - believe this or not, first time I can honestly say that I really fully enjoyed a dark star. go figure... the times I’ve heard it’s been okay, yet also either plodding, overdense, overdissipated, rote, or some combination of those... It seemed new to me, like it had been written this morning, played fresh, mystical, improbable, clear...

unbroken chain - healing and a delight, as always.

I swear they teased wharf rat late in the first other one, and barroco came back into other one, and they followed and amped it up from there...and onwards.. someone else heard the same.. zen koan - if two dead fans hear the same tease, did it ever exist?

the second set felt like a never-ending tapestry of epic classics, that maintained a medium low to medium high energy entrainment that cascaded and climbed for nearly an hour and 20 minutes. It was actually hitting the point where they had mixed in enough semi-heavy, exploratory dark star, other one, unbroken sort of vibe that I was wondering how they were going to pull it out of that vibe, and get up to a high burst, or something to catharize the depth and immensity of what they were tapping up until that point - darn I thought - not having seen set lists for the past few shows - what song or two could they pull out that would maintain the power and richness of the set, yet burst it into new territory, with full crowd release and ummpth.

ahhhhh, the opening chords of china cat - gosh I said - could we get a china rider - the guy behind me accorded in the china read- but wait - did someone earlier say they had done this in CT? could they do it again?.. and moments later... gone - no china cat....

....and into Low spark, my heart was wincin’ - they definitely had china going... - and, briefly (2 seconds) are they messin with us or somethin... well how bout a china, low spark, ds, china - rider... have faith good children of the lord... low spark was dead on, with Warren redeeming hosts of souls and gone living...with an top-level rendition, more ds... and into china, which sent it up seven notches, and around and up, and over, and up and in, groovin some more, and then sliding down, across and down, and down some more, falling fast, and they kick in with the riff for rider and everyone cheers and the rest is gone for me, too good to tell you b/c I can’t even go there, til I get another night’s sleep.

Total bedlam and roar as they exit the stage, no let-up....

And thank god for the “denounement” - great crowd interaction by Phil prior (saying something like - “What was that - a tidal wave, or a white.... or something from another dimension), thanking the crowd for co-creating with them, talking about organ donating / blood giving, the band comes back out, and then delightful cosmic charlier that I could have listened to for twenty minutes it was so cheery, mischievous, sublime, loping

The guy behind me, a tried and true phan, says that he can’t remember a better second set, and nor can I, at least not then, or right now. Foks are pumped, talking about the show..

Wait for the crowds to exit, gently mosey down and out, brief inter-navigation through the alley scene, sidewalk, across Tremont St., a few deadheads smiling, a few swearing, etc. a perfect walk with friends through Boston Common with translucent green-yellow leaves backlit by the city, the Pru tower flashing some color (?) for some weather tomorrow (?), clean fall air and trees, and down georgeous Charles st. to hop the red line back home... and savor the sweet songs and times of the night.

How sweet it is....

g-night

*******SHOW REVIEW**********


This show kicked ass.


If you disagree, you can lick my nuts.

You know it's a killer show when you end up strung out in Nassua

Holy Shnikes!

Great Show?
You F'n kidding me? Wow!!!
I'm with you Cryp...
My 1st Low Spark (Thanks Boyz)
And the China>Rider was SMOKIN, I thought we were gunna bust the balcony.
How about when Phil came out to do his little donor speil? The place was going absolutly bannas.
See ya tonite

what time did the show start and end.

also how was security, what about smoking. (cigarettes)

I was told I had to write a killer review of this show. Anyone who knows me is laughing their ass off. That said, this show blows Camden away, but it is still my second least favorite show of all time, musically. Actually, had a kick ass time with the family, and the few drunks who gravitate towards me at any show that has Dark Star on the setlist. Kismet.

Out of the gate, could have called the setlist without really trying, so the Mystic was mystical, who is going to argue that one, and after that particular opening jam almost misplaced. It does have huge seaport historical tone to it, so the day after Thanksgiving in Boston, yeah, it fit. The jam that followed, more spacey than norm, into the Wheel...shoot me now, into Passenger...twice in a week for me, very cool. This rendition didn't light any fires, but its a great tune. Okay, another jam, and after last night, its really hard to keep them straight...many jams. This had a Smokestack/Speedway thing going on, and then, Friend of the Devil for sure, but NO...more jammy jam then New Potato. Well, I love the Potato, pretty little tune, but it didn't have a chance in hell of sparkling, because of all of the jammy jams, too bad. Mirror has come a long long way since I first saw it...such a nice tune, but again, never really had a chance of being appreciated. She Said, (ah, more echoes of Camden), was excellent as always. The riffs at the end were actually extraordinary, back into a jam, where I called Wheel, got shit from the crowd around, sure enough, capped the set. One big wheel got spun.

