Is Phil going to be wearing his wristband toinght for old time sake?

He wears it EVERY night...

hey i am going tonight and can't wait....i am gonna be on the lower balcony row a seats 1-7 look for the american flag!!!!!!!!!!see ya there tim

There are far too many Tims on this thread!

No way Reverend! I am out from Colorado and have seen 5 shows. He has not had his wristband on one show.

P.S. I will change my name just for you.

... to my knowledge, phil's been naked all tour. PHIL! put on your wristbands, what are you thinking? you run around tour like that and you'll catch a cold!

I know this is a shot in the dark, but does anyone want to share the love and let me know of any extras they might have for tonight? I'm offering face value and a big ol' hug.
let me know at {miaallouf@hotmail.com}

>> He has not had his wristband on one show.

>> ... to my knowledge, phil's been naked all tour.

I stand corrected. Thought for sure he had it on at the Buffalo > Burlinton run...

>> P.S. I will change my name just for you.

Easy...Easy now...I'm a Tim too!

>>... to my knowledge, phil's been naked all tour.

He sure plays like he's naked. I don't know if I could handle it - sensory overload enough as it is . .

Last night'll be tough to top; although I guess anything's possible with Bob on board . . . what a smokin' run it's been at the Beacon this year! I'm putting the Beacon on the "must do" list for the next time 'round.

setlist ??

Set 1:
Sugar Magnolia > Truckin' > Other
One > Cryptical > Samson and
Delilah > Cassidy > Sunshine Daydream

That's it so far...

>> Sugar Magnolia > Truckin' > Other
>> One > Cryptical > Samson and
>> Delilah > Cassidy > Sunshine Daydream

>> That's it so far...


WOW, looks like YET another night of (2) second sets . . .

ohh. goodness gracious...wonder what they'll pull ot for set 2...any guests??

holy shit! i'm in a puddle of drool, wish i were there! where's the rest?

Can that be the real setlist??? I mean?!!!!!!? If so why am I not there!!!!!!! I am waiting up for the rest....

,mx,mnznxa';'',mxkjl/,x/z?zxcv

.....sorry, my jaw just dropped and hit the keyboard

2:Playin in the Band->Jam->Birdsong->Dark Star->West LA Fadeaway->Dark Star(V2)
with greg osby and all.

ok...I am crying now!this is tooooo much

I just saw seven Beacon shows in eight daze and all I want to know is: When are the next Beacon shows???!!!???!!!???!!!

I can't wait until summer...there has to be a spring tour...right???

Regardless of Bobby's presence, Samson should become part of the PLQ repertoire. It smoked tonight.

Tonight was the best of all 7 shows I saw this year. YYYYYEEEAAAHHAAAWWWW

Can anyone give me a ride to Oakland???!! Damn, looks like the best is yet to come!

???Just Wondering???

I was outside the Beacon around 9 PM tonight (couldn't get in) and definitely heard NOT FADE AWAY....... What gives?

Numb In New Haven

AikoNYC...there's winter and spring...phun, phun, phun for the whole phamily

second set please

I second a second set posting; can't sleep now . .

I was at this show-had to leave to catch a train after set 2-
they announced another set was coming.
I saw about 180 dead shows and this woulda been in the top thirty all time

I keep saying I am going to bed...but keep coming back to check!!! Gotta get the up with the kids in 4 and a half hours...but I need to know!!!

I know, I know, me too, Marsi !!!

the musicianship was great tonigt.
weir kept them on track but warren haynes totally laid back. he was not much of a factor tonight.
the other was was phenomenal!

what time did the second set end can't believe i blew this one off.....any have complete set list????????

second set ended about 11:55

This was sick...Yes, there will be contrarians: the Truckin>Good Loving was a bit much, we missed Warren's sweet pipes, and you couldn't see this show every night, but it was sick. Reminiscent of the other ones at Shoreline but far superior. Bobby provided the needed spark. Very special, esp. the 2nd set. Well done fellas. In honor of NYC!

Rich,

Other than

>>2:Playin in the Band->Jam->Birdsong->Dark Star->West LA Fadeaway->Dark Star(V2)

can you name any other tunes from set 2 ? (order unimportant at this point); I just wanna know!!!

i can't remember much of anything- ack!

they did a I know u rider into playing to cap set 2
set 3 had a truckin into golden road

know the feeling, bro'; it's all good!
Georgie, can you help here??

and there was a samson in set 2-
my thoughts are scrambled

wasnt truckin also played first set???

TRUCKIN'>Good Lovin'....my oh my that was sweet. This was not your typical P&F show...but who cares......Bobby was on fire!

UJB too

12/3/01 Set One: Sugar Magnolia* > NFA > Other One > Cryptical > Jam > Samson
And Delilah, Cassidy* > Jam > Sunshine Daydream
* without Warren Haynes

Wasn't the "third set" technically just an encore..I mean Sundays show had an unusually long encore but I wouldn't call it a third set.

I'm sorry I can't remember everything...Warren did not play on Fade, Cassidy or West LA. Crusader Rabbit plus sax was great, but it was better with everybody. Phil took, I believe, only one singing solo and that was the 2nd verse of Birdsong (incredible version). May have had voice problems, but I think he was gracefully yielding to Bobby.

It was definitely all about Bobby tonight...Phil was grinning wide and handing off to Weir many times.

Excuse me, Warren was not out for the opener but came on & ripped for Fade.

I just got back from the show and both my friend and I thought that it was lame. If I wanted to see a ratdog show I would go see Ratdog. When I go see Phil & Friends I expect to hear Phil, Warren and Rob sing. It was painful to listen to at times. The end from UJB on was good I must say, and there were some other good moments, but the magic that is P&F was missing. Bird Song could have been great, if Warren sang it, but Phil for some reason let Bobby sing every song. VERY DISAPPOINTING!

so there was Uncle John's, Birdsong, Truckin, Good Lovin, Playin (all around) not in that order

do you think maybe phil was just happy to be playing with a life-long friend again??

You should have known what you were getting yourself into Richie.

ok,here it is, sugar mag w/o warren->nfa w/warren ->other one->cryptical->samson->cassidy w/o warren_>ssdd

Yeah, to me this show looks like it would have disapointed me...I am so glad I chose going to Sunday's show instead of Monday's as Sunday was so hot and I love seeing Phil and Warren take the center stage...Phil's voice sounded great too! When he sang during Franklins Tower, I thought it sounded really cool...I guess I just thought there would be more crazy sit ins and a whole third set for the special Benefit show.

It was billed as Phil Lesh & Friends with Bob Weir as Special Guest. to me that means that Boby will sit in with Phil & Friends, not that Phil & Friends will sit in with Bob Weir.

Yeah, I am so glad I didn't spend too much money on this show...Its great that its a benefit show but I just don't have the money to spend on tix for a overly hyped show.

It's obvious he doesn't fit with P&F...after 6 nights of P&F (fri & sat were amazing) I just knew this would be a departure from the normal P&F. Just with Weir being there.

AHHH...have mercy...we meet again...'tis i, pholkhero...

During some of the jams between tunes, Bobby looked kind of lost.

2nd set,w/greg osby, jam->playin->jam->bird song->dark star->wla fadaway w/o warren->darkstar->uncle john,s band w/ warren->i know you rider enc truckin->good lovin->playin reprise. wla and dkstr v2 w/o warren 1'st set sugar mag,cassidy and ssdd w/o warren

Yes, Hello my old nemesis ;)

greg osby not on enc. first set weak,much better 2nd set @ enc.

Well, I'm off to bed for some much needed rest. Concerts every day since the day after Thanksgiving (2 last Thursday) really wore me down. Plus, I came down with a Mother of a cold last Monday night and haven't been able to shake it yet.

Peace love and joy to all.

it seemed as plq was bobby,s backing band

oh yeah,one last thought before bed, it sure would have been nice to see warren take a lead durring w.l.a.....transittion into dkstr v2 was sweet! wonder if bobby misses playing w/ phil,,,, the show as a whole wasn't as intense as the other beacon shows,but it was nice to see the boys play some songs they usally don't do. also, it would have been nice to see phil do a rippin jack straw and/or let it grow (i bet they could rip up a let it grow)

they would TOTALLY nail Let it Grow

listen i just got back man what a show....thank you phil and bobby ,bobby and phil AND NO NO NO they played truckin in the 2nd set not the first set i can't remember much but i remember that!!!!!man what a killer show the best show i've seen since the dead!!!!!!i was like a dead show without jerry!!!!man if phil and bobby got together more i would follow them all over america!!!!!!!and they did not play golden road.......i remember only these songs from tonight and they are trust me out of order and set sugar mags,ssdd,not fade away,sampson,west la fadeaway,cassidy,other one ,cryptical envelopment,dark star,bird song,good lovin',uncle john's band,and playin in the band.thats all might fried brain can remember at this point..............see ya nye........tim

p.s. what was up with warren tonight phill me in huh??????????

Set 1: Sugar Mag*> NFA> Other 1>Cryptical>Jam>Samson,Cassidy*>Jam>Sunshine Daydream
Set 2: Playin^>Jam^>Birdsong^>Dark Star ^>West LA^>Dark Star^>Rider^
Encore: Truckin^ >Good Lovin^> Playin' *w/o Warren ^w/Greg Osby
copied from tapecat bob

Set 1: Sugar Mag*> NFA> Other 1>Cryptical>Jam>Samson,Cassidy*>Jam>Sunshine Daydream
Set 2: Playin^>Jam^>Birdsong^>Dark Star ^>West LA^>Dark Star^>Uncle John's Band^>Rider^
Encore: Truckin^ >Good Lovin^> Playin' *w/o Warren ^w/Greg Osby

Wow, I'm amazed at some of the negative commentary above. I went in not knowing what to expect but I figured we would get a heavy dose of Bob, since he was special guest and all. The regular run of Phil and Friends shows ended Sunday (on a high note, of course), Monday was something different and that was more than fine. I thought the song selection was excellent (after all, Sugar Magnolias, Samson and Delilah, Cassidy, Truckin' and Good Lovin' are all songs we haven't seen Phil play live in a long while). Bobby fit in real well, he seemed to get off on playing in a more jamming environment than Ratdog.

Phil seemed to enjoy himself thoroughly as well, I think he really got a kick out of playing with his old mate again and it showed in the energy level. Sure, I would have liked to hear Phil do some vocals, as well as Warren and Rob, but that wasn't what the night was about. I wouldn't want a steady diet of shows with basically nothing but Weir singing lead (if I did, I suppose I would go see Ratdog tour), nor do I want to necessarily see this lineup every time out. The sound got a little dense at times, and while the jams were all very good and got way out there at times they didn't have the same intensity of a "normal" P&F show. But that doesn't matter. For one night we got treated to Bobby Ace and the Cards From the Bottom of the Deck, and the results were a great night of jamming on some classic tunes with a band that is on fire.

Whats all this W/O Warren crap.Thats Soooo WRONG.
If having Bobby play with them is at the expence of Warren that's just plain wrong IMHO.
Sorry for bitching but Warrens vocals are great.
And he's such a mellow person i'd expect he didn't complain.
Make the stage bigger.

i also was at last night show (lower balcony, middle), and IMHO it was incredibly lame.

got to my seat and was really psyched to see bobby play with P&F....he can only enhance the sound, right? they come out and the Beacon erupts, but Warren is no where to be seen. Opening chords, cheers, still psyched, but i lost any interest as soon as Bobby started playing.

The first set was a joke in terms of how Bobby's pedal-steel-sounding guitar fit into the mix. Bobby was so out of place and it was distracting. Warren wasn't a factor, and i was surprised that P&F was Bobby's backup band. Great to hear bobby's voice, but his guitar was out of place.

The first set was incredibly underwhelming. the set ended, or perhaps fizzled out, and the band just walked off. no hugs, no love, no thunderous cheering from the audience. the audience (at least in my area) was still trying to figure out what was going on with Bobby, Warren and the rest of the band. did anybody notice that Warren was REALLY far away from weir and even when he was on stage didn't play all that often?

when the band came out for the second set, the crowd almost seemed to ignore them. there was no thunderous cheering. just some underwhelmed cheers. second set was played better, probably becuase the band got louder and bobby's guitar was drowned out.

there was an point at the beginning of Rider that I think sums up last night's show. Bobby was about to start singing, but Warren was obviously not ready for him to do so. in typical P&F fashion Warren just stated jamming into rider - in other words leading with music, not the lyrics. Bobby pulled back from singing and seemed a bit taken back by Warren's jam. there was, imho, a definite misunderstanding (or was it bad vibes?) between Bobby and Warren, and it didn't help the show.

Third set/encore, whatever...was ok. no expecting much and didn't receive much. when the show was over, there were no introductions, hugs, shout-outs to the crowd, nothing. they simply walked off.

ok, here are my conclusions:
1. the first set was a public sound-check
2. i love seeing bobby with phil (THANK YOU!!)
3. bobby's pedal-steel-sounding guitar was VERY much out of place and distracting
4. glad i didn't spend more money to buy a loge or floor seat
5. i can't imagine i would want a copy of that show
6. If P&F wants bobby to play with them, they need to practice and figure out if Warren has a place in the band (because based on last night, it doesn't seem like Warren has a place)
7. P&F's focus on jamming and creating new interpretations of the music didn't mix well with Bobby's focus on songs and playing late 80s/early 90s GD riffs
8. an acoustic Bob Weir/P&F show might be more appropriate


sorry for such a gloomy report, but the show just didn't happen for me. i've seen enough GD, Weir/Wasserman, Ratdog, P&F shows to know what constitutes a good show, and for me last night was just lame.

Brian

ps. i'm not trying to be extra gloomy, but the show didn't work for me.

Bob Weir gives me a headache. What a cheese-fest.
Oh well, can't win 'em all. peace and further,
Hilary

To anyone left out in the cold last night, dont fret. Seeing Bobby with Phil was fun, but not the same type of intensity the rest of the run had. Maybe the crowd was spent after such a sweet tour. I know I was a little tired. Baroco ripping through Samson was worth the 39.50 alone.
Thanks Phil, Bob, Rob, Warren, Jimmy, John.

well now....sounds like a mix of emotions. I still wish I had been there, as it would have evoked some fond memories.
IMHO that's what make PLQ special...its not a tribute to old days, its a new interpretation of music that still lives and breaths ( sp?).
My largest disappointment was a Further show where Kimock and friends did "covers" but the music didn't take off....and w/out Garcia it seeemed....well...contrived and forced ? ( Hornsby, I still think has some great chops and grooves) This current PLQ lineup has something special....the same Xfactor or whatever that exisits in a great band when everyone is doing thy're thing and don't even look up at each other to make transitions, etc.
Bobby Ace is still the frontman...and always will be. He's good at it and with the Dead he was great at it. Ratdog, IMHO has not hit their peak, and I think he's somewhat jealous that Phil has got a great little thing here.
I will see ratdog and/or Bobby shows, because he plays freaking strange rythem/lead guitar, and he puts on a show.
Say thanx for a great tour and a little dose of what was, and hearing some good music w/ Bob.

After this fall tour, I will continue to see PLQ, esp. in this lineup- for that certain feeling that makes me go emmm, emmm, good.....that's something I never thought I'd say again after 1995

Peace ......

Phil's band is like a fine Swiss watch, adding an extra uneeded guitar player is like adding an extra uneeded gear or spring to the watch. Don't dick with the mix as we say in the studio. I love and respect Bobby, but he has absolutely nothing to add to this lineup and, without major rehersal time, can only detract from the overall symbiosis that this band can create. And taking Warren out of the lineup is like taking the glue out of your model airplane; the thing that holds it all together is missing. IMO Warren is the key to making this lineup as great as it is. There were two other lineups of P&F that were close to this lineup (fall '99, spring '00), and as good as some of those shows where does anybody notice that it was when Warren and Jimmy were put together that this band took off like gangbusters? Anyway, I hope most folks had fun last night. I think the key to enjoying it would have been to not expect it to reach the levels of the previous shows on the tour.

.....enough of this complaining. The show was hot! It was NOT a standard P&F show (those were over on Sunday) and shouldn't be viewed as one. Whatever the reason that Warren didn't play on some of those songs is unimportant. He is an incredible musician and we all know that. As for those who felt that he was being 'underutilized' or ignored, I saw the Saturday night show and when Dicky came out to play with Warren Jimmy faded in to background for the mini-set. Sometimes it just works that way.... 3 guitars is alot for many songs...
-The Old Buggs

BTW: Warren has got to be one of the best guitar players going!

Wow
Sounds like Bob factor is an overwhelming thumbs down.


Hot sauce commodities tumble, Izod files chapter 11....

