Happy 45th birthday to me....
Philled with great sounds and phriends.
I will try to post updates from the show.

Just about to head to the show. Hoping for a Dancin' opener to set the tone: "We're dancin' in Chicago..." Also, given all the long-distance runners in town for the marathon tomorrow, Fire is a sure bet.

any setlist yet?

Set 1: Deal, Half Step, Jam ,Deep Elem, Loose Lucy, Jackie Tune, Cumberland, ? (which I take to mean Jackie tune) Cold Rain and Snow

EOS

Set 2: Cosmic Charley, China Cat, Eyes

Not Ohficial

Thanks Zoner Cosmic Charley his 3rd show in a row texting me updates

Saturday someone else at show needs to step up

Set 2: Cosmic Charley, China Cat, Eyes, St. Stephen, Eleven (these 2 not sure), Mtns Of The Moon (for sure)..

I know what kinda ahole would post a St. Stephen > Eleven if they were not sure..

It came from someone else in Chatroom not teted to me by Zoner Cosmic Charley he seems to be a bit tied up at the moment..

The Eleven likely did not happen

I cannot log in to chat

Not Official..

Set 1: Deal, Half Step, Jam ,Deep Elem, Loose Lucy, Jackie Tune, Cumberland, ? (which I take to mean Jackie tune) Cold Rain and Snow

Set 2: Cosmic Charley, China Cat, Eyes, St Stephen, Jam, Mtns Of The Moon, Midnite Rider, I Know You Rider..Golden Road, Sugar Magnolia, SSDD,

Encore: Tom Thumbs Blues

My source stopped texting mid Set 2 "Eyes"..likely he was a bit tied up..

Will be interesting to see Ohficial setlist compared to the one I have posted from several sources...

I have no cell service(ATT) in this venue. No Eleven, as stated. Very hot in the venue! Nice 2nd Set w Mountains of the Moon, midnight rider I know you rider, golden road, sugarmag. I am sure someone will give a coherent setlist tonight. I just can't, lol.

deal
1/2 step
deep elem
loose lucy
i cant wait
cumberland
tell me baby
cold rain

cosmic charlie
china
eyes
st stephen
millenium jam
mtns of the moon
Midnight rider
rider
golden road
sugar magnolia

e: tom thumbs

First Jackie song was When You're Walking Away. I didn't know the second one, but it was faster and the line "Away from Here" was repeated at verse ends.

Halfstep was jammed (somewhat awkwardly) into Deep Elem. Pauses in second set only after Cosmic Charlie, I Know You Rider, and Golden Road.

First set was about 75 min., second about 105.

Review tomorrow, but highlights were Loose Lucy, Cumberland, Cosmic, Eyes, and Stephen. Some really nice moments, but this band comes apart at the seams a bit. They just lose a lot of energy in the transitions, for the most part. But a fun time for sure.

Thanks Giggler

There has been several mentions of Sunshine Daydream after Sugar Magnolia..

Looks like our chat room pieced together list was pretty close..

The sound: first and most importantly, Phil needs to be turned up! The crisp, well articulated, bouncing ball sound was really getting buried under the guitars last night. He dropped a bomb at the end of Loose Lucy and it sounded great, but that should have been the way the bass sounded all night, not just the bombs. Compounding the problem is high end, which is a bit tinny and piercing. It’s not just the guitar tone though, since it was true on Jackie’s vocals as well. And I’m not inclined to think it was the venue, since the same thing was true at the Chicago Theater two years ago. Steve needs to be turned up too. They would throw in some quiet passages and give him a little room to play and it sounded great. I really dig the color he gives the band, but most of the time it’s very hard to tell what he’s playing.

Phil being low in the mix also hurts the band’s ability to keep the flow going during transitions. They don’t always follows Phil’s lead quickly enough and end up in a kind of wash-of-guitars sound, with Phil and Molo trying to chug along underneath and drive them into a new theme. It’s clear from looking that Phil is playing some long, funky runs high on the fretboard, but you just can’t hear them and the audience kind of stops dancing, ‘cause it sounds like the band’s doing nothing. This strategy is not all that different from the early Q shows, say Fall ’00, but there Phil would charge right through the mix. It’s just the part of the learning curve this lineup is on, and it would help if Phil could really drive the bus with authority and loudness!

