The energy of the crowd and the anticipation before the Band hit the stage was HIGH. The audience brought their A game, and were ready to get down, and the boys didn't disappoint! Starting with a rocking Loose Lucy and ending with a sentimental Box Of Rain, the musicians tore into the tunes with such energy, passion and SWEAT, and the audience became one big frenzied, smilin' mass. Reminded me of the days of the Stone when Jerry worked his magic. Jackie Greene command the stage with his passion for the music. Shouting DON'T YOU LET THAT DEAL GO DOWN, Jackie Greene sang it like he meant it, and lived it. The emotion he brings to the music is reminicent of the days of old, but he brings his own style and interpretation that makes it all new again. I can't get enough. Team Phil hit a home run last night, just wished that Barry Sless could have been able to do more than just pinch hit. Phil looked dapper in his button down shirt, but turned into a madman by the second set, the sweat was dripping off him, he was as energized as I've ever seen him, and squeezed every ounce of energy of his bandmates and his audience. Thank you for a real good Time!!!

Sounded nice on the sidewalk, it was the perfect cool down after a hot night in berkeley...the sweet inflection of Jackie's thaaang, phil thumping along beside him and a bit less sweat than inside...I'm ready for tour!!

Phil had to drop a layer in the first set!!

Is there a setlist around anywhere, I haven't been able to find one at all

Mr. Jennings posted this in Other Stuff. Looks about right

1st Set:

Loose Lucy
Deal
I'm So Gone
Friend of the Devil
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Seven Jealous Sisters
Franklin's Tower


2nd Set
The Golden Road
Viola Lee Blues
So Hard To Find My Way
New Speedway Boogie
Down in the Valley Woe
Cryptical Envelopment
The Other One
Mountains of the Moon
Sugaree
I Know You Rider

e: Box of Rain

Nice goin Phil!

Nice review Nanc thanks for posting it..

Showed up without a ticket and everything turned out magick. Sure was hot inside -- thought everything was going to melt, on account of the weather, the vibe, the music, and all that was circulating inside and outside on the sidewalk. I can't even pick out the highlights (it was all pretty high all night), but I loved seeing the guitar duels between Jackie and Larry. I didn't think anybody in the place could be sweating as profusely as I was, and then I looked at Phil.

Great recharge of the psychic battery. Thanks Phil and Friends. Long Live Phil and All Of Us!

I look at that setlist and venue size and lcoation and can say see nuthing but "Damn..that seemed worth $50.00..."

woooo-hooooo
another winner of a show!

band and audience energy high.

1st set nearly perfect 2nd not so much. that happens when you take it out there, sometimes.

started coming apart at the seams somewhere around cryptical.

mtns of the moon should be baroque, instead it was kinda broke.

clearly these guys need some more practice.

so used to seeing sugaree with joan singing now that it seemed out of place with jackie on vox.

I must say that friend of the devil was the winner.

bring on fall tour.

Here's my review: WOW!

I just got this set list and I believe it is correct. Please correct me if I got it wrong. Emily - we missed you at the show last night. Your reviews are much more eloquent. :-) Glad we got to see you after the show.

First Set:
Loose Lucy >
Jam >
Deal
I'm So Gone
Friend of the Devil
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Seven Jealous Sisters
Franklin's Tower

Second Set:
The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion) >
Viola Lee Blues
So Hard To Find My Way
New Speedway Boogie
Down in the Valley Woe
Cryptical Envelopment >
The Other One >
Cryptical Envelopment >
Jam with a Good Morning Little School Girl tease >
Mountains of the Moon >
Sugaree >
I Know You Rider
E: Phil - Donor Rap/Band Intros/Show dedicated to Mark Karan
Box of Rain

Great review Nancyinthesky! I had a similar experience... The highlight of the night was seeing Phil & Jill in the audience with the rest of us, watching his son open the show. Thanks to all the Zoners who helped make my wife's 40th birthday, one of the greatest nights of our life. Rory, Wino, Jason the Chicken, Turtle, Doogles, Frog PJ's, your smiles and vibes made it special.

Loved seeing the new kid Jackie Greene come out with the Black blazer on and sunglasses and just rip the Loose Lucy opener. I thought his vocal phrasing was Dead on most of the night and we welcome him to the Great American songbook! This was a spot Ryan Adams could have had, but he couldn't control himself. Jackie is making the most of this opportunity already. He is humble, true to the material, yet fresh & himself, and was riding along side Phil like a kid and his Dad playing catch in the backyard. There was real "mentor" kind of feel to the show. Jackie blew a nice harp at times, tickled the keys during The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, and played some decent guitar througout the night. Phil was dripping as were the rest of us. This was one of the best audiences I have ever been in. The energy was crackling all night.