Open a set with Cryptical, even I am going to pay attention, actually, I love this tune and it was sweet. Would have rather heard an extended version, but...into the Other One, (now my buds are really laughing, because the Dark Star is coming). They had some power to OO so I actually can get off on it, but unfortunately for me, all I remember is way too many of these with Bobby at the Garden, then to top this off, the jam actually turns into space (with stars up on the screen and all. Nice UBC, but isn't much compared to Hershey or Lehigh, but, hey, it is a highlight, in a show that didn't really have alot of peaks and valleys--lets see, into a jam with a prevalent Dark Star tease then, (and I was on the phone when it happened), China, full minute plus, undeniably...NOT, quickly into Low Spark, which is .....this was great, don't, however, compare it to Asbury or such...wow, finally the Dark Star. My favorite resurrected Dead tune of all time. Finally the China, at which point it came to mind that the original tease wasn't a tease, but maybe a big boo-boo or a last minute setlist change...nice Rider...nice Charlie.

I fully acknowledge that this is going to be some folks favorite show of all time, and that is so cool. I acknowledge for myself that at least they got most of it out of the way and I have more to anticipate in the next eight shows.

I did have a great time, corrupting the children, once again, ran into friends from home and SF and a few zoners. One in particular who rode to the rescue more than a few times with awesome kindness and a great great smile...basically laughed my way through this show, and had alot of fun...TC, you and I would be swearing it was a flashback...Crowd was very cool, except for the stupid fights (two), and a few obnoxious drunks, but what the hell.

I have never laid any pretense that I like OO, Dark Star,Playing in the Band (one more f... time), that I spent one Drums/Space in my seat, ever, etc, but this was, in that realm, a nice show. I honestly think it never really cohesed itself despite how it looks. The jams were all different, and the flow into the songs is actually not a flow...some will have to listen to the show and let me know if I am wrong or right. Its only my opinion.

THIS WAS AN INCREDIBLE SHOW!!!

Did the pre show in the Common hanging out watching children skating on the pond. Young Dervishes twirling, falling, picking themselves up. Skipped over to the Orph lots of people looking for Tix. Security was much less intrusive. It was a gentle coming together of good vibes, smiles and acceptance that would later be catalyzed by incredible music into a peak experience unrivaled for recent memory.

Opening jam> Into the mystic was on fire. I love the song, but it was tight, jazzy and set the tone for the night. The Wheel was as good as I have heard. It was fantastic! When I heard the opening notes of Passenger I whinced. I've heard it three or four times and never really got off on it. Absolutely the best version of this song I've heard. New Potato was great as always. I couldn't really understand the words to Mirror of Thalassa, but it was played well.She said, She said was fun and as usual brought in some of Warrens hard edged guitar. Back into a rousing end with The Wheel.

Spent intermission breathing fresh air thinking that even if they blow the second set it was a great show. A bit nervous for the band. How could they really top the tightness, interplay of rhythmn and spirit that was just witnessed.

By opening the second set with Crytptical. Ken Kesey died Nov 10 and as a teenager I read One Flew Over the Cookoos Nest. Then the Electric Kool Aid Acid Test. Some times a Great Notion,Demon Box, Kesey's Garage Sale. Then heading off to Alpine Valley for my first dead show. It was wonderfully played and Phil THUNDERED down the opening bass lines for The Other One. The jam here was straight out of the abyss where the Grateful Dead now rest. I mean a time warp continum opened and we were transported to MSG, Sept. 90, mid to late second set, for 10 minutes. The images Behind the band showed a dark circle with rays emanating from it in the first set and yes here comes Dark Star. It was mindblowing. It was pandemonium. Terrapin, China Cat, Wharf Rat, China Doll, NO ITS UNBROKEN CHAIN!!! Talk about an epiphany, This was the last song I heard played by the grateful dead, and again a rip in the space time continum and its the the Pyramid, April 2, 1995. At this point its like your so blown away anyway they could play twinkle twinkle little star and it would be a blast.
But a real soul ripper next Low Spark of High Heel Boys Warren asking us if we would do the same for him as he would for us? If we only could. This was kinda like a cigarette or joint after really great sex, you know reflective, relaxing. Then back to the action with Dark Star and Know you Rider, we were exuberant, and chanting the mantra of what will come Sunday, gonna miss them when they are gone.
Phil came out for the Donor Rap and was blown away by the cheers, the energy, the love.
I was hoping for Brokedown, but that encore is swirling in the void,yet to be realized. Cosmic Charles trucked on in for a visit. Leaving the show we were spent with go on home your momma's calling you spinning in our minds.

