Another bright and sunny day in Massachusetts to kick off the 1st official full day of summer. I have not seen Phil/TOO/or "The Dead" since last November and I am looking forward to this evening. This will be my first show as a married man and I will have my wife right next to me 13 rows back from the stage and just a bit excited. I like for this evening Weather Report, Lady w/ a fan, The Eleven, Casey Jones to close the 1st set, I think Box of Rain for the encore... I am just psyched it has been a long 7 months considering I saw about 25 shows last year and this is the 1st for 2003. Well time to pack up and get the tarp out with a rain jacket unfortunately, maybe it won't rain..... wishing thinking... Be safe and have fun.. I'll make sure to write a review a bit later.. Peace
Steve

10 years ago I was just going to bed in Noblesville Indiana getting ready for show #2 after I had some snowmen and a little too much gas... WOW time flies...

Hallelujah - the boys (and one fine gal from what I hear) are back in town. Have seen PLQ and TOO twice each at Mansfield and all were real good shows, and one was top 10 of dead shows etc. I've seen out of about 60. Rain is supposed to let up by show time and since Mansfield is southwest of Boston and the weather moves northeast it will probably clear up earlier than beantown. Also, if you don't have a ticket - I know of several people who have extras and you'll most likely be able to find some down there going for face. It's a big venue - holds 20k.

Setlists and show reviews have looked excellent - read a few minutes ago on the Meadows (Hartford) thread that Mickey, Bobby, Joan and Bill joined winwood for the last two songs of his set. Hear jimmy has been lighting it up for the most part, phil is on it and that joan has amazing vocals and a kind presence - haven't heard a lot about Rob and Jeff on keys so far. Also, if you go through dead.net you can get to a special site for this tour which includes an on the road diary by mickey that has some cool stuff in it from the first few shows as well as way back when recollections, including tales of hanging out with jack cassady, winwood and someone else in tahoe in 68 for three days after they played a show together - climbing snow peaks and shooting the breaze.

Anyway, looking forward to this show as I missed last falls and am very ready for another show - and the material they're playing looks amazing. They played a peggy-o a few days back and hope we are lucky enough for another - though there are a large number of songs they've played I'd be real pleased to hear. Yee-haw.

Great Woods
June 21, 2003

Jam
Minglewood Blues>
Jam>
Cold Rain & Snow (P&J)>
Spacey Jam>
Only The Strange Remain
Loose Lucy (w/Steve Winwood)
Till the Morning Comes (All)>
Music Never Stopped (No Joan>
GDTRFB


Thanks to one of the best Zoners there is.

Thanks.... This looks pretty straight forward... OTSR seems to pop up at Hartford or Boston in every shape... bet it was pretty damn good...

heh--cell phone service go down around the venue? Either that or the show is sooooooooo good that nobody's reporting.

Jeez...come on guys! This is killing me.

Cold Rain and Snow had to come up........
We can all relate!

Didn't we "pray for better weather" last night?

look below

The Dead - Great Woods - June 22, 2003

Set 1:
Jam>
Minglewood Blues> Jam>
Cold Rain & Snow (P&J)>
Spacey Jam>
Only The Strange Remain
Loose Lucy (w/Steve Winwood)
Till the Morning Comes (All)>
Music Never Stopped (No Joan)>
GDTRFB

Set 2:
Uncle John's Band>
Jam (Joan chanting)>
Lost Sailor>
St. of Circumstance> Jam>
China Doll (Joan)>
Unbroken Chain>
Drumz/Space>
Golden Road>
Viola Lee Blues (v1 & v2)>
Queen Bee (Joan & Bob)>
Viola Lee Blues (v3)>
Good Lovin'
Donor Rap
Samson & Delilah

set 2
uncle johns-
sailor-saint
china doll
unbroken chain-
d/s-
caution-
viola lee blues ( p1)-
sing me back home-
viola ( p2)-
throwin stones-
caution-
wharf rat-
gloria

brokedown palace
useless blues

Golden?

Bent..I think fantasy setlist was for the Hartford show only..

unbelieveable Space tonight. sickest thing i've heard in years.

you'll want the DSBD of this one. trust me.

first Dead or Dead related expierence since 6/25/95. I was pleasantly surprized.

The Dead - Great Woods - June 22, 2003

Some assorted details on show and songs. We got a somewhat late start with someone arriving late to meet us and it poured most of the way down. Nearing the exit - someone said - wouldn’t it be nice if it just cleared up - and I’m thinking - unlikely because the forecast said it would keep up til about showtime - but you never know. Arrived at the entrance to the lot 7-8 minutes later and somewhere between there and parking (a couple of minutes) it stops raining entirely - nary a drop - it’s about 4:45 and we cruise around the lot for a while and sell some handpainted Balinese shirts we had from a previous tour and scope the scene - a decent Shakedown (at least for recent tours) about 3 aisles or so wide, though to a certain degree folks look a little subdued from the recent rain. Head in and catch the final portion of winwood on dear mr. fantasy - looked good.

Show notes:

Set 1:
Jam>
Minglewood Blues> Jam> - okay
Cold Rain & Snow (P&J)> Phil sings “I married me a wife and I loved her all my life...” pretty good version
Spacey Jam>
Only The Strange Remain - I thought a fairly weak version except for a couple parts, including one in middle where they stopped cold and mickey belted out with some crispness and energy. still, the song to a degree has got to be done real well for it to carry the crowd. crowd aint gonna carry it.
Loose Lucy (w/Steve Winwood) - a tad choppy, though winwood’s voice is great and his energy is real good. thought he sang it with a very trafficesque feeling - a bit of r & b, soulful, jazzy...
Till the Morning Comes (All)> love the song - has such an old time feel and though Joan fit right in on it - captured the spirit of the song quite well, though it didn’t seem real tight in a few spots - particulary one or two transitions.
Music Never Stopped (No Joan)> a excellent groove - real buoyant yet grounded quality to it - thought they opened it up and kept it on a real high level.
GDTRFB - pretty good version

