I wanted to start this thread because this show is part of my nice 3-day summer vacation. Special Ed and I will be flying into Raleigh tomorrow, meeting up with LG, Brackish and Louis (and his lovely Stephanie) and (hopefully) staying in Lou’s condo on Wrightsville Beach. I hear it’s only an hour drive from there to Myrtle Beach.

Lou’s theme for this trip is “keepin’ it loose", so based on that, I am predicting a Loose Lucy.

Looking forward to an “All Good” show.

Unc

ok...anybody out there deep in the heart of Dixie?

setlist?

please ;)

set 1
schoolgirl,
Big river,
ball and chain,
Pride of Cucamunga,
loose lucy,
Dixie Down,
Bertha


Set 2
Sittin' On Top Of The World >
Deal,
Doin' That Rag >
Mason's Children >
Wharf Rat >
Cosmic Charlie >
A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall >
Midnight Hour



thanks a lot to Tons and Puff

MIDNIGHT HOUR was off the Hook!! Smokin' Hot @ The Pagent - St. Louis, MO
July 3, 2008

Pride got the 1st set going. From there out, it was quite good. The songs were self contained - about an hr set 1.

Phil sounded awesome thru out the whole show, his playing was fantastic... even if the show didn't hit some highs, (which it did!) i still would have left happy seeing & watching Phil play and sound so damn good.

The 2nd set was very good.
doing that rag was great, larry shined, the song took off and rocked!, then was brought back to a sweet finish...only to be led into a shakin mason's. Ms. Williams is a very nice addition to the band. Her hip tapping, bunny hopping groovin was genuine, and this version kicked. The lead in to wharf rat was super cool - it was a good version.

Cosmic was great and really rocked -
Hard rain was the night's highlight. Great build ups...It rocked hard, then got quiet, got built up and rocked some more. During the song, some dude got up on stage...thought he was finally gonna just jump back into the crowd, but no...it took 3 stage hands to drag the guy off the stage.

The band kept going, took a few moments to get the vibe going again and man they got right in the pocket and kicked butt. It was great - the whole crowd was with'em, big time rockin' - the moments you keep going to shows for.
Midnight Hour was big fun. A little sloppy in parts but a lot of fun.

Stella for encore. Larry on pedal steel, jackie on keys, Theresa sang (no electric guitar) - real nice version.

Stella encore no guitar..

Ah.......

Man, what a good time tonight. Down here on the annual family summer vacation at Kure beach just outside Wilmington. Good timing ;o)

Myrtle beach was about a 1.5 hour drive, nice and easy. The place, was relatively tiny for Phil, only a couple thousand tix sold. There was a line of equal length to get in to the HOB's Murder Mystery dinner theatre as there was to get in to see Phil...

The floor was a little tight, but comfortable, you had room to dance, very little wait for drinks at the many bars. No smoking at the request of the performer. Sorry, but this was nice considering that this was a small indoor venue, and you could still get it done, yo just had to be discrete.

Shout out to John and Don(?) who just got back from Iraq and made the show. Good talking with you guys. And the many, many fine folks who I met and rapped with at the show. Thanks for being so warm and welcoming to a couple of ever-loving NYers!

Lowcountry got it right above, but I'm up and will share my 2 cents *o)

First I want to put in a plug for the opening 3 numbers... IMHO the set started off right away...

