Is anyone heading over to Somerset? I haven't seen much talk about it...I did see somewhere that the venue hold 15,000(?) Sounds sorta small. (Good!) Does anyone have info on this venue? Any ideas about what to expect here? For anyone heading out this way, we got great weather coming our way for the shows! Looks like the humidity is getting out of the area (at least down here in Chicago) and the span of days running from the Somerset show thru Deer Creek will be in the upper 70's to real low 80's! Should be a nice cool down from what Ma Nature's giving everyone down there in OK City... Can't wait to see you all up in WI and get on that bus again ~ if only for a little while ! :)M

Real glad ta know the weather is going to be cooler. I will be at Somerset, and yes I don't believe too many people will be attending 8^). It is probably going to be the smallest show on the Phil tour. Just an open field off the Mississippi. So Im psyched for this one. What a good small show to kick off my pitiful Midwest run. "A concert in the park". Wooohaa!

#22
Keep a eye out for #31 also.

Hi Folks,

Very excited to see Mr. Lesh & Cronies again. Given that hometown heroes The Big Wu, as well as SCI will be there, this show will be much larger than you think.

Very excited for Phil to meet the Wu, hopefully a sit in or two can occur. Show is going to be wonderful.

Peace all,
Robert

Yeah your right Rob. Forgot about the back to back SCI shows. WU is a great band. Caught them at the Riviera (I think) w/ Umphree Magee's. Didn't think they where that good but, WOW was I wrong!. Kangaroo is my favorite song by them.

Is WU like any relation to the WU- Tang Clan? heh

Long time lurker, 1st time poster...had to comment on this show up here in my neighborhood (well, Minneapolis is fairly close). Somerset is not a field off of the Mississippi River. It's on the Apple River - And River's Edge is a campground that caters to folks wanting to float on inner tubes down the Apple River.

Back in May a local station sponsored an all weekend concert shindig over there. Road blocks were set up afterwards with many, many arrests - dui, posession, etc. So, be careful. Also, the locals in that area seem to be fed up with the concerts after several OZZfest and Marilyn Manson concerts and such. (I think one of the Somerset cops was even busted for giving confiscated alcohol to a party of teenage girls too) As for the venue - pretty much a small flat field with a stage set up to one side.

The WU are great. Used to see 'em around here every Wednesday for no cover. Then they raised it to 2 bucks and 3 bucks, and now 5 years (?) later they're on a national stage opening for Phil. Go Big WU! How about Pinnacle???

Can't wait to jump on tour tomorrow. See you out there...

squeegee (a.k.a. yep)

After this show lets here some reviews and feelings on the shows good or bad. Not so much consentration on one comment that someone dose not like. let it be

Does anyone know if PLQ will be playing 2 sets tonight or just 1???

In a recent interview with Phil he said: "I make up the set lists so that each set (and each show) tells a story or describes a journey. I try to avoid the obvious couplings, segues, and sequences and to plan the sets so as to make the potential transitions as interesting as possible."

What's the story going to be tonight? I would love to see any post show thoughts on this.

I bet the theme will be "Roads", with a setlist including: "Lazy River Road", "Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad" and "Golden Road To Unlimited Devotion"

is P&H playin one set tonight?? will they go on before SCI?? Will SCI play two sets both nights???
just wanted to know thats all.

Thoughts on this point in time with the Dead:

Warren Haynes is now, today, the show. THEE show. Warren Haynes is Jerry-caliber and then some. He is the future. It is evident to me, after witnessing many grateful dead and post-dead shows that the new line-up is obvious and the time has come.
bobby, phil, mickey, bill, vince (yes vince) and warren haynes need to get on a bus together and plug in. keep it simple. none of this 15 people on stage other ones shit. and just call yourselves the grateful dead already. or the dead or the fucking stealth band whatever, just get it together.

and can someone tell bobby that HE doesnt need to play jerry tunes all fucking day long. what ever happened to big river and BIODTL, lazy> supp.

I am glad to see the family is forgiving each other. Now, leave it in the past and get a touring band that includes the people that we want to see play together, and obviosly CAN play well together. nothing against Jimmy Herring...Jimmy Herring is fucking incredible. Same for Borrocco, best post-dead keyboardist yet. Wasserman too. But we need a complete, old-school touring band. we need bobby and phil and mickey and bill and vince and maybe even bruce if he can find some time for us. we need to get back on the train.