Set 2:
Uncle John's Band> nicely done, and joan added quite nicely to it.
Jam (Joan chanting)>
Lost Sailor>
St. of Circumstance> Jam> both of the above were real sweetly done
China Doll (Joan)> amazing and angelic - so tender - about as good as it gets - I thought the place was spellbound - and it carried forth as the crowd gave it 3 to 4 mini ovations at the end.
Unbroken Chain> Phil sounded hoarse for the first minute or so of this, and I’m thinking - oh no, this could be rough, then perhaps divinely he gains one of the kindest voices I’ve ever heard him sing in and nails the whole rest of it - including some really great vocals at the end of it. Band was real tight, and also after the first minute, nailed the whole tune.
Drumz/Space> was catching up with a friend and only caught a bit of this. seemed fairly quick. didn’t notice anything great or bad. couple other friends after the show said drums were great, one like space a lot.
Golden Road> rockin, tight
Viola Lee Blues (v1 & v2)> pretty good, wasn’t in the mood especially, so can’t rate it real accurately.
Queen Bee (Joan & Bob)> thought there was a letdown in the energy from this. decent enough but I think it’s a first set type of song.
Viola Lee Blues (v3)> see v1 and 2
Good Lovin' - good overall version, lot of energy in the crowd
Donor Rap
Samson & Delilah - caught part of it on the way out, seemed real tight, audience into it. had to miss the potential crazy exit traffic jam (meeting 3 others at car all of whom had to work real early the next day - one at 7 a.m.)

The more I take in shows (although it been 17 years and a whole lot of ‘em) the more I realize how subjective they are and that how I’m feeling, where I’m sitting, and what the people around me are like etc. all effect how I perceive a show - that said, my take is that this was a pretty good show, not exceptional, but pretty good. Definitely worth seeing. First set got off to a slow start though the second half of it was real good with loose l, til the morning, music and gdtrfb.

I thought the first half of second set was best - think the China doll was the highlight, real strong unbroken (esp. after the weak start to it), and a kind lost sail./saint. prior to those, and golden road coming out of space. I wasn’t particularly moved by viola lee or queen bee and though good lovin’ and samson were good enough - my energy had sort of dissipated by that point. Effected my take on all this - I was feeling a lil run down from the week even going into the day, I was the driver to show in the rain, and my seats were well to the side which meant the sort of painted screen side stage was blocking my phil, keyboardist and drummer views, and sound coming towards me was pretty good, not exceptional. That said - still thought it was a pretty good show. Two of the friends I drove with who hadn’t seen a show since before 96 thought it was an exceptional show. I'd say about 19k were there, pretty close to the 20k capacity. From where I was in the pavillion, the whole place looked full - went back on the lawn at one point (which is only the rear 1/5th) and it was pretty well populated - maybe you could have fit a 8 or 900 hundred more on there.

Final notes: I thought Jimmy was right on - he works it real well. I thought Bobby and Joan had a few moments where they lacked coordination - though it’s only joan’s fifth (?) show and she’s still learning a few of the transitions, endings etc., she’s an excellent addition to this band - excellent presence, very positive energy and her voice is great. I would have liked a bit more of phil and also a song by rob would have been nice. In the great scheme of things though, it was a real gift to hear the things I heard tonight - the china doll and unbroken, winwood joining on loose lucy, some good uncle johns, til the morning, music and more. as we say at church on sundays, amen. Hope to see you in the fall at the new garden.

Great job Peter! Thanks. that's the best, most comprehensive review i've read on these boards.

One correction: after "Til the Morning Comes" - meant to say: has such an old time feel and thought (not though like I had written) Joan fit right in on it.

Also, forgot to mention that after maybe 10-15 minutes of working through the parking lot exit line chowing some food in our vehicle and just about to pull out of the great woods lot, lo and behold, the sky opens up again and unbelievably it rains all the way back to boston. we were totally dry, including the two folks in the car who were in the open air section.

Robert - you're welcome man - I used to be a journalist a number of years back and for good or ill I have it in my blood to write thoroughly - also love to share what's going on - so love to read reviews of tours before I go to a show and have a feel for what's going on and I'm happy to repay the favor. So glad this site and others exist - I never had this kind of info access way back when. By the way, I mentioned it in a post above and i'll mention it again - there's some great stuff on dead.net when you click on the link to this tour, including excellent photos.

it sounds sound.
i have seen the dead.
and they ROCK!!!

they are the best on the EAST right now!

the WEST IS the best?



The Phish? Who?

My Thoughts on the Tweeter Center Show.

Man, I hate calling it the Tweeter Center. It will always be Great Woods to me!

My overall impression is that I saw a mediocre show that, luckily, had enough highlights to keep it from being a complete wash out.

Jimmy Herring is amazing. Simply amazing. You can clearly hear the Jerry influence, but he does have his own sound. In my opinion, he and Jeff Pevar are the two most under-rated guitar players in the music world; they both deserve far more kudos than they get. Hopefully Jimmy is on his way to gaining some much earned respect from the non-deadhead music world.

While I thought her inclusion in the band was somewhat random, Joan is a great addition to the band; although I wish I heard more from her. Sexy as all hell dancing around on that stage!

Here comes the part where I earn my flames! Phil just shouldn't sing. He's passable on the low harmonies; but on lead vocals he just doesn't have it anymore. He's off key and off tempo. In my opinion, he ruined an otherwise stunning Cold Rain and Snow.

Second place in the "I shouldn't sing" category is Mickey. Well, he doesn't sing. He raps. Sort of. Actually, Only the Strange Remain would be fine if Mickey would just stop howling like a banshee at the end. Its tacky and campy; and this band is better than that.

On the other hand, Mickey and Bill have never sound better on percussion. Seeing them sitting next to each other out back there made the whole show worthwhile.

I'm sure its been published somewhere, but I'm wondering what, if any, politics or business is keeping Vince out of the band (except for Mickey's tour a few years back.) True, his stint in the band was a mere blink of an eye; but the fact remains that Vince was a Grateful Dead keyboard player while Rob and Jeff were not. I'm not suggesting that Rob and Jeff are bad (on the contrary they're fantastic), I just wish they could find a place for Vince.