BOBBY AND FRIENDS @ THE BEACON

Preshow---lots of people milling around..huge lines to get in as a result of
the numbers of fake tickets....late start -around 8:30pm?....Had great seats
on the floor with plenty of room (4 seats for the 2 of us). Fortunately the sweaty spinner from 11/26 and the whistler were nowhere to be found. We did have the "clapper" next to
us but it was tolerable for me but not my friend who was sitting next to him. Phil was not sporting his good looking 70's wristbands...but I understand that he has not had them on in a while

It was definitely Bobby and friends. The show was unreal. After seeing
what we thought was a very weak 11/26 Phil show we were hoping Bobby could turn
it up a little. IMHO he did. (The other Phil shows/reviews sounded MUCH MUCH better than ours.) Echoing some of the comments above...you couldn't listen to it everyday but last
night it ROCKED! Bobby took the lead and sang nearly every song. I think
Phil enjoyed not being on center stage sitting back and playing with an old
friend. He seemed to be laughing at times while watching Weir pull out his
favorite Bob Star moves. (for the most part Bob resisted his usual screams
and yelps). The first set flew by...Look at the setlist: Sugar
Mag>NFA>Other One> (the Other 1 was a bit short but if I shut my eyes it felt like I was back at MSG) Cryptical !! It was unreal...only weak point was an
uninspiring Cassidy. 2nd set -- West LA had a rougher harder edge to
it....UJB was one of the best ever!! The rider rocked...Good Lovin -- I
braced myself for the screaming to begin but Bob stayed in control ...Great
show - Great night!! Oh and for all you folks that are so down on Bobby...(I know what you mean) Give the guy a break. He ran the show last night and ran it very well. I would like to see them after a little more practice....Now that would be something!

"WELL I WAS FEELING...OOHH SORTA BAD....ASKED MY FAMILY DOCTOR BOUGHT WHAT I HAD....HE SAID BABY BABY...IT'S FOR SURE....---I GOT TH
E CURE....HEY HEY HEY HEY OWW WOW YOOOWW WOOW" BW

You thought 11/26 was weak?


Uh ................

To all of my dear friends.

I thought last night was wonderful. No it wasn't PLQ. It was Bobby and Phil and a chance for PLQ to do some of the classic Bobby tunes. The mix was the best of the run although the vocals were still subpar. They really need to tighten the sound up.
I thought Warren showed incredible class in allowing Bobby a little light. I also thought that it allowed Jimmy to stretch his chops considerably! He is amazing! Greg was awesome as usual.

So many of my phriends think that Bobby is such a lame waste. My opinion is that he is an incredibly gifted songwriter and showman. His guitar was set up to constantly remind me of Lennon's sound in revolution, so metallic! it was cool!

The show was everything an old dead head could have wished for. Two old friends jamming. No it wasn't PLQ but it was wonderful!

Warren is the greatest and he doesnt have to show it every night. This run showed why we are all blessed. To all those that somehow can't stomach Bobby (!?) give yourself a chance.,..dont forget my friends that once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if YOU LOOK AT IT RIGHT!

Love and peace to all
Namaste,
Myles

ok>>>>heere we go....soundcheck 4pm to 4:50 as heard from the side doors..cassady>music
never stopped>good lovin>tenn jed>bird song>sugar mags>truckin...all with bobby.then off to the meet and greet..held in a
disco/bar next to the beacon"ivy`s" its called,,about 300 assorted freaks..they gave u a poster made up just for tonight when u
entetred and a tube for it and a buton,then they had an open bar for beer and soda,drinks were cash,but i dont so i`m not
sure,but i know the beer and soda were free,,no substances though,didint smell a single whiff of the kind,they had tables set out
with wrap sandwiches,chips,dip ,veggies,nice size shrimp..they had music going,they were playing the soundboards from phils
run this past week,heard the Watchtower from the other night..very good stuff,really excellent boards..after bout 45 the band
came in and it was pretty chaotic,they didint set up any procedure or line thingy,they just had about 6 card tables lined up and
the band sat down and the massses rushed the tables,to get thier posters signed and whatever they brought..bobby did not
come to the meet and greet,,finally security tried to herd the group into a line and make some order out of it,,this all imo should
have been set up..about 3/4 of the folks got thier posters and whatnot signed,but about 45 min in,phil said they had to go..and
they did...as for the show well....it was not a plq show it was a phil and booby doing deadsongs back by his band plus greg
osbey for the second set..and imo it was very amazing stuff,warren took 2 breaks where he left the stage and the rest of the
band backwed phil and bobby..the only songs they actually didint do from the sound check were tenn jed and music never
stopped..the rest wrere played plus a whole bunch more including a very intense dark star in about 3 segments and a racous
playin in the band..they played 2 full sets and a third mini-set after the 2nd,with no break and the house lights never went up..the
set-list`s will follow i`m sure,,i was in the efffing first row center took about 4 rolls of 24 ..haze spent the first set in the front row
too..he took lotsa pics also..bobby was on stage from beginning to end and they had a ,from what could see,,a great
time..warren didint sing any solo songs tonight,like i said it was deadsongs..not a regular phil show..

Was it me or did everyone else notice that Bob and Warren were not on the same page last night? Overall I felt the energy level was nowhere near the weekend shows. As a matter of fact I felt this show lacked direction and energy. But hey that's my opinion. Good job by Bob.. screwing up the words during a few songs last night. Sorry for the bashing but I expected much more. I guess the PLQ does not need extra help from old friends.

I had many of the same feelings expressed about the show in prior posts, good, indifferent, great and fantastic.

Bottom line: Thanks Phil & Friends and Bobby. Think of it as a fine wine. Age it for a few years in the bottle, let it breathe when you open it up and enjoy the moment. Years from now, some of you folks that overly panned the show will listen to the recording and say what was I thinking??

On a micro level, Jimmy played a wonderfully great solo during Good Lovin. So much so it reminded me a little of Jerry's phrasing. Barracco played his heart out and held the time thru-out and ofcourse Weir played his rockstar role to the hilt.

Maybe it was a bit nostalgic to expect anything but a reprise of TOO. I enjoyed it for what it was, lots of fun for me and probably a one time opportunity to see Phil and Bobby play together again.

I know I am just an old timer, but this is the 30th anniversary (12/6/71 Felt Forum) of seeing Bobby and Phil together. I felt reconnected to something very special. The set list was all Bobby but look at the songs! This was a masterpiece. Not the "swiss watch" of PLQ, but since when did the dead deliver a swiss watch!?! hahaha anarchy, chaos but a doorway. TAKE IT!

I LOVE PLQ. I also love Ratdog (at least the last 2 years).

I can't get enough of both bands, different approach to the same bliss.

I'd rather both bands tour together and occasionally mix it up. Last night was very special, let's be grateful that Phil and Bobby are both healthy and vital guru's! Same church/different sermon!!!

I wouldn't want PLQ or Ratdog to disappear. Just keep on letting us dance and connect to each other. We are the show!!!!!!

Love and Light
Namaste
Myles

As far as the meet and greet went, i am really pissed that I spent $500.00 for two tickets and they got up and left before I got a chance to meet them. It just isn't right. I thought it was very rude of them not to stay and meet everyone.

Richie,

I know you are pissed and you have every right to be disappointed. Your donation will help the families of some very brave people carry on. Thank you for your generosity!

namaste
Myles

Brian (Bjbcook) purports to know what constitutes a good show. No offense buddy (love and hugs all around), but so many factors go into one's perception of a show that nobody can be totally objective, no matter how hard they try. For example, how anyone could have thought Hershey Park this summer was any good is beyond me. The best part of that show was the roller coasters. The stage faced the wrong way, the floor was concrete and the music was sleep-inducing. But then I read here that some people actually liked it. As far as I'm concerned, I loved the Roseland, absolutely loved it, thought the LA Greek was much better than the Berkeley Greeks, thought Camden was very good, and was blown away by the three I saw on this run (Tue,Wed,Fri).

Last night goes to the top of the list. Is it because it was so...different? Perhaps. Look, I'm no huge Bob fan and I can't argue that his guitar doesn't always sound right, and that he couldn't play in the early years, but his playing is much improved and last night he was phenomenal, like his life (and career) depended on it. He and the sax guy added whole new layers of depth and complexity to the sound. Brian also says, 'Bobby started to sing Rider but Warren wasn't ready for him to do so.' Isn't that the point? This show MOVED! So much energy, so little downtime. Maybe it wasn't paced for heavy doses of mushroom, but, hey, I wasn't on them. Warren, though in a lesser role, contributed mightily. He's incredible. An all-time great night, imho, as well it should have been, as the benefit for 9-11 and NYC. Thanks.

Bobby didn't show for the meet N greet ?...thats wrong.........

>>The show was unreal. After seeing what we thought was a very weak 11/26 Phil show we were hoping Bobby could turn it up a little.

You seem to be in the minority here. While I didn't see the UBC Benefit, I would like to defend the 11/26 show. It was great. And I've seen many, many Phil & Friends shows. What was cool about 11/26 was that there was a lot of jamming between songs but it was jamming with purpose. When they went back into Slipknot after St. Stephen (which surprised me) all of the jamming they did during and out of St. Stephen (which I thought was some of the best I've heard them do) all of a sudden made perfect sense. I just thought it was great -- my favorite of the run although I don't think many would agree with me. (I didn't go to Sunday either).

So I have to disagree with you. But I'm glad you enjoyed Bob Weir.

The 26th was wonderful! My only criticism was the sound NOT the musicians. They rocked! It was heavenly. The setlist was incredible.

namaste
Myles

Monday a weak show...My suggestion listen to
it on tape...Far from weak..

Whoops what I meant was 11/27 not 11/26 I was not atthat one....sorry for the typo

Myles:

I know that the money will go to help the familes, which is why my band is doing a benefit on 12/16 for the UBC 9-11 Fund. My friend spent all morning of her only day off baking brownies for the band. We brought them along with flowers for them and it was totally wrong that we didn't get a chance to give the band the gifts. I'm shocked and hurt that Phil would treat his fans that way.

Richie

I would have to say that Monday was far from a weak show. Totally balls out rock and roll. That West LA Fadeaway was killer, with Phil laying down the big bass bombs throughout. The second set was a killer opener Playin>Birdsong>DarkStar .

This was in my opinion one of the best shows I have seen in the last few years, a truly stellar night, with lots and lots of energy in the crowd.

Seeing last nights show is making me consider the trip to NYE seem even more enticing.

Can't wait to hear the tapes of the show.

frank,

go for it! the bombs that Phil dropped last night and all last week (monday!) were awesome! He is the MAN!

I felt the same way about the placement of this show in the upper eschelon of them all.

I reread all of the posts and I love you all. It's a big bus that takes us all Further. All of our voices sing together if not always to the same tune!

I can't wait till my next show! I only wish I knew when it was!

Love and Light,
Namaste
Myles

I got to the show last night late. I really didn't want to go. My friend John and Beth literally had to drag my ass off the couch and put me in the car. I think the moving factor was when they started saying "What kind of a deadhead are you!". They where determined that we would find tickets. I really had no intention all night to go into the show. When I saw a few middle age business tycoons in suits outside with hundreds of dollars in their hand looking for tickets, I really didn't even feel like looking for a ticket! To piss me off even more, there was a pack of 15 year old girls SCREAMING that "TREY!!!!!" was going to play tonight. All the ingredients for a bad show already.

Anyway, somewhere during the first set, we where all at Yogi's Bear bar listening to John Cash and sucking down cool BUDWEISERS. Thats right about when we realized this had all the settings for a perfect night! My buddy john, and someother dude from jersey, got a notion and tip and before you know it I was in the show! John got in for 18 bucks I might add! HA!

I cant comment on the first set since I missed it. SJF let me know how great it was. Thanks Scott. The rest of the show was hot. It was nice to hear Bobby filling in some licks. It was really nice to hear Playing in the Band after hearing them tease it a million times. Still would have liked to have heard the greatest story or Bucket but hey, beggars cant be choosers. West LA started to shake the lower balcony a little, Good Loving rocked.

12 shows and 2200 miles later --->
schmegg

>Monday a weak show...My suggestion listen to
it on tape...Far from weak..

Need to clarify I was responding to the
11/26 monday show..


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saw the 11/27 show that JP11 mentioned was weak and sort of agree. Last night was explosive! It was fun and fast paced...Bobby was tearing it up and as always loving center stage. Lots of energy - had the Beacon rocking.

Bobby Bashers... Just got home from a 10 hour all night drive, excited to hear everyone's view on the show, and lo and behold... I as much as anyone try to respect a person's right to their opinion, but I really can't believe the bullshit being spewed here. First of all, I think a lot of people do not really understand the reason and true meaning of this show. It was a charity benefit for God's sake!! I don't think it was necessarily intended for Warren Haynes or PLQ, for that matter, to pay tribute to the courage and heart of a great city that has endured such a horrible tragedy. More so, I believe it was a chance for old friends, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir (two great men who should be admired and respected for what they do) to express their sincerest condolences, gratitude and admiration to NYC in the best way they know how.

Yes, it is a little sad that Bobby's presence diminishes Warren's, but I think it was with tremendous grace and dignity that Warren step aside for one night to let Bobby shine. And after a long run of great shows, I also believe it was extremely gracious of Phil that Bobby have the spotlight on this night.

No, I would not say the show totally gelled, but it had it's moments of eloquence, and I think it is a little absurd to assume that lineup would be as tight as PLQ considering they only had just the one night to play. On another note, I believe it was terrific to let Jimmy Herring have a little bigger piece of the pie for a change. He is amazing!!! AND honestly, no disrespect to Rob (he also is amazing), but I would pay to hear Bobby sing Playin' In the Band instead of RB anyday! Those are Bobby's songs!! And no disrespect to Ratdoggy, but seeing Bobby playing along with such a stellar group of musicians, spectacular light show, good sound system and beautiful venue is the greatest gift I could have been given.

As for all you Bobby bashers... We all knew from the day it was announced that Bob Weir was going to be the special guest for this show. Why do you buy the ticket?! Stay home if it makes you so unhappy and let the people who really appreciate it all get in the show!!

God bless all the boys and New York City!! Peace.

I was at the 11/27 show that JP11 said was weak and have to agree...Last night was definitely a change of pace. Bob had the place rocking...Many of you have said that you felt they weren't that together but I didn't feel that. It was a fast paced energetic show. If you are into hour long spacey jams this wasn't for you. Bob loved taking center stage all night and did a great job. Thought it was a nice change of pace for Phil. I know lots are down on Bob - cheezy at times - but I thought it was great to hear them together again.

Does anyone else think that it was in poor taste to play Samson & Deliliah (I'm gonna tear this building down) at a benefit for WTC victims?

there was a sonic, psycedelic cleansing of new york city, GD style. It was great, IMHO to see good freinds play together, as a benifit for the city and the world. It was definately NOT a ratdog show, as some gloomies are saying, It also was not a PLQ show, but somewhere in the middle, and it was Psycedelic in the Jams. listen back to the tapes, The criptical with the other one was a beutiful Keasey tribute. Dripping w/ cosmic force. As a musician i know the most powerful nights are not always the ones w/ perfect song endings, its the ones where it gets hairy in the middle because youe conjoured up the spirits that want to be there. That was last night. Come on it was great to hear the Jerry songs, like West LA Fadeaway, and Birdsong sung by Bobby. Think of the emotion of the lives that they lived together... To call it a Cheezefest?? Come on hillary(phanatic) you should stick with trey and his crew, while they are talented, they are devoid of any spirituality whatsoever. So it will never go into the HIGHER LEVEL LIKE PHIL AND BOBBY CAN. no wonder you and the others had a hard time enjoying yourself. Your mission seems selfish. mayby you should not see so many shows, or become a musician of this caliber and see what it takes to put on a good show, night after night, as Phil so incrediby does, and let him enjoy a night playing with a brother, and laughing and crying for the past and the future...

jp11,

Thanks for the clarification, I agree that the 9/27 show wasn't one of the better ones (except I thought Lovelight, I know You Rider, and Beautifully Broken were well done).

Jason:

I happen not to like Phish and think that going to a Phil & Friends concert is like going on a spiritual retreat. The spirit ust wasn't there last night. I am also a musician, and my band never ends songs perfectly, probably because we never rehearse or play the song the same way twice, but there just didn't seem to be any of the magic last night that I felt at teh other 10 shows I saw this tour.

Richie

Have to agree with Jason (lordsterling)...Not a cheezfest...
Richie - maybe you are reading into it a bit too much. Didn't think it bothered too many...

I AGREE WITH THE BAD CALL ON SAMSON'S, ALTHOUGH A GREAT TUNE EVERY ONE SING THE CHORUS "TEAR THIS OLD BUILDING DOWN" WAS EEIRE

What happened to Corina.....I was told they sound checked it last night too...just kidding....that would have been a "cheezfest" this was not.....

