Unfortunately, I will not be able to make this show..I have one Lawn ticket for sale for face value (42.50)..I will pay the shipping. Thanks, Rick, aquanee@aol.com.

Opps! Sorry, I should have (and now did) post this to the ticket board.

Anyone know how the scene is at Darien?? It's never too early to start planning right?? I was able to catch them at SPAC, and ever since i can't wait for Darien!!!! If anyone has some info I'd appreciate it :-)

nicholas, i went 2 years ago for the allmans and last year for phil. pretty laid back from what i saw both times. gravel lot, lots of people go to the amusement park during the day and then the show at night. usually a nice fireworks show from the amusement park rigth in the middle of set 2. the past 2 years we drank at our car for an hour before show and didn't get harassed so i'm guessing its cool. see ya there!

all,

the scene is cool at darien lake. not as cool as VERNON was but alright. last year for the allman bro's everyone was hanging in the lot and drinking and partying. not to much 5-0 around. it is a gravel lot. they have a camp ground there if you want to camp.

any heads from syracuse heading to the show?

thanks for the info guys...can wait for the show and to "broaden" my horizons yet again....see you there....

Some days are better than others at the LAKE. It will all depend on how the crowd is. I've seen shows where the lot cops were very NOT cool, and others when you didn't even see one, usually cool. See you at the show.

PS, if you can rent an RV that weekend do so, between 5 people its like 20 bucks each and well worth the money spent.

Sorry, they have camping facility on site.

this place can be a night mare if u chose to get here late . and just be nice to those boys in the blue shirts and they might just be nice to you and i hope everyone will enjoy paying the 8 bucks for the beer inside ..hehheheh

still smokin
slice

Darien Lake is a pretty cool scene,judging on last year's P&F show and the Further Fest in 2000 or 2001,can't remember.5-0 isn't really too present,just at the gates into the parking lot and about an hour after the show.Pretty mellow scene in my opinion.Can't wait for this show myself being that I have 12th row tix.Thanx to GDTS for hooking me up.

Was thinking of staying a little bit
away from the show on the Canada side.
Anyone know if crossing is a hassle
in that area given valid us driver lic
and nothing illegal on person?
thanks
-tim

Hey TimDog.
I've crossed at Buffalo-Lewiston-Niagara Falls dozens of times and never had a problem -
BUT if there is a big line up/accident, you'll have more than enough time to grow a new
beard by the time you get across. If you're heading over at Buffalo/Fort Erie after the
show, I would expect clear sailing. The 2 other bridges tend to see a little more late night
weekend traffic just because they're closer to casinos on both sides, and really, do you
need to be downtown Buffalo at 2:00AM on a Saturday?

Since I'm Canadian, I need a passport or birth certificate with a drivers license. I'd assume
it'll be the same for you.

Not sure where you're thinkin' of staying, but you'll be able to score a bargain pretty easily
with a mimimum of effort. Send me a note if you've got any other questions and I'll see what I can do to help.

Oh yeah, you don't have SARS do you?? Uh, no reason...

If there is anywhere in Buffalo you don't wanna be at times of darkness,that would be the east side,unless your looking to score some crack......

You think this will be a show worth going to? Being that it is the night before Jones Beach run? I am about... 5 hrs away, will it be worth the drive?

Anyone know of any afterparties in town following the show?? I'm sure there has to be some great bands in town somewhere....

I messed up on an earlier post, I tried to say that ticketmaster was showing good seats for this. Checked again today and back to GA. I'll be unloading my GA ticket since I got one of the new seats a day or two ago.

I'm planning on going because it is the closest Dylan/Dead show to me (about 8 hours). Saw them twice with Steve and once with Willie. Now I can't wait to see them with Dylan. This is the last night with him. I'm hoping they are really going to have a blast on their last gig night together. So it appears to be a tradeoff... 3 sets at Jones w/ acoustic set or 2 sets w/ Dylan joining them for at least a few songs, plus a Dylan set. Saw him a few years ago and brought the kids. He rolled up the show with a fantastic NFA (I think). I really liked them back in '87 so I'm planning on it again!