My final musical gripe comes from GDTRFB. What the hell happened at the end of that one? Train wreck doesn't begin to describe it.

The highlights of the night for me were Minglewood Blues (a stunning version opening a show that never fully reached its potential), Viola Lee Blues (whooo-hooo!), and the Lost Sailor>Saint combo.

I'm kind of glad I didn't check the Hartford setlist until after the show: I think I would have passed out had I heard the St. Stephen>William Tell combo!

I can't close this review without saying a few words about the crowd. Downright rude. At least they were where I was, in the back of section(closer to section 5 than to section 7). Gone are the days when kind, smiling fans take care of one another. Here are the days where drunkards talk loudly over every single song, scream into cell phones, spill beer over everyone within a 3 foot radius. I remember this distinct change in the scene close to the end (summer of 95); I still saw it at the RatDog shows but, oddly enough, not at the Phil & Friends shows. (No, I don't blame Bobby!)

So all in all, not a bad show, but not a great show. I'd certainly give them another chance; the next time they come through they'll hopefully gel more as a band and figure out what does, and doesn't work, for The Dead.

>>> I just wish they could find a place for Vince.

They did. It's the VAN down by the RIVER j/k

i'm telling you guys, it was all about the Space jam last night. criminally short, but the best, loudest,
chaotic fucking jam in MANY, MANY years.

fucking nuts i tells ya.

The SPAC show was a little rough musically. There were highlights that were very enjoyable. Overall though, the band needs some more time to rehearse, play more live shows and it should all come together.

The highlight for me was Jimmy's lead guitar work during Eyes of The World. Seeing Stevie Winwood sing Dear Mr. Fantasy was also cool and the Bass Duet jam following the 4 drummers was neat.

My wife and I were debating what exactly Joan Osborne adds to the mix. She sings well and she certainly has a better voice than Donna Godchaux (then again that ain't saying too much. No offense meant to all three Donna Godchaux fans). Other than Joan's lead vocals on Mr. Charlie > Lovelight, her role was minimal and we could've done without the dancing prancing tamborine shaking distractions.

Ripple was so badly muffed that I would loathe to hear it again. I have a suggestion. After almost 40 years playing some of these songs, I would think the band would know the lyrics by now. Hey guys, get yourselves some Teleprompters. It would help. For Bobby they can scroll the the Teleprompter lyrics backwards, that should compensate for Weir's dyslexia and lack of ability to remember where is when he's trying to sing and strum at the same time. Just a thought.

I'm thinking the fact that he tried to kill himself on the RatDog tourbus pretty much sealed Vince's future w/the Dead.

PeterD...question, this screen you mention on the side, was that a venue thing or a band thing? I have a couple of seating options coming up, one of which is sitting on the side just in front of the stage--which I normally like. D'you think that's gonna be a bad call?

I've been to every show since Virginia Beach, and even though there is the usual controversy about Joan, botched lyrics, Mickey singing, etc.. I would venture to say that this is the greatest band on the road right now and that these guys are playing at a level far beyond that of the 1990s Dead (even though I still miss JG).

Viola Lee Blues last night was the sickest thing I have seen in I don't know how long. Now that's what I'm talkin about!

Keep it goin' boys! See you all at Vernon Downs and Darien Lake!

>>>> I'm thinking the fact that he tried to kill himself on the RatDog tourbus pretty much sealed Vince's future w/the Dead.

I've never heard this story. Anyone care to confirm or elaborate?

I agree Brian the Viola/King Bee sandwich was killer!!

I am not a huge Bobby fan, but his slide guitar on Viola was incendiary!!! (sp?)

Most people seemed to like Joan ( I personally thought she was great) I heard some people groaning about her, but then again these were the same people pumped to hear "only the strange remain"

Before the show my friends and I each wrote down 7 songs we thought they might play, I got Viola & crappy Mickey song right.

this band is tight & sitting up front they were all smiles, mistakes and all

go if you can, it can only get better

Back on the Bus - sorry to butt in - the screen that I was blocked by in Hartford was definitely a band thing. Myself and the guy sitting next to remarked how we wished they would raise it up since it was blocking our sightline. We were Stage Right, (keyboard side), definitely band rigging, with a dyed sort of upside down "V" tapestry hanging off. I was sitting FAR off to the side, but I think if you are 15 -20 feet outside of the band, it might come into play.

tweeter was the second of three shows i'm getting to see. spac was the first and tho there were some good moments, the "x" factor didn't seem to be there.

last night however i thought things really clicked. cool to see some different songs and tho they never pulled out the heavy-duty mid-boggling stuff (dark star, etc) i thought the show really soared.

as for the joan debate, alls i know is that there was a definite, excited roar from the crowd when she stared to sing king bee. very very cool stuff.

i agree that there was some scrazy-ass stuff going on during space.

however, that mickey song scared me. i don't know if it was strange stuff eminating from the stage or if it was the crowd, but i got a weird vibe at the end of that tune.

all in all, an excellent show. happy dancing people everywhere i looked.

Vince talked about his suicide attempt in a recent Relix interview. According to the interview, it freaked Weir out and they severed the playing relationship.

Deane et al,

agree on Mickey and singing 98 % of the time - I'd be fine if he did the occassional fire and though I haven't heard it yet, I imagine he's fine on iko as well. a song every night is a bit much. hopefully he realizes this as they continue to play well into the future. though phil is off-key or tempo many times (and agree that it weakened cold rain), I still like hearing him do a couple of tunes - he often makes up in heart and spirit what he sometimes lacks in tone etc.

