no reviews of last night yet? Looked like a hot setlist- what was the rest of the evening like?

Hey Pinman!!

Happy New Year to you my good man!!

I just wrote you a way too long-winded review of the 30th and 31st, that I idiotically forgot to save before I backed out of this post (well, that'll happen at 11:30 on New Year's Day after being up all night). Suffice to say, the 30th was, in my probably not-too-humble opinion, a fantastic Phil show. I really didn't know what to expect from the 31st, thinking that somehow they may have blown their wad a night too soon (not really, but you know...). However, Phil & the Quintet (plus Bobby, Billy, Mickey, Derek & Susan Tedeschi-Trucks, plus the rest) put on what I think was another incredible New Year's Eve show. I'll leave this review to someone else or another post (but, for all I know, you were there too having the time of your life).

Hey, if you do come across nice copies of these shows sometimes soon, be sure to send me a message - if you'd be so very, very kind. I'll make a note to do the same for you.

Have a fantastic New Year and stay well!!! As good-ol Mauryce puts it: Pray for Peace.

whew! still recovering from 2 of the most amazing phil shows i've seen. so tight, so focused, so......

my only comment about ratdog on 12/30 is that it had a few interesting moments.

now phil and co., wow! a little meandering jam led to the bomb being dropped for shakedown. a nice boogying version that led into loose lucy, which they seemed to struggle through a bit. just a warm up for an INCREDIBLE king solomon's>stronger than dirt. such lightening fast licks from Jimmy that i had a hard time keeping up. damn. i really need to hear this again to fully appreciate the magic and power. great to see jimmy and rob high five after this one with big smiles all around in the band. they knew they nailed this one. heard mason's children for the first time and enjoyed the jam that followed and of course the power of st. stephen that boasted a wicked 11 tease that led back into stephen again before a rollicking golden road. a awesome first set. of course, the real power was yet to come with the opening licks of cryptical that melted into a wonderful, heartfelt strawberry fields. incredible vocals on this version and the only "slow" song of the two nights. very pretty. and then comes phil with the bombs. bucky, you will simply love this other1. phil was friggin' relentless with deep rumblings driving it through circular jams into a spacey jam and then a happy scarlet. night of 1000 stars has really come a long way since i first heard it. funny watching warren read every word from his cheat sheet and still belting the sucker out. casey jones was a fun encore. this was really a night for rob, who sang many songs and was just pounding on the keys with some of the best leads i've heard him do.

12/30/01: Getting in to SF quite a 2-day odyssey over 12/27 & 28, with canceled flights, bad weather, missed connections, security shakedowns, etc. I vow to R&R in the hotel, the HoJo Express, whose managers totally sucked, man if Phil does this again, I will STRONGLY advise EVERYONE to BOYCOTT their hotel!. I shrug off multiple invitations to go to String Cheez or Kimock (I mean, please, spare me), save my energy for THE MAN. Jill and Noelle are having a symbiosis bouncing off the walls (remember the Simpsons where Lisa’s friends are going crazy and they do up Maggie in makeup, Homer is like "That’s it, I’m going to Moe’s!"), so I am torn away for a half-day visit to SF with Stan from Phila. We ride BART and buses and trolleys, check out some poster shops, eat lunch (this takes 3 hours! And we thought the Caribbean or Europe was bad!). Jill and Noelle have by now made up and posted on the hotel room door many elaborate mini-poster artwork with Phil lyrics, to counter the DNC rooms with very simply scrawled Bobby lyrics on the door. We met a bunch of zoners here and there, most notably English Bob and Pete on their first visit to the States. 12/30 dawns with rain, rain, rain. My first rain in the bay area. My word for the day is UBER. Queue up in line in the soaking rain. Meeting people takes a back seat to staying dry. Buzz has it that soundman John Cutler has been removed and replaced. Well, mixed feelings at best about that, no pun intended. Into the venue, no problem at the pat-down once I tell them I’m a taper, others getting the full cavity search, though. Inside has lots of cool decorations, lights strung around the balcony, backdrops of glittery multi-colored foil to reflect the light, an area set up as a shrine to victims of 9/11, with an adjacent area to make origami figures to leave at the shrine, and for face painting. I’d better not get caught in front of there when Jill and Noelle show up. I heard some of the Zoners were involved in setting some of this up. Kudos! Much confusion reigns about where or who I am going to patch out of, so I am stuck on the extreme right fringe of the section and will be serving as border guard all night. Great, just great. Happy as a pig in shit! Only consolation is that its west coast. Ratdog starts promptly at 6. This was the best Ratdog set I’ve ever seen, mostly because nothing was really obnoxious, and it was pretty jammy, although hearing Ratdog forcibly attempt what PLQ does by instinct is kind of amusing. There were a few songs Phil could have done (most painfully Tomorrow Never Knows, which was only 2’). The early Floyd song was the highlight. English Bob knew what that was right away. Ratdog ran right up to the 2-hour tape limit. Phil started around 8:45. Set I: The opening jam had strong China Cat, Scarlet, and HC Sunshine teases. Shakedown was the new soundman’s first test, it was still very boomy and echo-ey in the place. The meltdown after Shakedown goes into a fairly long rockin’ jam hinting Loose Lucy for awhile before finally busting into it. This version is pretty enjoyable, good early set placement, I thought I would never be able to tolerate this one. Nevertheless, its my bathroom and drink break. King Solomon’s after a pause. Jimmy takes more assertive leads on King Solomon’s. By this point I already feel like a broken record fulfilling my taper section border guard role, telling tipsy people holding 2 full, spilling beers in front: "better off going round, man" "tough to cut through there, man" "may not want to go in there if your not a taper, man". Also kicking dropped cups and cigarette butts away from my 2 square feet of personal space. Thus, as I try to start enjoying the King Solomon’s, I first take notice that EVERYONE, full circle around me, as far as I can see, is talking incessantly, ALL with a beer in one hand, a lit cigarette in the other. It was truly the Nightmare of 1,000 Lit Butts, all with their ubiquitous stream of smoke wafting into my nose. I thought Calif. had jack-booted smoking out of existence. Now, I was reminded of an old truth told to me before the show by an old-time west coaster about how at west coast shows the music is a backdrop for a gathering of the community, but, you know what, F*&K ALL YOU WEST COAST UBER COOL ASSES!!! I took all this time, traveled through hell, I want to hear the music. In absolute desperation, I yelled something like "Didn’t anyone come here to hear the f%#kin’ music? Can’t everyone just shut up and listen to the f%$kin’ music?" And you know what? EVERYONE SHUT UP! AND THEY STOPPED SMOKING TOO! Thank You Very Much you well-bred west coast sheep! If I tried this in NYC, I’d be lucky to escape alive (I almost got my ass kicked at both Jones Beach and Holmdel for merely trying to claim my legitimate ticketed seat, after all). No one bothered me at all the rest of the show. Hey, whatever it takes. And don’t even get me started about the Environmental consequences of the TRILLIONS of non-bio-degradable butt filters dropped on the planet’s surface . . . Anyway, Phil introduces Molo as "The Lion King" during the pause after the Solomon’s. Mason’s starts very up-tempo. Jimmy mixing the High Falls (Allmans Instrumental from 1975 album) riffs into his leads all the time. There is a brief Smokestack tease by Warren in Mason’s. Strong version, minor meltdown in the middle, then the end meltdown gives way to a long and mellow space, teasing several "pretty" themes. This picks up into a full-band Tuesday’s Gone jam (Lynyrd Skynyrd (sp?) song). St Stephen powerful but short (could be shortest mid-song jam ever, definitely no 11 jam). Golden Road same deal, short and powerful, only with Rob on B3. 82’ set, but will easily squeeze onto an 80’ CD by cutting dead air from beginning.