Though, as a disclaimer, one nevers knows when they are going to be on or off. I'm hoping for a big 'Red Rocks was fun, let's blow it open' show! I assume this is their last electric East Coast first set. Maybe they'll start with a juicy Jack Straw, or a groovin Half Step, or a wild Help/Slip/Franklin's (with Phil singing instead of Bob's pauses between lines), or a ripping Bertha - woohoo, ok, ok I'll calm down ;-)

re: fretboard, thanks for the info!
-tim

Consider this first. They are playing more shows in NY than in their homestate of California. Which may change, but for now it is as such. Being that Jones beach is a good place to see a show, not to "have" a show, so to speak and Darien is a good place to have a show, what do you think? Peeps are not going to Jones beach loaded w/goodies, ya know what I'm saying. Should be a great show, great time to be had by all in attendance. Lot- s of phun, so get there and get spun and see the show, feel the show.

Peace, See ya at the show

on jones beach-sometimes the most hyped shows are just that. You never know when and where you'll get shown the lite!

Kendogg,I agree,anyone with a half a brain won't be going to Jones Beach loaded up with goodies.And if they are,well I'm sure that LI's finest,I mean worst,will be waiting for them just like they always have.LI has that reputation and I'm sure it hasn't changed when it comes to being dead related.I for one won't be going to Jones Beach just because LI dead shows suck,not because of the band or the people,but the fascist police presence.

Could we get a Pride of Cucamonga around this piece...please

where are some places to stay near park? I won't be camping this time.

folkerths moetl, 2 miles from park. 585-937-9960 or 585-937-8072. No I don't work for them and actually I have never been there but I do have a reservation for after the show!!!!!!!

Lookin forward to this show. I'm not a big fan of the venue as its relatively flat so the sight lines are not that great. Having said that...if the show is great, well then hey, who cares.

Thanks for the hotel info. Dawg!

Help>Slip>Franklins will emerge

What are people planning on doing after the show?? Where is the party moving to?? Only about 1 week to go!!!

anyone know what time dylan goes on?
Thanks

This is my home venue, couple words of advice. The scene is cool, make sure you go to the back of the lot, there are grass fields to play in. This is also where they keep the show traffic seperate from the six flags traffic. Also, I've noticed the shows starting late on the second leg. That won't be the case this night! Darien Lake stops shows at 11:00 - 11:10, So I would fully expect the boyz to start at 7:00, no later than 7:15. I've had that extra beer cost me more than a couple openers. Have a good show all...

Hey guys....wondering if anyone has some answers to a couple questions....i'm getting antsy!!!! anyone know what times the lots open?? i'd like to get there as early as possible to start the part....also, i'm gonna be looking in the lot for a "captain trips" so to speak....anyone have any recommendations from other shows...i'd like a recommendation on who to look for ;-)...also what are people doing after the show?? any afterparties anywhere?? please help me out with these questions if you can

Well, plans changed, unfortunately I won't
be checking out Niagara Falls while in the area.
So now I'm checking out driving directions to the
venue. Does anyone know if the best way
to get there from exit 48 will be rt 98 south
to rt 2 west as told by the six flags site?
Anyone know if rt 33 is not usable due to
construction or if it makes sense to take
5west and 77 south? Or is that the
'high volume' traffic direct from the
highway? Thanks in advance!
-tim

Tim, The NYS Thruway (90), Rts. 5 & 33 are all North of the venue. If you wish to approach from the South, go to Rt. 20. Turn North on Rt. 77, and the park is only a few miles North on the right. The approach from the North is usually the biggest problem. I live in Rochester & I get off 90 @ Rt. 98 in Batavia & take it South to Rt. 20. Will the show (and will it be Dylan or Hunter) really begin at 4:00 p,m.?
Alan

Can't wait for the show! I'm bringing my 14 yr old bro to not only his 1st Dead show, but his first show ever...lucky bastard . He's so lucky to have such a cool sister! Seriously though, this will be my last show before NYE, unless Phil does shows at the Beacon and the Tower...LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!!!

Very excited....can't find a place to stay nearby though

OK everyone....one more day!!!! i am so pumped for this show, caught them at SPAC earlier and can't wait to see how they've grown as a band. anyone know when the lots open?? planning on getting there early to do some shopping...also WHERE IS THE AFTERPARTY??

yeah uhh, look for the older guy, but younger thaen you think. uhh, the parties in his pants.
peace... uh ya know what i'm writing?