FREAKING INCREDIBLE SHOW!!! GET YOUR CD BURNER READY AND GET THIS SHOW IT WILL BLOW YOU AWAY!!!

good reviews Gratefulspirit and Dewit
glad to see both sides of the coin
although I see common threads in each post

Into the mystic "soulful, rich singing." & "Mystic was mystical"

the wheel "yet seemed to lack power" & "more spacey than norm"

Passenger - "gosh, I can’t remember too much about this, yet recall enjoying it very much" & "This rendition didn't light any fires, but its a great tune."

New potato caboose - "nice but seemed jagged, or scattered" & " more jammy jam then New Potato" (which I love as a descriptor...to f-n funny)

etc etc etc

whole show - "a really great show on the whole" & "I did have a great time"

Well we all know that every night can't be a lehigh or Asbury or Hartford or Charlotte or Ft. Lauderdale or Hershey or Denver or Jones Beach ......

maybe they were all just full from the turkey still...

I guess there is nothing to do but try again tonight...good luck attendees.
Everybody bring your mojo....

Phil & Friends
Orpheum Theater
Boston, MA
11.23.01

What a nice evening, there was Dark Star in the air and everyone new it. It started with more passing of CD's and face to face chatting at Fajita's and 'Ritas. It's realy nice to be able to carry on a conversattion that doesn't require typing.
The weather was unseasonably warm, but i bet most did not appreciate this fact in the 100 foot shakedown in front of the subway exit. The band was on stage at 7:50 and seemed more playful than wed. It looked to me like the day off had been put to good use, the sound was better and they seemed rested and ready to go. Phil was bouncy and conducting the band with great intensity, this was a very tight show. Every song in the first set was connected by a long far reaching Jam, many teases and quotes. For me the only less than perfect moment was the Mirror of Thalassa, phil's vocals were like a whisper, I could not make out one word of the song. Phil's singing has gotten so much better over the past year, he's much smoother and doesn't try to hit the notes he has trouble with. His vocals on New Potato Caboose were very nice, and the Wheel was almost cringe factor free. Jimmy was more in the mix this evening and the interpaly between him and Warren were much better on friday.
With no "special guests" to clutter the stage, or setlist, we get one of the best Phil & Friends shows i've been lucky enough to attend.
I saw at least 6 FOB tapers and from my seat 1 row behind the soundboard, there were another 15 mic stands behind me. i couldn't see the balcony but i expect that there will be many good versions of this show available. Search them out.
A local radio staion is going to broadcast the SBD for one of the 3 shows next sunday, i hope it's this one.

Set 1:
Jam>
Into the Mystic>
The Wheel> (nice version, good intro, non intrusive vocals)
Passenger> (this version rips, crackling with energy, this is why Phil wrote this song in the first place)
New Potato Caboose> (the jam starts out with a lilting Dark Staresque feel and then phil statrts the new potato transistion. it floats somewhere between the 2 and then new potato starts with a good Phil vocal)
Mirror of Thalassa> (after 3 minutes of being unable to make out a single lyric i went for a walk around the theater and returned at the start of)
She Said, She Said> ( Warren really likes this tune, I've seen him do it with Gov't Mule, it shows. this is clearly Warren and Friends on this song)
The Wheel ( during the Jam after She Said i remembered that they never finished the Wheel and sure enough. a very nice little closing to a great opening set.