12/30/01 Cont’d, Set II: Cryptical starts the set very loosely, builds momentum to Other One jams, Dark Star riffs throughout, melts down, evens out into full space jazz. Much more explored and developed than any of the fall versions. Way over 10’ of jamming. Very Dark Star-ish, with Terrapin tease. During this, my deck loses signal due to digital cord problems, which are fixed but the set is lost to me and all the next 2 or 3 decks down. Just as at all 3 Boston shows, those long lines of digital patches are nothing but trouble. Rob’s Pipe Organ space intro’s Strawberry Fields. Mellowness after Fields hints Other One for awhile, then up a semi-bomb notch to a full Other One, backs off, then a full "bomb" intro to 1st verse. The 2 guitarists alternate lead and rhythm back and forth as jam dissolves to space. Brief Half Step riff. Molo is playing straight Other One, the rest of the band is space jamming. "Cowboy Neil at the Wheel of the Bus to Never Never Land" was the last verse sung. They never did the "Comin’ Around" part, which they hadn’t been singing lately anyway. More space-out after this. Then, a sudden shift into The Eleven, 32’ into the set. A Brief Rider tease in the post-11 meltdown, more jamming, down to space, more space, hints Comes A Time, Stella, Wheel, then the cowbell signals Scarlet. Interesting placement. Will it be Fire after? The jam after is powerful, hints Other One frequently (will they finish it?), strong Phil leads, then ends. Unbroken has some heavier bombs at the main bridge than usual. The usual post-Chain jam (wasn’t that debuted here last year, or did that start late in the fall tour?) winds down to space, brief Playin and Truckin riffs foretell tomorrow night. This shifts tempo to a circular drum beat, easily shifting to Night of 1000 Stars. Powerful version. The less said about the encore the better, I did enjoy Phil’s speech. Second set plus encore was 100’. As for the new soundman, it sounded like Cutler’s mix at the beginning, but it never quite "filled in" the room, even up to the end, still sounded kind of muddy and unfocused. Even so, I’m rooting for you all the way, new dude! Overall, very solid show, every song (well, maybe not the encore) was very well performed, the song selection and placement were just right, there were 2 very extended space jams (into St Stephen and into Scarlet) and 2 other shorter ones (into L Lucy and into 1000 Stars), along with one of the best Other One’s of the year. OK, 9.4! Even better, the rain let up for the long walk back to the hotel.

There's a "Wish You Were Here" tease early in the space before Scarlet. The second set timing is more like 97 to 98', not 100'.

Sideshow,
I was at the Kaiser for NYE's last year and I must say the sound was improved by 1000%. Thought the vocals were tremendously clear and all instruments were individually distinguishable throughout the arena. As for your trouble finding a spot with focused listeners it seems as though you are the type of person who goes looking for trouble. Just a thought. Worry a little less about how long each jam lasts, etc. and let your mind connect with the music and musicians and you'd be surprised how fast all the extraneous distractions disappear.

Anyway agree with your somewhat mechanical reviews, this is a concert baby, not a science project, swing a little.

Great review Sideshow, thanks. I used to live out there and your "west coast sheep" comment put me on the floor! Yea, just try that in NYC!

Not trying to defend a whole coast but must add that I'd much prefer the west coast audience to the NYC audience any day of the week. the crowd demands a certain show from the band and god bless 'em they deliver. Unfortunately its the kind of show with less free and exploratory jamming. the second the band begins to meander the crowd begins losing interest, talking loudly etc. . .All this talk of the wonderful Beacon, I just didn't see it. Too hot, crappy sound in many areas of the venue and the people. . . Fahgeddaboutit!