I think there will be some really good Karma at this show. Too many big anticipations about Jones Beach. This could be a jewel. Please everyone be kind to everyone else - no assuming you have any rights without a ticket, no ripping off cd's or any other personal property, no Fu's or Suck my D#%$s to anyone. Let's enjoy this music while we have it. Also, Dylan does rock, and I will be happy to send you some shows of his from ealierthis year to provbe it. Here's some thoughts. Imagine if they announced they would lose a keyboardist or drummer(sacreligion) and add another lead guitarist (keeping Jimmy) who could take the jams to another level, who would you choose and why?

"Truckin' - up to Buffalo
Been thinkin' - you got to mellow slow
Takes time - you pick a place to go
and just keep truckin' on"

To all those phreaky phunky Wellsvillians heading up from the Southern tier take it slow through the Rushford lake area (Billy Richmond style) and get back the next day safe to enjoy your Texas hots, fries with gravy and chocolate milk shake and then a LB at Better Days. Make me proud. A patchwork quilt of life memories embroided on your soul...Long live the Dead - Jerry - You know our love will not Fadeaway!!!

Gomer

Opener Prediction: Feel Like A Stranger. Its way over due.

so how do we raise 3500 bucks and get Phil to run for Governor of California?

Mike 13

another guitarist?

WARREN
WARREN
WARREN

I kind of treaded on this question on the Polaris posts, and a lot of people mentioned Warren. I am a huge P&F fan, but folks seem to either really like or dislike his style. I think if he were added it would just be P&F with Bob and the rythm devils sitting in. I was hoping to see if anyone had any other creative suggestions that would unite the community. Derek Trucks? Mark Knopfler? Jens Kruger on banjo? Jimmy is great, and some of the best riffs from P&F are his, but I think that is why P&f was so dynamic was because of the 2 lead guitars. Jerry was a one of a kind guitarist/singer/personality, and having just one person to fill his shoes may not be enough. Any thoughts? They should be really "on" tonight, especially after Polaris' second set. Lots of good tunnes should flow.

The Dead - Darien Lake, NY 8/8/03

Set 1:
Jam>
Music Never Stopped
Casey Jones
#Tangled Up In Blue
#Alot To Laugh A Train To Cry
#West LA Fadeaway
#Alabama Getaway
No More Do I>Jam>
Scarlet Begonias>
Fire On The Mountain

# w/Dylan

humm, that is no sleeper!!!

The Dead - Darien Lake, NY 8/8/03

Set 1:
Jam>
Music Never Stopped
Casey Jones
#Tangled Up In Blue
#Alot To Laugh A Train To Cry
#West LA Fadeaway
#Alabama Getaway
No More Do I>Jam>
Scarlet Begonias>
Fire On The Mountain

# w/Dylan

Set 2:
Jam>
Mason's Children>Jam>
@Peggy-O>Jam>
Reuben & Cerise>
Drumz(Six Flags fireworks and Laser lightshow)/Space>
Days Between>
Throwing Stones>
Midnight Hour
Donor Rap
E:Help On The Way>
Slipknot...
Franklin's Tower

@Bob acoustic


Hunter opened, then Dylan

thanks taperrob. great set.

WOW...nice show. Can't wait to see what they play tomorrow.

I want my Patchwork Quilt

If only she knew what she was asking for.

Head for ZoneRadio Now.......

I would love Henry Kaiser to play with them. He knows the music, is a friend of the guys and IMO is an amazing guitar player.

IMO, Bruce on keys, (he won't because other commitments) and Kaiser on guitar would make take this from a good band to an outstanding band.

Henry Kaiser eh? As for Warren playing with "The Dead" it would not be so simple as making a phone call and asking as Warren has turned down the offer multiple times. He just doesn't like playing with Bobby pure and simple. IMHO Bruce is a pompous ass who thinks his shit don't stink.

Hunter opnened, then Dylan. Know Hunter was not thrilled with the tweener slot, so I hope this works for him.