This will be one helluva tour. More Headband please! Thanks Phil!

>>>This was a spot Ryan Adams could have had, but he couldn't control himself. Jackie is making the most of this opportunity already. He is humble, true to the material, yet fresh & himself, and was riding along side Phil like a kid and his Dad playing catch in the backyard.

Yeah Rob, i was thinking the same thing re ryan, he blew his chance. JGe shows how to bring a contrasting personality and style to PLF. The kid has some stuff, it will be interesting to see how the easties parse the JGe factor in PLF...

After that electric Viola, we were playing with house money.
Beautiful people, and lots of Jerry tunes in SF.
Greene was the driving force more often than not.
Carlos, thanks for making my night! Peace.

That Viola got me a text message from Lord Henry at show..

He dug it..

I think Ryan is doing just fine...he never had any long term plans to play with Phil..he was just doing something different and Phil loved it. His current tour is pretty amazing. I don't know why people feel the need to compare. Jackie is totally different, which is why I love Phil. I personally hope Phil still plays some Ryan songs because they are great songs.

i agree michael. i would love to hear some of the newer ryan songs on this fall tour, i think Goodnight Rose, and Tears of Gold would probably translate pretty well!

Just got back from the show 1000 miles 26 hours of driving with an awesome crew

As the Rev said….”THIS IS WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO…WHY WE GO TO SHOWS

The journey was intense. To reach the crest of this wave we did our time hard on the California interstate. The crew was great, what a great bunch on knuckleheads to have on your side. Poncho, Shabbazz, Turtle and Hoover all jazzed for the show..there ain’t nothin’ stopping us. We sat in 4 hour deadlock traffic as they shut down the 5 due to a semi flipping over. All we had was Whiskey and Weed. That was brutal and we missed seeing Left Coasting due to it. But after that show I’d do it all again.

Made it into the city,
bought booze in Oakland
partied till we got old
wake and bake
ate a feast at The USA Meat Market (tommy’s joynt)
made it to Rory’s house
San Francisco is unbelievably beautiful today
Perfect temp..beautiful clean air and sky
Rory’s is a great place near the venue and above a secret club (which we failed to gain admittance too)

We made it over to the Independent around 2
A few folks there already. It was quite the gorgeous day so partying in line was as fun as anywhere else. Beers and buds all around and great friends. The zoners were there, they made it…

Zoner contingent at this show was truly impressive. Way to get in there folks and help make the magic happen. There must’ve been more than 20 of us just up front in the venue. “A River of Zoners emanating from center rail through the Phil side of the stage. “hey look it’s doogles !” So many smiling faces, ya know the ones and ya know why they smile. They put all of themselves in it, Phil brings it out. Great energy. The gravy is seeing all these cool cats inside the venue…being able to experience this force with them, to become the group organism. That’s what it’s all about….even when the guy next to you spills his beer…(((Group energy))))

So the Independent is small…very small…smaller than I remembered. About SOBs size but layed out like a horizontal shoebox. The staff at this place rocks, they were very efficient and cool about us partying. I had my a packed pipe in hand as they were scanning my ticket. (((SF))) Cheers to Phil for playing this place. We were listening to one of the Phil Lectures from 05 in the car today and someone asked him about playing small venues. Phil responded saying he would love to and that they could make some very special music like that….we’ll that day has come and the music is indeed special. The whole experience is openly personal. It’s a strong embrace by Phil to his fans. A warm psychedelic hug.
VICE opened at around 9:30 they are Graham Lesh and this young girl both playing guitars and singing as a duet. It was very nice, the girl sang beautifully and Graham can pick just fine. They played Black Velvet. And the girl was smiling at me through the set.

Phil came on around 10:15 or so and boy did he look happy ! pumped with meditative aggressiveness. You could see the level of energy was very high just as they took the stage and got themselves ready. We were riding the rail and were practically at the feat of these soothsayers, these musical yogis. So with their instruments and creativity they began the creation. I like to think of a show like this as encapsulating a whole universe unto itself. The musicians represent the different elements and as they come together with the audience as the catalyst they create a musical universe that builds and evolves off of its original elements. The show starts with the void..then the big bang! Or band ! and from there the universe shoots out, it spreads across time and space and evolves all the way through. Everything is unique and pushes endless possibility. Then the energy breaks in some final resolution were the conscious mind looks back on itself and sees the whole.