I agree too...but it sure did not bother the guy behind me with the steal your face tee shirt who was screaming the lyrics in my ear

JP11 - weren't you complaining about the sweaty spinner (11/27 post), the whistler, and the clapper...now the drunk frat guy. You have seriously bad luck...maybe you need a skybox?

hahahahahahahaha JP When I saw your post, I was just glad that I didn't have My syf shirt..

I was also singing and grinning all night long.

bad choice of songs?? the dead nah never hahaha
I was just afraid we all would tear this old building down with the dancin!

>Brian (Bjbcook) purports to know what constitutes a good show. No offense buddy (love and hugs all around), but so many factors go into one's perception of a show that nobody can be totally objective, no matter how hard they try.

hey georgie (Georgie), for the record i wasn't trying to be objective. i am not a reporter, i was simply giving my opinion. Besides, no one person can ever define a good show. A common definition just doesn't exist.

If you don't agree with my opinion, fine. what don't you agree with? I was measuring last night's concert against P&F and Bobby from summer tour. Bobby sounded much better with P&F during the summer, imho. they seemed to have practiced for the summer tour and it showed.

I don't understand how the band can sound so great during the summer tour with Bobby and so poor last night. If there was an understanding of how to bring Bobby into the mix, it certainly worked this past summer. Last night it didn't.

If anybody can explain why Bobby's guitar sounded so out of place, especially during the first set, please enlighten us. it was a distraction early on, IMHO.

Part I

Outside before the show, the rumors are rampant... David Crosby is showing
up... I hear Trey is showing up... Maybe Hendrix.

But it is Bobby's night, plain and simple,a show designed for him to bask in
the spotlight-- for better or worse. Sax player Greg Osby made an
appearance at the pre-show "meet and greet", no doubt leading to those David
Crosby rumors ("I saw Greg Osby"; "I just heard someone saw David Crosby.")

The show kicks off about 8:30; Barraco, Weir, Herring, Lesh, Molo-- but no
Warren-- for a crowd-pleasing "Sugar Magnolia." Crowd-pleasing, fun-- but
not, if you know what I mean, "magical." I am not sure that the "Weir in
for Warren" substitution is such a great idea.

As I say, from the get-go it is Bobby's night. Jimmy of course tears it up
completely on the extended outro, which gives way to the familiar Bo Diddley
beat of "Not Fade Away." Warren walks on stage to join in the fun, soloing
as he comes, to an eruption of applause and cheer. "Not Fade Away" is a
joy, all the vocalists singing together, just right on the money, the energy
of this 1-2 punch has everyone dancing. Then, of course, it gives way to
the jam-making machine, going through a dissonant space jam, then a "bird
calls" jam. Then back toward the "Not Fade Away" riff. Phil walks over to
Bobby (who is stage left, sort of in front of Jimmy) and the two of them
face off; Lesh is grinning. Then the NFA beat flips over into an "Other
One" jam, which seems to go on and on in "Other One" space before Lesh drops
the familiar opening bass line, and a full on, brisk "Other One" envelopes
the place. Big. Thundering. Weir snarling out the verses. Almost scary.
And then, as if someone threw a switch, "Crypical Envelopment." Weir sings.
But "Cryptical" is but a brief weigh station; they're through it and off
into one of those time-shifting, tumbling, head-over-heels transitional
jams. Weir takes a stab at leading the band into the next song. But you
don't "lead" this band; it knows full well what song is coming next, and it
will get there when it gets there. The jam slows, Warren takes a lead
solo-- and then, at the end of a measure, he inverts the riff, and it is
"Samson and Delilah." Jammed out, intense, off to the races, and featuring
a nice drum flourish by Molo.

"Samson", full of energy, ends in a full stop.

After coming out of the gate with, jams aside, "Sugar Mag" > "Not Fade Away"
. "The Other One > Cryptical" > Samson & Delilah", the boys clearly have a
dilemma: now what? Weir announces that "We are now going to try and do one
of the most difficult things in all of music-- slow things down a little.
Trust me, it'll be worth it." Warren walks off. and I begin to wonder...

Then Weir takes the band into a sweet "Cassidy". His guitar tone, I notice,
is a stinging wah-wah-drenched buzz, almost like a bumble bee. It is a wise
choice, I figure, enabling him to stand out and apart from the sonic spaces
the other two guitarists occupy-- although later, on more than one occasion,
his buzzing lead work will be heard when perhaps he should have been
chording, leaving more space for the other soloists. Warren, in particular,
was entirely less present than he usually is, should have been, and for all
the nostalgia of seeing Bobby and Phil together, that was a drag. For my
money, I shouldn't have heard a Weir lead all night. Not when his obvious
instrumental strength is those exclamation point chords, and the band just
happens to boast Herring and Haynes (and, set 2, Osby.)

"Cassidy" contains two distinct jams, and Rob Barraco shines on both of
them. Indeed Rob was on all night; there seemed to be a simpatico
relationship between Weir and Barraco, Rob's unbridled barrelhouse and honky
tonk work suiting Weir's songs to a tee. (Weir could do well to borrow him
for a tour when the Quintet is off.) Herring and Rob pace the jam. Then
back into the end of "Cassidy"-- sweet-- and then, as if I even have to tell
you, "Sunshine Daydream." Rob is rollicking, barrelhouse style, and Lesh is
beaming again as Weir finishes off the song, and set. Warren, who walked
off for "Cassidy", has not returned.

Between set observations: every song a Weir song from the Dead's repertoire,
and less Warren Haynes than would have suited my tastes. The core magic of
the band-- the band's "chi"-- is off kilter, out of balance. But the power
of the set is undeniable. The power, if not the magic.

to be continued...

Part II.

The whole cast and crew is on stage for set two-- The full Quintet, Weir,
and saxman Greg Osby, who sat in the entire set, to fine effect.

The band kicks off with a jam that wants, positively wants, to be "Bird
Song." It flits all around, without ever actually becoming, that song.
Osby shines. Then the jam resolves itself (of course!) Into "Playin' in the
Band." A brisk workout, then off into a smooth, expertly executed jazzy
space for Osby to solo over.

Then it is off into the transitional chaos, and I hear the groupmind thing
going on, and Osby is a part of it. But running against the grain, looking
for a place to fit in but outside the collective, is that buzzing Weir lead.
One approach to ensemble playing is, if you don't know what to play, play
nothing. Too often, not sure what to play, Weir goes the other way.

The music resolves itself into a jam that wants to be "Bird Song" even more
than the previous jam did, containing teases from most of the soloists.
Finally Lesh nods, once, to Barraco, and the jam's wish is fulfilled.
Only-- Weir is singing the thing. At this point, it is clear he will be
singing every song. Unabashed Haynes fan that I am, I begin to ponder for a
moment the prospect of a Weir-sung "Soulshine" or "Patchwork Quilt." I get
a shiver, make a face.

But "Bird Song" is sublime, owing in no small part to Osby; this is one of
those songs the Dead always broke out when a horn player was sitting in. It
gives way to one of the few truly magic Quintet-esque jams of the night,
eventually redolent of "Dark Star" teases, until finally the proper opening
riff is played and it is "Dark Star." Weir sings the verses, with Barraco
making a contribution. Warren, perhaps bursting out with something to say,
takes a sweet solo out of the singing portion of the song. Then the music
morphs into a "Lovelight"-type jam, and then descents into a slow, funky jam
that, it soon becomes clear, is "West LA Fadeaway", a Garcia song in the
Weir/Ratdog repertoire. And off, again, goes Warren. I'm looking at his
unattended mic like someone stole my puppy, but Osby's fluid leads, and
Herring's beautiful, busy-in-the-right-way, counterpoint leads make the song
soar over a Phil-and-Rob foundation.

The jamming out of "Fadeaway" meanders back to "Dark Star"-- but still no
Warren, and Weir all over the place with his buzzing lead, which now sounds
as if it stands apart from the music the rest of the group is making. I do
not need Weir on "Dark Star", and I keep looking over at that empty mic
stand. Jimmy Herring though, God bless him, kicks it up three notches,
flying across the fretboard, taking the jam home. And then-- as if someone
had flipped over a pancake-- suddenly "Uncle John's Band." Finally Warren
returns, and of course promptly tears the song to shreds. The front line
harmony vocals-- Weir, Lesh, Haynes, as well as Barraco-- is a little slice
of Deadhead heaven. And it sure looks that way for Phil. The song includes
an extended jam, then back into strong vocals for the "Come, hear..." part.

Out of "Uncle John's Band" and into a brisk "Playin' tease" that resolves
into the chords of "I Know You Rider." The three-part harmonies this band
has worked up so beautifully-- Warren, Phil, Rob-- are in full force; Weir
hangs back from the mic until he gets his own verse, "The sun's gonna
shine..." That dynamic may have summed up the whole show. In between,
Herring wails like a mofo. Then for the final chorus, Weir steps up and it
is the four of them singing, the set climax.

A longer break than usual before the encore, which is more of a mini-set.
Weir (it was, after all, his night, ) and Lesh come out, and Lesh talks
about the cause (it was a benefit for NYC cops and firefighters from 9/11).
Then Lesh walks off stage and Weir, alone, begins laying down a chorded
rhythm. Barraco, then Herring, come sauntering out and pick it up; then, I
think, Molo. Warren comes out and lays his guitar on top. Then, last, Lesh
comes on, adds the bottom, and from here it is a hop, skip and jump to
Truckin', which Warren announces in his best slightly off-kilter but
on-the-money fashion. It is a strong version, but compact; Weir, Barraco,
and Lesh sing the harmony parts. Barraco gleefully vamps it up in the outro
jam, Weir does that by-now slightly annoying buzzing thing, and the band
turns over into a "Good Lovin'" jam, wherein Weir's wah wah buzz seems more
at home. The jam is more like the older Dead versions of the song, but when
the song proper begins it is Weir's version, and he nails it. On the outro,
Weir gives shoutouts to NYC cops and firemen, and then there is a nice
exchange-- Weir vamping on the vocals, trading lines with Warren's
hyperslide guitar, back and forth. It is a small but magic moment that
perhaps ends too soon. Then, as if I even have to tell you, back gingerly
over to a "Playin' Reprise" jam that goes this way and that before Weir
jumps and lands to bring the band back into the song. Here it is groupmind,
and song and concert are brought to a sweaty close.

It was not the typical Phil Lesh & Friends set. Weir was lead singer all
night, and the entire setlist was tailored to him. None of the new
material, no Warren songs, nothing at all sung by Warren. I had been
wondering beforehand if Weir would "get in the way", and I have to think
that any objective observer would conclude that, yes, he did. This fivesome
is a ten-handed beast with one brain, and you do not become a part of that
brain in one night.

Haynes and Herring are the most telepathic set of guitarists I have ever
heard, and I missed that telepathy last night, Weir taking much of the space
usually occupied by Warren. Some folks on the board have speculated that
Warren and Bobby may have clashed musically; I prefer to think that Warren,
consummate gentleman that he is, stepped back for this one night. So it was
not the magical experience that the typical Lesh quintet shows have
routinely become. But it was most certainly a fun show, if you were up for
it.

"If anybody can explain why Bobby's guitar sounded so out of place, especially during the first set, please enlighten us. it was a distraction early on, IMHO."

The expression is: "Too many cooks in the kitchen" but I shan't elaborate...

Don

Brian,
Well, you've got me. I didn't see Bob w/Phil this summer (didn't he only play 3 tunes), so I can't compare last night with that. I have seen lots of P&F, JGB, Weir, and Dead through the years and just thought last night was spectacular, that's all.

Your comment on the 1st set being a public sound check was funny, and almost accurate in that when Warren left for Cassidy, the mix was all wrong. Bob was too loud and Jimmy too soft - Jimmy actually ripped it up, but you couldn't hear him. And there was a big sound void on the left of the stage. That dissonant Revolution-sounding guitar tone that someone mentioned doesn't always work, I agree, but by the second set, the sound was tweaked, he was using different tones, and doing those patented Bobby things...a little fill here, some power chords there, a crazy mini-lead (if you can call it that) somewhere else. I'm no musician, so I don't know what it is, but it's good and it's been missed. All those hours on the tennis court has him looking pretty youthful and exuberant as well. Not that that matters, but with this band it's refreshing

Geez, I never thought I'd be defending Bobby!

Why can't I post on this board?

I saw Bobby play with P&F twice over the summer. He played 3 or 4 tunes in the first set each time with P&F, then left and the band finished up without him. One night, it worked really well, we got a great Cassidy... The next night, it sounded a bit labored.

In my opinion, it was nice to see Bobby and Phil playing together, sure, but the 3 or 4 songs a show was plenty for me. I don't think I'd want to see a show where Bob sang ALL night long, and they only did Bob/Ratdog tunes...

P&F have a very unique chemistry that's working amazingly well these days. Adding more ingredients only threatens to fuck up the winning recipe they've got. But for one benefit show, I guess there's no harm...

Don

I heard that warren was sick last nite, the sniffles, that's why he kept leaving the stage.

Rob is fantastic. He plays great, sings great and really holds the band together, especially last night, when they needed to be held together.

Herring is very good musician. Although next to warren I feel he is somewhat lacking. He kind of sounds like a drum machine? All the notes are there but....

I think they should drop jimmy, add weir, split the singing and call it Warren Haynes and Friends!

Take post as tounge and cheek. All IMHO.

Damn Brian, thanks for the review. How the hell do you remember all the intracacies of the sets? Pretty impressive.

was phil limping last night ??? there were a few moments when he was moving around stage that he seemed to be hurt ???

I thought last nights show was spectacular.

From
http://www.relix.com/cgi-bin/content_list.cgi?type=news

The Phil and Friends seven-night run at the Beacon ended with a bang Monday thanks to Mr. Energy
himself, Bob Weir. Outside the show, crowds gathered looking for standing room tickets and the tension was
a little high. Inside the beautifully sculpted Beacon Theater, spirits were high as Bobby ripped through most
of his trademark songs.
Opening with a high-energy "Sugar Magnolia," which headed straight into "Not Fade Away," Phil and co.
made it clear that tonight was going to be a special night. The first set stormed on with more Bobby tunes
such as "Samson and Delilah" and "Cassidy," which set the crowd on fire. The first set came to a close with a
tremendous "Sunshine Daydream."
The second and third sets included some more gems, and some deep jams that have become a trademark
of Phil and Friends. These jams were deep and intricate--perfect for the set ahead. "Playing in the Band," a
Weir staple, opened followed by "Bird Song," "Uncle John's Band" and "Truckin'," which kept the crowd
moving throughout the whole set. The "Dark Star>West L.A. Fadeaway" was a highlight, which invoked
serious appreciation from the crowd. Far and away, though, the crowd pleaser of the night had to be "Good
Lovin'," which saw Bobby screaming his heart out like the old days. The show ended with a few more verses
of "Playin'" with the crowd enjoying every moment.
The band played with youthfulness and energy and their enthusiasm was definitely reciprocated by the fans.
It was wonderful to watch two founding members of the band that changed the world play together again
with such a great band behind them.  

AMEN to that review and the last postings.

My wife Joann came home from work, her first words to me, "wow that was some show last night, I felt like the Dead played the Beacon again last night!..."

She has always known how to say it better than me
Love and Light to All,
Namaste
Myles

Hey Josh(Jchasin)~ thanks for the review and taking all of us who weren't there to the show with you!! Beautiful descriptions. An honest opinion without any real moanin' and groanin'!!

two thoughts of last night
1. Bob could have at least gone to the meet & greet
2. If its going to be Bob all night, at least give us a Lazy Lightning or BTW...

I still love you Phil

And now for some Bobby Bashing:

Please don’t take this as a knock on Phil, Warren, Jimmy, John and Rob who comprise IMO, the best band on the planet.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of my great friend LG, I attended last night’s show with him and Ed. With Bob Weir on the bill, I had no intentions of attending this show, but the persistence of Ed and LG brought out my adventurous spirit and at the last minute I decided to leave work in Philly and jump into their limo headed to the Big Bobby Beacon show. Regardless of my feelings on the show, I had a great time traveling in style with my brothers to visit NYC.

I won’t write a song-by-song review for this one as it was NOT a Phil and Friends show. What we experienced was a generous and very heart warming yet foolish gesture, on PLQ"s behalf to step out of the limelight and play backup for Bob Weir. It was a Bobby Broadway Bonanza with Weir front and center, taking the vocal leads all night. It was an oldies sing-a-long type of show that had many fun moments and some isolated flashes of positive energy and musical delight (i.e. Samson and Delilah). It also had many spacey, loose and disjointed segments. Even the usually energetic Uncle John’s Band and I know You Rider seemed to drag. It was painfully obvious that Bobby was slowing the PLQ down. We could discuss the notion of dilution or subtraction by addition or talk about a show, for a night, that figuratively castrated Warren Haynes. What we saw was the intersection of two original Grateful Dead members that are heading in two different directions, one brilliantly reborn, the other slowly fading away.