First set smoked!

Second kinda fell apart @ drums...

Kasier definitely, seen him a few times... saw him recently as a guest with Richard Thompson, and as big a Thompson fan I am, the Kaiser stuff was MIND-BLOWING...He has a beaming smile and a sense of humor that will not quit..'sides his granddaddy is Henry J Kaiser, namesake of Oakland' formitable Wizard's Den...

Puff - Are you sure about the Warren not wanting to play with Bob deal? Heard a lot of people speculate about a feud or whatever you want to call it between Warren and Bob due to supposed on stage strife. Sure didn't seem to stop Warren from joining Bob and Ratdog at the Beacon last fall.

You all better be at westcoast gigs..

Once they smell and feel fresh Pacific Ocean breezes..

This band is gunna rock..

>Are you sure about the Warren not wanting to play with Bob deal? Heard a lot of people speculate about a feud or whatever you want to call it between Warren and Bob due to supposed on stage strife. Sure didn't seem to stop Warren from joining Bob and Ratdog at the Beacon last fall.<

...or Bob from joining Mule at MusicMidtown in Atlanta early this summer

what is all the buuuuuuulshit about needing yet another guitarist on stage? Warren and Bobby and Jimmy? and wait, how about Sammy Hagar and Kieth Richards?

Look, the problem with this band, when they are off, is a lack of communication, and cohesive direction.....and it just so happens that the lead guitar is the most noticalble culprit, when the band isn't "on".

Anyone who knows herring's work with Acquarium Rescue Unit or Jazz is Dead knows he doesn't meander, and he doesn't run out of chops. He is the best thing about the Dead right now, the most improved player, the most valuable player....he astonishes me every time I hear him. The fact that he learned 150 songs for this gig, and plays them all with perfection is mind boggling. He is fully capable of leading this band. His only problem= he's a humble guy caught in a Lion's Den of EGOS and strange personalities.

That nonsense of Warren not wanting to play with Bob is just untrue. As the others who posted above, these two have joined each other on numerous occasions. Just plain wishing for the Bob haters here.

Bruce pompus? First I've ever anyone call him that. One of the nicest people I've ever met. If he is so pompus, why do so many artists from all spectrums of music want to play with this guy?

Maybe your opinion comes from his comments he made last year about not wanting to play these gigs. Oh my god, Bruce doesn't want to play with the boys. He wants to create new music and write new songs. Can you blame him? The fact that he just played with Bob a few months ago shows there is no amoisity there.

I would still rather hear his terrapin than this band's version. Amazing, especailly that version I heard him play last year with Bella. WOW

How was the show last night? Anyone with a full review.

Hey Chicken, Peggy-O with Joan Bob and Phil taking turns. Very Cool!

Here is my first full review, I thought it would be worthwhile for me to share my oponion because I truly thought this was the poorest show I have seen this tour, and I have seen 3 shows and heard about a dozen so far. Started off with Music, it was alright nothing special I thought.
Then came Casey Jones..blah..not a tune I like to hear live..then Mr. Dylan appeared..Tangled up and It takes a Train were standard Dylan..then West LA and Alabama..now not that I don't like these tunes, but with their huge song base..theres really no reason to play these 2 songs three times in the last 8 shows. Then came No More Do I..I actually like this tune, with Joan singing it..Then Scarlet >Fire to close the set..Scarlet was average and so was Fire..I still cringe when Mickey sings it, but whatever it's his song. Out of a 10, I'd give first set a 6 maybe..was hoping for a rocking second set but it didn't happen.
Mason's Children got off to a slow start, however I thought this was one of the highlights of the show..it was played well, then came Peggy-O..usually I like Peggy-O even with the new vocal arrangement, but this one didn't do it for me..it slowed down the energy created from Mason's..the jam out of peggy-o was not inspiring, then Reuben and cherise..this song's alright I think..although it is overplayed nowadays..then came drums..pretty short pre-drums(only 3 tunes) thought the post drums would be a monster but I was wrong..the space was really boring, then to bore me more Days Between started..Im not a huge fan of Days to begin with but after 1 slow tune in 2nd set, Peggy-o, then a boring space Days Between pretty much ruined the show, I didn't see one happy person in the crowd from my vantage point. The band tried to segue into throwing..and it started off okay, then they completely stopped and started again. It's always nice to hear throwing, it got the crowd moving again after about a 40 minute standstill, although it seems that the play Throwin every 3 or 4 shows now. Then midnight hour, it was decent..full of energy..Joan did this thing where she put her arms around Bobby..he looked uncomfortable and so was I. I was expecting a short encore because of the tight curfew I've noticed at previous Darien shows(PLQ, SCI, phish), but we got a surprise with help>slip>frank. Definitally the highlight of the show..First time I can say the encore was the best part. All in all a little disappointing for me and my friends, but I guess you can't get a great show every time.