>Unfortunately its the kind of show
with less free and exploratory jamming. the second the band begins to meander the crowd begins losing interest, talking loudly
etc.

ahhhh....pure bs. check 2/18/01, 6/30/01, 7/7/01, 12/31/01.... crowds on the west coast are ALWAYS gabbing with each other. frankly, doesn't really matter what's being played, they're just a chatty bunch. the trick is to find the sweet spot in the crowd were the folks around you are there for the music, which i somehow always manage to find. (hint: the couple of fob tapers are usually surrounded by us like minded folk).

btw, i'll take chatty over drunken whistler's and screaming xena's any day.

>>>but, you know what, F*&K ALL YOU WEST COAST UBER COOL ASSES!!! I took all this time, traveled through hell, I want to hear the music. In absolute desperation, I yelled something like "Didn’t anyone come here to hear the f%#kin’ music? Can’t everyone just shut up and listen to the f%$kin’ music?" And you know what? EVERYONE SHUT UP! AND THEY STOPPED SMOKING TOO! Thank You Very Much you well-bred west coast sheep!

Priceless!!!!!

Cinderoo,
I meant that for the New York audiences and I couldn't agree with you more. Caught 2/18, 7/7/ and 12/31 and loved the loose jamming. Don't forget 7/6 either. As I recall they opened the second set with maybe a Watchtower and didn't sing another song for what seemed like 30minutes.

Guess my posting wasn't clear as to where my audience allegiances lie.

gotcha puff. thanks for the clarifcation

>btw, i'll take chatty over drunken whistler's and screaming xena's any day.<

Yeah, the whistler is rough, but isn't sceaming xena (The Horse Chick) a Bay area fixture?

The Horse Chick passed me a few KIND twisters before the P&F sets, and before I realized who she was (in front of Rob). She wailed big-time, as usual, both nights. By the time I got back to SoCal, I caught the inevitable heavy duty cough/cold thing. Thanks Allison.

East coast: close reserved seats required
West coast: general admission, natural order

Masons Children fucking rocks!!!

Just beats out Passenger for my top Phil rocker.

>but isn't sceaming xena (The Horse Chick) a Bay area fixture?

wow. if she is, i've been blessed in never hearing or seeing her. lucky me.

wow you east coaster are so aggresive and tough.Hey remember this is the peaceful westcoast way we do things and proud of it. Keep that THUG thing back at the east.Remember it started here before you toughheads glomed on.Hey brother stay on your side if you can`t behave.

Before I post this review, I have to say a few things. You west coasters are the rudest audience in existence, as a whole, and I won't include everyone of course.

People don't shut up, they spill shit on you, then tell you you bumped into them. They will go and move your shit from a location, then cop a squat in your seat...they will bend posters, pass out, and basically be verbally abusive. They hip check you in the hallways, and the bathrooms make the Electric Factory seem okay. That said, you still didn't take away from a perfectly marvelous show. As for your comments about the New York audiences...utter fucking bullshit, and the funny thing is I heard people introducing themselves, and West Coasters actually commenting on the kindnesses they found at the Beacon.

This little disagreement isn't going to get me anywhere, but one observation, the audiences in the east are to the eye, on the whole at least 10 years older, and less tolerant of shitty behavior.

That said, and in defense of Rob, TC and Bob- people if you are near the taper section, SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!!!! To the chick, who at the top of her lungs yells into the mic, I gotta go...Fuck you. You ruined a perfectly blissfull moment last night for a living room full of us. People, those tapers are there to serve YOU. Respect them and us...if you aren't going to want to hear the show again, find another place to cop a squat or conduct your cocktail hour!!!

My rant is done. Review later.

Yeah

And you all wonder why we had Tupac rubbed out?

TC, we need to share!!!! and Crypt, please explain, because I am creaky to say the least after last night, and all I remember about Tupac was an okay movie performance, and that he performed "music???" that I try not very hard not to listen to, even when it is driving down the street.

tupac
one of americas great poets
come on you know it

great poets...Whitman, Dylan, Hunter...

Just because the show is in the west does not imply that everyone is a westcoaster. All this stupid banter about peoples behavior is more annoying than what you talk about as happening at the shows. Shows have a differnt dynamic in different locations. Many west coast shows are one shot deals and it takes time to get the groove thing going. Therefore, the first show or shows after a dry spell are going to put people into a frenzy where they talk and party to extreme. If we had multiple show runs like NYC the crowd would mellow as I felt happen at Maritime. The first show had many distractions but each night the focus became clearer not to metion the shows got better. At any rate 12/30-31 kicked ass from the get go and thats what its all about - Music and Lights! Not some chatter box or screaming ninny. Get over the crowd and move on. QUINTETESSENTIAL!

Nice try....sorry. Not buying it. What used to be is no longer. I did not say all, for I have plenty of West Coast buds who are the coolest dudes on earth, and some of them are embarressed at this point.

The point being...the "scene" shouldn't take away from the music, and it does. During, and now after the show, to be preserved on Disc for as long as we know it...

>the "scene" shouldn't take away from the music, and it does.

I'm proud to be a West Coaster, and I'm sick of ppl discrediting the West Coast. After all, this is Where It All Began, dammit! I'd take Phil in OUR home state any day! Get over the negativity,...jeez! When you show up with this attitude, or worse yet, post it on a board for everyone to read, ppl will show up expecting this crap. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy...

Sorry your tapes are ruined. But, if the tapers are truly there to serve me, then I'm still in search of both nights. I don't have a burner, so it'll have to be a B&P. Whadda you say?

p.s.--As a friend of tapers, I know how to respect that section. Many nights I've served as a buffer for fob taping. Perhaps tapers need to work to get more folks understanding the etiquitte, or get more friends to work the perimeter.