As far as the Vince thing goes, I frankly think it would be amazing to have Bruce back in the band - he's the foremost man on boards. When he played with Phil, Mickey and Bobby back on an early too tour, I thought he was the best guy in the show - really rose to the occassion and vocally sang an amazing loser and also a great whart rat. he's incredible on keys and played a solo terrapin prelude on on the grand piano that was nothing like I've ever heard. He also really gels with the other guys and played a role in keeping things tight and and everyone together. I also like Rob a whole lot in almost all respects - simply thing Bruce holds a bigger space, goes even larger on vocals and has talent on keys that few can match. Each of them are great spirits - and it's a pleasure watching both of them enjoy themselves and connect with the crowd at shows. I didn't see jeff at all due to my seats and it was hard to make out a lot of the time where he came in relative to rob.

what happened to gdtrfb at the end - I saw it pretty well I think - it sounded like both Phil and Bobby were on their way to closing the song and visually I could see Bobby definitely was and was turning towards Phil and a bit towards the drummers, though joan didn't realize it and was stepping towards the mike to sing more. bobby saw this happening and had to kind of motion her off it, which threw the other guys off a bit, and it clunkered along to a close.

also agree with you about the increased likelihood of rudeness at shows - we definitely need a little more kindness (human kindness, that is) at shows these days. two of the three other people in my vehicle, though, said they were in a great section with kind people and real good dancing.

all that said, still an enjoyable experience, and considering this is only their fifth or sixth show together and it's joan's first time singing most of what's been played so far - they're off to a real good start, and it's gonna get better and better.

Best of the 3 i've seen so far. they seem to be getting tighter each show and PNC/Camden should be great if they keep the momentum up.
Viola Lee was the best "Dead/O1" thing i've heard live since PLQ at Red Rocks last year. blew away SPAC & Hartford with just that one song. too bad the rest of the show paled in comparison.

gdtrfb featured great solos from both rob and jimmy, great rocker to close set 1. Jimmy sounded super great on music, china doll was excellent great song to help wind down a rainy couple of days. bobby seemed to be improvising lyrics during saint. The whole lost sailor>saint had incredible energy, despite a number of vocal miscues, good lovin featured the older pigpen intro and samson rocked. Begining of samson it seemed that only billy mickey and phil were playing, very rythym devil-esk.

I had an unusual show last night, to say the least... We had five seats together at the front of section 4. I missed a good portion of the first set while the "seating professionals" first split our seats up (with no real explanation as to WHY), then proceeded to boot us from the seats they had just relocated us to...astounding.

They shuffled us 4 times, and at one point, tried packing all five of us into 2 seats...then had the nerve to come and boot us after ten minutes. I spent most of the first set demanding a seat or at least a seating professional "manager", showing my ticket to about 30 confused, unprepared staff (all of whom pushed me off to yet another flustered blue shirt ). I understand it was a full house, and I usually spend most of my time standing at shows, but if you pay $60 for a seat, shouldnt you have a seat or at least standing room?!?

Between sets, we went up to the lawn, rather than being trounced by foot traffic or being forced to stand two inches from each other...and thats when my show finally started, but by that point, I was too distracted to really enjoy it. I am SO glad I chose not to partake in anything with initials last night...I probably would have lost it!

Sorry for the downer folks, but something needed to be said. I've done many many many shows, and I have never had something like this happen. For what its worth, I thought Viola Lee>Queen Bee>Viola Lee was really hot, Till the Morning Comes was a treat, and Joan's singing on China Doll was fantastic (I guess I really was listening as I was playing musical chairs...)

the blue shirts treated me bad last night too. i won't bother you with the details, but i ended up going up on the lawn also. i was pretty upset, and also glad i didn't partake.

btw, did i mention how f-ing killer SPACE was ?

Can anyone tell me what time the openers are starting???

I'm trying to make sure I see all of Willie in Camden.

Last nights show was great. So far, 3 of the 4 Dead shows I've seen this tour have been incredible. Bonnaroo, Saratoga, and Great Woods were all between A and A+ quality shows. Hartford was a little off in the flow department, but it was still pretty solid with some great highs. There is still no place I would have rather been on a Saturday night. I would give Hartford a B or B-. The weather gods have looked down kindly on the Dead thus far. Every show from Spac to Great Woods it was raining up untill a few minutes before the Dead hit the stage. As soon as they would start, the rain would stop. When the shows end, the rain starts up again. Amazing. They really do have the magic folks, and the scariest thing of all is that they will just keep on getting better and better. Don't miss them. Spectacular run of shows thus far, and they really haven't sounded this good in years. At least since Jerry died, and maybe haven't sounded this good since the 1980's. Go check them out, you'll be glad you did. We should be instore for some great weather at PNC. Hopefully, it will last till Camden. Peace.

Pete, I certainly wasn't listening to the same shows as you.

In my opinion, none of the shows this weekend were anywhere near 'great' or 'great plus', which is what 'A' & 'A+' mean, right?

Great Woods was maybe a 'B' & the best of the 3.

Bring back P&F.

I'd like to ask Phil why he's playing with 'The Dead' instead of P&F, but, he'd just say "I'm making 10 times the money."......

....while having 1/10th the fun.

After reading the reviews above it makes me wonder if I went to the same show as Dean and Peter B. This show was smoking hot. The band was hitting on all cylinders though a few rough spots with Phil's inital hoarseness with Cold Rain and Snow and Unbroken Chain, but this was very mild on Phil's part. I have heard much rougher from him. Bobby continually forgets lyrics to songs like Good Lovin' and Samson and Delilah. He needs to practice more. I can give him the flubbs on Ripple and China Cat, He never really sang them, but for Good Lovin' and Samson and Delilah that's hard to get past. The band never really broke down like it did during Ripple at Saratoga Springs.
What happened to the Goin Down the Road Feelin Bad was a MONSTER JAM. It smoked like a FATTY.
One of the many things missing from the band post Jerry was the Jerry crooner song done right. Man that China Doll last night was unbelievable. Then a MONSTER Unbroken Chain!!! Joan Osbourne is an INCREDIBLE addition. Her bluesey voice is really fills in well where the band was really hurting. She exudes SEXUALITY and it is a welcome addition.
When was the last time a Golden Road> Viola Lee Blues>King Bee> Viola Lee was done? EVER? The Band freaking NAILED IT!!! I'm sorry but not liking Viola Lee Blues, you have got to be kidding me. IT ROCKED!!
The show last night was the best of the three from Saratoga, Hartford, and Mansfield. Check out the SPACE from Mansfield. Who needs ACID to trip on when you can listen to that???? Get a listen to that soundboard and you decide. A Mediocre, an Okay show?? This things SMOKES. Listen for yourself. Peace and Love

Thanks humble, we are on the other side, so sounds like we'll be OK. Appreciate it.