First set: Deal was slowish and just not that rockin’. Halfstep was good, a different arrangement for the chorus, not much of a jam before the lazy river vocals started. The jam out of Halfstep started off with a lot of promise, but they just couldn’t hold it together. Phil was playing some strange rhythms and it just didn’t happen. It also looked like Jackie lost his headset (he was on organ), so that might have had something to do with it. Deep Elem was played fine, but just didn’t have that thing. But Loose Lucy, what a gem! Highlight of the set for me, maybe the whole show! Very tightly played, and well sung by Jackie. At the break, Molo fell into double-time and it really pumped the energy up. Got some nice harmonica work from Jackie during that section too. Really cool sounding and it got the place up and dancing. When You’re Walkin’ Away. This is very slow and quiet and took a lot of wind out of the place when it started. Lots of folks chattin’ away. But it’s a nice song and they played it well, built it up a bit and people started to pay attention. Cumberland was good, with some great, deep groove drumming from Molo. It got folks back on their feet and rockin’. Front page says the next song was Seven Jealous Sisters. I didn’t know it, but it was more upbeat and didn’t take the crowd out of things. Cold Rain was fun as always. It was horrifically hot in there though.

I will post second set thoughts later. Gotta run right now.

Great show. Rain and Snow, Eyes and Golden Road? Nice. Sound was much better in the second set but Phil needs to be turned WAY UP!!!PLEASE!!

anymore reviews? that last one was a bit neg, any one like the show eh?

all i know is joan did not do it for me so this line up looks purty good...last show was louisville palace w/ joan, hoping for a good-un tonight in chi-town.


ps go red sox

all i know is joan did not do it for me so this line up looks purty good...last show was louisville palace w/ joan, hoping for a good-un tonight in chi-town.


ps go red sox

wow. you know what is easy? following a recipe for success and just repeating what has worked in the past. it allows the artists to stay in their comfort zone and feed all the 'open minded' deadheads exactly what they want to hear just like they heard it last time around. you know what takes guts? creating your own recipe from scratch - not knowing whether it will be horrible or fantastic or something inbetween.

My memory is still a bit frazzled but hopefully this isn't too far off.....The first set of this show started out pretty slow with the band trying to feel out their space and balance out their levels. Deal was very standard. Half-Step was cool to hear despite the solos (one for larry, one for molitz) in the middle of the song were inaudible to me. The jam at the end was very short and very contained. I think this was the only song where jackie was on keyboards...organ i believe. Im not sure cuz i really couldn't hear him. Deep Elem, like the Deal, was played straight ahead. Slightly different arrangement - more of a shuffle to it. Always a crowd pleaser - i believe this was the only song larry sang lead on the entire show.

the first set highlight came in the form of a fun and jammed out loose lucy with jackie just belting out the vocals with some punch. this kid is such a refreshing addition to this band. I really like his voice and I feel he does justice to these songs by singing them with some fire in his gut. The loose lucy featured just an excellent little segment where MOLO got the band and crowd rolling by playing a double time beat (almost similar to the one he plays at the end segement of terrapin) that the other band members danced around with glee. This was the first song that the entire band hooked up on.

Jackie's slower number came out great (very delicate) and gave us all a chance to catch our breath. Cumberland was short and smoking all the way through. If there was one moment in the night where i longed for the old cozmic Phil bands this was it. I used to LOVE what phil would do with this tune - stretching it and bending it in all sorts of fucked up directions. This was more of a straight ahead rocking version - still great to hear but i was longing for one of those Phil meets Tito Puente versions.

Tell me baby was fantastic. Loved watching jackie lead the band through his no nonsense rockin number. i thought it was the 2nd best song to come out of the set. Cold rain and snow was standard. File it with the Deal and Deep Elem.

set II

Cosmic Charlie was a fun sing along. Then something happened. The gears got cranked and the band was not the same the rest of the night. China cat was very very well recieved by the crowd, the jam didn't suggest rider it actually kind of degenerated into a very quiet jam that eventually found some life and later blossomed into Eyes. Eyes had some of Larry's best moments all night. He laid into the solos in a tasteful way and produced some real shiny nuggets during the jams. China Cat and Eyes also contained alot of interesting back and forth between jackie and larry - something that continued thoughout set2 and was more or less absent in set 1. Eyes died down and you heard the band resolve on a familiar note that sounded like the opening riff to st. stephen but instead they launched into the most beautiful organic jam (made me think of wrs 1) with phil at the wheel. It was just a short interlude and they ended it and busted out a big st stephen complete with high energy jam before the last verse. lots of soaring guitar work from larry and again some good contributions from jackie. The st. stephen emptied out into a strange jam with a psychedelic feel - the stage lights grew dim and Phil stepped up to the mic and delivered an eerie mountains of the moon. i remember noticing how nicely molitz was able to contribute because of the additional space this song provides. Jackie also had fun playing off of Larry who was playing an oddly shaped string instrument that im not all too familiar with. After mountains we heard the opening riff from Midnight rider which was awesome. This is not meant as a shot at any of the fine singers that have graced the stage with phil but im not used to having a guy with these types of pipes singing these songs. Jackie nailed midnight rider and the crowd was pumped. the jam that followed was upbeat and reeked of i know you rider which the band eventually delivered and the crowd went bonkers. After Rider i was really expecting some mellow but this band was seemingly possesed by this point and they cranked out a rocking golden road and sugar magnolia both played well with the crowd attempting to keep up with the band. How often do you see that? The set ended and i felt like someone had just slapped me in the face repeatedly cuz my expectations were very much exceeded. Tom Thumbs was a great way to send us off into the night.