Sorry, I meant 3 to 4 summers ago when Bruce played with Bella.

I'm getting old. Sorry

We got into some border issues (comming from Canada) and missed most of the first set. I thought the second set was very good however I did not like days between comming out of a long drums > space. Where I was on the lawn, people were sitting and sleeping durring "days between".
I don't think it's a bad song, just bad placement. Masons Children was a nice surprise for me. I thought it was really well played. Peggy-O was great. The Jam into Ruben was kind of slow and meandering. Drums>Space>Days...bah...
Throwing Stones> Midnight Hour got things moving again. Good, good stuff. Not too sure how I feal about Joan taking over during Midnight Hour....but whatever. It was a great way to end the set. Encore Help>Slipknot>Franklins....BOOM. This was big and the crowd was loving it.
All in all a great second set of music.

>Are you sure about the Warren not wanting to play with Bob deal? Heard a lot of people speculate about a feud or whatever you want to call it between Warren and Bob due to supposed on stage strife. Sure didn't seem to stop Warren from joining Bob and Ratdog at the Beacon last fall.<

...or Bob from joining Mule at MusicMidtown in Atlanta early this summer

... or from Bob and Warren comprising the Bob and Friends set at the Xmas Jam last year

My thoughts on the show sort of echo some of the above posts and although I have not really heard any of the other shows and I ordered a OCR I hope this sounds better then the show did from my perspective.

First off, I thought the sound was shit. I was in section 204 back from the stage and found it difficult to hear Jimmy's guitar and the clarity was not good. The venue is lousy but the vibe was great.

Having read that Dylan was kicking ass intrigued our party and we were pleasantly surprised that he was. Never been a fan of Dylan live, but I liked his set and knew he would play Tangled Up in Blue w/Dead.

The Dead opened up with a nice jam>Muisc Never Stops which was decent and I thought the first set was pretty good. Mickey may have to stop singing, but at least he's not rapping. I thought the Dylan songs were excellent and played with alot of energy. You could tell they were having a good time and think this was the end of their run together. The rest of the 1st set was nicely played with a light take on No More Do I and the Scarlett-Fire was better than I expected.

Second set started off good and the mellow boring mode set in on the pre-drums till Days Between lost almost the entire show to me. Although I enjoyed it, it was 40 minutes of bathroom break-type tunes and it would be hard to re-generate any energy after that....there was a point in this segment when the guy next to me turned and said...."This is Derek Small's...he wrote this"
and we laughed pretty much till the encore. Even the encore suffered from the Saucey Jack jazz oddessy as there was a point in Slipnot where they just lost the jam and had to come out of it. The Help and Franklins segement were well played though.

Overall....what's not to enjoy. The vibe was great at the venue and people were in excellent spirits, but I expected a more powerful second set. I wonder if the OCR sounds better than what I heard as often is the case with mellow shows.

it takes a lot to laugh.. it takes a train to cry ..

barraco chimenti lesh osborne kreutzmann weir hart dylan & herring
".. well, aye wanna be your lover, baby
aye don't wanna be your boss
don't say I never warned you
when your train gets lost ..

Hey Lstroseofsummer, how did your little brother like his first show? You might have parked next to me. On the way in young woman driving, younger boy in passenger seat, parking lot guy says to the boy, you have a really nice older sister to bring you to the show, or something to that effect.