Phils shows are great right now becuase of Warren. Ratdog really kind of sucks. I mean, when Ratdog is on, they are pretty good. 1st set at the Ryman auditorium this spring was fucking incredible. The end of Ratdogs set at the Riverport: awesome. But nonetheless, Ratdog needs to call it quits. Bobby needs to get a clue and Bobby and Phil need to get on the same page, beg Mickey to find some time in his scheduel for a touring band, pay warren haynes and ungodly amount of money to stay with the whatever band they put together and get ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

The family shattered into a thousand pieces in 1995. And that is not a bad thing. Its not, it really isn't. Are we waiting for something more that I have missed, aside from feet dragging, fighting in cyberspace and noodeling around. Time has come to collect the pieces, and put it back together, and get the show on the road. There aint much time left. The time aint tall, if on time you depend, and no word is possessed by no special friend. and though the line is cut it aint quite the end I'll just bid farewell till we meet again.

AMEN Warmbold. Where to start?!? Warren has been more then impressive thats for sure. I don't know why Bobby isn't a Phrend anyway. I would love to see mickey jam some drums, which is what this tour is missing. A MAD DRUM SESSION every now and then. and Bill, where is he now a days anyway?? I saw vince's band last year and wasen't too impressed but i guess i can't judge just one show. Or can I?? As for Bruce what can i say?? other then he's the man. Would they sound great or what with Bruce jammin with them??? a dream team if you ask me. Either which way ya look at it i hear ya and agree there isn't much time left!! That's it for the other one. peace

WARREN HAYNES IS THE MAN!!!!!!!

hey now- any updates on tonight's really big show..... setlists, etc.

>>.Warren Haynes is Jerry-caliber and then
some.

If I said that, there'd be people posting up here to have me thrown on The Rack & stretched until my arms & legs were ripped from my body.

But it's good to see I don't stand alone.

Sorry.....I had to chime in.
Warren is amazing and Phil and Friends is the best thing going right now BUT "jerry-caliber and then some"???? Did you ever see Jerry??

By the way.....Setlists for tonight anyone? Please?

Warren is not Jerry caliber you damn fools! Jerry was Buddha-caliber, like all-time, a multi-century Major Person... though Warren is a great replacement, no doubt!
I like things as they stand because people get bored and them Dead boys were damn bored and well everyone was damn bored (in reality). Two tours or more means more music and more variety. It's a dynamic set-up as it stands (versus a closed Dead universe). Likely, the rest of the band can jam when it happens, etc... Who knows? With all the options open though, a lot more can happen potentially (and has).

I hear you. I'm feelin' where you're comin' from... but let's face it, Phil's band is the bomb! Man I wish I was at Somerset! Berkeley and Red Rocks just wasn't enough! (Did I really say that?) Jimmy and Warren are like peanut butter and jelly!

How about Molo and Fishman on drums?

If I was 61 and now the leader of this band and it was garnering raves from fans and gaining national attention, well I dunno, but I think it was now my turn to show the world my vision and artistry as I soar into the golden sunset.
I think it is very cool that Lesh may attain the status of Garcia. If not Garcia then maybe a Mingus.. for who knows what next year will bring.

I don't understand why people dwell on getting more ex-Dead members onto the stage with (or in place of) Phil's already great band. Bill & Mickey? No thanks, Molo is the real thing. One of the reasons my favorite Dead period is 72 to 74 is that the single drummer format allowed for a more fluid, jazzy feel. Vince? You've got to be kidding. Rob is ten times more interesting to listen to. Bob? Well, OK I'm with you on this one. But the problem is that Jimmy and Warren are already pretty capable of filling up the soundscape...plus they mesh together so well. Herring's jazzier style is the perfect foil for Warren's grittier blues sound. IMO the Crusader Rabbit show lacked some of the intensity of Phil's regular lineup.

Add to that the fact that PLQ is able to play smaller venues than any sort of reconstituted Dead could, which means less of the moronic hangers-on that polluted the scene for so much of the 90s. Let the various members do their own thing, and let the Dead rest in peace.