Joan was the biggest suprise and the best part of the 3 day tour I just had. Don't bother reading the reviews one actually said the China Doll was "nothing special". The tapes will be out there soon. Phils bombs, Joans killer voice and Bobby's many many mistakes. Joan has actually made me interested in the band....again.

a quick thought on Great Woods. We arrived around 3pm without tickets. A great wonder at great woods is why the early arrivers are funnelled all the way to the back. We were to the left in the MUD while the folks who arrived around 5-6 parked up front on pavement. When will they pave the whole lot. It really needs it on rainy days.
Had a beer then ventured out to find tickets. About this time it decided to rain as hard as it did all day. As we are getting older we decided we wanted seats under the pavillion. Found scalper scum trying to sell tickets for $85 each. No thanks. ( worst case scenario we would buy at the box office and get lawn seats) Wandered all around the lot with no luck for about an hour and a half. Nice to see friends from 20 years ago. Seemed like old times. Finally decided lets go back to the box office 1 more time and if none were available we would get lawn seats. We then found 1 pavillion seat. Big decision time should we take 1 and keep searching or go for the lawn. We decided to take the 1 and keep searching. Sec 3 for $45. ( $5 under face value) Then 5 minutes later we find another single. Sec 7 $50. WE ARE IN! Back to the van to have some refreshments!! I hate those cops who sneak up on you on bikes. We had cups so we ran into no problems but our neighbors we not so lucky. Also the golf cart folks who made our neighbors take down their tent so they could get through. they sat and waited until the tent was down. then drove off. Tent was back up in 5 minutes. Went into the show and scoped out our seats. No way we both were getting to sect. 3 too many blue coats. so we checked out the sec 7 seats. They actually gave me a hard time going up to sect 7 with a sect 3 ticket. I told them we were sitting seperatly but I wanted to know where he was sitting. No problem. Seats were about 5 rows back from the main aisle. Decent seats with extra seats around. Saw the Dear Mr. Fantasy closer from Winwood. Seemed good. Lots of jamming. Dead came out Minglewood was a decent opener Cold rain was very appropriot but Phil should NOT be singing. I usually don't mind his singing but last night he was off with his vocals. Only the strange remain should be dropped from the rotation as with all of Mickeys singing. Stick to the drums!! Loose Lucy was sloppy but got the crowd moving again. Came to a full stop Thanked Steve for joining. Then from a dead stop Till The Morning Comes. The first set highlite for me. Very nice version Into the Music never stopped. I love this song but Bob forgot the lyrics a couple of times same with GDTRFB Bob forgot the lyrics and had a real rough ending. Like the song wanted to go on but Bob didn't. Set break about 45 minutes. Seat holders arrive. No problem we slide 4 seats over for second set.
Uncle Johns was nice but I have seen better versions. Sailor Saint combo is always a favorite and this version was very nice starting to get into a good groove China Doll had the crowd mesmorized. Joan did a very nice job with this. I sure do miss Jerry though. Unbroken Chain Phils singing started out BAD but did get better. Some very nice jamming here During the Jamming is where this show finally kicked it up a notch. A very nice Drums was followed by a space with Mickey bashing the Beam making all sorts of funky sounds and Billy still pounding on his drums. Technically probably a jam as all members were present for this.Now the maet of the show. Golden Road>Viola>King Bee>viola WOW hot shit. A very nice combo Played very nice with great jamming. Joan was very good during King Bee. Good loving was rockin but Bob forgot the words AGAIN. Phil donor rap then Samson. Started heading towards the exits half way through Samson. Sounded good but not great. Back to the Mud and my van.had a soda and headed right out ( I had to be at work at 6 and my friend at 7) Took us an hour to get out of the lot. Pouring again at this time. Finally back to southern RI by 1:30.

Overall this was a fine show. Had a really good time. This was the only show I will see as my kids take up more of my time. Not much time left to go out and see a few shows like the old days. Joan is a fine addition to the band. Her high end vocals are much needed. She did much better than Susan did last fall. Nice to see friends who I used to go to shows with but lost contact with through the years. Brought back a lot of memories.
Was not overly impressed with the vending. Not much variety. Had french bread pizza that was good. Did anyone actually buy the $7.50 Rolling rocks inside??? Never saw the roamers who were selling the cds. Had real nice folks all around us for the show. Someone else said everyone was rude around him. Well not where we were. Everyone getting everyone high friendly conversations at set break. Danced and listened to the music. Not much chatter during the songs. Nice people in the lot. Sharing what everyone had. Overall no complaints about the people.

Forgot to mention Jimmy really seemed more comfortable this time around. Last fall he didn't step out. Just played the tunes. ( very good) At least last night he stepped out and played the guitar. Took the lead He was not afraid to take chances.

no reviews bucky?

Back on the bus......those tapestries hang on both sides - I forgot to mention that. Like I said though, I was far out to one side, even if the tapestries weren't there, I would have had a better view of the monitor mixer than Rob B. - It depends how close to center you are.