During the intermission the crowd was psyched, it was just "so much better" than the wed show. Our high expectations were rewarded when the band came back on stage and played this incredible set. This was so good i won't sully it with commentary by song. One of the aspects the Phil shows have that the Dead never had is a setlist. When they came on stage they already knew what they were going to play. They teased, they jammed, they quoted, they floated all through the set, they were playing with our brains. This is one of the best sets i've seen this version of Friends play.
The playing was better than the setlist, and just look at the setlist.

Set 2:
Cryptical Envelopment>
Other One>
Dark Star tease>
Other One>
Space>
Dark Star V1>
Jam>
Unbroken Chain>
China Cat Tease>
Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys >
Dark Star V2>
China Cat Sunflower>
I Know You Rider
E: Cosmic Charlie

The after show discussion was that this was the best of the New England run so far. Of the two i have seen so far it blew away the wed. show, this is not the same band i saw wednesday, this is a "supergroup" and played like one.
I don't care what they play tonight, its just the dessert for the feast we had last night.
Hopefully it's this band that shows up next week at the Beacon.

OBIE

Thanks for the thoughtful insightful reviews PeterD, Dewitt and Cryp.

rofl

SMOKIN second set. I didn't think the first set ever really got off the ground though. Had high hopes during that Passenger, but the rest of the set, although it looks great on paper, never really got out of 3rd gear.
Gratefulspirit hit the second set on the head...Unbroken chain is a favorite of mine and my last Low Spark was in the same room about a year ago. Looking forward too Terrapin, and looking forward to seeing y'all tonight. Great crowd by the way, saw nothin but cool people all night............

The Bus came by.......

And Dewit missed it......

Reminds me of Tevyah in Fiddler on the Roof: "If being rich is a curse, may God smite me with it"
Here, you have EVERYTHING in one beautiful set, and hate it, while....
Me, someone who loves Dark Star/Other One jams, I get a rock, like Charlie Brown on halloween, on Tuesday at Oakdale.

I think I'll go take out my fustration on my weights.....


>>>i found tonight's show to be very similar in tempo to conn.'s on tuesday in that there
were extensive spacey jams between almost all songs.

There were NO extensive jams between songs on Tuesday, except the standard Scarlet > Fire expanse.
And smaller ones after Fire & before Sunshine of Your Love. That's it. Much, much less than a normal P&F show however.


And Cryp, I believe you.
You getting this one on CD/Tape?

thanks for the reviews, does anyone know what time the show started and ended.?
how was security
what about smoking?

Do Bucky and Dewitt ever like any shows at the time they see them?? What losers!!!

It's all about opinions people and everyone's is different--hey crypt would you tell me to lick your nuts if i didn't like chocolate and you did? all of you, stop taking people's opinions so seriously and enjoy the insight that everyone brings out of a show. contrary to many of your beliefs they aren't all top-of-the line shows just as all the dead's shows, or other artists for that matter weren't. god knows, life isn't like that--peaks and valleys. although if i thought all the shows were "the best i ever saw" i'd be in a much better place huh?
too much intensity and anger for me with regard to people disagreeing with others about how good/bad the show was. glad that vibe isn't in the venue during the show. more people should be like obie, lessthan and gratefulspirit. just write what you experienced you needn't criticize all the others for somewhat non-enthusiastic reviews. just like some football games aren't so good, or some people don't like chocolate, the same holds true for concerts as well. have fun tonight--i'm sure i'll hear back from you.

Bucky, I thought of you last night and would have traded places in a heartbeat, because you would have loved it. Who are you Doc, asking me if I ever like shows while I am at them? Do you read the reviews? Fillmore, 2.01, RR, 7.01, Jones Beach, PNC, Hershey, 7.01, Beacon 4.00, Beacon 10.00. That is the second stupidest thing I have heard in the last 48 hours. And considering the first, that is pretty sorry ass company to be in.

It is only my opinion. I freaking loved Wednesday at the Orpheum. I 100% agree with Bucky, what jamming at Oakdale? None. As for this tour, sticking with Lehigh and Wednesday Orpheum, and will love every night at the Beacon if only for the energy of my hometown.

Who was it that said some people like licorice, and others...? I don't like Dark Star, Space/Drums; big freaking deal. I still saw hundreds of shows because there were a helluva lot of other tunes I loved. Why am I defending this yet again. I am no more or less a Deadhead, Jerry addict or Phil Freak than anyone else because I don't care of these tunes. I laugh, my best friends laugh with me...so what. Bucky, you deserved the Dark Star, as did Tom and a few others...I got it. I will make the effort to get you the shows as soon as I can, probably by weekend of Beacon.