SCI setlist:/12/01 - River's Edge Park, Somerset, WI
Set 1: Daryl, Come As You Are, Searching for Answers, Tom Thumb's Blues, Freedom Jazz Dance, Little Hands > John Hardy, Sand Dollar¹ > Drums¹ > Under African Skies¹ > Remington Ride¹, Lost², Shine > Texas
Guests:
¹ with Trilok Gurtu on tabla
² with Rob Barraco on keyboards

Yeah, right on that setlist.

>>>Let the various members do their own thing, and let the Dead rest in peace.

Agreed. We've been down this road so many times....
The fact is, the FORMER members of the Dead have moved on, but many of the Deadheads can't or won't.

Imagine if the Dead were still playing.
How many Crypticals, Alligators, St Stephens, Elevens, Mountains of the Moons, Violas, Dark Stars (they hadn't played that for over a year when Jerry died),New Potatoes, Cosmic Charlies, Comes A Times, Caution Jams, and who knows how many others I forgot (it's late) would you have seen in the last 6 years?

Phil's breathed life into a Dead corpse (the music).
Honestly, the people looking for a Dead reunion or wishing this was still Jerry's Dead remind me of an elderly person who dwells on the 'good old days when things were better'. Seems the more we look back, the better it was.
As Billy Joel said "The good old days weren't always good".

I would just like to say that this band doesnt
need any line up changes, it is PERFECT!
Though I wouldnt mind seeing this band "with
bobby on tamborine" doing a SMOKIN
Estimated or OtherOne. (theres that warren
sound that comes from his guitar (the mule
sound), you definatly hear it in Wharf Rat right
before "I'll get up and fly away," that would
make the Estimated truly outstanding.

Phils music is the future. It is 50 years ahead
of its time.

Rambling again, Peace to all you GD fans out
there, we've really stumbled on something
special in a world without Jerry.

Great show at somerset. Small crowd, very relaxed atmosphere.

Here's what I remember of Phil:

Set 1: Jam>Dancin' in the Streets>???, Jam>UJB>Lovelight

Set 2: Jam>Unbroken Chain>Jam> Just A Little Light>???>Help on the way>Slipknot>Sugaree>Slipknot>Franklin's
e:We bid you goodnight.

Gotta go to bed so I can drive in the morning.
squeegee

Just some simple thoughts I don't know everything.

phil is f---in awesome!

When i saw him 11-13-99 it suprised the hell out of me and i saw the scene coming back. i was so exicited to here quality dead which I couldn't hear when I was younger.

I think Crusader rabbbit rocks!!! I love this show.
Bob & Phil together wow!

But phil made it clear in his chat that "we are both too happy doing what we are doing"
So it probably won't happen.

Mickey, Bill and Vince unnecessary.

I wish phil and bob would play together,

I am tired of seeing people diss bobby over and over again like its politically correct or something. What would the dead be without Music never stopped and estimated prophet?-Still great but not the same. Bobby should play Lazy lightning and supplication. He wrote some damn phine tunes.

I saw ratdog in 98 at New brunswick-Damn fine setlist but the same "missing jerry Feeling" I had at the 98 other ones tour. I think ratdog sounds great now and while phil has the heads up now Ratdog has BOBBY!

The 2001 Ratdog shows I heard are quite good. Suprisingly so once I got the tapes. i little more bluesy and a little more emphasis on vocals.

Seeing Phil in 99' was the first time I saw Dead that was great even without Mr. Garcia.

The one thing Phil and Friends, an awesome band that makes me want to blow my mind to pieces, won't have is Garcia's SOLOING.

Warren is great, Derek is great, Herring is great.

But listen to the Supplication solo on 5-22-77(DP3) or the minglewood solo on 12-27-77 (Dp10) or any show from 77 for that matter. At some point you are just like wow I can't believe I just heard that and you feel the hairs going up on your spine. Garcia could see, feel, and be things that no one else could.

Jerry had soul in his playing that can be imitated but not surpassed. But that is the tradegy of his absense.