Personally, this was one of the best shows I have seen post-Dead. I had a positive attitude going in and I think that is how I heard the music. Things did get a little slow for a while but that happens.
The crowd and security were some of the best from all summer. I saw very few sad cases of alcohol and/or drug problems. One very drunk guy dragged his sober girlfriend right to the front of the entrance line and got in front of me. She's hanging on him mortified... poor kid, I told her not to sweat it and hoped he wasn't going to punch me for talking to her. Since he seemed happy enough it only added to the positive vibes that started in the lot.
Dylan was full of beans and rockin and rollin. Loved his set, with Bobby joining in for most of it dressed as a Dylan band member. Didn't know he could play without shorts and sandals - live and learn. Music was great and the band was hot.

The Dead came out and sounded very good. Jimmy does seem to have a case of 'being too humble' to fit on the stage (unlike Joan who has no problem, she woman, hear her roar). Dylan joined them on four songs not three and he used his guitar for some of the songs. The Dead picked up his enthusiasm and went with it. Bobby was in his groove and it really worked for me. Ending the set with Scarlet/Fire was unreal. I thought it sounded better than the Scarlet I heard at Vernon, but it always seems to depend on my mood. I was very happy about this show. The crowd was absolutely going nuts. Started with Dylan firing everyone up and then just went through the whole first set.

Second set got a little slow. I didn't mind, I needed a break from set 1! I was sooo happy that they didn't do the Joan talk overboard on Midnight Hour. Again, a great thing about this show. Then, the encore simply amazed everyone. I think most of us expected to get shut down and instead we find ourselves in one of the best closers ever. A great thing again! The Peggy-O sounded great in there somewhere as well. I'd love to get a good aud of this show! On the Slipknot to Franklins change... it was pretty different. Bobby stopped the band even though Phil was pushing it to Franklin's with a very obvious path. Phil motioned for Bobby to (finally) do it his way and he started Franklin's from scratch. At least that is what it looked and sounded like to me. At least it was a great Franklins anyway.
-tim

This was one of the best shows of the whole tour. I saw 23 out of the first 29 shows,ive been within 30 rows in every show, and let me tell you "oh my god!' I was front row tonight and let me tell you i never had such a warm feeling in my life. Joan really stole my heart this summer, and she is a beautiful addition to the band. this was the night when i held up my "Hog for you Baby," sign and let me tell you Joan was going crazy. i dont think she left the stage for the whole night, even if she wasn't singing, I believe that was a first.She sang Days Between staring at me in my eyes and let me tell you i fell right in love with her. She is such a wonderful woman and i love to be able to enhance the moment with the band to make everyone elses show a better one. I believ that they like the way i dance because i am almost on the same wavelength. I will be on the rest of the tour to the Gorge and i will be front row warfield for the return of the PLQ and i hope my lady(joan) will be there.

Peace

"The Giggler"

Dan ~ love yer enthusiasm!!
But I need to tell ya ~ in your profile please change the spelling of *sweat* to *SWEET*!!
LOL!!!

i really enjoyed this show too. got off to a really late start and missed dylan again

daydream, fritz, and co....nice meeting you guys in columbus. hope you had a safe travel the rest of the way on tour. sorry i didn't get in touch at darien. my buddy and i were runnin super late and ran right into the venue b/c of the early start time.

thought this show was great. probably put it 2nd to the six i saw this summer (2nd night red rocks being first). great first set....the crowd was so loud and so pumped up it seemed. the sound was really loud which is what i like. 2nd set was a bit toned down compared to the first but the encore...oh the encore...how sweet that was. defenitly capped off the show in a positive note. the lasers and fireworks were pretty bad ass too. nice way to cap off my 6 shows of the summer.