LessThan and your partner who is MoreThan, can't wait to do the Beacon, and share some opinions. So cool that so much of life's lessons come out of this music. More and more everyday.

Security is thorough, show starts within 15 minutes, no backpacks...how many times do we have to repeat this stuff...think about 4 hours in length.

>>>I don't care of these tunes.

Care for these tunes, Dewit. FOR these tunes.

Bill,

Take a chill pill.

This is fun. That's it. An escape from real life.
Yeah, you should have heard me an hour ago when I saw they played Viola & I missed it again. I haven't been that mad since Armando Benitez gave me a wonderful 40th birthday present by blowing a 5 run lead in the 9th to Atlanta on Sept 29th.

But really, Dewit, who I met on Tuesday, and, like everyone I've met through the Philzone, enjoyed their company - she knows I'm just razzing her.

So, calm down, go say 100 Ooomes....

If our vibes were so damn important to a Phil show, why did the basically same group of people get blasted on 7-21-01 in Hartford & bomb out in Oakdale on Tuesday?
The setlist & the band's performance has more to do with the 'vibe' than the vibe has to do with the band's performance.
But granted, it all comes together on a good night, & we get swept up in the band's momentum........

So, turn on CNN, watch some people in Afghanastan move back into one wall & tarp they call a house now that the Taliban is out of their town. Then tell us how important our negative opinion of a Phil show is.

wow, people sure have different opinions of things! fri second set was bombastic, but wed second set was where it is AT! they were so tight, even though the NFA was sort of soft at the end....
blue sky, crazy fingers, lovelight, masons, sugaree was just hot hot hot!

It's beyond me to comprehend that Crazy Fingers could ever match ANY of the songs played in 11-23's 2nd set.
Especially Dark Star & The Other One.


But, you know me & slow Jerry tunes.....

Yeah, but Bucky, it's not a slow Jerry tune anymore!!! Do you say that about the Sugaree versions out there? Hey, me, stick to the Passenger, Tons of Steel, Get Back, hardcore "boy tunes", but still, its like the Dark Star thing, there is always a little something we can find in any tune to bring a moment of bliss to our day...it's just alot easier if its the whole damn show.

--hey crypt would you tell me to lick your nuts if i didn't like chocolate and you did?

I don't think you want to hear the answer to that.

>I don't like Dark Star,
Space/Drums; big freaking deal.

My jaw drops in amazement.
I'll always appreciate you Dewit for bringing me here (It was acutally more your doing than Brian's to tell the truth), and now you have really revealed something that I find astounding.
You never really know how personal the trip is until people share.


For me Dark Star is THE ultimate (and as you can tell from my handle - I'm pretty fond of drums and space - as a matter of fact,that was sometimes the only part of a Dead show I enjoyed after 1988).
Well, cool then...can you make sure that Phil plays Dark Star for me and Bucky at every show you are not at? And then we'll make sure you get the hardcore "boy tunes"!

Bottom Line:
We're all on the bus - some of us just like to sit in the back row!

A Review:
Took the T Train from my buddy's house, about a 15 minute trek and emerged from the subway right across the street from the Orpheum.

We marched through the minature lobby with very low ceilings, up the stairs through the very weird entry room with the open circle railing looking down on the last 10-20 rows of seats, then to our seats...we encountered some Zoners on the way, always a treat..

Our seats were surreal and we were right next to 2 folks who had purchased the Help on the Way shirts and I was hoping to somehow see at these shows, Fatty and Kate..great srart..

1st Set:
Tight, focused beginning jam... Into the Mystic was a treat to start this 2 show run, just a great way to warm up to the night.

The Wheel: they took their time going into this, a sweet, patient launch that rode the mood well..No need to overplay, there was enough subtle tension and drama built and they rode it masterfully throughout the song into a long splashing series of waves of a jams that ended in another quiet passage...

New Potato: I could hear the bass part, Phil fiddling with the theme, a couple of minutes before they began the tune..this band is strong that way, so often creating a few different possible build ups to the beginning of a song before going into the tune..or not, you never know with these guys..