Our pre-show Ground Zero visit was powerfully sad. I will never forget the overall grayness and that eerie odor. It was almost as bad as the smell of the unkind stinkweed smoked by a large group in front of us in row I left center orchestra. All night long, we were unmercifully asphyxiated with this bad BO smelling crap. It was all kind of fitting. In fact I think Stinkweed would be a more appropriate name for this Bobby led band.

I cant imagine why anyone would be dissapointed with last night's show because Bob Weir took center stage and did his thing. I have to admit I was a little dissapointed that Warren held back a little with his guitar playing and I was even a little pissed to see him leave the stage for some of the show. But I think the show was so great because it had such an authentic grateful dead sound because of Bobby doing his thing just like he would do during a dead show. I like to hear Warren and Rob Borroco sing but I really can't say I missed hearing Phil's voice very much. Phil should just let Warren and Borroco do the singing for the regular Phil shows and he should just stick to playing some kick ass bass. As for this irregular Phil show, the music was great as always and Bob Weir can only make the band sound better with his authentic rhythm guitar and his authentic voice which is a big part of what made the Grateful Dead so great. As a Grateful Dead fan not having the privaledge of seeing one Dead show, this seemed to be as close as it can get. I definitely dont think Ratdog is that good, but that is just because Mark Karan especially and the rest of his band are just not even close to as talented as phil's friends. So basically all I am saying is: Phil + Friends (Including Warren) + Bob = Best Possible Combination. I wouldnt mind seeing Mickey and Billy play with them too but John Molo does the trick. Peace

Quite a few negative thoughts about Bobby. Surprising. I think some people are forgeting he was an integral part of that band called the Grateful Dead (remember them) for 30 years.

Of course they played a lot of Bob tunes. Of course Bob took most of the vocals. No slight to Warren or Rob, but Bob played with Jerry for a long time and sort of has a right to sing some of those Jerry tunes like Birdsong. I'm sure he's thinkin about Jerry when he sings them. And the tunes we don't normally hear at a Phil show like Truckin or Sugar Magnolia were nice to hear once again with Phil and Bob on stage together. They were smiling at each other the whole night. And I personally would've rather heard I Need A Miracle or Estimated rather than West LA, but you don't always get what you want.

And I didn't expect the band to be as tight as PLQ because they haven't played a whole heluva lot together. A lot of people would have difficulty walking into the well-oiled machine that PLQ is.

Just remember that we all just lost George Harrison. So we won't even be able to hear a reworking of an old Lennon tune by George, Paul and Ringo ever again. So be GRATEFUL that you got a chance to see two old friends get together and play some really good music last night. And think that it was a benefit to help out people who really need it at this time.

Bottom line, if you took a step back and looked at the big picture, instead of focusing on Warren's solo time, you might have enjoyed yourself a bit more.

And for what it's worth, Uncle John's-Rider and Truckin-Good Lovin'-Playin' were smokin.

Silas, I couldn't put it much better.

I don't know what was going on in the loge, but when i looked around upstairs all i saw were people dancing and singing and whooping it up - and I was among them. My friends who were sitting down in orchestra had a grand ole time as well. Sounds like Phil was enjoying himself plenty too.

I'll admit that I didn't expect Bobby to sing the whole show, but so what. Those guys were playing their hearts out up there for us, doing their best to give us a little joy when we need it most - and for a good cause.

Saw the show from 1st row lower balcony (thanks Tim) and thought it was a great time!
As a veteran of over 150 Dead shows, I would have to say that this would have been in the top 50% of the old shows (of course no Jerry and no drumz eliminates this as a real show).
I liked the compactness of the jams and the song selection was terrific. It was a rock n roll set for the most part, not the long spacey shows that P & F usually do. What better way to exorcise the demons of 9-11 than to rock them out!
True, Warren laid back thru most of the show, but jeez...you got Weir and Lesh up there- how many more times do you think you'll ever see that?
I do think they could have done without Samson and Delilah- the "If I had my way/I would tear this whole building down" lines were EXTREMELY UNAPPROPRIATE, given the circumstances in NYC and the reason we were there.
Those of you complaining about the differnet mindset the band had on 12-3- be happy we got another Weir/Lesh gig.


The qulaity of the show will show up in the tapes.

I cried like a baby.

After reading all the messages here, I feel I have to add my 2 cents.

1. The name of the band is Phil & FRIENDS. It does not specify who, just friends. Bobby has been a friend of Phil's for over 35 years.
2. Bobby flew coast to coast twice to play for us. He was in CT on Thurs, Rex benefit in SF on Sat, and back here for a BENEFIT on Monday. Guess he really wanted to be here.
3. Bobby is a founding member of the Grateful Dead. That's why we are here. So he likes being a rock star, Big shit. Jerry liked heroin. Being a rock star might just be healthier.
4. For all of those who do not care for Bobby; why'd you even attend? Did you really think they wouldn't be doing Weir songs??? Get real.
5. From my view in the orch., all I saw was dancing and singing. That's why I was there. My mind was blown at other shows. I went for a real party.
6. At the meet & greet, Phil said they were going to "rock the bricks off the place." This was never planned to be a cerebral show. Straight rock and roll.
7. We had six night of Rob, Warren and Phil singing. While I did miss Warren playing, it was special hearing the original voice and close to the original harmonies, backed up properly.

Look...as far as I'm concerned, last night was as close as I'm going to get to seeing the Dead again. No, they're not the Dead. But they were damn good, damn hot and they "rocked the bricks off the place." What more could we want???

I'm still shocked by the overwhelmingly negative response to last night's show. I had a great time, and the people around me seemed to have a great time as well. I suspect those who didn't enjoy the show went in with their own pre-concieved notions of what this show should be and when it didn't match their expectations they decided it just couldn't be any good.

For the record, I would have loved if Warren played all night. He's one of my favorite guitarists, and I like his singing a lot as well. However, the show was billed as "Phil Lesh and Friends with special guest Bob Weir" (says so on the poster I bought last night) and that's what we got. Phil and Friends, with Bob Weir as the special guest and taking the spotlight. We got some great songs, we got some excellent playing, and most of the people there seemed to have a great time.

There are songs I would have liked to see (Jack Straw, for example, or a Let It Grow), and I probably wouldn't have picked some of the songs they selected if they had asked me, but that's the nature of these things - the band plays what they want and we get to go along for the ride. You can decide for yourself whether or not the journey is one you want to take, personally I enjoyed the trip a lot last night. Seeing Weir and Lesh obviously enjoying the shit out of playing together was awesome, it helped me remember why I got into the whole Dead scene all those years ago (has it really been that long?).

I wouldn't want to see this exact band every night of the week, not the same way I'd like to see the regular PLQ lineup. But that's okay. For one night, we got some serious rock-and-roll fun and we got to remember how much fun it is to watch Bobby do his "cheesy rock star antics" all over again. Remember, as several have said above, without Bobby there would not have been a Grateful Dead and therefore there would not be a Phil and Friends. Phil might still be setting the poetry of Allen Ginsberg to music and all our lives would be poorer for it. Bobby played well, he seemed comfortable jamming, his vocal chops were right on, and the band seemed to really get off on doing something different. Sunday night was the close of the Phil and Friends tour, Monday night was a party that we got invited to attend. I'm glad I went.

This is to all you so-called deadheads who wish to bash Bob Weir. Some may think he doesn't belong playing with Phil and friends but i would rather hear bobby or phil sing a dead tune then warren anyday. If i wanted to hear warren sing i would go to an Allmans show. If you would just go to these shows and listen to the great music you all would have a better time. I am a huge Ratdog fan and i also like Phil and when i go to these shows i just love to see them out there still kicking ass.

>> I am a huge Ratdog fan

We won't hold that against you...

show was hot, band was tight, just hated it when bobby put his hands in the air to stop the jams. its not the same as phil with warren. plus i thought the meet and greet was ghetto. i know it went to charity and all but for $250 it should have been a good time at least. most of the people in there bum rushed the table and nearly trampled the band when they walked in. and why couldn't they hold the party at a chill place where we could puff. anyway this was a hot show but i guess i just expected more magic.

Sorry to all the people who didn't get what they expected but I had a great time. The music rocked, not classic Phil&Friends, but thats part of what made it cool. Seeing Phil&Bobby standing next to each other smiling and having a grand old time made it all worth while. It would have been nice if Warren was there the whole time, but I went to see Phil and Bobby and the energy that they can create, thats what it was all about for me. Honestly, I'm surprised to see negative posts here, but I guess you can't please everyone.

Btw, I'll bet in 1965 Bobby never figured he would be singing "How 'bout a little love for the NYPD"

This is why these guys have their own bands....so they can evolve into NEW musical spaces, yet play some of the best music ever written. Obviously, they BOTH have the right to play these tunes...but when they get together, they know everyone will compare to the ol days. The benefit was to raise $$$, and they knew there would be a bigger BUZZ if they did it together. It worked, I'm sure. They had fun, and it was probably great to hear some of the other stuff that PLQ doesn't perform. In the end, they can be themselves and let their performances stand on their own with PLQ and Ratdog. This was about friendship, healing and doing the one thing they COULD to help a otherwise horrible event that will mark our lifetime, like Pearl harbor did our parents. I will see Ratdog, and enjoy, but I will FOLLOW PLQ, and find that certain satisfaction that comes from music that is growing and evolving. But i will NEVER forget what the boys' did for me, and I am always GRATEFUL to be ALIVE with those memories.
God bless PLQ and Ratdog- still the best music $50 can buy.............

Ice 9 hit it as well. Except for Unbroken Chain, Box of Rain, Tom Thumb or Broken Arrow, how many times do we get to see the vocals at a PLQ show performed by the person who originally sung the song?

Once again, no slight to Warren or Rob (I love to hear them sing) but last night you got a bit closer to the Grateful Dead. And I think if that whole combo played together on a consistent basis it would be something to see. Imagine a Weather Report Suite with that band in high gear. Don't know about you, but I'd like to see it.

And Reverend, live and let live...

>>i know it went to charity and all but for $250 it should have been a good time at least. most of the people in there bum rushed the table and nearly trampled the band when they walked in. and why couldn't they hold the party at a chill place where we could puff.

Gonna have to call you on this....

1. The doors open at 5 pm. There is free food and free beer. You are hanging out with a group of people with an obvious similar interest, so I'd have to think there were plenty of things to talk about. That sounds like a pretty nice happy hour to me.

2. "most of the people in there bum rushed the table and nearly trampled the band when they walked in." I don't see how this is the fault of the band or the establishment where the party took place. I always see the "Be Good Family" and "Practice Randoms Acts of Kindness..." bumper stickers. Practice what you preach.

3. "and why couldn't they hold the party at a chill place where we could puff." That was at the other location, a place called The Beacon Theatre. It's at 74th and Broadway. I'm sure you've heard of it. Also, does it mean that much to you that you couldn't hold off for an hour or two, and just drank the free beer?

4. To top it off, when you leave the place, you take a signed, limited edition poster with you. I'd be interested to hear from some of our collectors-Reverend Shabbazz?- to find out how much that might be worth. I'll be interested to see how many will, or maybe already have, show(n) up on Ebay and the various auction sites within the next few days. Maybe some of our other friends here could do a search on that.

5. THEN, you go to that second location and watch three hours or so of live music. Whether you enjoyed it or not, you got to see Bobby and Phil play an entire show together, along with some other pretty good musicians. All during that three hours you can smoke enough pot to blow the top of your head off, because security has been so cool the whole week. Maybe at set break you meet up with some other Zoners.

AND THE DOWN SIDE HERE IS.....

Sihead-- you left out that the $250 is tax deductible!

Ok so let me qualify my review first of all so you know where I'm coming from. I first saw the dead back in the early 80's when my brother took me to a show as a teenager. I thought it was cool then since you could rub up against girls and they didn't seem to care. At that point I didn't know anything about the scene or music but soon learned since the band kept coming to my town and i fianlly was given the right perspective if you know what I mean. Not long after that I was travelling to unknown states and venues like Merriweather and SPAC. Took in some JGB shows and it became a lifestyle. i have seen the Dead in every most states in the union in every
concievable state of mind and missed very few tours or parts of them from then on.There were tours when I didn't miss a show and saw some very special occasions like when Bill Graham was father time at new years ,Brents last show, Warlocks @ Hampton etc... Off season was spent at reggae on the river and JGB tour. As for last night I was able to return the favor to my brother who hadn't seen a show in over 15 years and take another younger cousin who is a DJ at raves worldwide and never saw anything dead related. I had a feeling it was going to be something special when I ran into Bobby on the street earlier in the day downtown in front of our hotel as he waited with Chuck his manager for a cab. We spoke breifly and he seemed genuinly interested in how the show the night before was. Fast Forward to the show. I had dinner with some kind folks who seemd disinterested before it began and were spreading what i percieved as bad vibes. I sort of took a wait and see attitude but felt in my heart that the band had no choice but to PERFORM since it was a reunion of sorts and a benifit for all those souls who died for us and the loved ones they left behind. I will spare you a detailed song by song review but enough to say that I was very impressed with the musicianship that was displayed. Phil seemed to be totally into it from the get go with his NYFD rally cap on and moving around and knees slightly bent as if he were "pushing it out" Side note, i think I saw Phil limping at the end and he may have overdone it. I was first attracted to the Dead by Bobby and was hooked by his Man smart Women Smarter, Throwing Stones renditions. as time faded I became a Jerry fan (I'll spare you those emotions)and even began badmouthing Bobby for his efforts to get some attention. (I know now it was wasted energy and speech). From my perspective it seemed like everyone was up there working hard and really enjoying themselves. At times it reminded me of totally off the hook jazz musicians fully engulfed in what they were doing and it came shining through. I'll bet there were moments when those guys didn't even know where they were and it didn't matter could have been Golden gate park 35 years ago. I was totally fullfilled as was my brother and cousin who was impressed by the fans intensity and especially Phil,Molo and Barracos playing. I always say this band should have a horn player and my wish came true. Sound quality was mangled in a few spots but overall Cutler did a fine job. I'm left to belive that those who were dissapointed either let their pre-concieved notions keep them from having an open mind or spent the night in the hallway pontificating without actually listening. You know who you are! Finally a few things that really made an impression on me. There were times when the band was getting off and I looked over to Warrrens/Jerrys side and it was just sort of dark and far away. This was odd to me and even a little spooky. Warren played his parts as well as I ever heard him play. i understand that he could have added to the show with some deep rooted soulful singing and even was shocked somewhat that Phil didn't even sing Unbroken Chain (would have been perfect) or something else. However I'm not as big a fan of Phil singing as I used to be. yeah that was me screaming "let phil sing" but I swear it wasn't me yelling "Jeeerrryyyy" in your ear at the worst possible moment. Can you relate???? I feel blessed to have been there and even bought a t-shirt that I'll probalby never wear (It is a tax write off ,right?) I probably would have kept all this to myself but a dear freind said she wanted to read what I had to say and I was feeling bad that she couldn't be there. Some would say she was there since she was being thought of. This probably sounds like I'm stickin up for Bobby but I'm not,it was a killer show in my opinion and the band rose to the occasion. I promise I'm about to shut up. As new "credible" terrorist threats emerged, What "convinced me of my pain" so to speak was that I spent the day in Central Park walking back and forth to Strawberry Fields, Firehouses and just "shaking hands with strangers" thinking about how fragile life is and how we are sad sometimes after people who touched us are gone and we didn't respect the life but cry over the death. I intend to use this experience as a lesson and further incorporate it into my everyday living. Peace to all, any comments are warmly accepted. As for rubbing up against girls, I plead the fifth or is that the eleven? Jimmy is the Man!

6. AND, you get a $250 tax deduction as well.

I went to the meet and greet for the specific purpose of meeting the band and thanking them for the joy that they bring into my life. I don't drink (so free beer doesn't do anything for me) nor do I smoke pot (so I really don't care that it couldn't be done there) - I went to meet the band and didn't get to do that - which really is fucked up. If the band had shown up on time, they would have been able to get to everyone. Also, if they had set it up properly, there would have been an orderly line and the band wouldn't have almost gotten tramnpled. It seems to me that the people that pushed shoved and what have you got to meet the band and the considerate people that laid back and waited got fucked. I also see why they had to leave at 7 PM to do a show next door that started at 8:30. Everything was already set up so all the band had to do was go on and play. It was totally unaceptable to me that everyone that paid the $250 per ticket didn't get to meet the band, as that is what the premium price basically was for.

I forgot, my friend also spent the entire morning and afternoon baking brownies for the band that she didn't get to give them.

oh did i forget to mention that for the last three songs of the second set I was crunched next to the bass player from Phish and his ole lady, he was getting hassled a little bit when someone figured out who he was but we sort of formed a shell around them and helped them have some space to rockout and he was rocking out. since he had a laminate for backstage i guess he wanted to be a part of it as well from our perspective. nice enough bro.