Molo sat there still in some type of preparatory meditation. Honing himself and getting ready to erupt. It wasn’t a peaceful feeling, it was more like the eye of the hurricane, and one ponders what will be. Phil was ready and the blood was flowing through his veins. You could almost see it. If you ate those shrooms going around I’m sure you did. Phil put on his bass and was the faces of a mad scientist in anticipation of his creation.

Larry took the dominant part of the stage with his half stack and rough Les Paul guitar. Havent’ seen Larry play a Les Paul before, looks like he’s bring out the big guns. Particle Dude was in fine form waving to his fans who yelled…|b{yeah ! Particle dude !!!} Barry’s steel looked mighty good.
And Jackie Greene, the kid with a six shooter in his sleeve. He wore some shades and came out looking a lot like a Highway 61 Dylan. Cool beans.

The music.

These boys are taking all the chances in the world ~~! And that’s what’s gonna propel this ship. It’s gonna fuel the fire and push ever fiber of their creative and technical being.
Phil counts it off loud and tough..
1…..2….3…..4 !
Loose Lucy is my delight
The place just blows right on up. Get them bones a shakin’ and thank you for a real good time. Jackie Greene you can sing and not because your voice is pretty and strong at the same time, its cause you put the feeling into it. You sing it, you are it. The guy belts It out, he knows it and pushes it. A little bit of his own vocal phrasing added to the mix he pulls out the sass to make it authentic.

They blaze right on into Deal with Larry just dominating the music with his guitar. Here’s something about Larry Campbell. I’ve seen him play many times now and recognize him as a great player. A hell of a guy to have in Phil’s camp, he really understands the music and gives it was it demands. Last night at the Independent Larry stepped up BIG TIME. He was the guy cutting through the jungle with his machete, he was the pioneer of space travel as we took the evolving journey. He was loud and in charge of dazzling our minds. Larry doesn’t just play chords he seeked out every nuisance of the song and brought it out. He knows the music very well now. He had a continuous tapestry of sound. It was the ink that made the words appear on the page. He played the uniqueness of each cell of a multicellular organism. So essentially Larry Fuckin Rocks !

|b{I’m So Gone} Jackie tune? Since I’m not familiar with it I can’t recall it well. It was a bit Pop like but the music was sincerely beautiful. The band was on it, they knew the material well. Jackies songs were nice they deserve to be planted so we can see what grows. I’m glad Phil is adding his tunes to the mix.

Barry came out and Jackie picked up the acoustic. Started Friend of the Devil with soft dynamics. They really made it quiet and as pretty as I’ve ever heard. In fact this was probably the best version of FOTD I’ve seen live. Barry Sless took an amazing solo followed by Larry. This version felt very natural, it felt good. It warmed the heart and was a great precursor to The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down….Holy !! I live for moments like this. I’d be hard pressed to ask for a better bust out cover. One of the great songs of legend, those ol JGB versions have burned this song into my heart. It was just joy to hear this, that southern Band flavor all wrapped up in the soul and power of Phil and Friends. This was a great highlight that shinned energy as warm and bright as the golden wheat fields of this Earth.

Another Jackie Tune….
A bit of jammin’
Then the FRANKLIN’S mmmmm goood !
Full of raw power and rockin a bit of country twang the boys went at it. They stood on the mountain and reached for the heavens. The sun was shinning bright in that venue at 11:30pm. Franklins just beams good energy, it’s a life elixir. Larry roared many strong solos and even got a bit too loud for me. Jackie took a nice solo in there too. They end it very powerfully and we are wide eyed at setbreak. Not to mention sweating due to the immense heat in the building.

Note for the second half:
As great and unreal as all the Phil shows I’ve seen since the Q, last nights show sparked a feeling in me I haven’t felt since the Q. I think it was being aware of the group mind right from the start and not having to build up to it. The connection I saw on stage was so complete and pieced together only the greatest of things could come of it. The level of attentiveness and communication between all the members of the band…Molo vibing off of Jackie, Barry and Larry dancing with each other and egging it on. Phil and Particle Dude holding it together with their weird. You could see the genuine joy each member felt as they got to create and really “live” with each other. It was very inspirational.

Set break was fun, zoners zoners zoners, buds and beer, ‘what just happened?