However, I also think its time someone said that Phil and Warren and the whole band (Rob, John, and Jimmy are all quite good and should not be replaced.) take this music well into the early 80s. Jerry still could solo increidbly in 85' (I love that year) but the band was sloppy at times. But i mean this "dead" that Phil and friends is playing is as good as the dead in 81-83 or so.(IMHO)

The music phil is playing now is so good that I feel happy just to be able to hear it. How much longer it will be around is anyone's guess.

Phil is incrediable but don't be fooled, it will never be 77'.

For now, enjoy the MUSIC.

I'll be enjoying it throught the Northeast.

I'll try to nail Willie's setlist in Camden. Whoever wrote the setlist with "other one"? That really wasn't funny.

Later. . .

The question marks in the above set list are Acadian Driftwood and Beautifully Broken. Both really good and melow.Mellow mood has got me!

Phil in the North, fuck yeah, cause there ain't no woods North anymore, ain't no indiana, ohio, resplendent North to those inner dwellers and tree choppers (though descendant and probably not related) of yore. Abe Lincoln es gone....

Phil is here though..... 1968 headband resplendent, healthy with new liver, feeling the power of new liver, hip, long haired beyond belief....

rollng through, before the Flood,
if it never comes well it should have...


t

Uh...isn't this section called "reviews?" I know that some of you are still recovering...as soon as you are able please share your thoughts.

I hate to respond to the Jerry, Phil, and Bob bashers. I don't understand how they love
Phil & Friends (or as they would say..
"Warren & Friends") setlists, songs versions, etc.. and then rip Jerry, Phil, and Bob.
Listen to Phil with Kimock and Jorma, Herring and Pevar, Kimock and Trey; not to mention that Molo, Barroco, Pete Sears, and Paige all have contributed to the development of what we all now enjoy so enthusiastically. If its all Warren, who I loved as a Brother and a Mule, why wasn't Gov't Mule causing such a scene?
I truly believe this is the best line up Phil has had. I have also seen many forms of Phil & Friends from CA to NY to FL; from 98 to 01 and its been a developing phemon. I love the intensity Warren brings but the core is Jimmy, Molo, Rob, and Phil; the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Something like another band I think we all love.
PS I didn't care too much for TOOs, but I have always thought Ratdog to be a great show. I also think this board going down hill lately is due to the lack of good reviews from midwest concert goers.

Phil rules, no question--I'm ditching my job as an attorney in Florida to catch the North Carolina shows with the ABB. After seeing PLQ in Florida in April, I was left dumstruck and awed. They are the tightest band around and I don't remember leaving a show with such a euphoric feeling since the Dead.

But, to those of you who are picking on Bobby and Ratdog, I have an offer. I will B&P the 4-3-01 Tampa show (I was there; I've seen them a bunch and they are GOOD!). This show was hot; the Estimated smoked! I want you all to listen to this show before you start spewing venom about Ratdog. I'm doing this because I (a) want to spread the music and (b) want to make sure everyone knows what a good band they really are. For details, go to www.phishhook.com and jump to my list (bkelsky) where you can e-mail me and I'll give you the details. I will take the first TWENTY people for this B&P. Anyone who trades knows this is a big posting.

Remember: taste is a subjective thing. If you don't like Ratdog, then you don't like Ratdog. I just hope nobody is being close-minded about a fine bunch of musicians.

And, since this is a Phil posting place, let me just add: PHIL ROCKS! (Love Night of 1000 Stars and Rock 'n Roll Blues.)
Peace.

Warren is Not Jerry Caliber- get real, have you ever seen the dead, you jack ass. I won't even do you justice of naming you, you kow who you are, how dare you, "Jerry Caliber", shut the fuck up.

This show looked a little bit lame, I mean short, I am sure the boys jammed nicely.

Will somebody please provide a review that does not include a band memeber approaching a Jerry level of "power" I mean please...see you all in the north east, the place Phil is saving all his energy for.

get a grip

the dead died with jerry

it's a new day

phil's band is THE future

jimmy will be in the equation longer than mr haynes

he and phil have developed quite a relationship

phil's band is the current shiznit

end discussion

The show people, what about the show? Are there any pure music fans out there or are we all just concerned with expressing our subjective opinions about what is the best possible lineup for the band? Be here now with this band and for the love of god,let's see some show reviews! Dig it!

The almighty Sivadselim has spoken, I guess that's it.