Play nice dude. I did not single you out. Pretty sure the jerks know who they are. As for serving you, they are serving the "public" known as the fans. It is time consuming and expensive. If you are a friend of tapers, then you know alot of the time it sucks, but they are still out there for "you, John Public", and not themselves.

As for getting copies of the 30th and 31st, you are going to have to do way better than bad attitude to get me to put the time in to burn them for you.

>as for getting copies of the 30th and 31st,you are going to have to do way better than bad attitude to get me to put the time in to burn them for you.<

yeah... but if i am nice will you burn 'em for me??

happy belated birhtday!!
your present is in the mail.

Dewit, Dewit, Dewit....

As both a Proud & Elder West Coast Boy I say we tie up all of the East Coasters to the Street Sign at Haight/Asbury & tickle them with swizzle sticks from the Pall Mall Club until they get it

Hey Man, aren't the Grateful Dead a bunch of those West Coasters. Dewit, I'll tell these guys to behave, if you East Coasters finally thank us for turning you onto to the scene in the first place, ha ha

Konawestcoastgrandpakid

>Konawestcoastgrandpakid

Just think of the anagram phun you could have with that one?

Why not?
PROGNOSTICATE DANK ASK WAD
DEGRADATION SOCK SWAP TANK, This one's for Crypt
NONDESCRIPT DATA GAWK SOAK, scary isn't it?
PROTAGONIST DEAD SACK WANK

What used to be is no longer. Yes we all need to keep up with the times and move on. What used to be in 85 when i started seeing shows (as a eastcoater) was pure bliss. After over ten years and 250 shows the scene was pathetic at the end of the Deads run. Granted crowds were much larger and a younger generation of wanna bees was infiltrating the scene - but it is nothing like that now. I have not seen Phil nearly as much as I saw the Dead but the scene is not as bad as it used to be and may be less painful than it was. I suppose the trend is what you want to make of it. I have never been more in tune with the music and band chemistry than I am with Phil. This alone makes whatever is going on around me irrelevant. Just listening to "music" sing sweet songs to rock my soul.

Hey Dewit I`m truly sorry for what I said.I love reading what you have to say,and would love to buy you a big ale at the next west coast show. ps. I will shut the fuck up.

Or some green.

From an former East coaster turned SoCal:

East coast: reserved seating, aggressive crowd
West coast: general admission, natural order
Chicago==>Denver: combination of the above

4/30 Roseland was rough; assholes exsist everywhere, unfortunately it's not coast relevent. Phans in the East do seem to be more focused on the music though, generally speaking.

Bay area shows draw from everywhere and seem to have the greatest potential for an overall kind scene. Eliminating alcohol sales inside shows would eliminate most trouble!!! And post-show lot brew sales would benefit greatly.

>To the chick, who at the top of her lungs yells into the mic, I gotta go...Fuck you.

I do remember that very well. She was not treated very kindly by some of us.

But thats the way it goes. There are many who are very respectful of the tapers. It just takes one or two to "ruin a perfectly blissfull moment", whether it be at the show or last night listening to it again.

taperrob

>Perhaps tapers need to work to get more folks understanding the etiquitte

After over 20+ years: they didn't get it back then and they dont get it now. And that includes a handful tapers also (what I would refer to as wanna-be tapers).

Ok, got my shields up, ready to take the hits.

taperrob

taperbob,hey I agree.When you see a mike ,shut the fuck up.I benefit from your labor and don`t think of how much goes into it.Brother thank you from all of us. Anyway .damm to much wine tasting today.........YN MKER

Carl, will go with green...a given.

Kona, I thank god every day for the west coast. I just want to bring back the kind scene we all had so many years ago.

Had a conversation with a west coaster I have the privilege of hanging out with here, tonight, talking about the scene, today, east meets west. We agreed on a variety of issues, and they are issues.

During the Beacon run, and we were both there all seven nights, not once did we see any "shit" go down, which is amazing. I am sure it did, but it didn't go down in the lobbies, up or down. The Beacon during a break gets very very crowded...no room to walk, whatever...and yet, all around, excuse mes, no beers flying, and the kind hand on the shoulder, asking you to let a soul get by.


Maybe because we live in much tighter quarters here, on the trains, the sidewalks, we just get around folks better...who knows, but it is definetely there.

Honestly, not found in the Kaiser, and oh, how I wish it was. Just a little bit of common courtesy, and this could definetely be the road to amazing stuff.

One thing I did notice at the Kaiser shows which I have never seen before. It was if the people I dealt with were all very abrupt and acted like they belonged in that space. I just turned my back and wouldn't give an inch. They bumped in a few times I made eye contact and showed that I was totally grooving and no harm no foul and then they saw that I wasn't a pigeon to be plucked and gave me back my floor space so I could dance. This happened several times with 3 separate groups on the floor. Then in the line the next day the same kind of thing only verbal. Two flavors. One a lady that could have been around in the start or not much later, "pull the seats out for Phil oh no...Maybe Ratdog but not Phil. His audience isn't sophisticated enough" Blah blah blah "where you from" me- "Baltimore" her "rolls eyes oh well..." but after about ten minutes of conversation she was referring to me as "my new friend here" [obviously I can't recreate the subtle nuances and body gestures this lady was pulling off but you get my point]
Then on the other side was a quiet guy same age. Never really said much until he got a feel for me. Then we ended up talking for quite sometime. I enjoyed my time with him but as bad as I am with organization I am worse with names. So having misplaced my pager I couldn't enter in his name and sure enough for got it. But I think it was John??? Lived in Napa. Met my wife and I. you-glasses and dark shortish hair... me-wingnut.
We talked about the wine, food, and arts center.