Band comes back out with Barry and takes us down the Golden Rd.
Fuck yeah comes to mind. I was thinking how cool that would be and here it was. Rev Shabbazz was in need of the sickadelic}set and Phil delivered OLD SCHOOL STYLE. And yer hearing all these 60’s GD tunes and yer in San Francisco with Phil himself in small club and time starts melting and blending till you don’t know if it exists at all. Instead there is just the moment…all that once was will be again…its all there ever was.

Golden Road was fuckin sick !!!!!!!!!!!
Solid playing and singing with audience participation…..Larry had a big solo but then they gave it to Barry and he went (((warp speed))) psychedelic steel !!!!!!!!!!!! Barry is so very impressive and I feel it is so important to embrace him. He’s the great keeper of the music in this modern day. It feels like so much of what we love about the GD has fermented and unified to become the fine wine that is Barry Sless. His psychedelia is paramount. I really hope that Barry is gonna be on the tour cause he adds a lot. He makes you feel real fuckin good.

Golden Rd ends with the big BFlat !! BOOOOOOMM!!
They play the riff that find the whole place through the stratosphere. Phil Bass is FAT as he lays down the Viola Lee Blues. Wow ! Talk about feelin good. No where I’d rather be than getting down with this. This is true balls to the wall in yer face grit. Soaring rough guitars peak out with Phil bombs ahoy and Molo sending out waves of extended blasts. This might have been the best Viola Lee I’ve seen live comparable to the best of the Q. That is probably due to the fact that then and there I witnessed the band become one organism. Like in Theadore Sturgeons novel, they “BLESHED” in perfect harmony. Each of them was locked in, holding on and pressing forward. A thrilling spectacle to see! And the highlight of my night. I mean, here it was this is what it’s all about for me. I saw it was the purest form of being because that is all it was…pure being.
Ah ha and to witness that was like holding the sun in yer hand. Viola’s jams were the real thing. Molo pushing it breaking sweat his face showed exactly what his feeling were. Great buildups in the jams, they did 4 verses and gave us a meaty treat. Phil was even teasing The Seven hard through the intense parts of the song. I was just waiting for him to bust it but it didn’t happen. It was immense though.

|Another Jackie song, again great musically…that’s all I can remember.

New Speedway was my time to recharge, get some energy back so my mind kind of reeled away from it. Solid version with Jackie laying it down well. It was lighter than others, laid back until a raging jam developed in its end.

More Jackie songs…

Barry comes back, it quiets down and Cryptical comes ringing out. This came out just exactly perfect and heart wrenchingly beautiful. Larry’s guitar work in the structural parts of the song were spot on. Every note was there and ringing clear. The jammed it out for a few minutes with Barry’s steel gliding like speckles of sunlight gleaming over the dark gloom. The jam peaks and just as it winds down Phil rips open The Other One. Oh yeah. That’s hard. TOO comes raging out of the gate, it’s gonna be a big one. The build to a short peak, Phil draws back and busts out the heavy intro riff and BAMB! Psychedelic madness. TOO is drawn out and very powerful. Jackie and Larry are taking great leads between each other. Jackie plays it hard and bluesy. He is good with tone and it speak well. TOO is a psychedelic masterpiece, what more is there to say. It’s electric, fuzzy and always changing all the while being the most basic of structures. The verses blow it out and it winds back into Cryptical. They jam and then get weird…..

Did I mention BIG BROWN is just sitting on a stand for the entire 2nd set, sitting there just to relish in the psychedelia of it all. They start messing with the space and pushing the boundaries of our consciousness. What is weird becomes normal and normal doesn’t mean anything anymore. Ahhh the meltdown…..what better thing can give you perspective during a show like this.

Out of the mist Phil’s bass signals to the highest peaks…the Mountains of the Moon I haven’t heard this one in a long time and was the perfect sound after what we experienced. To float away and loose it all. The jams in between were unique and well out there.

|b{Sugaree} and I Know You Riderput some form to our experience and let us relish in the joy of being a dead head. We live with these songs in our hearts and here at the show with love and strength we let it out. All our hearts for all to share.
The power, just flooding gold and light embracing all.

Nice excited Phil rap and Box of Rain
Ya just don’t feel much better than that….

((((( LOVE & PSYCHDELIC MIND FUCKS)))))

We all came out of there beaming….9 out of 10 Zoners abound !
2:30am zoners spilling out onto Divisdaro…look at everyone….look at them smile.

I gotta hand it to all the zoners I got to hang with. You guys are ALL class act great folks. The kindness, the warmth all held by this connection. THANK YOU it is such a pleasure to be able to share all this with you.