Hello,

Fun times overall down in Mansfield

Set 1 began with a Minglewood opener. The sound were I was on the lawn was a little too quiet to start with and the band to me sounded a little cold and stiff. Bobby slide solos. The boston girls got a cheese early 80s style mention. They changed the arrangment a little on the Born in the desert parts, with Bobby leaving more space between the lyrics. The big screen shots had me laughing out loud. It was great to see the original 4 left all together again my first time to see them all since 95. Still warming up they followed with Cold Rain and Snow. A shaky begining of it slowly got grooving. Phil was having a hard time getting going on this one as well. They ended up playing a nice mellow outro jam though that was nice. Jimmy Herring sounds more Garciaesque than ever. Good or Bad you decide. I couldn't help remembering a stunning P+F version from 2000 in Burlington VT of this tune that tore the roof off thanks to Jimmy's wailing. This was much more 90s Dead sounding. This spilled into Only the Strange Remain. Wow. A little early in my opinion. Umm. Musicaly the riff section is sort of cool and I like the chorus but umm well. Winwood was out on Keyboards for this and stuck around for Loose Lucy. The vocals so far this evening left a lot be desired so having a great singer like Steve was nice. Loose Lucy was fun.
Till the Morning Comes was a great treat. Nicely played if a little tenative at parts. The vocals were good, Joan and Phil esp. nice I thought. A nice Jimmy solo and I was hoping for a more energetic outro vocal section but the singing was a little disjointed and skewed and the rhythm section never kicked it up. It disintegrated into the first jam of any reasonable length of the day slowing itself into spacey areas and starting to gain edge as it became Music Never Stopped. I was psyched for this one. Bobby forgot some words and where the hell was Joan? I was excited to hear her nail the Donna parts but she left the stage for this. This seems weird. She can stand around for Only the Strange Remain vocals but she isn't on a tune that would benefit greatly from her lending a voice. Anyhoo the spacey jam section was great, Phil was finally waking up and Rob and Jimmy were communicating nicely. The ending raveup jam section lacked energy and ended right when it was getting up and about to walk on its own. An extra ending was added in with Bobby getting his patented Ha's and Yeah's in along with a lot of never stops never stops. Go Teen Wolf Go Teen Wolf. Then a sloppy change of pace into a jumbled Goin Down the Road. It was alright. Nice keyboard solo by Rob. The ending was thrown and almost had the And We Bid you Goodnight jam and it almost didn't. Bobby told us they would be right the hell back. A fun time but not the greatest set it still improved as it went along.

Set 2

The sound was a great deal better from the start of the second set. Uncle John's was nice. A little forgotten but hey the dead screwed this up a lot back in the ol days too. Nice harmonies. Great jamming on the way out. Phil was much more assertive this set then the first already. Things started to get serious, the mood of the jams changing and opening up. Lost Sailor came out of UJB. A treat. Not one of my favorites on tape but this version had something. Something the first set was lacking in and it doesn't have to do with tightness or anything. The feeling was there. They got the tricky sections down really well, lots of listening together and Jimmy stepping it up. There is a price for being free. Absolutely. This ain't the real thing but its close enough to pretend. Nice transition into Saint and it was well played if a little mellow. Great jams I just wanted the Vocal choruses to kick more and they were again somewhat unsure sounding. Out of Saint came a short jam that had a slight Dark Star overtone which transformed into the highlight of the show, I think, for me. China Doll. Joan gets a lot of flak and I think she sounded good on other stuff and helped fill out the sound but China Doll. The guys were on it. Focused. Real patience, the quiet moment they can achieve. Jimmy played some very tasty music on this. But China Doll isn't just about the playing. Joan sang this wonderfully in her own style and with feeling. So well done. Always a fave of mine. The outro was so right. I felt it. This is a feeling that I was very skeptical that they could create again in this incarnation. Beautiful. This led into Unbroken Chain. Though the Drummers never rocked as hard on this as I wanted them to and Phil was a little choky vocally in the begining, I thought this was played wonderfully. The sections were smooth and Jimmy and Phil had some great moments together. Phil's vocal on the Scat singing section was in tune and nice. This led into an excellent Drums. This was nice to listen to in the mist. Mickey and Billy played some super sound scapes. Space arose and was another show highlight indeed. Raging, intense scary music. No jimmy involved, Mickey was slaying the beam and the jam had a definite begining , middle and end even though it was formless and improvised. Stellar. Bobby even almost bowed after it. A Fun loose Golden Road came next. It even included Spaceweir running over to Rob to get the next line told to him. Then Viola Lee. Hot. The first jam contained great interplay. It was kind of funky and bubbled nicely, the second jam was rocking and was very much Weir led with him playing enjoyable slide in a riffy rhythmic style. This then began to slow down and with a quick key change fell into Queen Bee. This was actually good, I was kind of dreading it when it began. Funny Joan and Bobby give and take. Great B-3 Solo and Great Jimmy Herring Blues playing. The jam out of Queen Bee was smorgasborg of teases including a playin style jam, a st. stephen intro tease, a rider style tease and I swear a full on 30 second Feelin' Groovy jam started by Phil! Really cool, they took this into a psychotic early 70s playin jam and then went back into Viola Lee for the closing verse. Sweet!Good Lovin had the Pig intro and was Good Lovin. Nice keys from Chimenti.
Donor Rap was hot. I didn't even mind that the do it every night of tour. Great Phil and Joan interplay.
Samson for Sunday encore including a Vocals/Drums only first verse chorus before kicking. The Bees made Honey in the Lion's Den line was a nice allusion to both Queen Bee and the show opening Minglwood in my mind.
Overall a show made great from a nice second set that was mellow and introspective for the most part but not in a bad way. Lost Sailor, China Doll, Space and Viola->QueenBee->Lee were all really well done. really. It should be remembered a lot of these songs haven't been played by this lineup on stage before. Lots of looseness, missed cues, confusion, forgetfullness and maybe some tiredness from the strains of touring,playing 3 hour plus shows and being 60 and having lived the life of a Grateful Dead member. But they still got THERE. And getting there is MORE than half the battle. I was impressed overall. I am excited for Vernon Downs. I want a Willie Nelson sung Candyman!

Douglas "Bobo" Dunbar

Back on the bus - chip is right, the screens are via the band, there are a few openings in them and mostly effect you if you are well to the side. a bit of stage equipment adds to it.

Note on good lovin' - someone said bobby forgot the words, but what they might be referring to is that I think he had planned to have joan sing a verse in the middle, you could see him step back and look at joan like she was going to step to the mike. when she didn't - he had a brief, somewhat surprised look on his face, shrugged slightly and quickly moved back up to the mike and came in mid-verse... maybe he forgot a verse somewhere else as well, though the thing being referred to may have been that mix-up

Dunbar - well-written review (as were lots of the others above) - I think you captured the show quite well (at least as far as I experienced it) - especially the incredible China Doll by Joan and the rest of the band - can't remember from your review whether you catch phil and friends, but I think they also have the ability to capture the quieter tender moments, and believe it or not - Warren Haynes is sort of the man for that with them - does some real nice Stella blue's and saw an amazing Into the Mystic at the Orpheum a ways back by him that was about as clear, mystical and full of feeling as you can get. fwiw, bobby has also done some nice acoustic blackbirds on previous too tours, and phil did a tear-jerking china doll back on what I think was either the first or second further tour (when bruce, phil, mickey and bobby played) - I might be sharing a few things you're already aware of, and if you are already, well hopefully someone else will enjoy the tidbits.