Big questions still remain? Can larry carry this band? Jury is still out imo. but if they can get molitz and jackie tuned up a bit in the mix that will greatly help larry's cause by masking some of his defiencies. shit - he has some pretty big shoes to fill when you think of the artists that preceeded him in the lead spot and i think he and the entire band delivered a gutsy perfomance last night. they took the formula that we are all so familiar with and chucked it out the window. they presented us with something different that is obviously still in the works. this machine is just getting started - version 1.0 - they are climbing the steepest part of the learning curve together, with us, and that is what I love to see in music, the arts, sports, ect. If set 2 was the best thing they play all weekend i won't be surprised cuz it was that awesome. but i am hopefull that the trend the band started in set 2 - playing each song better than the one that preceeded it - will continue till late late sunday night.

Go Bulls.

Anybody know when the show started and stopped? Trying to plan out my drive to the city. Thanks for the reviews!

Thanks for the great review, Uncle!

Not that we didn't get a great Phillmore show and a spectacular night at Red Rocks, but I'm starting to wish I worked out a couple more dates on this tour, just to see how things progress.

From what i could remember, the show started around 8:15 - 8:20. The ending is a little fuzzy, sometime after 11:30, but b4 11:45.

You can disregard the venue website that list 10:30 - 11:00 curfew...

show started at 8.10 and ended at 12.05

uncle, thanks for the excellent review. the "oddly shaped string instrument" was probably LArry's cittern, aka 'Irish bouzouki'

http://members.cox.net/larrycampbell2003/bouzouki. htm

In response to “anymore reviews? that last one was a bit neg, any one like the show eh?” . (Joshua: Please don’t think I’m trying to call you out, that’s not my intention.)


There are several “why” we post reviews, which I will not cover. Instead I wanted to pass on some advice from a recovering “reviewer/setlist junkie” that has changed the way that I experience shows and has increased my enjoyment.

Here’s my general impression of last night’s show for those that want to know what to expect of this band.

Expect to have fun. Expect to hear familiar songs in a way that you may not have heard before. Expect that there will be some clunkers, but this happens when something new is being created, and the intentions are to push what we all know and love in a different and new direction.

Do not expect to have this band/tonight’s show to exceed your all time favorite, most coveted live gem, whether from your previous live show experience or disk.

Mind Set: Matters. Do not go with the intent to compare this experience to all others you have had with Phil, don’t go into the show with the plan to review this show latter, enjoy the process as it develops in the moment.

Who knows the magic may be delivered in spades…

Half-Step>Mind Left Body

Hope you all get a nice sweet acoustic set tonight

Have Fun Freaks

Expect to sweat.

It was unbearably hot in there last night. Uncomfortably so. For me and my wife it was uncomfortable to the point that it was hard to enjoy the show and we ended up leaving after the first set - something I've never done before, especially a Phil show. I'm disappointed I missed that 2nd set but I'll get over it.

I agree with the previous poster's comment: Do not expect to have this band/tonight’s show to exceed your all time favorite, most coveted live gem. That's hard for me to accept of Phil's band and played a role in my decision to leave. I like Larry as a complimentary musician but for me there is just no potential for him to blow my mind. I don't recall Jackie doing anything on guitar to distinguish himself either. In that sense I am disappointed with this incarnation of the band.

I agree Loose Lucy was the highlight of the 1st set. I always enjoy Deep Elem although I'm not a big fan of LC singing lead. I thoroughly enjoyed Jackie's vocals. The vocal mix and harmonies as a whole I thought were pretty good.

We were up in the balcony and maybe it was hotter up there, I don't know. I see some people have commented about Molitz being low in the mix but I could hear him loud and clear. He definitely adds a different perspective. Molo is always a pleasure to watch. I had a good view of him from where we were and focused my attention his way most of the time. The first Jackie number of the night was slow and definitely deflated the crowd up there. When that song started, pretty much everybody took a seat and was content to sit and watch the rest of the set. There wasn't anything that really inspired anyone to get up and boogie.

One tip: If you need water you can get a cup of tap water w/ice from the bar for $1 rather than paying $4/bottle.

Hey Daydream73, Where were you in the balcony? I would like to hear steve better.

I could steve moving alot looked like he was putting alot into it, but could only pick him out of the mix when he was playing the really high parts/far right on the board. And when he was playing the mothership instruments (2/3 of his rig, but only played very sparingly in the 2 set).

I was first general public row in the balcony stage right.