Set 1.
1.Good Morning Lil' Schoolgirl - Jackie on vocals, solid! Not as lascivious as a Pig version, but solid and tasty, JG's licks are noticably improving.
2.Big River - absolute rip snorter, Larry and Therese duet on this. Nice.
3.Ball and Chain - Jackie vocals, very good, I kept hearing a rolling stones vibe in the opening notes for a number of songs, but alas, no RS covers were to be had, and that was just fine, good blues vibe for the HOB, and Phil brought his best blues to the table...
4. Pride of Cucamonga - Great, Jackie takes the lead on the Cucamonga Blues break. >> segues via crazy transition into 5. Loose Lucy (nice call Al White and Lou! Maybe Phil was reasing the discussion board;o). Jackie sang lead on Lucy, "Come back with two-black eyes..." was sung real slow and deliberate.
6. Jackie on keys, Therese comes back out... DIXIE, so good! J and T share the vocals. At the end Phil gives jackie a fist pound, jackie goes over and gives Therese a big hug, feeling the love!
7. Bertha wraps up the set, some nice organ work from Molitz who had not been given much opportunity to flex his muscles at this point in the show.
Seems Phil is giving Jackie a lot of rein, having him act as band leader a nuumber of times through the night, though mostly in the 2nd set.
Crowd is psyched, and Phil promsies a very short set break making a number of varied gsticukations of how short they would make it.

Set II
1. Sittin on top of the world. Nice, hopping, BIG BLUES SEGUE >
2. DEAL, great, by the end Phil visibly LOVIN IT!
3. Doin' that Rag. NAILED it, Hipsters, trickster, and real cool chicks sir, everybody's doin that Rag.
4. Mason's - good to see the children showing their face again *o) This is one of my favorite tunes, and I am so grateful to Phil for bringing many of these "forgotten" tunes back and giving them fuller, more evolved readings then the boys did back in the day... So good, speeds up a bit following the verses, then some good polyphonic funkiness (courtesy Molitz) over a thick blues which settles in to >>
5. WHARF RAT, excellent, measured, soulful, Jackie owns it on vocals (more so then some other young vocalists that Phil has given this tune to sing.) Following the "I'll get up and Flyaway" part, we are treated to a bluesy rave up which settles down, then breaks down, rebuilds and... something coming... slower now... >>
6. COS-MIC CHAR-LIE how-do youdooo... great stuff, each syllable punching the slow swing-rocking tempo. Some great Phil vocals here... Classic Barbershop ending... "Go on home yo' mama's callin youuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" What's next????
7. HARD RAIN, MASSIVE BASS! Powerful Vocals from Jackie. As for the Kid who got up on stage, the stage guys were going to let him get down off the stage peacefully and let him be, but instead he chose to continue his buffoonery, they tried to walk him off to backstage, but then he strated struggling with them, then blows a hissy, struggling and kicking while going back behing the mics and towrds larry and molitz, a third stagehand came in to grab his flailing legs and feet. Amazingly the stage guys removed him with near surgical precision, only one of Larry's cabinets took a tumble in the scuffle. The band, though visibly concerned, didn't miss a beat, and got the full groove back right quick. It was a weird lil moment, but the song recovers magnificiently (read: these guys ARE PROs) -- Powerful ending!
8. Midnight Hour... Great. As lowcountry mentions, a lil sloppy at points, Larrry had to remind and lead Jackie back to the mic for the "I'm gonna wait til the stars come out..." verse before the first jam. At one point Larry and Jackie are jamming with each other at center stage and Jackie just gives up, fans larry's guitar playing and walks back to his corner to resume comping and wait for the lyrics to come back around while larry just rips it up.

Phil comes out for the donor rap, and mentions the 3-night stand Panic is doing later this month and asks if the crowd thinks he should come back and do a similar run... note to self: schedule long weekend in SC this Fall. The suggestion was well received by the crowd to say the least...

E: Stella Blue, beautiful, therese's vocals were the focal point of this presentation, with Larry accompanying on subdued and hautning pedal steel... they did this one for my beautiful wife Gwyn (it's her favorite song), who accompanied me tonight, a rare treat for me!

What a great night. Thank you Phil! Thank you Friends! Thank you Dixie! We'll be back! Much love y'all!

yer wife and jerry ;P

7/9 bro.. 7/9 ;)

>>>Shout out to John and Don(?) who just got back from Iraq and made the show.

Very cool. What a great way to be welcomed home...a Phil show! Thanks for the setlist and reviews.