It would have been nice to have Mike Gordon up there for a few tunes, jamming with Phil. They sounded great together last NYE.

Having gratuitously bashed Bobby plenty back in the day, and still continuing to bash Ratdog from time to time, I, like many others, came last night to see Bobby direct traffic, snort, spit, scream "HAH!" and "NA-NA!," and got most of what I expected. I could actually have done with a little MORE "Sweet Bloomin' Daydream!"'s, "And who here needs a...little...good...lovin'?"'s and the like, but Bobby was fairly subdued, all in all.

Bobby was however allowed to play traffic cop for the most part, although occasionally PLQ tied him up, gagged him, threw him in the back of the car, drove out into the Neutral Zone, and kicked him out to find his own way home. Maybe a little more of that would have been nice, especially if Warren had been given free reign to step on Bobby if he got out of hand, but that wasn't what this show was about.

if you didn't want to see Bobby, you should have stayed home. Warren was very gracious to step aside. And if you really want to see Warren step out, go check out his X-mas Jam in Asheville on 12/21, when he will play with everybody and their mother for seven hours straight.

Last night was about Bobby.

"It was totally unaceptable to me that everyone that paid the $250 per ticket didn't get to meet the band, as that is what the premium price basically was for. "

- is that premium USDA certified? better check that.

>if you didn't want to see Bobby, you should have stayed home...Last night was about Bobby.

It was really great to see Bobby and Phil on the same stage playing together again. The point that I was trying to make (since I wrote one of the first negative commentaries), which I hope wasn't lost on everyone, was that the music, IMHO, was not performed well. Bobby's guitar was just out of place - provided more of a distraction than not. It was great to hear his vocals, but not that guitar.

I think everybody WANTED to see Bobby and feel the energy that he brings to the music, but my complaints ws that the advertised P&F with Bobby Weir didn't live up to its billing.

Personally, i hope bobby continues to play with P&F on subsequent tours. Monday night was just a poor first-step. The problem, imho, was that bobby was out of place in that line-up. The band needs to practice together! it was obvious that they hadn't practiced.

Someone previously wrote that P&F is 10 hands and one brain, which is an interesting, but perhaps useful, way to describe the cohesiveness of P&F. adding another set of hands was distracting, and unfortunately that was Bobby. On the other hand, Bobby did fit well into the P&F mix on the summer tour, so something obviously happened between summer and Monday night.

Although I did bash Monday night's performance, I continue to hope that Bobby and P&F will play together on a more permanent basis. The combination CAN be great, it just wasn't on Monday.

Brian

I don't understand how anyone can dislike Bobby so much but still love the music of the Grateful Dead.

1. He is an original member. IE he played in the band for the entire 30 years of its existance.
2. He played guitar on every song.
3. He wrote a whole bunch of the classic dead songs.
and finally
4. He sung at least a third of the songs at every show the dead ever did.

So with these facts in mind, can someone who bashes him like it's a sport but still claims to love the dead please take a moment to explain what seems to be a very contradictory postion?

>> And Reverend, live and let live...

My basic philosophy in life, my friend...The "Won't hold it against you" comment was intended (and hopefully percieved) as a joke. I bash Bob and RatDong as much as the next guy, but when it comes down to it, he's family and I would have given my left pinky-nail to have gone to this show...

>> I'd be interested to hear from some of our collectors-Reverend Shabbazz?- to find out how much that might be worth.

Don't have enough info on this one. Did a search on e-bay and didn't come across anything. Who was the artist for the poster? Was it a new Everett piece done explicitly for this show? I am most interested...Someone help me out here.

>> So with these facts in mind, can someone who bashes him like it's a sport but still claims to love the dead please take a moment to explain what seems to be a very contradictory postion?

1) 'Cause it's a fun activity to engage in
2) He makes it far too easy for us

Bobby's always been the "little brother" of the band. I laugh my ass off when I hear Pigpen and Jerry rip on Bob in the old tapes. Even the 94 September acoustig gig, Jerry is ripping on Bob. It's just part of the schtick.

A better question is, how can you look at Bob playing Rooster in teeny-tiny cutoff shorts and a pink guitar and NOT bust his chops a bit?!?

Do we REALLY DISLIKE Bobby? Of course not. He's part of the family. I loves me some Sugar Mags, Samson, Truckin', etc etc...

Do we REALLY DISLIKE some Bobby Tunes? I can't stand Rooster or Walkin Blues...And the Black Helicopter encore is a bit much for me to handle...

So, I think some of the people who get overly offended about the "Bobby bashing" need to develop some thicker skin.

> if you didn't want to see Bobby, you should have stayed home...Last night was about Bobby.

Oh. I thought it was about the benefit. But since, Bobby was there, I suppose it had to be about him.

Very well put Rev.
Not much for me to add to that brilliance.
Sure some folks here bash Bobby.
Does that mean we hate him,no we like Bobby.
But you see Phil has us all spoiled and the emergence of Warren has been just too amazing.

Before I figured out what Phil was doing in 99 with all the changing band members???,I had no idea this would be the final product,pleasant surprise.

Here's my idea for Bobby's new band.
Dickey Betts/// He's a free agent Bobby
Mickey//
Billy////
Bruce///
I know i'm dreaming.

All I suggest and hope for is,next time Practice more,and try not to exclude any PLQ bandmembers.

And all this Bobby song Jerry song Phil song crap has got to go.Their Dead songs.Phil play Sugar Mag and Stranger.

Marcus' post was the best...I was wonderin' how many here think this P&F lineup will last. I do not and can only imagine the bashing and comparison rags that will be posted by the continually disillusioned.

Perspective:

Weir is one of four who never missed a Dead show.
Phil is one of four who never missed a Dead show.

Weir is Ratdog's leader.
Phil leads P&F.

Weir is a famous celebrity.
Phil is a fabulous musician.

Weir brings love and sells sauce.
Phil brings love.

Thank you Weir.
Thank you Phil.

See y'all @ the end of this month!!!

Getting back to a discussion of the show.
Did anyone hear a big fat Cumberland Blues tease? I can't remember when, I think it was somewhere in the second set. I also think I heard a tad of New Speedway prior to truckin.
Looking forward to a copy of this smokin' show.

Nice review of the show at,

http://www.jambands.com/ShowReviews/content_2001_12_05.01.phtml

No Warren on "Sugar Mag"?!
If bringing in Bob was at the expense of EITHER Warren OR Jimmy...then BAN BOB FOR LIFE!!!!
I've been dreaming of what "Sugar Mag" would sound like, with these 5 guys playing, and Bob singing and adding the rhythm...and then, to my chagrin, Warren doesn't even play on it!!!!
That's JUST NOT RIGHT!!
Bob was brought in as THEIR guest...NOT the other way around.
Now that "Sugar Mag" has been broken out...keep it in the repertoire and then we'll see some MEN do some JAMMIN' in the instrumental!!!
Not Bob playin' some pretty boy Rock Star!!!
WE WANT WARREN!!!
WE WANT WARREN!!!
WE WANT WARREN!!!

Come on now...cut The Bob Man some slack. Thinking back to my most miserable Grateful Dead show, a late 80s "save the trees" benefit show with "special" guests to end an extended MSG run. The Grateful Dead wound up playing as the house band backing up Hall & Oats and Suzanne Vega and others. Now that was a real letdown. Phil & Friends backing Bobby was yet another gracious display of Phil and his band allowing a kind brother to strut his stuff. The show was awesome in a WEIRd sort of way...bravo Phil.

Chris. thanks it was a great review and I also called Cumberland in the second set.
Reading all of the positive and negative press is so interesting. I'm glad that many of you (deep down) love Bobby as much as I do.
These guys have been my light and inspiration for 32 of my 47 years in this life and I was "thin skinned" when I saw the criticism posted here.
I am used to "dead bashing" in the outside world but was not prepared to see it here.
As far as Bobby being a celebrity...let's not get carried away...hahaha most people wouln't know him if they saw him on the streets of NY.

Love and light to all of my Brothers and Sisters
Namaste,
Myles

"A better question is, how can you look at Bob playing Rooster in teeny-tiny cutoff shorts and a pink guitar and NOT bust his chops a bit?!?"

Right on! I LOVE Bobby, and always have...but you HAVE to laugh at him from time to time! Personally, it was the Madonna t-shirt and pink guitar that killed me!! But, hey, don't WE all love THEM all...even if we don't necessairly like what's happening...

>>I don't understand how anyone can dislike Bobby
>>so much but still love the music of the Grateful Dead.
>>can someone who bashes him like it's a sport
>>but still claims to love the dead please take a
>>moment to explain what seems to be a very
>>contradictory postion?

I was there on Monday and wanted to throw my comments in…

Well, Chris, my short and simple explanation is that when Jerry died in 95, he took a huge part of Bob Weir with him. Actually, I’d say he took most of Bobby with him. I have seen Bobby MANY times since 95 in all the post-Dead collaborations, and it has been a painful experience for me. When Jerry died Bobby was so bad for a while that it was truly sad to see. It got to the point where his shows, especially Ratdog shows, were so bad, that I stopped seeing them altogether in 98.

And as for all of the facts that you mentioned….

>> 1. He is an original member. IE he played in the band for the entire 30 years of its existence
He used to be SO GOOD, and now he's playing is a shell of what it used to be. I made the mistake of seeing the Other Ones last New Years in Oakland, and that was the worst piece of crap performance I had ever experienced. I vowed never to see Bobby again, but decided that catching him with Phil would be really special and playing with such talent would bring out the best in Weir, so I decided to go the 12/3 show. And it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t Great, either.

>> 2. He played guitar on every song.
And he used to play it really well, when he was surrounded by the rest of the Dead (mostly Jerry). Since 95, he has not been the same. He can not lead a band with his guitar playing. It just doesn’t work. When he tries to play differently then the dead used to it’s boring and it just doesn’t work.

>>3. He wrote a whole bunch of the classic dead songs.
True, He wrote many of the Dead songs that I love dearly and makeup the soundtrack of my life. But now, The new songs he writes are boring and uninspiring. I haven’t heard any of his new songs that are worth a damn. Even when he sings the old classics, it’s a crap shoot on whether it’s going to be awesome, or a bungled mess.

>>4. He sung at least a third of the songs at every show the dead ever did.
He’s still a great singer and I enjoyed hearing him again. However, he is nothing like he used to be and it’s sad.

That’s my $.02

Did anyone notice how awkward the band looked when exiting the stage Monday night between sets and at the end? Usually, there’s lot’s of hugging between band members. Sometimes after a magical night like 11-17-01 Bethlehem, there’s a group bow or two. At the very least we hear Phil stating “we’ll be right back after this break”. After the first set the band wondered off the stage without saying a word.

Marc,

The last two years of RatDocg have produced some of the finest shows in the land. I leave the shows (Hammerstein etc) feeling like I do when I leave PLQ..connected to a bigger wheel.

The new disk has so many wonderful songs that would be classics if the Dead were doing them. His current band is different than PLQ but not derivitive or "cover band" status. They are different but equal.

We can agree to disagree for what it's worth

sorry al I was too busy smiling and High Fiving those around me

Its not Bob that is making Ratdog sound weak it is the rest of the band. Bob is still playing the same rhythm guitar that he did with the dead. He's getting older but he is still doing his thing and doing it well I think. It was great to see him play with some better musicians with Phil and Friends and it was even better to hear his voice in place of phil's. I would have enjoyed hearing some Warren toons but this was definitely something special to hear one of the original voices of the dead rather than hearing Phil sing like a dying elephant.

This show sounds like a smoker, pink guitar and tighty shorts or not. Hell, back when Bobby was wearing his Magnum PI shorts, I was usually so far back in the masses that I couldn't even see him anyway. To be quite honest, I just closed my eyes and avoided looking at the band altogether in the 80s (and especially the 90s) because the music was much better than looking at Jerry in shorts with loafers on or Bobby and his pink guitar etc....

As for the gigantic Warren love fest, of course this is to be expected, as Warren sings a majority of songs and is the "frontman" for this group. Warren is not the Grateful Dead, however, and never will be. IMO, I think it hurts the Phil Band (sorry, I will not call them PLQ) that Warren is in twenty million other bands besides Phil's. band. For this reason, the Phil tours are short, there is still no album out, and Warren overextends himself too much. Don't get me wrong, I love Warren and consider him a phenomenal guitar player, but the Warren show it is not...IMO, the most extreme, undaunted jamming from Phil's friends came during the Kimock stint. Listen to some of it! Kimock is a monster.

As for folks dissing Bobby, its old hat. Sure, "Red Rooster" is a crapper, and "Victim" makes me cringe (and it doesn't get much worse than that "Festival" song on Bob and Rob's acoustic lp) but I'd take Bobby and Phil's Band doing: Music>Playin>LazyLightning>
BIODTL>Cassidy>LetItGrow over any combination of new Warren songs out there. So give Bobby his due, cuz the good Bob is much better than the bad Bob is bad, and if'n you don't give Bob his cred, than you don't really like the Grateful Dead.

ps-this show looks super hot.

What if George Harrison played all show instead? Wow he's really bringing down P@F. Don't get to cocky in your Deadism! Marcus, right on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Remember your soul. BTW. Marcus you got a tear out of me with that one ROCK ON!!!!

what are you talking about jamman? what does george harrison have anything to do with anything?

oh...nevermind...i think i get it.

btw, that was a great post, marcus.

I could care less if Phil and the Usual Supsects put out an album. Personally if a new album keeps them in the studio and off the road, I am totally against it.

There are enough tapes of the shows to go around and I don't think an album is necessary. The stage gives them more free flow in the jams and they can take the songs anywhere.

I also don't think that with Warren in other bands that it detracts any from Phil and the band. If anything I would think that it would inspire creativity in Warren.

As for short tours, I would prefer them shorter, let's keep Phil healthy and strong so he can keep on truckin.

agree with Frank!

I'm still waiting on the details from the poster given out at the benefit...

Someone help me out here...

I'm with the Rev on this one too...Saw the $20 job they were selling, was the Special poster at the Meet and maybe Greet any different?


I am also looking for the Everett Turtle Poster for this tour. They didn't have any Monday night and I am bummed out

Who's got my extra??

I will give it to Bob that that was the best performance I've seen out of him since 1995.

And for those who think that you have to love Bob to love the Dead, I'm sorry but, you're dead wrong.

First of all, I started disliking Weir well after Jerry died. I LOVED Weir when he was with the Dead. I have only grown to dislike him in his post Dead career, and that’s very upsetting to me because I used to love him so much. It didn’t happen overnight either, it took 3 years for me to go from loving him to avoiding his shows. I tried my hardest to like his post dead shows, and went to every show I could possibly catch, and really TRIED to like it. It’s just that I’ve seen to many weak ass performances to stomach. I just don’t think he has “it” anymore, and that’s my personal opinion. I wish that it wasn’t the case, because I love his voice, and I loved the classic Bobby tunes the dead would play. And I loved hearing many of those songs again on Monday. I even liked when the Dead did Victim, Corrina, and Eternity, so you can’t say that I wasn’t a true Bobby fan. And if you told me back in 94 or 95, that one day I’d be writing these words, I’d have laughed at you, but unfortunately that’s how I feel today.

I’ll be going back to Oakland again for the 2 shows on New Years and will catch the Ratdog sets and will again try my hardest to enjoy them. I will try to keep an open mind, it’s just hard with Phil and Friends being so friggin awesome. Maybe if Phil and Friends sucked, even just a little bit, Ratdog wouldn’t seem so awful.

Thank goodness for Phil keepin it going so strong!!!

Marc from PHILadelphia

>>For this reason, the Phil tours are short

This fall tour was 20 shows in 12 cities. In the 80's the Deads fall tour was typically 13 shows in about 7 or 8 cities. The 1995 fal tour which was cancelled was supposed to be 4 cities or so, if my memory serves me.

Also, I don't remember the Dead doing any month and a half long summer tours spanning the who United States.

>>For this reason, the Phil tours are short

This fall tour was 20 shows in 12 cities. In the 80's the Deads fall tour was typically 13 shows in about 7 or 8 cities. The 1995 fal tour which was cancelled was supposed to be 4 cities or so, if my memory serves me.

Also, I don't remember the Dead doing any month and a half long summer tours spanning the whole United States.

Some sleazy scum were working the front rows stealing all the signed posters, so I no longer have one. We actually caught one of the little fuckers walking out of our row with a tube in hand, but we hadn't labeled any of our poster tubes and so had no way of identifying them, and all three of our tubes were gone by that point. Serious contemplation was given to shadowboxing the little cling-on into the apocalypse, but it didn't seem worth being kicked out of the show after we'd paid $270 for front row seats.