Big props to Rory !!! Thank you so much for the heady floorspace brah ! and the genuine hospitality. We had a great time, our SF visit was just about perfect, with much thanks to you.

Also my brothers of the road, Shabbaz, Poncho, Turtle and Hoover…you all rock. If I could pile you all in again and take you to see Phil tomorrow I would. There not a weirder bunch of folks I’d rather do that with. Freaks!

Alright so 1000 miles, 26 hours riding, 6 hours in line, 4.5 hours of mindmelting, endless hours of partying, great friends, weather and food I just about had an awesome weekend.
See ya on tour !

jeezus, when'd you write all that??

i can't add much..........


other that i love y'all!

ha I wrote it right when i got home....man that was crazy. It was the suburban speedball combo of Purple Nurple and Cheap coffee that kept me up.

Great review, LH - I felt like I was there! I'm scheming for the Greek - we'll see.

Out-fucking-standing review, LH

Made me even more psyched for the Greek show, exactly a month from today

Fuckin A Tom, wow!

^^^ooops

exactly TWO months from today !!

((((time warp))))

Got lucky and was to meet a great guy Andrew in front of venue. Loose Lucy had things cruising from the beginning, and the Deal went down. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down I had goosebumps running through my body, Jackie is real and very musically gifted. Hot Franklin's to end the set. Then it is back to two songs from the first album, haven't seen a Viola Lee Blues since Wavy's birthday in 2005. Got to move from side of stage to front of stage, and as I got in front of stage on the rail under Phil and Jackie Cryptical melted things down. It was loud up there! Got the Mountains Of The Moon I had been hoping for, and it was sweet psychedelia! Jackie kicked ass on Sugaree, could really feel Garcia's presence. Unbelievable I Know You Rider to close, and special Box Of Rain to end show. Isaw them at Slim's in 2002, Bimbo's in 2005, and tonight was my favorite over those other two for small Phil shows. This was one happy band and audience, and every musician gave their all! I kept looking at Larry, and I think he was blown away at how weird it was getting, and Jackie added his nice and refreshing solos in the midst of all the space. Thanks Barry for rocking it out on slide, and Thanks Phil and Molo and Steve for taking us on this incredible journey. I was in a relationship with a very special lady for about a year, and I am afraid it is over, so Phil you let me know everything was going to be allright! Thank you for cleansing my soul Saturday night, love Bruce Weber(eddieboy)!!!!!!!!!!!

PS Thanks to my dear friend Terence Sullivan for hooking me up with Andrew to get into the show! I love you Terence, Bruce Weber(eddieboy)!!!!!!!!!

LH , thanks!

Lord Henry has out done himself. Blazing review!

To cleanse myself from an earlier post, I am certainly not trying to "compare" Ryan Adams with Jackie Greene, Lord God only knows, we don't want to start any Ryan heat around here again... I just meant to note that Phil has been interested in helping to cultivate and mentor some young talent out there and I simply appreciated Jackie's spirit and approach to what is a treasure chest of material. No doubt, Ryan is a prolific writer and at times a stellar performer.

I am grateful for Phil hooking up this awkard looking kid with a fiery soul and Jackie G. no doubt showed up with the goods and the vibe to nail this evening. AND, I believe he can keep his shit together for a 29 show tour! I am on this bus...

Nice review, LH!!! It was awesome hanging with you guys. Good times!!!

One of my favorite things about this weekend -- and maybe by this, I guess I mean "yesterday" is that we all got to sit down with our new tour news and work on out our plans for which shows we're gonna hit. I haven't had a chance to do that in a while, and it was fun!!!

(Y'all don't forget to put in your vacation requests today).

Lord Henry did nail it; here are a few fried memories and other footnotes of my own.

Seemed to me that Larry didn't get real engaged with the music until the second or third song -- new group, trying to get a feel for it, I guess, but was as relentless as LH describes after that.

Combination of Larry on fiddle, Barry on pedal steel, and Jackie on acoustic on FOTD was especially sweet.

Jackie played piano on The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down; he did the gravity of the song justice, and what piano I could hear reminded me of Richard Manuel.

Franklin's was exceptionally up-tempo. Phil sang it with all of delicate subtlety he usually brings to this particular tune ;-}

Viola got pretty damn far out there. The Larry-Barry-Jackie combo was especially effective on the more psychedelic numbers. I'm sure the upcoming tour will be stellar, but it would be even more so if Barry were along for the ride.