My first time seeing this incarnation and I had a really good time last night. I was right at the stage and you could see this band really seemed to enjoy playing with each other. Phil was as animated as I've seen, doing fist pumps and alot of facial expressions to the crowd and other band members. Seeing Molitz do Doin that Rag was cool, and, unlike what I've seen in reviews on some other shows, there seemed to be plenty of jamming going on. Mason's Children has always been an odd song to me, but I danced my ass off during the jam in that tune. In all, a really fun evening and a lot of good vibes.

with the no smoking by request of the artist rule in place, did jackie light one up on stage during the show?

>>>At one point Larry and Jackie are jamming with each other at center stage and Jackie just gives up, fans larry's guitar playing and walks back to his corner.... hee-hee

Oh,how I know this feeling (sound)! These Crrrazy Catz are Smokin' Hot! TW - "Hot Mama" is Smokin' too, she's soooo Cute. Glad I got to see her

Thanx, for the Sweet Reviews All! Sounds like a Real Good Time Last Night - happy, happy!

>>>Phil was as animated as I've seen, doing fist pumps and alot of facial expressions to the crowd and other band members.... RIGHT! He's like a Kid in a candy store up there. Ever So Sweet 2C

I LUV THIS LINE-UP & THEY LUV EACHOTHER- That Anyone can see!

>>>Shout out to John and Don(?) who just got back from Iraq and made the show....
Yahoo! Thanx & Welcome Home Boys!!!!! ;)

~Have a Grateful Day All XoXo

"Phil comes out for the donor rap, and mentions the 3-night stand Panic is doing later this month and asks if the crowd thinks he should come back and do a similar run... note to self: schedule long weekend in SC this Fall. The suggestion was well received by the crowd to say the least... "

That's funny. I heard that WP sold the place out weeks ago and that that Phil didn't draw that good even for one show there.

re: 3-nighter: I know I'd be much more likely to go down there (from DC area) if there were 3 shows, rather than 1.

re: 3-nighter: I know I'd be much more likely to go down there (from DC area) if there were 3 shows, rather than 1.

Me too. And in the fall, hotel rates would be lower.

"with the no smoking by request of the artist rule in place, did jackie light one up on stage during the show?"

yep - right before start of set 2

"Phil comes out for the donor rap, and mentions the 3-night stand Panic is doing later this month and asks if the crowd thinks he should come back and do a similar run... note to self: schedule long weekend in SC this Fall. The suggestion was well received by the crowd to say the least..."


Tom, thanks for posting this. I was on the 2nd level and i couldn't make out much of anything Phil was saying.
During the show the music sounded fine. I'd certainly see Phil there again.

My comment was based more in that Phil sees himself in the same league as Widespread Panic. They are right now far and away much more popular - attendance wise - than Phil Lesh & Friends. Perhaps he should see about being the opening act for them. It's been a long time since PLF have actually filled a decent sized hall on their own and I wouldn't expect that trend to change any time soon. I heard from friends that last night's show was far from being sold out.

last nights venue was perfect for seeing phil. i love the house of blues. the sound was good, the show was rocking. the place had more then enough people. after the penns peak show filling up so quick, i figured last night might have as well. but this was the only stop down south so it looks like a bunch of people skipped out. second set was heavy, glad i made it

> I heard from friends that last night's show was far from being sold out.

yeah, it was not sold out. But, i am very glad that the crowd was the size it was or no more. It was packed enough. The floor looked pretty crowded to me (looking down on them) and the upstairs was full around the railings but w/ some room near the fringes & bar to chill out.

"Phil didn't draw that good even for one show there (HOB)."
"It's been a long time since PLF have actually filled a decent sized hall on their own and I wouldn't expect that trend to change any time soon."

I offer my rebuttal in 3 parts ;o)

1. First off, we are talking about a stand-alone Wed nite show, a whole state jump from the previous night's show, and w/ the All Good fest looming on the horizon. I think a lot of people who went to Charlottesville on Tuesday skipped HOB in favor of All Good.