I love New York.

boy frank, you and me don't agree on anything then do we?

Personally, I don't care if the band puts out an album either, but as far as your assertion that Warren being in multiple band helps his creativity, I'd say Hogwash, Frank. Think about it, its called burnout more often than not.

And as for you liking short tours...yeah right.

>>>I even liked when the Dead did
Victim, Corrina, and Eternity, so you can’t say that I wasn’t a true
Bobby fan.

Did you have a fever back then or what? Those are Bobby duds, at least get into the Bobby gems.

Ask 20 people their opinion and you get 20 different answers. Makes for good banter.

As far as short tours go, I said that I would prefer a short tour for the sake of keeping Phil healthy, so we can continue to enjoy the kick ass music live and direct.

Now I agree with you on that one Drunken Eagle


>>>I even liked when the Dead did
Victim, Corrina, and Eternity, so you can’t say that I wasn’t a true
Bobby fan.

Did you have a fever back then or what? Those are Bobby duds, at least get into the Bobby gems. >>>

>>>I even liked when the Dead did Victim,Corrina, and Eternity, so you can’t say that I wasn’t a true Bobby fan.

>>Did you have a fever back then or what? Those are Bobby duds, at least get into the Bobby gems.


My point, genius, was that I was such a Bobby fan that I even used to like the Bobby duds too. Of course I liked the gems, I just didn't see it necessary to list them all. If you notice I said I "even" used to like those songs, knowing full well that they were duds. So therefore it is possible to be a complete Bobby fan years ago, and not like him now. That's all.

lol frank,

and I'll give you props on your reason for the short tours. Keepin Phil healthy is where its at!

Drunken Eagle >

You are now elevated to "genius" status.

I know, Frank. How the hell did that happen?

Okay I'll voice as well.
I'm not quite the Bob fan as my husband, {Jerry was my thing}, so I see that space more with Phil and the band.
But I'll have to say it put the biggest smile on my face to see the love and happiness between Phil and Bob. I have the deepest respect for both that's why I left home to follow the good ole Boys many years ago. Thoes smiles bought back many memories. The song selection could have been Diffrent it all depends on taste (I heard my Suger Mag.) Maybe if they played more shows together you would eventually hear what you hoped for. Also the rest of the band would get the feel on how to play with Bob
All in all it was jamming and I was dancing,
Big thumbs up. Thanks for the party Guys, hope you do it again.
Love and Peace to all.

But, Shag, WHICH POSTER WAS IT?

Was it the Everett turtle print? The Everett Fillmore (cancelled) poster or a special new one?

I'm dyin' over here...

(BTW, that really sucks that someone pimped your poster! You have my condollances!)

Drunken Eagle- Must be all that firewater.

The more you drink the more insightful you become

lol frank

...now somebody pass me the black velvet already

I actually thought that victim was one of Bobby's better songs. And the jamming the Dead used to do on that song was incredible.

I'll go along with that Richie

The first time that I ever listened to the words of Victim was when I was at my bottom, in the depths of my addiction. The song had quite an impact on me: Patience runs out on the junkie, the dark side hides another soul, did he steal his fate or earn it, was he force fed, did he learn it, what ever happened to his precious self control.

Jesus, was that a slap in the face and a wake up call. Now, seven and a half years sober, I am living life and having the greatest high ever. I can't listen to that song without getting chills.

Marcus' your the real deal!

Thank you to evryone who made this tour go down so smoothly. You know who you are. It was a treat to see Bobby play with the band. It was like they tried so hard to not over play each other that they almost missed out on a jam or two. None the less, it is always good to see Phil and Bobby together having fun. I beg anybody who likes to talk crap about Bobby to play me a bad dead show anytime before say 87...You cant find one bad fucking show...After 25 years of being the grateful dead and carrying ALL of our ASSES for all those years they had a right to experiment in the late eighties and early nineties with new songs. There is the band, and then there is the family. In a family you love people and celebrate their originality, especially in the face of constant critiques. Thank you GD family for so much fun.

Richie,

As I become more familiar with all of the the regulars out here I find myself realizing the person behind the posting.

For all of your bobby bashing, to have such a wonderful epiphany while he sang and they played is an amazing gift that you received. Your words are sharp and your spirit is strong!

The beauty is that you accepted it and allowed your life to transform. The healing energy of the Dead has helped all of us a lot more than it has them!

Namaste,
Myles

Rev. - I didn't really get a good look at the poster, but it was almost all green and dark aquamarine, and you're suggestion of a turtle design seems to ring a bell. sorry to have been unobservant.

Rob, Bob, J.P. and Mountain Girl at the S.F. Library in two hours? Wish I was there...

I loved Bobby's playing with the Dead. I thought that he was one of the best rhythm guitarists there is. I also think that he is a real nice person, having met him back in the '80's through a friend of mine. I just don't like what he's done since the Dead. I did enjoy what he did with Phil at Saratoga last summer and I hope that the Crusader rabbit set will be a great one on NYE. I just didn't think that Monday nights show wa up to par for a Phil & Friends show. there were some good moments, but my expectations are high when I go see Phil.

Peace love and joy,

Richie

Speaking of Crusader Rabbit Stealth Band...

I saw someone selling some at the Beacon cool hats with the words Crusader Rabbit Stealth Band and the crusader in the middle- any one know who was selling them and how i could get one?

>>> I think it hurts the Phil Band (sorry, I will not call them
PLQ) that Warren is in twenty million other bands besides Phil's. band. For this reason,
the Phil tours are short, there is still no album out, and Warren overextends himself too
much.

Actually, Phil's tours are as long or longer than the Dead's.....
The Summer tour was 5 weeks.

It's The ABB that had to work around Phil's schedule....


But, we do agree that the band's name is not PLQ (read the marquee at the next show).
And, I agree that Warren's overextending himself.
Hey, that's TWICE we agree. Must be a record...

On the album thing, the Dead took forever to put out albums after 1980. That one in 1987 that was so popular contained songs 5 years old in some cases.
At this point, Phil just played another new song or two only a couple of weeks ago.
If past history is any indication, you have about a year to wait at least.

I can't believe how picky and critical some folks
can be!

What a special way to end a life-transforming week for me!

let me show how i love you
BELIVE IT OR NOT
feel the love

>victim a dud
you got to be kidding me they jammed that tune in so many ways and it has great lyrics (the dark side hires another soul)3/22/95 check out the intro 3/21/90 check out the jam
8/16/91 smokin

"bob star"
long as we got to be,long as we are
i just wanna be one of them little stars
one of them little stars, that'd be just fine
all you got to do is hang up there and shine
hang up there and shine
hang up there and shine
hang up there and shine
hang up there and shine

What Dewey said on another thread has struck me hard.This was a benefit.I personally love Bobby and he doesn't deserve to be criticized at this time imho.And song preference is a personal thing.

After reading the posts for 3 days I have to get something off my chest...You all take this way too seriously!! I guess my attitude has been somewhat subdued by the fact that in the past 12 years I have not been able to see many shows. The reason for this is not that i do not like the music, but I live in Florida nad have a real job as a CPA. In fact, except for the Dave Mathews Band, Bruce Hornsby and very few others, I have had only dead or dead related discs in my car. However, I have seen all the shows (PLQ, RD, & TOO)that have been within 300 miles of my home. I was fortunate enough to grow up in Maine and saw many New England shows. I also travelled the southeast to see shows while I was in college (Go Noles!) Over all I have saw over 120 shows from 1981 to 1995. Form 82 to 95 whenever I saw the dead I always thought this could be the last time I ever see them. In fact, this came true in the summer of 95 at RFK Stadium (RIP Jerry).

The one thing I don't forget is how great this music is and how much of an influence it has been on my life. When ever I feel down, i just listen to Box of Rain and it seems to put things back into perspective.

Take the music for what it is and what you have gained from it. Accept the fact that PLQ and RD are two different bands with two different styles. Add Bob to PLQ and you have a third band with a third style, but still playing the same great music.

Be thankful for the joy you have received from these two great people (Phil and Bob).

Otter

I'll add to the Victim debate. Like most latter day Weir/Barlow songs it is a mix of cheesy lyrics ("and so I wrestle with the angel to see who'll reap the seeds I sow") and great lyrics ("Even the purest of romantics compromise")

I guess it's a matter of taste, but I think the Weir/Barlow teaming provided more bad than good in the 80's and 90's.

Oops just realized Victim wasn't ritten by Barlow. My bad. Still my point remains the same about later Weir tunes.

reposted from another thread:

By MIKE AXELROD (Max_Rod) (67.193.92.127) on Tuesday, December 04, 2001 - 08:18 am: Edit

ok>>>>heere we go....soundcheck 4pm to 4:50 as heard from the side doors..cassady>music
never stopped>good lovin>tenn jed>bird song>sugar mags>truckin...all with bobby.then off to the meet and greet..held in a
disco/bar next to the beacon"ivy`s" its called,,about 300 assorted freaks..they gave u a poster made up just for tonight when u
entetred and a tube for it and a buton,then they had an open bar for beer and soda,drinks were cash,but i dont so i`m not
sure,but i know the beer and soda were free,,no substances though,didint smell a single whiff of the kind,they had tables set out
with wrap sandwiches,chips,dip ,veggies,nice size shrimp..they had music going,they were playing the soundboards from phils
run this past week,heard the Watchtower from the other night..very good stuff,really excellent boards..after bout 45 the band
came in and it was pretty chaotic,they didint set up any procedure or line thingy,they just had about 6 card tables lined up and
the band sat down and the massses rushed the tables,to get thier posters signed and whatever they brought..bobby did not
come to the meet and greet,,finally security tried to herd the group into a line and make some order out of it,,this all imo should
have been set up..about 3/4 of the folks got thier posters and whatnot signed,but about 45 min in,phil said they had to go..and
they did...as for the show well....it was not a plq show it was a phil and booby doing deadsongs back by his band plus greg
osbey for the second set..and imo it was very amazing stuff,warren took 2 breaks where he left the stage and the rest of the
band backwed phil and bobby..the only songs they actually didint do from the sound check were tenn jed and music never
stopped..the rest wrere played plus a whole bunch more including a very intense dark star in about 3 segments and a racous
playin in the band..they played 2 full sets and a third mini-set after the 2nd,with no break and the house lights never went up..the
set-list`s will follow i`m sure,,i was in the efffing first row center took about 4 rolls of 24 ..haze spent the first set in the front row
too..he took lotsa pics also..bobby was on stage from beginning to end and they had a ,from what could see,,a great
time..warren didi8nt sing any solo songs tonight,like i said it was deadsongs..not a regular phil show..

>>>What Dewey said on another thread has struck me hard.This was a benefit

Giving $$ to a worthy charity is one thing. A good thing.
And, it's even OK to give without having a carrot (a show) dangled in front of your nose.
How many people have already done that?

But, a show is still a show.
And, as such, people who went have a right to critique it & even hate it (or love it), regardless of where the $$ go.

I'm going to risk flaming (fireproof pants ON-the kind with the bugs bunny poo-poo-shoot flap) but, could the general "less than stellar" review of 12/3 be due mostly to Warren being under the weather and not Bobby's fault at all? It seems a bit surprising that the wheels would just fall off after all of the practice that the boys (Crusader Rabbit, PLQ + Ratdog shows) had this summer. I've read every review of the Paradise Waits tour, and it seems that when Warren was off, because he was tired, overworked, too many bands, whatever it was, then the overall quality of the PLQ suffered. I will wager that most people here agree that Warren is the secret ingredient/weapon. His development has been truly like a 1000 petal lotus flower blossoming, just amazing to me. Most people could also relate to the feeling of being sick and going through the motions, whatever it takes, just get me back in bed. Now, I've seen Ratdog more times than the PLQ (6+ yrs of existence vs. 2+ yrs), and if you have judged them based on one tour or one off night, so be it. I view Ratdog as having 2 phases, with Dave Ellis and now without, it took awhile for the first incarantion to jell, but when they did, it was MAGIC-Ellis would just blow through you like a breeze, very melodic, very jamming. Now it seems to me that the new version has just recently got it together-opening up the whole songbook, their groupmind is really starting to bloom. Just please don't write them off so soon. Finally, the PLQ (when on) is simply stated, the sickest dookie out there. (period) Long live the PLQ. But if Warren ever bails (perish the thought), then I would love for Bobby to join, turn up Jimmy, and set the clocks back to 1969, peace.

Thank god Ratdog fans do not bitch and moan and rip to pieces every aspect of every show. If your going to every show everytime these guys play you need to realize there is a little more to life than that. Maybe skip a couple shows and see ones closer to your town, get a job and realize what it is like to work hard for your money and spend it on a fun night of music, I think everyone would appreciate it much more. Remember, music is meant to be heard not criticized, I think about Jerry and what he would think about all of this opinionating and "I like this, I hate that", take it easy everyone, maybe those who critize should try playing over thirty years of traveling music. Peace

i thought it was a great show!! having lost my dad in the wtc attacks, i have been in desperate need of hearing some healing tunes. i would have prefered warren sang and played more, but overall i had a great time. i was a little sad, missing dad and then i heard "don't you cry, dry your eyes on the wind" and i started to feel better. i also started feeling healing vibes at the stabler show when phil sang "box of rain will ease the pain and love will see you through". it was great meeting some of you. i didn't get to meet everyone i've talked to here, but we are going to CA for the 12/30 and new year's show. hope to meet some of you out there. peace.

healing vibes for caryn{{{love will see you through}}}}}}

Funny, from what I've read I've always been under the impression jerry would have rathered the fans were more critical and didn't cheer no matter what the band did

((((caryn and her dad))))

I don't know what the hell you are all talking about in regards to Bobby. I think that he is an incredible rhythm guitar player and has a great voice. I'd rather listen to him sing than Rob or Warren any day. I was at the benefit concert and I thought that it was fantastic. It was the best post-dead show that I have seen. The 1st set was Bob's style with little jamming, but still a little bit. It was mainly one song after another and they were HOT! The second set was Phil style. Very spacy and a lot of jamming. Both sets were great and the encore was great once they got past Truckin'.

RIGHT ON PETE. AND FOR ALL YOU FOLKS WHO HAVEN'T SEEN WEIRS BAND FOR 4 OR 5 YEARS, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR MISSING. THEY ARE ACTUALLY PRETTY DAMN HOT ! THIS BAND PHIL AND FRIENDS IS THOUGH...THE BEST ROCK BAND ON TOUR !
WEIR'S BAND IS ALL TOGETHER DIFFERENT. IT'S LIKE COMPARING THE PERSUASIONS AND THE PICKIN' ON THE DEAD ALBUMS...SAME SONGS, DIFFERENT STYLES. I HAPPEN TO APPRECIATE A GOOD JAZZY ATMOSPHERE.
WEIR PROVIDES IT ! IT'S ALL GOOD. WE MISS YOU JERRY.

>>>Thank god Ratdog fans do not bitch and moan and rip to pieces every aspect of every
show.

From what I saw of Ratdog in Hartford, Ratdog fans must have low standards.......
I wouldn't sit on my deck & watch if Ratdog played in my backyard for free.

I'm looking for an eargasm, not a 'good' show.
Blow me away or just bl, oh no never mind.

BTW, Please don't pull the 'What would Jerry think /say' line.
None of us knew Jerry, just liked his music.
He wasn't the jolly, cosmic guru most Deadheads like to think of him as. He said he hated that image many times.

This was an incredible show, well played and smoking from start to finish. Everyone listened to each other, maybe that's why Warren kept leaving the stage ;)

This was a Bob show, he controlled most of the songs and jams, at least during the 1st set he played "his songs".
Bob was constantly hand gesturing to anyone that would look at him, "wrap this jam up", "slow this one down", and the one that made me cringe the most "turn me up" and the ever popular "turn me up more". Bob was his usual "PLINK PLINK" best, and after the 3rd song well represented in the mix, i longed for the days when Healy would mix him into the corner and leave him there.

Basic notes from the scribbles on the back of my ticket stub.

Set 1:

Sugar Magnolia ( NO Warren)
Not Fade Away>
Jam>
The Other One>
Cryptical>
Samson & Delilah ( Bobby slide duel with Warren)
Cassidy> ( NO Warren)
Sunshine Daydream ( NO Warren)


Set 2:
Jam>
Playin' in the Band>
Bird Song>
Dark Star V1>
West LA Fadeaway> ( NO Warren)
Dark Star V2> ( NO Warren)
Uncle John's Band> (really powerful, Greg Osby just soaked up the vibe on the stage and smiled)
I Know You Rider (I have "Insane Warren Jam" written in my notes, i remember it was a hightlight of the evening)

entire Set 2 with Greg Osby on Sax.
One of the best guests i've seen with the band, he spent more time listening than playing. He really seemed to enjoy just watching the tightness of the band in full jam. When he did play it was understated and melodic, unlike Bob ;)

Encore:
Jam>
Truckin'>
Good Lovin'>
Playin' in the Band Reprise

the Encore was huge and fully jammed, but no other special guests came out, not even Greg Osby.
Phil thanked "his 2nd home" New York and at 12:30 i ran into the street to grab a cab to Penn Station for the 1:30 AM train back to Boston.
What fun, definately the best Ratdog show i ever saw.