I'd never heard any Jackie Greene prior to Saturday night, but am definitely going to check out some of his CDs. Amazing to see someone that young play that tastefully -- the kid just has a great musical sense. Able to get energetically and aggressively out in front of the band, yet remain somehow humble, and very unselfishly focused on what all of the musicians in the band are doing.

I too am on this bus...

>>>Phil came on around 10:15 or so...

1st set: 9:55pm, to be exact.
2nd set started at 11:50pm.

Great review Lord Henry.

GaryFish mentioned this should be copied here since Other threads get buried. It's not really so much a review of the show, but when I saw all the threads about the tour schedule (so far), I was hoping to help explain why I thought Phil can't be everywhere he'd like to be.

Also, nice posts LH. I have to concur. You said it all.

Gary - your complaint has been noted and I am happily complying with your wish.

IMO – This is one of the best P&F arrangements I’ve seen or heard. Try not to miss them.

I got a chance to speak with Phil very briefly last night. He looks and acts healthier than me! I’m glad to see he is back working just as hard as he can and hope he continues as much as his 67 year-young body will allow. His energy and ability amazes me almost as much as the music does. He is the epitome of “Keep On Truckin’”.

A few words about the tour:
I had to sit on this info for quite a while - mainly because there were so many logistics with the band members to put it all together and everything I learned had “tentative” and “please don’t say anything yet” attached to it. Remember these guys are all working musicians, who have other projects and obligations. I’m sure getting this group together for a tour was no easy task. Because of the epic quality of this band, I have to believe that Phil would like to take this arrangement to as many places as possible, but doing what you want to do isn’t always a possibility and pleasing everyone just never happens.

I really feel for those who must have heartache about P&F 07 not being able to be everywhere, as it’s always difficult for many fans to travel so far. If you can make it though, I don’t think anyone will be disappointed. Heck, the SoCal crew traveled 14 hours to be there last night and they all said it was worth it.

Which leads me to you Zoners:
I met and reacquainted with so many of you last night and I have to say, while the music was truly Phil-noninal, it could not have been as good as it was without you. EVERYONE of you are beautiful people, who seem to me to carry the souls of happy children in your hearts. One of my favorite parts of the night was looking out over the crowd and seeing the first 6 rows of people front and center – all Zoners!

Looking forward to doing it again in a couple of months and
THANKS PHIL!

as good as mars volta

Had such a blast shooting the breeze in line and getting my swerve on with the rest of you yahoos! The energy going into that place was just incredible!

Graham and Friend opened the show just as everyone started filtering in and did a fine job showing off their chops. I thoroughly enjoyed the opener and found it to be a genuinely pleasant way to start the evening. They both seemed a little nervous to be performing for such a bunch of weirdos, but cruised through their set with grace! They should be very proud of their performance as it was extremely well done!

Before heading back to San Francisco for another Phil show, I was a little concerned that this show was going to be a repeat of the Sweetwater set. Don't get me wrong, the Sweetwater was a great set, but it stuck mainly to blues and rockers. I love blues and rockers as much as the next guy, but I've been jonesing for the Genuine A1 Sick-a-delic Madness that only Dr. Kilowatt can deliver! I though FOR SURE that the 07-07-07 show was going to be a cosmic meltdown with traces of THE SEVEN lurking all around. Instead, it was a well rehearsed and well played set that stayed pretty grounded.

From the time the Independant interlude music began after Graham's set, it was pretty clear that this was going to be a mindbender! There was weirdness dripping from the speakers all night long and that made Rev very very happy!

During the show, I was reminded me of a skit that David Letterman has on his show from time to time - "Will it Float?!?" In the skit, they take a wacky item (like a canned ham) and throw it into a pool of water to see if it will float. Dave and Paul make bets as to whether or not the canned ham will float, they throw it in -- jokes abound! Well, in this particular installation of "Will it Float", Phil took Jackie Green and threw him into the deep end of the pool!

"Will Jackie Green float atop the sonic fabric, or will he sink?!?"

He floated!

There was one point in particular during a first set full frontal assult where it looked like a lighbulb went off over his head and he seemed to melt into the collective whole! "Ahhhh -- so that's what this is all about!"

The "Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" was just incredible! Enjoyed the hell out of that one (although I couldn't actually see Jackie sing it from behind the keys). Every one of Jackie's original tunes were a lot of fun as well! I am looking forward to becoming more familiar with them as this band progresses.