Didn't want to add this to the expectations, beacause this will only apply to the Riviera:

Don't expect to be able to sit in the best seats in the balcony. Last night they were reserved for friends of the band. Big section with more seats than friends. (I was not pleased)

And yes it's hot as balls in there. So this can have a major impact on your experience...

WATER, STAY HYDRATED!

Way to hot in there last night. Had I not found an air vent I don't know if I'd have made it.

Please everyone be careful.


As for the set; first set was rough but I dug set two a lot.

I may be going against the grain here but I thought Larry was awesome. He took all the meaningful guitar solos and left Jackie in the dust. I am still not sold on either Jackie or Steve. They seem OK at best. I was on the floor close to the stage all night and it was great to see the interaction between Phil and Molo... a lot of arm waving, eye contact and vocal exchanges. It may have been hot on the balcony but it was baking on the floor. We were drenched in sweat! See you tonight...

Am I guilty of being a “big neg”? Oh well. Just another picky deadhead.

Second set: Cosmic Charlie really well played, tight and everyone was right on it. Sounded like they came out with a purpose. China Cat was fun and they got some jamming going on the way out and the transition into Eyes was pretty smooth. Things were looking good so far. The Eyes was great. A nice solo from Steve after the first verse and an excellent one from Larry after the second. He really tore into it and he seemed to get the song. The jam afterwards sort of petered out and someone (Larry?) hit the first two notes of Stephen, so we knew what was coming, but Phil brought them down even lower into a very quiet drone before he let them rip into it. The Stephen was great. Everyone right on point for all the transitions and time changes. The place was jumpin’ too. MOTM: I love this song and I like Phil singing it too, but was not as out there as the Red Rocks version and didn’t do a lot for me last night. Midnight Rider definitely got the place jumping again. Everyone singing along and having a great time. This band excels at tunes like this one. A kind of clunky transition into Rider, but Larry was actually the one to step up and lead the band into it, which was a very encouraging sign. Phil was all smiles. Golden Road kept the energy high and they did maybe a minute of feedback at the end. Sugar Mags was a little flat for me though, but yes, SSDD was played after. Tom Thumb is another favorite of mine, but it just did not turn me on last night.

All in all, I’ll be really happy hoping they’ll put together more segments like the opening of the second set during the rest of this run. Gotta head up to the show now though.

for the record "Seven Jealous Sisters" wasn't a breakout at this show. It was also played on 7/21 at the Independent.

No offense to anyone in particular, but those who don't appreciate Larry need bigger ears.

He reminds me of Garcia in his latter days--playing in lower registers but hitting home where it hurts. I guess the Greeks would call it "pathos."

Not every lead has to sound like a solo--in fact I'd prefer it served the song and story rather than my own itchy endorphins. Besides the twenty-something JG is very good at turning up the heat when the moment needs it.

BOTTOM LINE: this band is something special within the history of American music (65 year old bassist teams up with 25 year old singer!?!) and totally unique from the slap of Molo's skins to the fills of Molitz's keys to the wail of Jackie's vox to the ring of Larry's strat (and other lesser known stringed instruments!) and ever forward to the inimitable bottom bump of Mr. Phil.

My first Phil and Friends show was catching what would eventually become the Q at the Riv 7-8 years ago. I initially went to one show out of good old Deadhead curiosity and subsequently went on to at least two dozen more due to the call of unalloyed joy.

Well, my friends, the JOY is back!

BRAVO PHIL AND HIS current FRIENDS

Hey David C. Hmmmmmmm. I was a few rows up in the balcony stage right and actually couldn't see Molitz at all. He was hidden behind the speaker stack. I was against the wall in the first row directly over the tunnel. I was surprised at how much I was picking him out of the mix considering I couldn't see him. That's weird though because it sounds like we were close to each other.

About LC: He does play some beautiful melodic solos in the lower registers which is actually a breath of fresh air in phil's band. However he stays there forever and I would like to hear him mix it up every once in a while. I agree that not every lead has to sound like a solo but it would be nice to hear a lead player that can actually drive the band. I haven't heard that from him. I like him in Phil's band I just wasn't feeling it last night.

Listen kids, all I have is tx for the Boston shows. What kind I say is ... Let us all get down on our knees and play to the Lord of the most of interesting, consistant, perplexing, skilled, and--I really don't know where to to beyond superlatives ...drummer that I have ever heard and had the pleasure to see in jam-land on the seen ... think about it -- and I think about my own experience as a drummer as playing for a pretty little bar-blues blues-outfit for years from the late 80s to the early 90is.. The guy is a monster. SO ...BE THANKFULL ... I'd say trust me, but no need---he is exactly what I believe all we've all us from that seat. Think about what kinds of disaster would come from a elss less well-thought ... love the experimential theme and hope every one in the has the chance. See you soon.

Daydream 73. Thanks for the info I was on the opposite side of the venue. But i found the spot you may have been in last night by accident.

Thanks Again.