My point was simply that, I think it is lame that somebody goes to see phil and then walks out thinking he saw a guy who rivals jerry garcia.I would like to see more reviews that talk less about jerry, rasther than see every review compare warren to jerry. I mean warren rocks, just leave it at that.

Warren is a great rock and roll guitarist. Period. Whenever they play something thats not 1-4-5 he stumbles. I saw then do My Fav things in NYC last year, and he faked it. He couldn't play the changes or the melody. Jimmy is much more schooled (and in my opinon better) Of course if you idiots think that Warren is better than Jerry, you obviously have no clue about music and music theory so I'm probably just wasting my time. Warren is great. Jerry was a Master. BIG difference. Listen the the Helpnot on View from Vault 2- fucking crazy!!!!!! Jerry w/ the Midi horns, etc.... its incredible. And let me tell you kids- Warren could not do that.

i traveled 300 miles to see jerry solo.
do you think i'd do the same for warren?
i don't think so.

I've been listening to the Gov't Mule and Warren Haynes for years now, while being a Deadhead, and there is no correlation between the two. Warren has played songs like St. Stephen and It hurts me too, but that is where the similarities end. Warren is to Jerry Garcia what Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes is to Robert Plant. They have similar stage presence, but they are truley two opposite forces. Jerry Garcia was a phenomena that occurs maybe once or twice in a century, while Haynes is just a really talented, bad ass southern s.o.b.
But honestly, who cares. Phil Lesh and company are putting out the best music in the entire business right now. And when it comes down to it, Haynes will probobly not be there with the entire lifetime of the experiment. Although, he will always pop in for a gig or two.
Can't wait for the east coast run

Cant we all get along and have HIGH TIMES!!!!
Jesus---Yall sound like a bunch of kids
I loved Jerry, but hes gone__
Let us have Peace for Phil<Bobby<Mickey and GOD!
If yall dont want to see p&f tour, dont go. Me and my trips wont miss You. haha

You people crack me up,more reviews from the midwest PLEASE.Warren is better than Jerry was PLEASE if someone was dumb enough to say that I missed it.Warren with Mule was good and they rocked hard,but I think this lineup and Phil has brought the best out in Warren,sure nobodies perfect but he brings alot to the table no.
Review away.

I have to agree with Mark (helpknot), esp. regarding the theory stuff...I really really love Jimmy Herring...in my very humble opinion you could throw Bobby in there in place of Warren and have a very fine band. Although you know what, fuck it...I saw these guys for the first time in April at DAR and was completely floored...we have a fine band right now...I'm just overjoyed for that...I'm also pretty easy to please. There hasn't been a furthur, ratdog, dylan, robert hunter, or other related show that I haven't enjoyed throughly yet. aww, shit, whatever, I'm just damn excited...
BTW Jinpa...it's good to hear you speak in a postive voice!
-sound of music man

He took a lot of slack but it seems jinpa was right on (and pretty funny too) yesterday concerning midwest reviews. It continues today. We just can't get any.

you kinda do have to admit that, don'cha (re: jinpa)

WOW can't believe how many poeple replied to the original post!!! cool to see everyone opinion though. Althought i agree with it statement about grtting everyone(mostly)together. i don't think Warren is "Jerry" or better for that matter. LIGHTEN UP to all of you who got pissed. no ones opinion is the law!!! at least i don't think so. but hey, what do i know, right???

see ya at ALPINE
i'm calling a scarlet/fire just for the record!
peace

Where is Matthew, Bob A and the rest of the reviewers from the past? I'm willing to start a collection to send them to shows and update us at night on the chat with set lists and give us their great reviews afterwards. Come on folks! Has anyone gone to the shows lately? This is a review board, isn't it? Keep it real and go on tour with whomever you like just enjoy it while you have it! Peace and four wheel drives.

hey now
this area is for show reviews not an area for debating whos better than who. This same thing happened in the AOL dead site. It gets real messy not to mention annoying. Please move the discussions to a chat room.
this midwest head is jumping on the bus at alpine and jumping off at pine knob aka the DTE (corporate crap) music center.
when I get back to detroit on monday I'll post some reviews.
PEACE

I whole heartily agree that this band shouldn't screw with anything! Its not GD caliber, it never will be. But on its own stage, P&F rocks! I really would like to know just how much fun these guys are having up there. Night 2 @ red rocks Phil was the orchestrating "the party". The whole band was having a great time up there. Result, outstanding show. This is an important ingredient. The band sounds good when they let go. hmmmmmm, sounds like another band i use to know! God help us all if we have to sit through another Samba in the Rain, Rob is far more enjoyable and loves his job.