No of it bothered me and I think that was the point. Not being bothered but not folding either.
Or I could have just been out of my mind. My script is usually marked over in red marker and with big sections blacked out completely by the time shooting begins.

COOL.....home grown marin co. kind...under ground (hydro)...4 mo. turn around.......it`s big and stinky.

one thing that suprised me at the Kaiser (and it is not something that I remember being a big problem before) was the amount of folks on the floor that just walked right into the back of me or pushed me aside with no warning so that they could get in front of me!

I am used to folks that politly tap me on the shoulder when they need to get by - NOT try to knock me over with no warning. Defintly not the way I remember the west coast crowds - but maybe that is because I am a bit older than I was when I saw shows out west. Easier to see more when one gains perspective with age.

was also suprised at how many drunk folks there was and smoking cig's there too. Remarked to a friend during Phil's first set on NYE that there seemed to be a lot of folks around us that could puke at any moment. many folks seemed like they had had too much too fast - due to the celebratory nature of NYE? - I don't know. Don't remember that many out of control folks at the only other NYE show I saw in 88.

Regardless I had a wonderful time and would go back again in a hearbeat!!!! Thanks Phil and Friends!!!!

John and LessThan,
That is pretty much the scene I get out there, and it is completely different from the East Coast vibe. I get tired of the misconstruence of the East Coast scene. I really think that the tide has changed. There is no doubt that the East Coast is definetely there more to hear, and less to socialize, but that has been going on for awhile...meet at the breaks, or drumsspace (sorry Carl), and yak, back to your seats and your scene when the music changed, the lights dimmed.

Whatever it is, it does seem to me to be subtle courtesy, and not some huge impending glob of doom not unlike the '94 and '95 lot scene. I think it is curable, fixable, and that it needs to be done.

I may be old (THANKS ASSHOLE, first and only time I will call you that), but I have still done more shows this year than alot of folks, because I want to hear the music, and be there for the energy...not to fill up the stub box. I am making observations about things that I think could be changed to enhance and protect the entire scene, and I do think it is this simple.

While some would be more apt to go and help a passed out soul, I would get med help, sorry, did my share of pseudo paramedic help on ski slopes long enough, and I have no tolerance for over abundance...someone is encroaching on my space rudely, with no consideration, ask politely a couple of times, call security, but why are there people who do that to begin with? and why should the "scene" enable them to get away with it?

Be kind to your neighbor means pass the joint, donate a butt...not "share a swill" and give me your space...period. I am kind, but I am kind when asked politely, otherwise, I have a genuinely foul and quite mean and nasty tongue, not proud of it, but it is effective.

So, you west coasters, this is not an affront or a war, it is observations, made actually from three very diverse people. Rather than take this as an attack, why not observe your scene, and see if we might have a point, and work on doing something about it.

With the Dead most of us had stopped going West for shows, but with Phil I don't see that happening...I see us going to great length and effort to catch what we can, it would be great to see the band without the pre-conceived notion that it is going to be a tough scene.

Just a quick little codicile, between John, Less Than and I, we cover the entire Northeast Corridor-this was not a we love New York fest...it pretty much covers Burlington to Virginia Beach with little or no effort.

Ok hate to do this to you Dewit but please don't lump me in with the Continental Divide thing you got going on. I am commenting on one show at one venue. If truth were told I think that a lot of the energy on the east-west thing is misplaced. How can anyone condemn a coastline by the actions of a few people in one place? Come on focus that scathing tongue on a issue that will bring about change. Life is way to short to fight the wrong battles for the wrong reasons.

Yes I did notice the behavior I described. But I certainly wasn't bothered by it. I recognized it and when in Rome… GA shows have different rules and I wonder how the east coast would be if we didn't have our little boxes of space we lease for the night. What was the floor like at ASBURY PARK? I was in the seats all night.

In fact all of the energy devoted to this one type or that one trait is misplaced IMHO.

I wonder why we can’t have a serious thread on the scene with positive vibes and suggestions on how to maintain a good image of PNF to the townspeople and surrounding neighborhoods of the venues.

As far as I am concerned that is all that matters. Obnoxio the Clown can be as rude to me as he wants in the venue. I can diffuse a one-on-one situation without the advice from the board. But I can’t polish the entire deadhead reputation to the spit shine image I would like by myself. I need your help to do that.

>I wonder why we can’t have a serious thread on the scene with positive vibes and suggestions on how to maintain a good image of PNF to the townspeople and surrounding neighborhoods of the venues.

We can and did, but it got lost in the post 9/11 shuffle. Will probably be revived in some form or the other before summer tour.

See, that is why we are friends...I will only go back to say that these were observations by three diverse persons from a collective known as the NE Corridor. I am not going for the team thing on this.

Sometimes it does bother me, sometimes it does not. Being inconsiderate of other peoples space, feelings or expressed wishes is just plain bullshit.

Many years ago, the Garden days, I used to start out shows alone. My ex had a job that revolved around the jewish holidays, (check dates of MSG runs, always coincided with jewish holidays), so they would get there whenever. Well, one night there were 4 tickets, 2 at section 110 and 2 in the second row. Usually I had possession of all good, but not this nite. So, I am in, hanging with Aron, having a good ole time, and the ex comes up, and hands me a ticket, but its ripped? Huh...I miracled someone. Great, cool, where are they...they are on the floor til we get there.

The fucking fruitcake wouldn't leave the seat. Swear to god, "I got miracled with this seat, I am staying."

Many of you have met me...how long did it take before I lost it? The little shit was given an option, take the 110 seat or leave, now, because I was not going to crowd the row, and we knew half of the row anyway...