So when they finally developed a full intro to this tune it was something to behold, big and powerful, much more primed and ready than the 2 previous versions i've heard this band play..this was full of that swirling madness so special to this tune, when they fluctuate between the cool slow Cosmic Charlie style shuffle beat to the double time craziness jam.

They rode this momentum through a few jam territories, a fast DS foreshadowing jam being one of them..

Mirror: This song has been completely reworked...Its faster, tighter, with more of those Fooish Heart type stop and starts...and there is a whole new section, a flamenco jam, that had me snapping my fingers, playing air castinets..I enjoyed this reworked version, this song is taking shape nicely.

She Said>The Wheel was another great carpet ride, with Warren playing feedback texture during the Wheel that gave me chills, it was such a sweet touch..

Set 2 to come...

Set 2:
Further...what else could you possibly think? this was the shit, folks. right away the bottle was fully open, the stuff was oozing out all over the room. We were soaking and loving it. The balcony was shaking and rumbling, mics hanging on the balcony edge were dancing visibly to the beat..

Has anyone mentioned the full Wharf Rat intro that occurred here, after the Other One? this was by far the biggest tease of the night..thye were going into Wharf Rat and I'm thinking how a few folks have said that Phil is starting to play more Grateful Dead combos..

So far on this tour i had seen Shakedown>Bertha and Scarlet>Fire so this Other One>Wharf Rat seemed to be more proof of this theory...but nooooo thye pul a big ole brainbuster to my utter surprise and joy and go in a complete other direction and set the table for...

Dark Star...WOW

Unbroken Chain was great in this spot in every way and a nice breather from all the furious and spacey travel excursions...

big ole China Cat tease and then Low Spark, which Barracco was all over with tasty piano fills..

Dark Star had a whole other feel this time around, as it did every time it was played with this night...I must have heard 6-7 completely different Dark Star jams this night, all with their own tempo and feel..

The China Rider was the perfect roller coaster ride to end this set, full of all sorts of twists, turns and plenty of big thunder..

Cosmic Charlie was fitting to conclude this great night of music, one of my favorite all-time Phil and Friends shows...


WOW...tough to sum up this set any other way...

...or, as Phil said "what WAS that?"

>hey crypt would you tell me to lick your nuts if i didn't like chocolate and you did?

Well I do like chocolate, but one's preference of sweets in no way warrants licking of one's nuts.

Now a Phil show, that's a whole new animal....

Great Review SJF!!! That's exactly how I felt about the show!

Such a wonderful surprise to be sitting next to you. Classic moment: you walk up, look at us and say "hey - you're the Burners"...so funny! It was such a pleasure to meet and hang with you (and to run into you the rest of the run)

now.....when is spring tour?????

AS PHIL SAID DURING THE DONOR RAP " THE SOUND OF LIGHT FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION"