I'll look forward to Alex's R's reviews...can we PLEASE get some reviews from Alpine...I LOVE that place (and I'm *pretty* sure I'm not alone in that).

warren=jerry?
i don't remember any ice cream flavors named after warren. until ben and jerry come up with a flavor named after haynes like butternut underware haynes, case closed.
love that cherry garcia all over my mountain morning dew.

My $.02 Warren's energy is much closer to a Pigpen than a Jerry. Warren's brings a raw and heartfelt blues to PLQ. In the Anthem to Beauty documentary, Phil describes Pigpen as the Grateful Dead's "tether to earth." I don't disagree with comparing Warren to Jerry, but, if you are going to compare Apples to Apples, I suggest using Pigpen as a reference. And, yes, I know Pigpen didn't play guitar in the Dead (except solo acoustic Katie Mae in '71)

Think about it.

Help--2 glossary questions. what is PLQ and what is lol. Thanks

lol=laugh out loud, and I think PLQ=Phil Lesh Quintet

PLQ = Phil Lesh Quartet
lol - Laughing Out Loud

Good f@#%in' call on the Pig/Warren correlation...very good call. Really just a super-fine bluesman

lol- lotsolove

Hey now!lets not get hung up on who`s better than who.jerry`s gone,and we all miss him.personally, I would pay to see any remaining members play dead music.I enjoy reading the reviews on this site.here goes my lame ass attempt.set one was short but jammin`.dancin in the streets sung by rob.acadian driftwood,sung by warren.mellow,bluesey. nice jams between songs. up tempo uncle johns band blasting into turn on your lovelight.band leaves stage,phil returns "and leave it on!" set two little jam into unbroken chain.great version,hot jam in the middle.warren does brent`s just a little light next.warren has a great bluesey voice.perfect for that song,it almost sounded like brent singing.warren followed with a new song to me.very bluesey number,butifaly broken? next, help on the way into slipnot into sugaree into slipnot into other one jam into franklins tower. we bid you goodnight was the encore. enjoy the rest of tour!god bless phil for keeping the music alive and the scene going. to phil&phriends,thank you for a real good time!

Its Actually a QUINTET as there are five members who play instruments. A Quartet has four.

I know... my bad.

>But we need a complete, old-school touring band.
we need bobby and phil and mickey and bill and vince and maybe even bruce if he can find some time for us. we need to get back
on the train.

perhaps you need that. i, on the other hand, am extremely pleased with this line-up and believe that bringing bobby and mickey, and god forbid vince, into the line-up would only lessen the phil and friends experience. i think the new crazy, out there jamming wouldn't happen as much with "the boys of old". for me there is no going back.

this is what i'm talking about. a guy named hansen (figures) takes the time to give us a midwest review and it is completely worthless. what did we learn. that warren sings brents a little light. that there are jams between the songs (oh really) (how bout songs between the jams). what the setlist was, oh yeah we haven't known that since oh i don't know, since it was posted. that the band left the stage after the first set. thanks for those pearls of wisdom and info. i hope the next guy tells me who played bass and who played drums. can't we just quarantine these states?

Uh-Oh Here we go again. Although it's true. We have all been here before. We have all been here before.

No Problem. Just for the record. I've said it before and I'll say it again. PLQ is apples the Dead are oranges. There is no comparison for the two. We are fortunate to be able to have these great bands and live music to enjoy no matter who the musicians are. Phil's band plays some of the best music that I have ever experience. Lets give them credit for being there for us and forget all the other bullshit. This band is QUINTETESSENTIAL!

ladies and gentleman, please welcome QuintetEssential,,,nice mj, now that's a great band name.

I love vince...I loved the review attempt, as short as it was...I realize that everyone has an opinion, but Jinpa, do you really need to call people out like that and try your damndest to make them look like fools? Get over it or just accept that there aren't reviews up to your standards and stop reading here...really...he made an effort and even gave a forewarning about the quality. To be honest with you, your reviews of the reviewers aren't really any more enlightening.