I hope the above mentioned little shit enjoyed the view from Seventh Avenue. I swear to god...a true story. Wouldn't take the stub and move up.

The other side of that coin, for me, whether LessThan knows it or not, the Miracle on 34th Street.

I say all hail to the Big One, you know, that impending 8.5 Eathquake that is going to uncermoniously chuck those fuckin' West Costers into the drink!!! The first thing that should go are the new Navato Dead headquarters. Then next the BGP home office in S.F..

You know something funny. In 1995, when shit got reeeeeally nasty out there on tour, you guys remember the one I am talking about, yea that's the ticket. Well I have held in my hand the tour incident reports, (yep those things were dated & archived to better understand that fuck you dynamic) & there wasn't anything resembling a MAJOR INCIDENT that occured West of the Mississippi. The reason that the interior of East Coast Shows are more inhostile resides in the fact that Eastcoast Deadheads being fucking terrorfied of the resultant reaction of the East Coast Cops & Security. For as long as I can remember & I remember the whole thing, There was always more friction at East Coast shows. It isn't, nor wasn't an accident that there have mostly, always been Reserved Seating on the East Coast, that was a demand of most of the traveling bands & promoters, as it was clear that unbridled aggression was more apt to occur East of the Mississippi.

Dewit, we are friends, but this bothers me & also offends me a little. Please be objective & realize that the Beacon shows were great, but they aren't the barometer for the whole scene. Any time, anywhere, an asshole can mystically transform themselves to being your nextdoor neighbor at a show & I agree with our astute V.P. counsel, Lessthan, in that any & every problem I have endured at a show was easily defused by me without so much of a ripple in the fabric of the evening. I mean the shows I was at where I wasn't carrying a clipboard, or a two-way radio, totally unofficious & was always able via my intellect, experience & zero-bullshit tolerence, able to stop the shit immediately.

The more I think about the idiots at shows, the more I think it's a simple matter of those people trying to play catch up with your scene. Especially in the younger ones. You know, their first show was RFK 95 & now they are trying to condense all of that magic into a pocket that was never filled. So when they drink, they drink too much. When they drug, they drug too much.

This debate can go on & on until the spittal drenches my computer & shorts the whole fucking thing out & you are still left with the here & now of things.

If you want a protocol at shows mantra, have it be that you are the good neighbor, that you pick up some trash after the show, that you are the person that tells that guy getting ready to piss on someones porch, to put that thing away & I'll show you where the port-a-johns are. That you are the one shaking the hand of someone announcing they just made 6 weeks clean & sober. That you are the one realizing that you are probably annoying someone close by at a show, for no worldly reason than you being there.

When Monkey's start flying out of my ass will there be a Dead or P&F's show that is all things, for all people & if Monkey's start flying out of my ass then I may miss N.Y.E. 2002, for fear that the spectacle may in fact steal P&F's thunder that evening.....

Damn it, how much to rent that monkey then!!!

Konasittininparadisewishingyouwereherekid

>& if Monkey's start flying out of my ass then I may miss N.Y.E. 2002, for fear that the spectacle may in fact steal P&F's thunder that evening.....

wow! that would be better than smoke machines.

Dewit, I hafta chime in here and say that it wasnt really all that rosey at the Beacon either. People were very rude, to the point that it was scarey and uncomfortable. And as for "west coasters" who just seem to push with no 'excuse me'? Brian Shupe says it best, we have learned to not listen and hold our ground . . . its a GA thing.

All righty....Hey Kona don`t wish that on Novato Dead H.Q. I`m only a mile away.When I started going to shows,72ish...It always ,to me was considered a social thing besides a great music thing.We would go there to be with our friends from different places who shared our same passion.It seemed for most part everybody felt the same way.At the Greek everybody is talking dancing and whopping it up,of course theres the music but the people there are excited to be with each other.My point is that I`m sorry but it is a social thing also.I`m there with everybody I want to be with.I`m home. PEACE

konakid,

$7.50USD

reposted to consolidate:
------------------------------

12-30-01 Added to Pissed I Missed List
------------------------------

By Jack Romanski (Jackflash) (12.233.45.233) on Monday, January 14, 2002 - 10:42 am:

I loved New Years Eve but passed on going to the show before. Now I've just heard it and realize my bad move. Great Jolly Golly, Phil! Hooray for You! Also Warren, Wow! YAAAAAAAAAY!
I've abandoned erudition in favor of emotion there. Sorry Phellows and Phemales.

------------------------------
By Eric (Augustwest) (63.208.41.78) on Saturday, January 19, 2002 - 01:00 am:

anyway...

yeah, 12/30 was absolutely smokin!! we chose to see phil on 12/30 and sci on nye. of course i was kind of bummed when i heard what happened (only because i wasn't there) but sci's nye show was amazing. i was in no way dissapointed in the 12/30 show, how can you beat that first set!?!? shakedown>loose lucy, ksm>mason's>stephen>golden road!!!! i was wore out after the first set!! king soloman's was definitely the highlight for me. that and those phat phat bombs phil dropped during the other one. my oh my....

PEACE everyone. so glad to hear that phil will be playing the gotv this year. that gives me an excellent reason to drive to ny!!!

eric

Balibird...I don't really care that it happens at on the floor, I am talking the Hallways, ramps, etc. Inside, what are you going to do? I expect that to a point inside, its the deliberate crap outside...

By the way, nice to see you posting, my respected friend, not often that we see it,and I know people wonder what you think, oh wise sage...

The Beacon stunk from a crowded point of view, but it could have been a nightmare, and it wasn't.

No way I am hitting ABB there, though, that is a horror show, not unlike Roseland with P&F.