It was great to see Larry and Barry again! Those two guys make me grin from ear to ear when they really get going! I could listen to those two duke it out for days at a time! Barry's pedal steel reminds me of a dear old friend and I really can't get enough of it!

Molo is a madman. The Lion King! The Black Knight of Rhythm! Mount Saint Molo! White Cloud! The guy is a well-oiled-machine at this point! If there was a Jammy for "Best Facial Expressions While Performing", Molo would win it every year!

I couldn't really hear the keys very well because we were too close to the stage and the notes were blowing right over our heads, but what I did hear, I thoroughly enjoyed. Lots of cosmic weirdness thrown in for good measure!

Brother Phil is looking happier and healthier (and sweatier) than I have seen him in a long time! He, like the rest of us, was grinning ear-to-ear all night long! I'm not sure who enjoys the shows more -- us or him! He was SPOT ON for this show and loving every minute of it!

The second set was just a mind melter! A classic San Francisco set full of twists and turns in every direction! When it starts off with a Golden Road > Viola, things are bound to get interesting! There was one especially weird point during the Viola where we all stood, amazed, at the shapeless cloud of ether oozing all around us! The Cryptical > Other One > Mountains was as solid as they come and featured a moment of jaw-rattling feedback. I don't remember which song, but there was a split second of THE SEVEN hidden somewhere in there! I heard it! Lord Henry did too!

The Box of Rain encore was really pretty special and it felt so damn good to be gathered together in that hall dancing the dance of life shouting "TO BE" yet again with the rest of those in attendance!

And what a crew it was in attendance! I can't tell you how happy I am to have become a surrogate member of the West Coast Zoner Crew! When I left the East Coast Crew, I was a little concerned that the Westies could never live up to the shenanigans of the Easties! Boy was I wrong! Y'all are fine folks and I don't care what anyone says about you when you're not around (har har har)!

I am totally BEAT from the marathon trip (which included getting dropped off at the LA Roxy to see Hank Williams III on the way home Sunday night), but it was one for the ages! A solid 9 out of 10, to be sure!

I'll see y'all at Santa Barbara and the first two Chicago shows!

>>>as good as mars volta<<<

Wow Wino, it must have been good for you to say that!

<<<<Brother Phil is looking happier and healthier (and sweatier) than I have seen him in a long time! He, like the rest of us, was grinning ear-to-ear all night long! I'm not sure who enjoys the shows more -- us or him! He was SPOT ON for this show and loving every minute of it!

Right on!!!! That's the best part right there. Almost like the music is icing on the cake.

Great review, so glad you got to go!!!

http://www.archive.org/details/plf2007-07-21.flac1 6

Thx for getting this show up on LMA so quickly!!

That was the first Phil show I've seen in the flesh since '02. Pretty solid, more directed and staged then I remembered, less spontaneous, but way tighter. Molo is still the rock of gibralter, that man might be the best drummer on planet earth, he never drops time and always pushes jams to different directions. Larry Campbell is a good Nashvill style musician, good leads, great ears and multi-instrumental. The real surprises for me were how good Jackie Green is, tasteful, and not afraid and how fucking sick Molitz was. About Green, he did something that I really like a lot. He got lost a few times during the 2nd set, but didn't panic and flail away at his guitar, he waited and listened and found his spot. And he has pipes. Molitz was really tasteful, glistening lines that never guilded the lilly. He also seemed to know the book really well. The only down side for me was that the whole thing felt a little contrived for some reason. Like the jams were too structured and not spontaneous enough. From what I've heard on tape since the Q that's been a general trend, more of a song oriented approach. Sless is a great pedal steel player and added to the sound of the band everytime he was on stage. The mix was ok, but the guitars should have been a little louder. A good band for a small venue, but not sure if they can tour just yet.

The Monkey Tunes recording is up on the archive for you all to feast on. Thanks to Pete for taping! It sounds incredible!