I agree with Mr. Jenkins.

Let's not forget that there were at least 5 unique versions of the grateful dead. Each with strengths, weaknesses, and secret identities. Oh... Wait, I was thinking of the Super Friends.

Heads used to gripe about Brent all of the time. They complained that he wasn't "old school" and his songs were "cheesey."

There was a time when the Dead was all about Pigpen. You went to see the Dead to see Pigpen. You waited through cryptical and the like for a monumental Schoolgirl or Good lovin'. To many people, that is the only Grateful Dead - because they, in their minds, cannot go furthur.

It is all about going furthur (read electric kool-aid acid test if you haven't yet)

Phil IS going furthur.

Thanks Jinpa; I made it up myself. It can to me in a dream one afternoon not so long ago.

i love you guys - reading these posts makes me feel so warm and fuzzy all over :)

It is true...Phil is most definately going FURTHUR!
Good book...Ethan's right...read it if you haven't

aside from the biting sarcasm, I have to say I agree with Jinpa about wanting a good, send-chills-up-your spine review

Here is my shamelss attempt at a review. I have to preface it by saying that after seeing Phil's last incarnation with the boys from Feat, I had very low expecations, really going to see SCI more than Phil. that being said.....I fell in love all over again last nite.

The first set was quite short (4 songs) but had a lot of energy. I think the thing that impresses me the most is how Warren and Jimmy play off of each other. Warren adds a ton in the vocal range for these guys too.

Second set absolutely blew me away. from the opening notes to the very end, these guys never let up. My criticism of the last incarnation was that there was too much noodling with no direction. not so tonite. the jams were tight, focused, and just about the time you thought it was time to move on, they did. No 30 minute rambles here. For me the definite highlight was the help>slip>sugaree>slip>frank that closed the show, especially the sugaree. the way they continued to build the energy and momentum through this tune made you think you had been listening to a band that had been around for 30 years or so.

random thoughts: baracco, haynes and phil blend very well vocally. i would rather tliten to baracco that vince any day, but that is a matter of personal preference

Baracco can really play. I think Jimmy Herring does a fantastic job of off setting warren. I got a real charge out of watching him make beautiful music. what about molo. this guy was just friggin last nite. he lays down a great groove and beats those skins with a passion. finally, Phil. It was so great to see him smiling last nite. you can tell he is really having a great time with this latest lineup. Like I said at the beginning of this: I fell in love all over again last nite.

Sorry I can critique the jams into and out of songs, I was having too great a time listening last nite to critique. Al I can say is if you were thinking of skipping these guys because you were disappointed with the fall, don't cheat yourself out of a memorable music experience

sorry jinpa,I was trying to shed just a little light!I`m hung over,it`s the morning after the show. P.S. that was the mighty one John Molo on drums&Phil Lesh on bass.

Thank you Ken Ailes!!!!!!!! An actual review ...thanks!!!!

>disappointed with the fall<
who was disappointed with the fall?
the shows we saw at Beacon were supercalifragilisitc.

I'd be psyched to see the remaining members of the Dead get back together, EXCEPT FOR MICKEY, who has proven himself to be nothing short of a prick. Screw him. After his public statement regarding Phil's liver transplant he can go fuck himself. His lame retraction doesn't make up for what he said. Just like his conniving father, he should be "gone, and nothing's gonna bring him back."

Yeah, that was a good one, Ken!

I once defended jinpa, now I'm sick of his lame sarcasm. So please feel free to bash jinpa from now on with my blessing. Here's mine: That whole thing about Ben & Jerry's ice cream? How pathetic was that? Was that supposed to be humorous? Hey I have a great idea, let's try to make a point but use a metaphor so lame that it actually distracts from the argument.

Comparing Phil Lesh and Friends to the Grateful Dead is not really like comparing apples and oranges. Let be real. Relatively speaking, (even relaive to rock and roll, forget about relative to music in general) there are a ton of similarities. It's more like comparing Granny Smith Apples to Fuji or something like that.

>After his public statement regarding Phil's liver transplant he can go fuck himself.