Boston Friday 11/23/01: Length: 80’/108’ Rating: 9.0 Went to the in-laws for T-Giving dinner, after 1 plate, realized I had the stomach virus Jill had at the Oakdale. Forcibly "evacuated" my stomach twice, spent the night in agonizing pain, forced to call in sick the Friday after T-Giving in the middle of tour (try explaining that one). Oh what we endure for the sake of Phil. Ok, Friday, back into the swing. On the drive up to Beantown, finally ate solid food for the first time right before the show – an apple! Went to the Beantown pub to find zoners, too crowded, Feast of Maximum Occupancy! Saw some people, local friends Paul, Mark, Ralph, Jill, also, SJF. Jill stayed longer and met some other zoners, Cryptical, I think. I had to get in early as usual and shit yellow gruel several times. Mezzanine almost all tapers tonight, way to go! They play the soundtrack from West Side Story on the PA. This sounds like music from hell, really twisted and evil, the antithesis of PLQ. Reminds me of a joke: How do you pick out gay men in a crowd? Say "Clang Clang Clang . . ." and whoever answers ". . . Went the Trolley" . . . The show starts with an energetic but mellow jam into Into the Mystic, YES, one of my fav’s, was only expecting one this tour. Contrary to expectations, they kept jamming after this, very spacey at first, then building in intensity, then a pretty quick transition to The Wheel. I had been tired of this after it was played so often this summer, but welcomed it now, as only the second one of the tour, and in an unusual place early in the 1st set. This transitioned quickly to a bellicose Passenger, our ears being peeled back by the blizzard of sound. The middle jam of Passenger mellowed out into spaciness, then, hints of New Potatoe, no, they will return to Passenger and stop, me thinks, but no, they keep going deeper, deeper, and it is the New Potatoe! Another of my fav’s that most people don’t care about, with its obtuse lyrics and dense musical structure. This was surprisingly well received and listened to by the crowd around me, but then most were Tapers, or Boston intelligentsia. Haaaahvaahd. Wow, the Friday night triple-x factor was in full gear! The Potatoe was well-played for a rarity, and eventually wound into Mirror of Thalassa, continuing the dense musical theme. They must feel more at ease playing this kind of dense stuff in an intellectual town like Boston. Mirror led to She Said, surprisingly only the second of the tour. This was again welcome due to the unusual place in the set, and being finally de-linked from The Other One. I was expecting this to be it for the set, being about 74’ in, but the end built up into a hyper-tweaked space, cool! This set is busting through all expectations, vintage PLQ! The space cools into Wheel reprise, very much a surprise, I had recalled that the Passenger went unfinished, but not The Wheel. The second set continued the trend of breaking preconceived notions with a direct charge into Cryptical, then into The Other One, which was foreshadowed by the She Said in the 1st set. The Other One was more exploratory than Bethlehem’s, but not as energetic. There was a meltdown to space between the verses, where I was hoping they would diverge to another song, say Mountains of the Moon, but they brought it back to the 2nd verse. This dissolved into another space jam that went really far out. At one point Phil stopped playing and started waving his arms around in unison with the space, laughing, Warren and Jimmy responded with peals of spacey runs, Rob threw in some runs up and down the keys, damn, home again, this is where it’s at, screw the dumb shit, the space finally wends its way to . . . Dark Star! Yes, Friday is the night this tour! This Star is more energetic than the Ohio version, the energy level is higher, The Other One functioning as warmup. The first verse passes, the jamming goes orbital again, some vague Allah teases, this would be the night for it, come on guys, but, back to the stratosphere with a well-placed Unbroken Chain. Nice to see this placed back in the "important" part of the show, having seen so many early in the 1st set. This version felt much more together than previous ones, hitting on all the expected peak notes. The usual Unbroken-themed jam at the end wends back to space, hinting Dark Star, then leading to Dark Star jamming. This leads to a strong Low Spark hint, enough so that I index it on my DAT deck as the start of the song. This dissolves back to space, more Dark Star second verse teases, then bursts into China Cat full tilt, this time I refrain from indexing, and prophetically they back off once again back to Dark Star jamming briefly, then into the Low Spark, another tour first. The pace was way faster than usual, and Warren had some difficulty, a la Jerry, mismatching the first lyrics versus the tempo. In this case, the tempo remained fast and Warren had to squeeze in the words to match. The Low Spark continued in this uptempo mode, and was a fairly short version, about 10 or 12 minutes, shorter than usual, but much better than the 6’, 1-verse version at the third Greek th. Berkeley show this summer. I heard a comment from someone in their ‘20’s that the lyrics were outdated and irrelevant ("the cassette that you’re playin . . ."), but, I beg to difffer, in these times when we are being told it is patriotic to overconsume the planet’s resources. Low Spark gave way to a quick Dark Star verse two, that led immediately to a very uptempo China Cat. I was rooting for something other than the inevitable Rider, say Cumberland, but it was not to be. The trend of very uptempo Riders continued, this being the most frenetic yet. This otherwise excellent show was marred by the tendency to rush through things the last third of the second set. The Cosmic encore was decent, at least not rushed through. This show again topped the 3-hour mark. We went to the Hub Pub after the show with a bunch of zoners, Cryptical, Mattie, Maudib, a few others I can’t remember. This was loads of fun. I pigged out on nachos and cheez fries, being the first solid food I’d eaten in 30+ hours.

Thanks for the good vibe and thoughts of this review, Kate! Great to see you around these parts. you guys still following me? (checking outside the window) I'm just getting back into the swing of things, haven't been back to check in here..

That was quite a moment i saw y'all seated next to me and there was one of those half second denials for me. My eyes saw you but my reasoning function refused to accept it right away, saying "no freakin way". Luckily, my eyes were right...

Man, that's a big paragraph, Bob...