After a long drive, spent figuring out how to scam into the parking lot for the amusement park, so we can make a quick exit, we get parked there anyway! Karma! Yeah, it’s a long walk to the venue and the shakedown, but it beats waiting in line for hours after the show when there’s a 10-hour drive to Long Island looming. The lot scene is very bizarre, thanks to the heavy presence of Canadians. Scoop has it that ‘erb is practically legal in Canada, but no one dares cross the border with any. Good for them. I go in fairly early to catch Zimmy, this being the only show with him I am remotely able to catch. I am stylin’ with 3rd row left center tickets – I keep the aisle seat, figuring on having room to dance – this will cost me dearly later. There’s quite a scene around the tapers section as the tapers and security argue over not taping Zimmy or Hunter – man, it woulda been so easy to stealth a few dozen yards away on the lawn rail where no one was watching. Why waste energy over this? My first rule of taping – always stealth when in doubt. Not my issue since I don’t have a rig anymore. Hunter is on first and does Days Between and says that Phil will tear it up on that song later. Interesting. He also did the full Terrapin suite. I go to my up front seat for Zimmy and it’s perfect spot for heckling: “Hey Bob – Get a Job”, “Wooo Hoo – you suck!”, “We want folksingers, not hillbilly’s” – "I'm puttin' my kids thru college selling yer bootlegs" - the 2 guys sitting in front of me with their newly-bought 'Bob Dylan Live on Tour' t-shirts pulled over their Izod golf shirts are not too appreciative – “Hey, heckling Dylan is a venerable 38-year tradition” is my answer. “Hey Bob, nice countercultural icon dress code” – his band all wears identical grey suit jacket and pants. He plays keyboards the whole set. His set gets more interesting as it goes along “Wheel’s on Fire” a rarity I think. Bob Weir comes out for several songs – dressed in the identical gray suit! It seemed they couldn’t get Weir to leave once he started playing. Dylan’s vocals are very gutteral now – “Hey Bob, smoke another Cigarette – maybe you’ll sing more gravelly” – almost sounds like a Tibetan monk. Security is being really tight about people taking pictures – confiscating film and all – “Hey Bob, I got you on a bootleg and I’m selling your picture for $10 in the parking lot!” Dylan’s set is about 75 min’s. Not as good as a few year’s ago but better than 5-10 years ago. “Hey Bob – nice Oscar!” – he has his Oscar award on his amp – what a showoff! Bathroom break for the Rainy Day Woman encore – at least that’s out of the way for his later appearance. I arrange my patch during the setbreak and get my spider sense tingling (wink wink). Spiderman is VERY strong this go-around, I must say! It’ll be a long drive after the show. TD take the stage around 8-ish, Joan wearing a Sturgis Bike Rally tank top. The opening 2 songs played well. Bobby has a new, electric blue guitar, with a harsh, angular sound reminiscent of the mid-‘80’s – a friend dubbs it the “Blue Meanie”. It’s as if Bobby was thinking to himself “My sound is really good now, I just have to add some SUCK to it!” Dylan takes the stage to Bobby’s introduction: “Here’s a man who needs no introduction”. This mini-set w/Dylan is the highlight of the show and the reason I traveled so far. The songs are standard fare, so expected since it’s Friday, closest to the east coast, and last show w/Dylan. He uses his newfound gutteral voicings to great effect on “Takes A Lot to Laugh”. Alabama and West LA are VERY rockin’ – it almost seems they don’t want to stop playing. They eventually do, and Zimmy is whisked away, they bust into the rest of the set – this is also very well played, great transitions between No More Do I and Scarlet, and then again between Scarlet and Fire – not the abrupt Mickey version, more like the Alpine version from last summer – very well done. During all this the aisle next to my seat is increasingly crowded. The Dylan fans with the 2 seats in front of me are long gone, replaced by a crew of local Yuppie-ish 20-something’s. Their posse numbers around a dozen, and they all keep trying to crowd into the aisle. The guards try valiantly to get rid of them, but they’re back almost instantly, or replaced by another of their possee. They are VERY obviously WAY high on “X” or some combination of club dope. This one guy’s whole body is buzzing like a rabbit or an old-fashioned alarm clock, barely in time to the music. He is disgustingly drenched in sweat. I dub him “Rabbit Boy”. He, along with this girl, are the most persistent aisle scammers. The girl’s lips are pulled way back from her teeth, sort of like Gary on the Howard Stern show. She is also very obviously way X-ed out. I dub her “chipmunk