2. I think your comments apply more to Phil in the South. The Friends have consistently sold well (and out by the showtime) in bigger venues up north for a while... Glens Falls Civic Center, the Harbor in Boston, Jones Beach, SPAC. In comparison, HOB was delightfully small. I'm w/ bzl and chloegirl, much more likely to back to SC for 3 then for 1.

3. Even in Philly, NY and Boston, Panic is still relegated to theatres up north too... and I like it that way! :o)

4. (did I say 3 parts?) There is also this continuous ebb and flow of the PLF fan base as the line up changes... everyone's got their thing... one of my favorites is seeing Phil rock with any friend he cares to bring on stage.

Only Love can Phil!

"The floor looked pretty crowded to me (looking down on them)..."

Damn straight lowcountry, you gotta have room to dance, and there was just enough room to get down. I was on the floor about five people out from Phil. Big guy in a turquoise shirt dancin' his ass off... Maybe you saw me... Owwwwww! \m/ *o)

They are right now far and away much more popular - attendance wise - than Phil Lesh & Friends.

Not in some parts. In Rochester...Panic played to 500 people, whereas the Phil show on Saturday will draw several times more. In addition, when I saw Panic a few times in Boston -- at the Orpheum Theatre and Harborlights -- every time the place was half full at most!

However, it is very clear today that Phil has nowhere near the draw of the PLQ days.

In some parts WP doesn't have as big a draw as others. But in many markets WP is bigger than Godzilla. Like 33 consecutive sell outs at Red Rocks is just a rumour? Phil has no draw away from the Northeast and Chicago and his draw is dwindling in former strongholds such as Denver. Why do you think that he doesn't play the Pacific Northwest? Because if he did he'd have to play small places because the bigger places are beyond what he can draw. The audience is different too. Older peeps at Phil with college kids doing Panic as well as a significant ticket price differnce between the two bands. At the end of the day if there is a $15 or $20 difference, then you'll price yourself out when it comes to the college market.

And if you read Pollstar then you'd know that Widespread Panic is doing a phenomenal growing business these days.

Last night's show was killer...a great, small venue and a great setlist.

PL&F only sold out one night (Sat.) at The Riviera in Chicago. On Sunday, they had less than 900 people. It holds 2300. At the Charter Pavilion last month, they had 500 or 700 paid tickets...so few that they were giving tickets to people in bundles to take to the parking lot to give away for free, so they could fill some seats. That's the rumor anyway.

It saddens me, but I also think the ticket prices are out of hand in some places, particularly after Ticketmaster gets finished adding on their nine different fees. Personally, I think PL&F is a GREAT value for $50, but for a lot of people, that's too much money. It's $70 or so after the fees.

I was at the Chicago Charter One show and I did not see any ticket giveaways in the parking lot. The place was about 70% sold. But I do agree that this current lineup does not draw as well. The shows at the Riv were unbearably hot well over 100 degreees. I did go to the first 2 shows but just could not do #3 with the heat which could be partially the reason Sunday's show was not well attended even with the promise of an acoustic set. The Riviera does not have an air conditioning system and generally shut down for the summer.

>>>>>>>The Friends have consistently sold well (and out by the showtime) in bigger venues up north for a while... Glens Falls Civic Center, the Harbor in Boston, Jones Beach, SPAC.

Tix were available right up to showtime for all those shows last summer.

P+F could not come close to selling out SPAC anymore. Which is fine by me - cuz it means easy tix and plenty of dancing room.

Phil sold out the Nokia on the weekend nights and the final Sunday show on 11-11 last Fall.(next day was Memorial day. Weekday tix were easy.

But I must say all the shows we saw killed - and Tom's review of S.C. has me drooling for Jones Beach.

more shows in SF then where the phans will phlock

Wabisabi - excellent review - good memory you got there. How do these shows sound compared to Fall - cuz theres been a lot of hatin on Jackie lately round the other stuff thread -but you seem tuned in to the real deal musically speaking concerning P+F. What says the compass for JOnes Beach?

To go or not to go - that is my question.