--

A few people have mentioned the joan debate, and as far as I can tell about 90-99 percent of the crowd was into her, and about the same amount speak positively of her in reviews (while acknowledging the occassional miscue). Time will tell of course.

a MONSTER Unbroken Chain!!!



Your not kiddin. That was unbeleivable. Saw the first Unbroken in '90 whatever at the Spectrum and although the emotion was throught the roof - the playing came nowhere near last nights rendition - best I've seen yet musically -Phil was slightly hoarse from the rainy weekend run - but sounded just fine vocally throughout the tune and the jam was as you say -THE BOMB!

Proton Decay (Protondecay123) writes:

"After reading the reviews above it makes me wonder if I went to the same show as Dean and Peter B. This show was smoking hot."

I won't argue that the show had its moments, and its moments were stellar. Viola Lee Blues, 'Til the Morning Comes, Viole Lee, Golden Road, hell even Minglewood, were brilliantly performed. But when Phil sang it caused cringing up and down my spine. When he wasn't singing I was easily able to get lost in the music during Unbroken Chain and CR&S, and it was great. But when bookended by Phil's voice it was just a bit difficult to take.

"What happened to the Goin Down the Road Feelin Bad was a MONSTER JAM. It smoked like a FATTY."

My comment was directed more at the end of the tune. Joan kept singing, Bobby tried to steer the band into the "Bid you Goodnight" jam, and the rest of the band went off in either direction. Hence my train wreck comment. Again, a brilliantly played song that fell apart at the end.

"Joan Osbourne is an INCREDIBLE addition. Her bluesey voice is really fills in well where the band was really hurting. She exudes SEXUALITY and it is a welcome addition."

I would be a fool if I disagreed with that.

"When was the last time a Golden Road> Viola Lee Blues>King Bee> Viola Lee was done? EVER? The Band freaking NAILED IT!!! I'm sorry but not liking Viola Lee Blues, you have got to be kidding me. IT ROCKED!!"

Aside from a few flubs during Queen/King Bee, this stretch of music was the best of the night.

"The show last night was the best of the three from Saratoga, Hartford, and Mansfield."

I guess I'm glad I didn't go to Saratoga or Hartford then. By looking at purely the setlists, however, the Hartford show looked like the better of the three to me. St. Stephen with the William Tell bridge?!? That would have made my year!

"Check out the SPACE from Mansfield. Who needs ACID to trip on when you can listen to that????"

Not a drug user, but I understand where you're coming from here. Getting lost in the music is a stronger high than any drug you can possibly take. Quite a bit safer too!

"Get a listen to that soundboard and you decide. A Mediocre, an Okay show?? This things SMOKES."

I did order both the Mansfield and Hartford discs. Mansfield because I was there, and Hartford because I want to play the St. Stephen>William Tell over and over again until I physically burn a hole through that portion of the CD. Then I'll order another copy. Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

"Listen for yourself. Peace and Love"

Peace and Love to you as well, my friend!

bring back phil+friends please---------'the dead'?????--------come on people.
Bucky is the only one who makes sense here.

Dear Mr. Weir,
Will you please get a teleprompter or something to help yourself remember the lyrics of the songs. Lost Sailor>Saint of Circumstance was great, until you let us down again.

>>>>>no reviews bucky?


I did a 3 day synopsis under the 'Personal multi-show' thread on the Dead/TOO's reviews main page.

I don't get this China Doll raving.....

It was certainly sung better than the versions Phil sang which would make folks cringe, but there was no jam whatsoever following the song, which takes away lots of the (potential) intensity from the song.

As for Unbroken Chain being a 'monster', it was good, but still the least impressive version I've heard P&F or TOO's do. The instrumentals never reached over the top intensity, aka what I call 'critical mass'.

This band just wasn't that good this weekend.

SO bUCK WHAT YOUR SAYING IS THEY KEEP GETTIN BETTER AND BETTER

have listened to the streams on live 365.com am not impressed. jimmy is a sicko, no doubt, but "the dead" can not hold acandle to plq-without which none of this "dead" buisness would be possible. rob barraco-freakshow...jimmy herring-sicko...john molo-the octopus...warren haynes-the baddest man alive...and phil lesh-the maestro. he invented the arrow between songs.

i want my band back.

RIP Master Rickey Keller...let the weirdness begin wih me

Does this posting site only post positive reviews of the shows? This is now my 25th year of tourin with the "Dead" and after listening to Joan Osborne for the past 3 shows, all's I got to say is that unless the band dump's her, this is without a doubt my LAST tour! For somebody to say that 90 to 99% of the fan's liked her, I'd have to tell them to PASS THE CRACKPIPE, you've had too much! Most people said she has a good voice, which is true, but she should NOT be takin over the band with her onstage antic's or her ad libbing during certain tunes. We all know that Phil cant sing, but her dueting with him is just the peak of hideous! In all my years of show's I have NEVER heard more people bellyaching, or have I seen such an early mass exodus of fan's! If the band wishes to continue with her in the lineup, Im out of here, and trust me, let's see how easy tickets are to get because their loosing fans quickly! They should now call themselve's "Joan Osborne & Friends" because of all the singing she does!!!

>>>>>Im out of here, and trust me, let's see how easy tickets are to get because their loosing fans quickly!

Well , this is only my 17th year of touring with "the Dead" and al I can say to the complainers is "SEE YA" and I hope it won't be my last tour.

It was easy to see how quickly they are losing fans by the fact that Meadows was packed like a sardine can even on the lawn in the torrential rain and people were still boogying their asses off til the very end. Crowds were very big at Hartford and Spac as well. Maybe Phish tour will take some of the Dirt Surfers away, they are the only ones jeapordizing the scene - Not Joan.