Konakid,

Correct me if I am wrong, but weren't the Hampton Coliseum shows kept GA even through the 92 run? I know even the second night of the Warlocks run, there were so many free tickets they were being given away outside during the second set. A little bit of tranquility on the east? A little east coast bay area? We aren't all bad are we? LOL as if I cared...

On a more serious note, I hope whoever you are, you are enjoying a remission or easement of suffering from your illness. Don't get all wound up about anything you see here. You got bigger fish to (sTir)FrY.

I thought the rock near the actual temblor would /absorb the shock for the Marin/Mill Valley and north area, and the shocks would most likely do the SF/Oakland area the most damage. If ya wanna get all geological...

Well here goes…….

Once again I have chosen to drive out to the westcoast to visit Mecca for the Dead. The yearly pilgrimage to honor our musical heroes. It’s somewhat akin to the penance the people take on when they crawl to their place of worship, and this drive wasn’t much different. Making the 2500+mile drive out to the westcoast alone allows me to reflect on so many things and in a very deep & intense way. Show after show gets played without any disruptions and by the end of the first disc the “IT” is so thick in the Bronco you can cut it with a knife. Being young and headstrong, I came to a foolish conclusion during this period, “NO Way can these shows be better than, well, The X-Mas Jam for starters, 7 Hrs. of music for $15 to $25 bucks! But most of all no way could it be better than last years NYE”.
So after 3 day’s of this I finally reached the bay, hooked up with my compadres (Brain & Martimus) and went directly to the Brewery, blowing by GO and not collecting my $200. This is where I spew my thoughts and live to be embarrassed by them. After getting well lubed I find myself unable to fetch my better half from the airport in San Jose, so she’s instructed to get to the Brewery by any means necessary, Cab, Limo, whatever. When she finally arrived we were all primed and ready and at least 6 or 7 laps ahead of her. Back at the hotel room things got a little cloudy but yet the wife wanted more drinking, so off I go again. This time to close the bars, I look at a clock and know I’m in some trouble for tomorrow……

6 Hrs. later 8:00 am 12/30….Eye’s open, hit the can, wake up a very cranky (not good with mornings) wife, get robbed at the waterfront Denny’s for $25.00 for 2 grand slams and coffee. 9:00 am at the Kaiser, being a little jacked it was very slow going actually getting the 300’ or so to the line. 10:00 am FIRST in line baby!!!!!!!(Sidenote: 35 shows this year and either Brain & Martimus or I were 1st in line every time)
Being first in line is GREAT for the tapes but ohh the price you must pay sometimes….On this day it flat out sucked! Cold, Rain & nearly Snow hammered us relentlessly all day, Well at least me, all my other showmates were getting sleep at the Hotie and the little woman was snuggled up in the truck with the pooch.
Sometime around 3:00 they decided to drag their asses out the Kaiser and get in line. Around this time I finally met the sneaky “Bodenzord”, and was completely unaware of how well we would connect over the next 2 days. 4:20 Hell it was –almost-to wet to take care of 420 duties. 4:30 finally!!! Time to go in, and get warm and dry. Once inside we scramble to make a campsite that’s suitable for a 10 hour stay, including sending someone to raid the paper towels so we can get our landing pad DRY. (Tapers don’t like water). This also included stripping off the piles of wet clothes, Thank God for Poly-Pro Longjohn’s!
Once we got set up it was time to PARTY! Friends from years gone by & friends from this past, best year for shows ever, coming & going. From even before the shows start I’m getting this vibe, a completion, togetherness. It was something that I didn’t feel last year, but last year ~we~, the Zoners hadn’t come together to become the tight knit group that we are today. What a treat it was for me to finally get to introduce LadyTC to the rest of Team Phil and was a treat it was for her also. So now we are fully revved up and have been sufficiently primed. The Mic stands are at attention, with Reddy Killowatt riding high, the decks are set to REC>PAUSE and the lights go down……

Ratdog: I am in a bad place even mentioning this set, there is this little ghost of my mother on my shoulder saying ”If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” With that in mind I can’t help from mentioning some stuff about this set. Things started out fine but then, they did Tomorrow Never Knows. My fav of the P&F Beatles tunes, this started a downward spiral for me. When the Acoustic part of the set came up, Blackbird, El Paso & Corrina I started to nod off, the schedule I had kept was getting to me. Then Douchebag Logic starts ruining Eye’s of the World so bad I had to leave. When they broke out a reasonable Help, Slip, Frank…..I thought 2 things, whoa, it’s no where near P&F, and, Phil’s playlist is so deep this won’t hurt it one bit! One cool thing I really enjoyed was Kenny Brook doing the Pink Floyd thing prior to TKN.