GO would you rather sit home and watch TV. Even if there is only a chance that there will be MAGIC. Where else you gonna see MAGIC..............

I’m back from our 3 days of Cape Fear and loathing on the NC coast and despite the weather including an overly windy Wed, and downpours after the show and Thursday afternoon, we had a wonderful time.

I think Tom and Low Country’s posts did the show justice. The “throwaway” set list was what one might expect to see in the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, SC …..songs with southern appeal, blues songs and hurricane related songs etc. Nary a big song (unless you consider Stella a biggie). Regardless, this was an energetic show with all songs performed with heart and zest....including rockin’ versions of Big River and Masons, a spirited Pride and hauntingly beautiful versions of Wharf Rat and (guitar-less) Stella. Hard Rain built to a nice crescendo (and an accurate weather forecast) and Dixie Down, a crowd favorite really seemed to move the band. It was great hearing Doin that Rag. It was played well, but I do miss Rob Baracco singing it.

Although we stood the entire time (center...around five heads from the rail), which is not as easy as it once was, I never felt myself getting weary.

Except for a few dopes (including the guy who whistled loudly during Stella, a self entitled woman attempted to shun Ed for no other reason then “Your not from around here”, the usual assortment of unruly drunkards, and of course, that hopped up stage crasher), the crowd was nice, respectful and ready to have fun ....and a fun show was had by all.

The best part for me was the company and camaraderie of four men whom have been with me for many a Dead show (including the 77 Englishtown epic).

Other highlights included:

Seeing Phil's new futuristically cool bass – Phil seems to love his new long / sprawling sculpture with the lightsaber neck display. It sounds great.

The sound on the floor of the House of Blues was crystal clear and mixed so well we could even hear Molitz.

The huge smile on Larry Campbell’s face for the entire second set. He really looked blissful.

The look of horror on Molitz’s face when it looked as though the scrum (of 3 roadies and the thrashing stage crasher idiot) were falling his way.

An unexpected meeting with Molo and Jackie after the show: They were out there to sign a poster Phil had signed. I think the deal was $60 for the poster with 3 band signatures. I saw a few people buying the poster, but as most things go, it turned into a bit of a free for all with Jackie and Molo graciously chatting, shaking hands and signing anything you put in front ofthem. Ed got a thrill from the best drummer on the planet telling him he sees him up front for many a show. I was wearing a T-shirt I bought in the lot at the Penn’s Peak show, which is a take off on the PA license plate (You got a Friend in Phil Lesh Pennsylvania) Molo said, “that’s an unsanctioned shirt, but I really like it”. He thanked Brackish for coming all the way up from Ft Lauderdale...he even nudged Jackie and said “do you know how far this guy drove to see us?” Jackie was also a good sport. He appeared pleasant and took compliments graciously. When I shook Jackie’s hand I noticed how relatively small his hands are. I find it funny how in hindsight there were so many good questions or clever comments I thought of saying to these guys. Instead at the time I mostly said “thank you”.

Which brings me back to our southern host, Loose Louis of which I find it more then appropriate to gratefully thank....for a real good time!

Unc

Got a setlist and signed by Jackie and Molo!!!

[IMG]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d5/denaz101/phil .jpg[/IMG]

nice score denaz!!

Hey Shortime, how'd you like Jonser?

"How'd they compare to Fall?" I would say go listen to 2nd set of 'Cuse.... it's ridiculous!

For me, Boston and SC have lived up to what I came to expect from this line-up during the Upstate Weekend Run last fall. GREAT!

Is it PLQ? No, and precious little in this life is. No, it's not that great-hot-southern-cerebral dixie-mule-dead hybrid... However, it is has the potential for magnificence, at times copeland-esque, at others raucus blues band and still others psychedelic alembic. In essence, an excellent sounding board for Phil's musical vision.

You know what I think? I think we should both go see Phil at the Vibes... that's what I think.

Shine on Freaks! *o)

no way dark star could have been played with the rowdy crowd in hob