>>BTW please dont pull the what would jerry think/say line
none of us knew jerry, just liked his music

but we do know he was very opinionated

no one knows much more of this
than anyone can see

<<What fun, definately the best Ratdog show i ever saw.

Excuse me while I stop choking from laughter...

You have got to be out of your mind to say that was a ratdog show.

I've seen ratdog numerous times over the past years and will not pay for another ticket to see them, or even go for free for that matter. Too many dissapointments over the years with Ratdog. They are not even in the league of Phil and Friends.

Ratdog just doesn't have the chemistry or create that vibe like Phil and his band does.

Just because Bobby sits in doesnt make it Ratdog, you should be ashamed of yourself.

warren has been touring non stop with multiple bands and sit-ins for about 5 years straight now and everytime i have seen him he has been more than steller. no burn-outs for warren.

Bucky, please email me at your earliest. Thanks.

Mr. Mayo, "Victim" is not a Wier/Barlow song, the lyrics are by Gerrit Graham. Just a note for accuracy.

As for the eternal "Big Bobby Debate", as someone who has seen Bob in most of his non-Dead aggregations including Kingfish in 1975 and the original Weir Band in 1978, my take is that Bobby has trouble creating a context for his guitar playing outside the context of playing between Phil and Jerry. Bobby developed a style that fit perfectly between Phil and Jerry, he was basically forced into it, that's why he has that quirkey rhythm style we all love. But when you place it with "normal" musicians if often just doesn't fit, or at least it looses a lot of its impact. I remember Weir Band shows where you almost couldn't even hear Bobby between all that was going on on stage, especially the lineup with Cobham and Alphonso. His style was developed especially for playing between Phils' bass lines and Jerry's guitar lines, that's what he had to do to play in the Dead, but when it's taken out of that context it looses a lot of its distinctive quality. I think that's one reason that he's using rougher tones now, just for the fact that it makes him stand out in some way. From what I hear, Ratdog has improved a lot over the past few years (I still can't get up the energy or interest to go to one of their shows), so I would assume that he's fitting in with their particular mix, but IMO Bobby will always be seen (heard?) as that voice throwing little color notes between Jerry and Phil.

One man’s garbage is another man’s gold.

Some of you loved the show on Monday. Some of you think it was Phil and Friends best show ever. Some of you think Bobby was and is a great songwriter / singer / guitar player / bandleader…a musician’s musician. Some of you think Bob Weir should permanently replace Warren Haynes in the band

To the some of you that think any of the above, I believe you are entitled to your opinion and I’m glad you loved Monday’s show. I just hope Phil Lesh is NOT among the some of you.

And with THAT, I bid you goodnight.

i've seen PLQ many times this year and this was not a PLQ show. i also would not go to a Ratdog show for free, i was disappointed at mondays show, that Phil let Bob run most of the evening.

i have a question to the technical people out there.
if they can make a guitar sound like a sax through MIDI, why can't we use the same technology to make Rob sound like Bob?

"Just because Bobby sits in doesnt make it Ratdog, you should be ashamed of yourself"

i'm not ashamed, it was sarcasm and i've been getting flamed from the one or two Bob fans that read my review.

All I know is....
I CAN'T WAIT FOR NEW YEARS

Bring it on BABY!

I would like to summarize the PLQ / Ratdog discussion with a comparison to the Statue of Liberty.

Jerry was the flame on the torch.

Phil is the arm now holding the torch and keeping it lit.

Weir is basically her toga looking clothes.

I love em all.....but they all have their own purposes.

In Phil We Trust.

>>>Samson & Delilah ( Bobby slide duel with Warren)

Sounds like Jimmy Stewart vs. Lee Marvin in 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance'


Somebody posted somewhere that Monday was a 'soundcheck' for NYE.
I doubt that.
If you think Phil & Warren aren't going to sing one song on NYE, forget it.
And don't forget, Derek Trucks will be there; I'm sure he'll sit in at some point too (you lucky, lucky people).
Bob will probably sit in for 1 set maximum.

Just like we did in Hartford, you'll see his bus (or limo) pulling out between sets......

The saying about Deadheads still holds true about PLQ and/or Ratdog fans....

Not everybody likes licorice, but the people that like licorice, REALLY like licorice!!!

Thom,

Yeah I caught my mistake in my follow-up post. I'm not much of a Dead historian. I only know from my experiences.

I'm still not a big fan of the lyrics Weir was shouting out on most of the later day songs.

Biger Than A Drive-In Movie Ooooh-weeeee!

>>>I wouldn't sit on my deck & watch if Ratdog played in my backyard for free.<<<

Bucky, when I win the lottery I swear I'll buy a Ratdog show to be played in your back yard. We'll set you up with your favorite beverage, a kind fattie and your preferred lounge chair. The smart money says you might not watch, but I know you'll be listening. The Bob Man will own both your precious little ears.

You know it's true Bucky; don't lie to yourself.

"I don't know what the hell you are all talking about in regards to Bobby. I think that he is an incredible rhythm guitar player and has a great voice. I'd rather listen to him sing than Rob or Warren any day. I was at the benefit concert and I thought that it was fantastic. It was the best post-dead show that I have seen. The 1st set was Bob's style with little jamming, but still a little bit. It was mainly one song after another and they were HOT! The second set was Phil style. Very spacy and a lot of jamming. Both sets were great and the encore was great once they got past Truckin'."complements of jared!!!!!!Man you are so right i agree with you brother 110%!!!!!!!it was a great show!!!!!!what more do you people want?????? Phil and Bobby together for NYC DID YOU PEOPLE REALIZE WHY THIS CONCERT TOOK PLACE?????????????? Instead of thinking of yourselves why don't you think of why they did the show?????and what for???????It was a perfect show post dead thats my opinion and you know everyone's got one peace.........tim

I wasn't there, so I have no opinion of the show.

Having said that, as I stated earlier, people could & have been giving lots of money to victims of the WTC bombings without getting ANYTHING in return.

Just because a show is for a charity, it doesn't let the performers off the hook as to their performance.

So, once again, this isn't a post to say the show sucked. I have no idea if it did or not. The list sure looks fine to me though.
I'm just attacking the notion that a concert for charity can blow & you have no right to complain....

Bucky, please email me as soon as you can.

Well put, Finiculi,

>>The saying about Deadheads still holds true about PLQ and/or Ratdog fans....
>>Not everybody likes licorice, but the people that like licorice, REALLY like licorice

Some people just don't "get it" . . I wish less would complain!

To all of my brothers and sisters:

Love will see us through! Look at the depth of the love that caryn received from all of us at the show. This is the essence of the experience. I was lucky enough to celebrate my 30th anniversary of the my first dead show 12/6/71 and despite bad nights, bad sound, bad cops, bad trips the love that we unconditionally send to the band and to each other is what makes this tribe special!
Phil was healed more quickly because of this energy, let's focus on caryn and her family and all the families that are in pain. LOVE WILL SEE YOU THROUGH! further!
Namaste,

I did e-mail you on Friday afternoon, Dewit.

Is this another prank?
LOL!

Drop me an e-mail if you didn't get mine.....

to all my peeps in the philzone chat all tour..you guys rock..stay in touch with me...SUNDAWG..k??--I FUCKIN MADE IT TO 12/3 and it was great!!!!
sonnylittletree@hotmali.com

ooops....my email is sonnylittletree@hotmail.com

I'm realizing more and more how pathetic some of the posts on this site are. Bob Weir has inspired me more than any other musician in any era of music. He is real and plays with such passion. No one on the planet plays guitar like him. Or writes songs like he does. He is one of a kind. I love Phil and his band, too. I've seen many Phil shows and many Ratdog shows. They are very different and that's what's great about them. Anyone who made the comment, "If I wanted to see a Ratdog show I would have went to a Ratdog show." Trust me you did not see a Ratdog show. Ratdog continually gets deeper everytime I see them. PNF seems to sound the same. Not only tour after tour or night after night but songs after song. But I love it all anyway...smile and enjoy what "weir" all lucky enough to hear.

Not being one to to slam personal opinions here, this is not the site to praise the almighty Weir, and his music. Bobby is family, because Bobby is family. His music, and some are skeptical even calling it that, is unfortunately, not what is going to float alot of boats around here, and I only foresee lots of negative slamming, so maybe, start up a discussion in Other Stuff and find some mutual Bobby heads. This thread is a musical review...

I have been sent more Ratdog than I know what to do with, perhaps you might want to trade it.

I went to see Ratdog a year ago in Albany and if not for the Persuasions and Hot Tuna opening, it would have been the worst concert that my friend Mylissa and I had ever seen. It bored the shit out of me.

all the people who think Ratdog sucks need to stop going to see Ratdog shows. Ratdog has a great vibe and people love to get down and party, we don't need to have the critics in the corner "Man this show sucks", Peace in the middle east!

I agree Pete. At this point in time, I will never go see a Ratdog show again - in fact I deliberately missed their set at SPAC last summer. I will keep an open mind though and I realy do hope that they change my mind about them on NYE. God Bless Earth!

I remember in 1980 I went to see 'Bobby & The Midnights' with The New Riders.

Thank God The New Riders led off. I left during Bobby's set.
And I was a new Deadhead then (I still liked Stella...).

Not much has changed in the last 20 years.....


But seriously, folks, Ratdog is good (barely).
Unfortunately, I demand GREATNESS.
That goes for everyone I see.
If I don't have an eargasm, it ain't worth going.
And, the chances of me acheiving eargasm with Ratdog seem slim to none if you ask me.

I thought this was a review thread... I am a little confused, I didn't realize it turned into a Bobby Bashing Party. I personally enjoy Phil and Friends more than Ratdog, but was excited to see Phil and Bobby together - I was psyched to hear some Bobby tunes I don't usually get to hear. I also think Bobby should NEVER sing Bird Song unless he was headlining on the Love Boat. Needless to say, I was very happy with the rest of the show. I hope that this doesn't sound the wrong way, but for those of you completely bashing last Monday night's show, you must be AWESOME musicians and I would love to hear some of your music. I also think that we shouldn't put each other down for liking different styles of music - after all, isn't that what the Dead is kind of about??? So why don't we all agree to disagree and let that be OK.

HEY NOW,
HOW CAN YOU ALL BASH BROTHER BOBBY??????HE IS KING OF THE SPOTLIGHT!!!!!ALWAYS WAS ALWAYS WILL BE!!!!!!MAN WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE????WAAA WAAA WAAAA YOU BOBBY BASHERS ARE CRYING CAUSE THEY PLAYED BOBBY TUNES....WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY WERE GONNA PLAY?????PHIL SUNG SONGS FROM THE DEAD??????MAN WHAT A SHORT SHOW THAT WOULD BE....SORRY PHIL.....I LOVE PHIL AND I LOVE BOBBY!!!!!!!NO MORE NO LESS.I THOUGHT THE SHOW WAS VERY HEALING FOR NYC AND I ENJOYED EVERY MOMENT OF IT !!!!!!!!PEOPLE LIKE BUCKEY BOY THAT DIDN'T EVEN ATTEND AND BASH BOBBY AND THE PEOPLE THAT DID ATTEND AND BASH BOBBY ......WHY DID YOU EVEN GO????????????BITCH BITCH BITCH COMPLAIN........ISN'T THERE A SAYING???"IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY, THEN WHY SAY IT???"I LOVED THE SHOW AND WOULD GO TO ANYMORE SHOWS WITH BOBBY AND PHIL OR PHIL AND BOBBY!!!!WITHOUT A DOUBT.....AND OF COURSE THIS IS MY OPINION AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIKE IT, BUT EVERYONE IS INTITLED TO ONE RIGHT????HAVE A GRATEFUL DAY

It was great the music was great. I think all the musicians did a great job including the ones that didn't play.I am really glad Bob Weir got to shine and Phil+Friends got to jam. The reason there wasn't a lot cheering etc. was so many tapers everywhere they wouldn't let people fully applaud the band but there was still plenty of FUN for everyone.I am glad a lot of you will be skipping Ratdog it should be easier to get tickets and even more fun.

Caryn,

I like Bobby and think that he was great when he played in the Dead. It's not that I didn't want to hear Bobby sing, it's just that I expected to hear the other three sing also. If you want to hear me play, I'm doing a benefit for UBC 9-11 Relief Fund on Sunday. Check out the Phil Zone Home Page for details.

richie

by Josh Chasin

Outside before the show, the rumors are rampant... David Crosby is showing up... I hear Trey is showing up... Maybe Hendrix.

But it is Bobby's night, plain and simple,a show designed for him to bask in the spotlight-- for better or worse. Sax player Greg Osby made an appearance at the pre-show "meet and greet", no doubt leading to those David Crosby rumors ("I saw Greg Osby"; "I just heard someone saw David Crosby.")

The show kicks off about 8:30; Barraco, Weir, Herring, Lesh, Molo-- but no Warren-- for a crowd-pleasing "Sugar Magnolia." Crowd-pleasing, fun-- but not, if you know what I mean, "magical." I am not sure that the "Weir in for Warren" substitution is such a great idea.

As I say, from the get-go it is Bobby's night. Jimmy of course tears it up completely on the extended outro, which gives way to the familiar Bo Diddley beat of "Not Fade Away." Warren walks on stage to join in the fun, soloing as he comes, to an eruption of applause and cheer. "Not Fade Away" is a joy, all the vocalists singing together, just right on the money, the energy of this 1-2 punch has everyone dancing. Then, of course, it gives way to the jam-making machine, going through a dissonant space jam, then a "bird calls" jam. Then back toward the "Not Fade Away" riff. Phil walks over to Bobby (who is stage left, sort of in front of Jimmy) and the two of them face off; Lesh is grinning. Then the NFA beat flips over into an "Other One" jam, which seems to go on and on in "Other One" space before Lesh drops the familiar opening bass line, and a full on, brisk "Other One" envelopes the place. Big. Thundering. Weir snarling out the verses. Almost scary. And then, as if someone threw a switch, "Crypical Envelopment." Weir sings. But "Cryptical" is but a brief weigh station; they're through it and off into one of those time-shifting, tumbling, head-over-heels transitional jams. Weir takes a stab at leading the band into the next song. But you don't "lead" this band; it knows full well what song is coming next, and it will get there when it gets there. The jam slows, Warren takes a lead solo-- and then, at the end of a measure, he inverts the riff, and it is "Samson and Delilah." Jammed out, intense, off to the races, and featuring a nice drum flourish by Molo.

"Samson", full of energy, ends in a full stop.

After coming out of the gate with, jams aside, "Sugar Mag" > "Not Fade Away" . "The Other One > Cryptical" > Samson & Delilah", the boys clearly have a dilemma: now what? Weir announces that "We are now going to try and do one of the most difficult things in all of music-- slow things down a little. Trust me, it'll be worth it." Warren walks off. and I begin to wonder...

Then Weir takes the band into a sweet "Cassidy". His guitar tone, I notice, is a stinging wah-wah-drenched buzz, almost like a bumble bee. It is a wise choice, I figure, enabling him to stand out and apart from the sonic spaces the other two guitarists occupy-- although later, on more than one occasion, his buzzing lead work will be heard when perhaps he should have been chording, leaving more space for the other soloists. Warren, in particular, was entirely less present than he usually is, should have been, and for all the nostalgia of seeing Bobby and Phil together, that was a drag. For my money, I shouldn't have heard a Weir lead all night. Not when his obvious instrumental strength is those exclamation point chords, and the band just happens to boast Herring and Haynes (and, set 2, Osby.)

"Cassidy" contains two distinct jams, and Rob Barraco shines on both of them. Indeed Rob was on all night; there seemed to be a simpatico relationship between Weir and Barraco, Rob's unbridled barrelhouse and honky tonk work suiting Weir's songs to a tee. (Weir could do well to borrow him for a tour when the Quintet is off.) Herring and Rob pace the jam. Then back into the end of "Cassidy"-- sweet-- and then, as if I even have to tell you, "Sunshine Daydream." Rob is rollicking, barrelhouse style, and Lesh is beaming again as Weir finishes off the song, and set. Warren, who walked off for "Cassidy", has not returned.

Between set observations: every song a Weir song from the Dead's repertoire, and less Warren Haynes than would have suited my tastes. The core magic of the band-- the band's "chi"-- is off kilter, out of balance. But the power of the set is undeniable. The power, if not the magic.