>>Ah ha and to witness that was like holding the sun in yer hand<<

>>|b{Sugaree} and I Know You Riderput some form to our experience and let us relish in the joy of being a dead head. We live with these songs in our hearts and here at the show with love and strength we let it out. All our hearts for all to share.
The power, just flooding gold and light embracing all.<<


Man that reminds me of my last night in Manhattan at the November PLU show. Standing there listening to Phil (and y'all) lay down a Rider that was most certainly filled with as much love and hope as there's ever been.. I think we all fealt beyond grateful for the goodtime and times had. That said, I couldnt help but feel uneasy ahead of the hiatus. News of the Hunter Mtn sickness brought me great joy.. hearing the tapes had my head spinning with "what if"


LH ESTA THE MAN

PHIL ESTA THE MAN


I feel like a kid in a candy store when looking at all the awesome tour dates and ponder the immensity of it all.. last page of On The Road style


aint no place I'd rather be indeed

see y'all at various spots on tour AND

my triumphant return to NYC

"we shall rage in a proper fashion" has never quite heald so much pent up glory

Well, wanted to get these pix up before too long. Can't really add much to the reviews other than to say I had a really great time that went way too quickly. Jackie Greene held his own and Phil looks healthy and energized, and sounded great. Could've used a bit more Barry, but when he wasn't out there I didn't notice as much as I thought I might. The sound was pretty full even without him. All in all, and excellent night and I hope I can make more than just the one Greek show this fall (starting grad school may put a crimp on those plans). Ah, well!


Here goes nothin'!

Thanks for the pics. I am just listening to the show on a stream from LLMA, and it sounds good. I am looking forward to checking out Jackie Greene on this tour. Phil was right on about Ryan Adams, and I am thinking that he is turning us all on to another up and coming singer songwriter off my radar....until now. Hoping to make Camden and few of the Nokia shows.
See you there.

Above all, THANK YOU PHIL FOR KEEPING ON KEEPING ON!!!!!!

yeah, thanks for the pics Alex.

WOW!! Nice Pics Alex!

Greetings Zoners! I'm Michelle, Rob Scalcione's wife. It was my 40th birthday July 21st and months ago when my Rob asked me what I wanted to do I said "I want to go to a Phil show". But being that there were no tour dates set, I settled on planning to go to a fancy dinner that night and a day of festivities at the Greek on Sunday July 22nd. Well........I came home last Monday to hear my hubby tell me Phil just announced my birthday show at the Independent BUT.......the place only holds around 400 - chances of getting tickets are slim. But thanks to our dear friend and fellow Zoner, Darren, who got us 4 tickets on Tuesday and 2 more on Wednesday we were set to go. And not only did Rob and I get to go but all of Monkey Tuners (the newlyweds, Pete & Dawne, Kerstin and Darren) were able to come. As Kerstin made Rob and I a fabulous steak dinner at her SF pad six blocks from the Independent, I told them that if there's one song I want to hear tonight - it's my favorite......Sugaree. Was I surprised? No way - a sweet smile came on my face and a twinkle in my eye the minute I read Phil's lip saying Sugaree because not only did God himself orchestrate the entire evening for me but he had Phil play my favorite - Now is that the love of God or what!!! And to top it off, it was an incredible show and the best birthday party I have ever had. Thank you all for coming!!!

You were the one passing out those gorgeous roses in honor of your b-day, right? That was very sweet. I didn't get one, but I saw you light up some very happy faces

Michelle..I followed reading the postings about Saturday being your 40th and how you had hoped for a Phil show...

So in honor of that might I suggest if you decide to post again..maybe you get a screenname of your own..???..



PS..I spent some time with Pete and the Monkey Tunes folks in April this year..Petaluma and GAMH for Railroad Earth shows..And saw Rob in GG park Earth Day..

This show getting uploaded so promptly and the quality of the recording is very impressive..

Thanks Monkey Tunes

See ya allmaybe Labor Day weekend in Sausalito or in GG Park this time for Summer of Love dealio..

Thanks for the cool vibes G.Dad. I WILL see you in Sausalito. Look for my mic stand and pay me a visit.

G-Dad you rock! Thanks, we enjoy your company always... Bring your bad self into Sausalito. My wife is bootlegging my login. We sure did have a night to remember. Nancy, we owe you a rose!

Ok - here it is - thanks for the suggestion, G-Dad. Don't want to get in trouble for bootleggin' logins.

Can't wait for the Sept. show at the Greek. I'm already writing my "what to bring to the show" list to ensure a delightful time. I will bring a rose for you, Nancy. Let the celebration continue......

highlight: Larry's fiddle during "Friend of the Devil"

alex...i must say..i understood ur review...thanks...i wasnt there..so i really liked the objectiveness..thanks ;-))

Listening to the archive, I think Jackie sounds a lot like Chris Robinson, anyone else think so too? That is great (speaking for myself only, here), Chris has been my favorite (male) vocalist of P&F yet....Can't wait to see Jackie out on the road!!!

will Instant Live be doing this fall tour?

God let's hope not!