girl”. Not sure if the lip thing is some result of dope use or just natural, but it’s very disturbing. Rabbit Boy, Chipmunk Girl, and company are all blubbery, bouncy, blissed out, and totally don’t care about their own or anyone else’s personal space. I am constantly being bounced into by them, each time receiving an armful of gnarly sweat – ecch! I finally tire of this and start standing my ground. Rabbit Boy gets a few nasty elbows to the back from me. Chipmunk Girl gets pinched in the ass – but she digs it and hugs me! Wow! 2nd set opens promisingly enough with Mason’s, their playing on this much improved each time I hear it. The inter-song jamming again is strong, Bobby switches to acoustic and they go into Peggy-O. Then Bobby is supposed to be singing the verse and he’s totally clueless – Joan and Phil look at each other in disgust – I put my arms up in the air and point to Bobby – he actually sees me and then realizes he’s supposed to be singing – he goes to the mic giving me a smug dirty look as in “yeah, doofus, I get it” – then he totally blanks on what he’s supposed to be singing! At this point Phil takes over and sings the verse. This kind of kills the 2nd set’s momentum, even though the Rubin & Cherise is pretty strong – drums & space are decent, as much of it as I could enjoy being surrounded by a bunch of X-ed out losers babbling incessantly – one fat, bald guy right in front of me is trying desperately to pick up this girl, his plaintive schmoozing right in my face as he talks facing backwards to the girl. I almost want to offer her $100 if she promises to F him after the show just to get him to shut the hell up! He is a total ball of blubber and she is decent looking, so it’s pretty obvious she ain’t givin’ it up for him. Phil indeed tears it up on Days Between, same for Joan, although, again, this mellow stuff just ain’t grabbin’ the attention of the ravers surrounding me – the babble-fest goes on. Finally Throwing Stones gets them all bouncin’ around the room again, now it’s a total mosh pit, security has totally given up, it’s a free for all – well, I ain’t never one to give up my rightly ticketed space, and if there’s one thing my ex taught me well it’s how to slam dance, so pretty soon bodies are flyin’ left and right. Knee to the groin, elbow to the solar plexus, and hippie-rave-boy is over the seats across the aisle. Rabbit Boy brushes by me and my arm is drenched in his sweat – he’s reminded to keep his distance with a quick elbow jab to the back of the neck. Chipmunk Girl flails her arm in my face and I get another free squeeze of her ass. The security guard who gave up catches me in mid-body slam and laughs, I am almost hysterical myself – now I know why football and hockey are so popular – it’s FUN inflicting pain with no repercussions! Midnight Hour is almost a relief, it’s SO lame and uninspired – can you say “phoning it in”? Jimmy is so bored he lights a cig - how often do you see THAT? It’s 10:52, I figure US Blues and they’re outta here, so it’s back to the tapers to pick up my deck – only to find out neither set got recorded and I’d already given up my bribe cd’s and buds – I’d forgotten one of my rules of taping – don’t give up the bribe until you are reasonably sure you’ll actually get a tape of the show – oh well – then they bust out the Help-Slip-Frank’s – the sound is pretty crappy from way back, but at least I have space – they drop off most of the return to Slipknot and go right into Franklin’s, a so-so version – still better than I’d expected for the encore. Overall half pretty decent show, 1st set much better than 2nd, woulda been much more enjoyable if not for the ravers – maybe it’s an upstate NY thing – the Vernon Downs crowd was also particularly x-ed out. A mad dash for the car and we’re outta there – back to our wayside stop in the Pocono’s for a few hours shuteye before hitting LI the next day – upon crossing the border I envision a new PA state slogan: “Welcome to Pennsylvania – Where Buying Beer is a Baffling Ordeal!” A highlight of the night’s ride home is hearing the Rolling Stones’ Let It Bleed album – now THAT’S a classic album – none of that Some Girls ‘70’s schwag!

thanks for sharing

Got my OCR yesterday of the show and as boring as the second set was at the show, it sounds fantastic on disc. The first set was great when I was at the show, but doesn't sound as good as the second set. Interesting.

Yeah, but the 1st set you paid $22 for DOESN'T HAVE THE F-IN' DYLAN SONGS!!!! WHAT A DOUCHEBAG!!!!

Bob Dylan Sucked but liked the songs they played with him, do his songs but dont let him sing, Scarlet-Fire was Great, That Jam was Way to Long and boring in the second set with the drum and space, The show overall was really something great though

yeahya