The whole cast and crew is on stage for set two-- The full Quintet, Weir, and saxman Greg Osby, who sat in the entire set, to fine effect.

The band kicks off with a jam that wants, positively wants, to be "Bird Song." It flits all around, without ever actually becoming, that song. Osby shines. Then the jam resolves itself (of course!) Into "Playin' in the Band." A brisk workout, then off into a smooth, expertly executed jazzy space for Osby to solo over.

Then it is off into the transitional chaos, and I hear the groupmind thing going on, and Osby is a part of it. But running against the grain, looking for a place to fit in but outside the collective, is that buzzing Weir lead. One approach to ensemble playing is, if you don't know what to play, play nothing. Too often, not sure what to play, Weir goes the other way.

The music resolves itself into a jam that wants to be "Bird Song" even more than the previous jam did, containing teases from most of the soloists. Finally Lesh nods, once, to Barraco, and the jam's wish is fulfilled. Only-- Weir is singing the thing. At this point, it is clear he will be singing every song. Unabashed Haynes fan that I am, I begin to ponder for a moment the prospect of a Weir-sung "Soulshine" or "Patchwork Quilt." I get a shiver, make a face.

continued:

But "Bird Song" is sublime, owing in no small part to Osby; this is one of those songs the Dead always broke out when a horn player was sitting in. It gives way to one of the few truly magic Quintet-esque jams of the night, eventually redolent of "Dark Star" teases, until finally the proper opening riff is played and it is "Dark Star." Weir sings the verses, with Barraco making a contribution. Warren, perhaps bursting out with something to say, takes a sweet solo out of the singing portion of the song. Then the music morphs into a "Lovelight"-type jam, and then descents into a slow, funky jam that, it soon becomes clear, is "West LA Fadeaway", a Garcia song in the Weir/Ratdog repertoire. And off, again, goes Warren. I'm looking at his unattended mic like someone stole my puppy, but Osby's fluid leads, and Herring's beautiful, busy-in-the-right-way, counterpoint leads make the song soar over a Phil-and-Rob foundation.

The jamming out of "Fadeaway" meanders back to "Dark Star"-- but still no Warren, and Weir all over the place with his buzzing lead, which now sounds as if it stands apart from the music the rest of the group is making. I do not need Weir on "Dark Star", and I keep looking over at that empty mic stand. Jimmy Herring though, God bless him, kicks it up three notches, flying across the fretboard, taking the jam home. And then-- as if someone had flipped over a pancake-- suddenly "Uncle John's Band." Finally Warren returns, and of course promptly tears the song to shreds. The front line harmony vocals-- Weir, Lesh, Haynes, as well as Barraco-- is a little slice of Deadhead heaven. And it sure looks that way for Phil. The song includes an extended jam, then back into strong vocals for the "Come, hear..." part.

Out of "Uncle John's Band" and into a brisk "Playin' tease" that resolves into the chords of "I Know You Rider." The three-part harmonies this band has worked up so beautifully-- Warren, Phil, Rob-- are in full force; Weir hangs back from the mic until he gets his own verse, "The sun's gonna shine..." That dynamic may have summed up the whole show. In between, Herring wails like a mofo. Then for the final chorus, Weir steps up and it is the four of them singing, the set climax.

A longer break than usual before the encore, which is more of a mini-set. Weir (it was, after all, his night, ) and Lesh come out, and Lesh talks about the cause (it was a benefit for NYC cops and firefighters from 9/11). Then Lesh walks off stage and Weir, alone, begins laying down a chorded rhythm. Barraco, then Herring, come sauntering out and pick it up; then, I think, Molo. Warren comes out and lays his guitar on top. Then, last, Lesh comes on, adds the bottom, and from here it is a hop, skip and jump to Truckin', which Warren announces in his best slightly off-kilter but on-the-money fashion. It is a strong version, but compact; Weir, Barraco, and Lesh sing the harmony parts. Barraco gleefully vamps it up in the outro jam, Weir does that by-now slightly annoying buzzing thing, and the band turns over into a "Good Lovin'" jam, wherein Weir's wah wah buzz seems more at home. The jam is more like the older Dead versions of the song, but when the song proper begins it is Weir's version, and he nails it. On the outro, Weir gives shoutouts to NYC cops and firemen, and then there is a nice exchange-- Weir vamping on the vocals, trading lines with Warren's hyperslide guitar, back and forth. It is a small but magic moment that perhaps ends too soon. Then, as if I even have to tell you, back gingerly over to a "Playin' Reprise" jam that goes this way and that before Weir jumps and lands to bring the band back into the song. Here it is groupmind, and song and concert are brought to a sweaty close.

It was not the typical Phil Lesh & Friends set. Weir was lead singer all night, and the entire setlist was tailored to him. None of the new material, no Warren songs, nothing at all sung by Warren. I had been wondering beforehand if Weir would "get in the way", and I have to think that any objective observer would conclude that, yes, he did. This fivesome is a ten-handed beast with one brain, and you do not become a part of that brain in one night.

Haynes and Herring are the most telepathic set of guitarists I have ever heard, and I missed that telepathy last night, Weir taking much of the space usually occupied by Warren. Some folks on the board have speculated that Warren and Bobby may have clashed musically; I prefer to think that Warren, consummate gentleman that he is, stepped back for this one night. So it was not the magical experience that the typical Lesh quintet shows have routinely become. But it was most certainly a fun show, if you were up for it.

After a week of checking the posts here, I decided to add my two cents into the mix. I was at the 12/3 show and had a great time. I have some problems with some of the people bashing the show...
1st - How can anyone bash a show that he/she wasn't at???
2nd - To all of those who were at the show and have been bashing bobby and all that here, I have a question for you. Why were you all going crazy during the show. When they came out for the sugar mags, there wasn't one person sitting down! I was in the first row of the lower balcony and thought that the entire balcony was gonna fall to the ground because it was shaking so hard from people grooving. So please don't act one way inside and another way in here!
3rd - For the record, I'm not a bobby fan like I was a jerry fan. But, I did enjoy almost the entire the show with a few exceptions. I really had no problem with the first set except that it seemed that phil and the boys were ready to keep on going with the set until bobby shut it down. And who besides bobby really wanted to "slow things down a bit" during that first set??? I jsut don't think that bobby can really keep with these guys and it showed during various parts of the night.
My main problem with the 2nd set was the song selection. Specifically, the birdsong and the west l.a. fadeaway. Both fine songs, if jerry was doing them, but if you have bobby and you're obviously gonna let him have his way during the show, why not play a balck throated wind or a jack straw, or a music, or a throwin'?
But really, besides that it was a great time. Was it the best I've ever seen? No way, but that doesn't mean it wasn't great!
Personally, I like the vibe more a regular Phil show (more upbeat and higher energy), but when am I gonna see bobby and phil play a show together?
Even the scalpers outside knew that bobby and phil were gonna be together on stage, so it was a special evening despite some problems.
I just think that some people need to look at the big picture, realize that they were lucky enough to get in and see the show and leave it at that.
Just don't bash bobby and the show in here when you know and I know thta when you were inside you were marking out as hard as everyone else in there!!
Thanks for taking the time to read this....

Mikey

I wasn't at Mon. nites show, but from reading these posts, it seems that, as benefits go, it was pretty good. It wasn't a P&F show, but it wasn't advertised as such.

As for Bobby, I think a look at the dynamic of his relationship with Phil can be revealing. He was the baby of the band. He's something like 7yrs younger than Phil. The difference between a 54yr. old & a 61yr. old is insignificant. The difference between an 18yr. old and a 25yr. old is enormous. Its a grownup playing with a child. And the grownup is enormously talented and the child isn't anywhere near him in ability. Rock Scully wrote a tabloid style book on the Dead after Jerry's death, in which he claimed that there was a strong movement to fire Bobby. He reportedly was chronically browbeaten by both Phil& Jerry for many years. He somehow managed to persevere thru that and devlop a style that turned his limitations into an asset. That he managed to do that without having his self esteem crushed,is somewhat remarkable. That he still has a relationship with Phil after 35 yrs. is even more so. Make no mistake, I'm no big Bobby fan, and I agree with an earlier comment that among "normal" musicians he has trouble finding a context for his playing. As was also mentioned, he hasn't learned the lesson that in an ensemble, when you don't know what to play, play nothing. I shudder at the thought of Bobby as a permanent member of P&F. Warren, please don't ever leave! Still, once in a while its nice. John, Paul & George can't get back together, so maybe we should count our blessings.

I sit here downloading, decoding and listening to this show all at the sametime, desperately hoping the next song decodes before this one ends.

Like I said earlier I cried like a baby at this show. It has taken me this long to post anything becuase I just wasn't sure of what happened that night musically. I was just hit with a huge wave of emotion and really couldn't contain it.

But now as I listen to this tape I hear two bands. with and without warren. There is no doubt that Warren provides so many of those licks and textures that make me know I am at a PLQ show. When he was playing that night it sounded alot like PLQ w/ Bob Weir. When he wasn't it sounded like Crusader Rabbit. I know that seems obvious it is just...I don't think it was Bobby trying to run the show so much as it was all of us looking to Bobby to see what he would do including the band. If you listen to the intro jam of TOO from the 5:40 mark you hear the three guitarists doing their thing in total harmony. Bob and Warren knife fighting and Jimmy standing there spraying the crowd with guitar licks.

There is no reason to think that there is any weirdness going on on any band members behalf. (except of course the usual weirdness) They went out there and layed it all out for us.
Thanks guys I can tell you that I definately got chills even when listening to the cd.

If there is any doubt to Rob Barracos intimate knowledge of the material and how to use it see the intro to Samson as educational material.

Lessthan where are you downloading this from? I'd love to get a copy.Please post the url or email me directly.

thanks
clang@panix.com

I totally know where you're coming from LessThan!! I saw Bob & Phil play together a couple of times this summer but it really didn't do it for me until this show. I was in 2nd row and could feel the emotion from the band, the boys really put their hearts into this show for the people of NYC!!! The emotion was just pouring off the stage. I also had tears in my eyes more than once that night. I was seated by several NYC firefighters and one next to me was crying after the UJB>Rider closer,(which the entire audience basically sang the lyrics to) ...it was just ON as far as I'm concerned. I was a little disappointed with the way the Meet&Greet turned out, I really wanted to meet the band. But I did get one of 300 signed posters and an excellent seat to an excellent show for an excellent cause. So it was still worth every penny to me being the Dead freak that I am!!! Rock on boys!!!.....but please, next time you plan a meet&greet, leave enough time for yourselves to meet everybody there!!!!!

http://www.ptt.nycheads.com/

Having now downloaded, decoded, and listened to the show...for all the bitching that was going on up above~ it sure sounded like everyone was havin a good ole time!!!!!!!! Love the show...just wish I'da been there!!!!!!!!!!! smile...smile...smile!!

New York Monday 12/3/01: Length: 65'/121' Rating: 8.2 We extend checkout to 2 pm. We are treated really well by the hotel. I had misgivings going in, based on my experience staying at the Southgate Towers in 1987 and 1988 for the GD at MSG. They had a checkpoint set up at the door and counted how many people went up to each room. When my friend and I went out at 4 am for Chinese food, they wouldn’t let us back in, even though the room was in my name, as they counted 17 people in our room reserved for 4! And I heard the Hotel Pennsylvania was even worse, they were conducting room to room security sweeps. Anyway, after checkout, I sleep in the car ‘till 6 pm, then go to the bar. $12 for a double shot of Smirnoff to pour in my Mango fruit smoothie. Ouch! Jill and I blew off the meet and greet, having done the New Year’s soundcheck last year. People are lined up to go into the club ("Ivy") between the Beacon and the hotel. Interesting that the night before it was closed down by the sheriff, didn’t take long to re-open, just like NYC! They don’t have time for be much of an event, as they are going in after 5:30 pm, and the show starts at 8, and there seem to be many hundreds of people lined up. From what we heard, it wasn’t. Stolen posters? Just like NYC! Oh well, the money is going to good places. Loge, way off to the side, 1 seat taken by equipment, so I’m an aisle rat tonight. The difference in the crowd is very noticeable, especially the SRO people. Lots of young girls. Is this a Backstreet Boys show? There is a shouting match between veteran tapers and the younger tapers refused a patch from the veterans. Clash of cultures. Show gets off to another late start. Scuttlebutt is that the venue is reserved until 2 am. Sugar Mag opener is very muddy, very lame w/o Warren. I never did like the Crusader Rabbit show from last June, too wimpy of a sound. Bobby prances as usual. Why do I not miss this? Warren comes out for Not Fade Away, Ok, here we go. This gets some energy going. Bobby tries to jam with them, his guitar sounds so out of place, like an air gun screwing lug nuts on a tire, like a pig being slaughtered, like chalk on a blackboard, like a subway rounding a curve. The jam transitions to The Other One, good, they didn’t come back to the end of NFA. This sounds good but then Bobby, being Mr. Premature Himself, has to start the verse before any buildup. I can picture Bobby’s letter to Ask Isadora: "I like little girls, a lot, I probably like little boys, I still don’t really know, but my big problem is, every time something is about to get good, really good, my white bred bad sense of timing takes over and I blow my sticky wad all over the good stuff, ruining it for everyone! Help!" Ha! Other One goes through some good jamming, last verse, Phil sings Cryptical, good, but it just would be better w/o Mr. Premature. Sometime during this a huge fight breaks out in the first or second row dead center of the Loge, now security is involved, big flashlights, people arguing, arms flailing, must be over seats. I hope it wasn’t arrogant tapers stealing someone’s legitimate seat, open taping outside the legit section being quite a fragile privilege, especially at this venue. The jam spaces out, picks up a rockin’ beat, Samson and Delilah! Ok, not been done before as a Phil/Bobby collaboration, good! This works much better than anything else so far tonight. They finally are gelling with Mr. Premature. Reminds me of ’77 versions. Very fierce. This ends, Warren leaves, Bobby says they are going to slow it down, and we will be glad they did. Opening notes of Cassidy. This is the best Crusader Rabbit I have yet heard. Works pretty well. They complete Cassidy, jam again, transitions to Sunshine Daydream. Kind of an unusual, gradual transition, pretty well done. But it just sounds so wimpy when they get to the rock out part. End of set, 65’. Well, it’s supposed to be a 3-set show

Set break was pretty long, must be some socializing going on backstage. Second set starts with a mellow jam sounding like Low Spark, some Dark Star teases, then, moving into Playin’ In the Band, good, always was the best Bobby jamming song. Greg Osby is adding a lot during this. Bobby’s guitar is not nearly as obnoxious as it was during the first set. They are gelling much better now. The Playin’ jam goes on awhile, hints Dark Star again, then the middle jam of Birdsong, stronger and stronger, than into Birdsong. Again sung by Bobby. I am not calling him Mr. Premature anymore because he has not done that this set at all, he is waiting for the moment to arrive now. Birdsong is better than the summer versions with Bobby, more developed. Birdsong moves back to jamming, then into Dark Star! Note both Warren and Osby are there the whole time. Wasn’t expecting this, so Bobby is going for integrity now – good for him! Despite my apparent Bobby bashing, he can play if he wants to, proof of this is in the Grateful Dead Movie when he is playing Sage and Spirit hanging out backstage. The first words are sung by Bobby instead of Warren, they go back to the Star for awhile, the jam gets bluesey, transitions to West LA Fadeaway, Warren leaves. This is again the best Crusader Rabbit I have heard, very well conceived, maybe Osby makes the difference. I only wish he had been there Friday or last Monday. West LA goes back to Dark Star, still without Warren, but this jamming really gets interesting, you are hearing Jimmy take on Jerry’s role as Bobby’s counterweight. He does a pretty good job of it. This builds to Uncle John’s, another first Bobby collaboration. This is savage, but short, the middle jam transitions quickly to Rider, now maybe I’ll get my Uncle John’s reprise! Rider is pretty well done, Bobby blends in well, Warren has returned by now, Osby left. This is the end of the second set. I rush back to change tapes, miss Phil’s little tribute speech to NYC’s finest, they are back very quickly, the house lights never went on at all. They start jamming right away, with Warren, no Osby. This goes into Truckin’ pretty quickly, OK, this jams into Good Lovin’, then, Playin’ Reprise and ITS OVER?!?!?!?!?!? Very bizarre indeed. At first feeling ripped off by this, maybe actually believing all the hyped rumors of a 2 am ending, but later realizing they did do over 3 hours of music. Overall, it wasn’t too bad. The beginning (up to Samson) was a mess, conforming exactly to my negative expectations, Mr. Premature With the Bad Sounding Guitar. After Samson, it seems Bobby has been taking sex therapy or something, his timing was much much better, this seems to have made the whole endeavor go really well. Maybe he has a sex surrogate. Who knows?

bump!