>>>>It was easy to see how quickly they are losing fans by the fact that Meadows was packed like a sardine can even on the lawn in the torrential rain and people were still boogying their asses off til the very end.

The reaction of the masses will always say "Killer show, Dude" no matter how lame it is.

Trained seals are, after all, trained to clap on command......

see you in bridgeport!!!! What is the story with that venue??? I know the vibes was there for a couple years but I've never been. Is it a shed?

Bucky was prolly the guy in front of me that was pumped to hear Only the strange remain & made lots of noise during Joan's phenomenal singing.

It's too bad you can't pull highlights out of this show. I know i can.

we all miss Jerry but he aint coming back.

I clapped, can someone throw me a fish?

A bit late on my review but better late than never. Well the rain was a bit out of control from 2:30 to 4:30 shit was coming down sideways in the parking lot. Still had fun under the tarp and tent and cooking out. Didn't venture around at all so not sure how the sceen was?

Went in had sec 1 row R towards sec 2 so the seats were great. I thought Minglewood was great and Bobby was doing alright and the band was getting warmed up. The intro to Cold Rain and Snow was great and Phil well he is 63 and GOD bless him I am use to the beat and rythym now of him singing it. Strange Remain was funny to watch the band members laughing at Mickey with the lyrics and what not. Loose Lucy with Stevie Winwood was great and then Till the AM comes I was wishing it to go a little more up a tee up and I couldn't get right in the groove not like PHIL and Friends last summer.... Music Never Stopped was sweet and GDTRFB well it was not bad some good jamming that is for sure. I think Jimmy is doing a great job and Rob I wish he would sing more I think he has a great voice and can't wait for 9/13-14 even though no Warren :-(
Set break a smooth 40 minutes
UJB pretty sweet I thought> Joan chanting wasn't bad and Lost Sailor>Saint, Albany last year was much better but still nice to see. China Doll I thought of Tweeter 98 and TOO did it and Joan has a great voice but I liked Phil's in 98 it meant more to me anyway. Unbroken Chain was sick! Great drumz>space I don't drink or drug and I was like holy shit.... So I can imagine what it was like with some helpers... it has been a while for me but I remember like it was yesterday.
Cool different intro to Golden Road> Missed a verse I thought? Viola Lee was great but I personally like a full Viola Lee with no > but I mean Unbroken>drums>space>golden road>Viola Lee> queen/king bee>Viola Lee ??????? What the hell I'll take that anyday... Good Lovin I am suprised Joan did not know the 2nd verse.... Average Good Lovin> Samson hey it was Sunday so it had to be somewhere>>>> all in all good show I guess after last summer many many Phil shows like 15 within 23 days or something like that... I had higher expectations and I should know not to set expectations on anything or anyone because it's a set up for disapointment. Not saying I was disapointed by any means but I really LOVE PHIL & FRIENDS and cannot wait for this fall.. It is just a little more...over the top loose your fucking mind Jams and It is where it's at.
Well I hope everyone has a safe summer and it's finally summer here in the North East from winter right into summer... Until 9/13 Peace.

time for my two cents....
drove up from baltimore to boston on sunday in the rain which sucked...CT drivers are the worst. it is called an interchange people- learn how to deal with one.

anyway, got to the show, had a few cold ones, just as the rain stopped, then headed in to the venue. the damn guard looked just about everywhere on my person, and managed to find 3 bones and crush them on the ground with his feet. what a boner. anyway, i still had one so we were cool. got up to the lawn to here minglewood, but the sound out there was aweful. could barely hear phil's bass, and everyone was talking as if we were in a bar. but then my drugs kicked in and i was able to tune that out for the most part. first set highlights- till the morning comes- very sweet, unexpected. loose lucy was good, but steve was a bit choppy on some of the lyrics.
second set- beast. UJB-lost-saint was great and very tight, it sounded like maybe they turned up the sound, but phil's bass was still too low. china doll- this was amazing- not mediocre, not just ok. you people that were there and thought this are just wrong. joan sang so beautifully, and it touched me and the folks around me greatly. jerry was there all the way....
unbroken- i love this tune, and they could play it at every show i ever go to and i would never complain. phil is the man, and aside from a few first set lyrical problems, thought he sounded great in the second. unbroken jam was on fire, i almost couldnt keep up. drums-space was really really wierd. very tight, and it totally got into my head. golden rd out of it was smokin, totally unexpected. i was pleased with the viola-queen bee-viola-good lovin.
sampson encore was sweet!
leaving the venue was no hassle, but all in all it was a WIERD NITE IN THE WOODS!!!
see ya in camden

The lawn was packed like a sardine can at the SPAC and the Meadows?? Yeah' sure it was if you were in the lower half of the lawn, obviously you didn't bother to wonder around the rest of the lawn, not to mention the fact that Ive never seen so many people standing around motionless,"Not Dancing" in my life!Toward the end of the Meadows show, I had a hard time getting BACK to the lawn after goin to the bathroom, becacause SO MANY people were LEAVING! To sit there and listen to Joan Osborne sing like some "female,black, gospel singer" and literally run up and down the stage stealing the spotlight from the other band members, and Not let Rob Barraco sing is an embarassment to the band! Who in there right mind would rather listen to her sing than Rob? This guy Buckey totally correct! "Trained seals are, after all, trained to clap on command" Most REAL, VETERAN, Deadheads, don't like her antics, so if you like her, god bless ya! I'm outta here!!!!!

so becuase i like joan i am not a "real, veteran" deadhead?

get a clue buddy.

J.W. (Driver) on Thursday, June 26, 2003 - 11:49 am wrote:

"anyway, got to the show, had a few cold ones,"

also:

"the damn guard looked just about everywhere on my person, and managed to find 3 bones and crush them on the ground with his feet. what a boner. anyway, i still had one so we were cool."

also:

"but then my drugs kicked in..."

and then...

"china doll- this was amazing- not mediocre, not just ok. you people that were there and thought this are just wrong. joan sang so beautifully, and it touched me and the folks around me greatly. jerry was there all the way...."

Nah. Forget it. This is just way too easy! LOL

great woods is awesome!