Phil & Friends Set 1: After the X-Mas Jam I was psyched to hear the NEW sound, and again right from the tune up I was impressed with the way Phil’s bass was sounding. To open the show comes a light party cruise, a Scarlety Jam featuring some searching play from Jimmy and some Jerresque scale riding from Warren. Soon all the boy’s start settling into a haunting Shakedown, not a really big start but a good warm up for sure. I take note of the sound during Shakedown also, Phil’s Bass sounds Sweet! All of the band members are sounding up front and clear, and to top it all off, the vocals haven’t been better all year. ALRIGHT, let’s get it on!!! As we swing along in the shakedown groove suddenly it was gone before you knew it. Replaced by a jam that seemed segmented in it times & styles till before you know it I am treated to Back to Back Loose Lucy’s. As they slip into it Warren & Jimmy do a little tit for tat then Warren takes over to slide us the rest of the way into Lucy. NOT to be outdone Phil definitely let’s us know it’s time for Lucy with some Snappin’ Bass. Whoo Hooo, I look around and see everyone smilin’, singin’, & dancin’ and you can actually see the “IT”! There is NO doubt, during the bridge you could hear the crowd singing over the band, it was US the heads making or own music to add with the boy’s. Amazing, what a way to start off the show!
After a Breather, Whoa……….King Solomon’s!!!! Expect the unexpected! Here comes the start of the foot in mouth syndrome I face for the rest of the night and next night. I lean into Martimus and say,” I was Wrong!” Warren’s work was crystal as always but WOW Rob was on Fire!, Not to ignore Molo’s Volcanic eruption! Or Jimmy’s Blistering guitar! Notice-> Fire, Volcanic & Blistering, folks it was Hot as Hell and when it ended my jaw was on the floor! Even Phil made a Molo comment after that one!
Mason’s??? Oh Oh this show is now headed to a new dimension; you could just feel it. Phil absolutely pounds this baby out! With that for a backbeat my ass is swingin’, Warren tosses in the slide and it get’s funky. *ATTENTION: The elevator music has left the building. * Now we are left with this almost aggressive rock & roll band, which is fine by me. As they approach the final verse, a smokestack tease gets tossed in, & after another round of stellar group vocals they blow the end up like a party balloon filled with confetti. Reigning things in a little after Mason’s Phil then heads us out to what I like to call a “Whopping Jamola!” This Jam was filled with different layers, textures and rhythms, eventually finding it’s way to an amazing Skynard Jam, Tuesday’s Gone? Not sure of the tune but OH my how sweet it was. Then with a slight waver The STEVEN (dimensional shift has occurred)! Lordy, what are we in for? As Phil drops bombs on me, and as I am wrapped up in the moment. I begin to feel the “IT” like a fan of coral in the waves, I find my own answer, Bliss. As they wind up the Stephen I’m thinking how can you finish this thing off w/o a Golden and Bam! Come and Join the Party….Whooo Hooooo!

Setbreak was the Red eye express as we talked to more and more people, which was a great primer for the set ahead………..

Set 2: Cryptical opened the second set and I was kinda bummed I had still not seen, Cryppy. Oh well I hope he made it I heard rumors of a car ride that could possibly go bad and was wishing him the best. I digress…anyway what more can I say about the band my mental Thesaurus has been drain after so many shows. So we drift along and after a super sweet Cryp we then flow through a nifty jam till we get to a very spacey Strawberry Fields. Rob’s vocals again Shine bright in this tune. Strawberry Fields kind of drifts off and then after a little spaceyness Phil picks up the Cannon and ba-Boom! The Other One slams into the Kaiser, Big, Bad, and Loud just the way I LOVE it! Tapecat is now in Seventh Heaven, and it would stay that way for quite some time to come. Through out TOO it stayed loud and proud, then when The 11 came busting around just as Big & Bad, I suddenly remembered that we had already slipped into another dimension. (Things that shift & settle during set breaks need rejuvenating before one is totally aware of where one is.) 11 was a Rager which tuned into a Great Jam, Raging out of the 11 it soon turned VERY space oriented before heading into a really Nice Scarlet. It wasn’t the hottest around but it was very, very Sweet. Phil’s bass and voice were again as it was all night Very Clean & Very Good. In Fact his bass and Jimmy’s guitar got into this groove that absolutely swept me up.
Scarlet ended with a Bang, then after a breather came an amazing Unbroken Chain. It was long and beautiful, keeping me adrift in the “IT” dimention. It was also fitting with the foundations efforts during the shows to play this one for them. The transition to Night of a Thousand Stars was another Gorgeous to say the least, and then into what will be called the coming out party for 1000 Stars. I know it’s been done ton’s but tonight was THE night for this little ditty. The Band plays it with a confidence and polish reserved for only the finest tunes, which this has rightfully become part of. Thank-You Mr. Hunter!

Well That was it, Oh yeah there was a Casey Jones. If Ever there was a show that didn’t require an encore this was the one, so I guess this was a fine pick for the night, short & sweet. I mean come on, it’s fine to want more in your armchair, but we at the show were spent , with a BIG day ahead tomorrow~SO~ it was just Fine!

Afterwards we went out to the scene to grab some Beer. I sent Larry, Moe & Blondie back to the Hotel and I stayed in the truck at the Kaiser with Spazmo(Gotta have first in line). Passing out cold in a fast 2 minutes with a drum circle only 30’ from my head…….Till the morming comes….

Hey Tapecat.... I am listening to set one SBD of 12-30-01 as you are so poeticlly waxing up the adreneline... You're lavish attention to capturing everything I am up to right now, it just banges into the opener of Loose Lucy, this is the first time I have listened to this show, so thanks for the interpretive ride for the visuals & for the help in BEING THERE

KONA

Dude, for you no sweat Amigo!

ENJOY the show!

Nice review TC.
Really enjoyed that!

I need someone to bottle that "it" so I can have it in my pocket. Please pass the "it"!

Tapecat that was some great writing.That was very entertaining.Thanks!

>Even Phil made a Molo comment after that one!

"The Lion King, John Molo"

And that was definately a Tuesday's Gone jam, as confirmed by Dewit. (had to get Bret to add it to the set list)

TC, your review was right on.


taperrob

What a good review, TC. Right on, in so many respects--the new sound (crispy clear vocals), Rob being on fire, the Golden Road "answer" (what else?)....

We haven't met, yet, but when I looked back and saw Reddy blinking above the crowd, I had a sneaking suspicion that he might've been riding your taping rig.

Just thought I'd throw in my $.02 on your spot-on review.

...anyone get told to "Watch the Babies!!" on NYE? If so, that was me and my crowd...for the most part, people were respectful of the Babies and I have no idea what coast they were from.

Nice review, TC. Thanks