Another country in the legions of Phil heard from!


Right on brother.

My $0.02 about the show...
Nice laid back atmosphere at River's Edge. The two day festival thing really allows the scene to evolve into a circus a la Alpine Valley '87 - '89. Weather perfect, though the recent drought really turned the once grassy area into a dust bowl.
String Cheese started a bit mellow and uninspired, but the presence of tabla player Trilok Gurtu really seemed to kick every one in the pants, including the fans. There was a fabulous break in which Trilok and Travis really duelled it out.
P+F came out smoking, with Jimmy laying down perfect 1/16 note runs in the opening jam through Dancin'. Though his playing lacks the smoky, bluesy intensity that Warren has, Jimmy is the bee's knees! Warren could only look on and wonder how this guy could be so technically adept... Acadian Driftwood really hasn't taken off as a vehicle for jamming, though it was pretty, especially well sung and fit the moment (if not sucking out some of the momentum from Dancin'). Uncle John's Band started up with the great frenzied calypso beginning, again, with Jimmy laying down the melodic lines one after another... simply jaw-dropping. For the Warren fans, Lovelight was truly outstanding and raucous. Phil was having a blast egging him on and appropriately gave him a big congratulatory hug at the end. Phil and everybody else felt a little Pigpen in the air! I must say that Warren, both with his voice and playing, kicks Weir's ass in singing R+B standards. Hey Warren! Try Good Lovin', King Bee and Schoolgirl! The set ended awkwardly as Phil's mike wasn't working when he was trying to announce the break. Despite their show as being advertised as one set, they took a brief break while the lights got focused. The second start started out with a strong Unbroken Chain, with some fabulous playing at the break - again, Jimmy en fuego. Just a Little Light, I think, is a poor choice for this group. It was a bathroom break song with the Dead, and it is a LONG bathroom break with Phil, despite Warren breathing an ounce of life into this Brent throwaway. Beautifully Broken, which is really not such an interesting song, took even more out the crowd's enthusiasm, and even I was trolling the vendors by the exit, knowing that Phil was dealing with an 11:00 curfew. Lo and behold... the show was rescued with an extremely tight and kind of dark Help into Slipknot. Sugaree, though interestingly placed in a Slipknot sandwich, never found the summery vibe that it usually evokes, with the guitarists seeming uneager to take their leads. With the re-emergence into Slipknot, though, the dark intensity returned for a while until reaching the inevitable Franklin's crescendo. Franklin's Tower was well-played and fun, but there's no doubt that someone was watching the clock, since the solos were simply average and short. When you have only 2 minutes for a closer, there really is nothing better than an impeccably sung And We Bid You Goodnight! It really strikes me how great their vocal harmonies are. On the whole, I'd say an above average show with the highlights being, Dancin', UJB, Lovelight, Unbroken Chain and Help>Slip. I noticed an official tour photographer behind me during the SCI show who turned out to be none other than J.C. Juanis, Phil's promoter of 3 years and mastermind of thephilzone.com web site. Notice his credits on all the photos. We talked for about 15 minutes and he kindly shared a lot of insights on the touring scene and upcoming shows with other guests. He even hinted at a recording with all the new tunes. If you see a pretty big 50-ish guy with credentials and a digital camera walking around you at the next show, introduce yourself and rap with a totally approachable insider. I think he really appreciated being noticed and hearing my perspective on the scene.

Can we get a post about last nights show
here!!!!! Enough with the comparisons
already.. BLAH-BLAH-BLAH!! I never heard so
much wind about something so common
sense!! THERE IS NO ONE IN THE SAME
BUILDING AS JERRY GARCIA, PERIOD! How
old are all you people! You obviously have just
listened to tapes... Oh damn, here I go.. I'm
gonna stop now. PLEASE, this is a REVIEW
POST list, so lets hear some REVIEWS.. I
could care less what yo think of Warren. WHO
CARES!!! By they way, he's the SHIT!! Love
him!!

Easy Jinpa. It's only music and your only you. Why don't you put your real name on this board so we can make fun of it and you. Seems to me you belong on some heavy metal or punk board. Complaining about the quality of midwestern reviews, hah. Get with it man. Contribute something (anything) or shut up. Your just wasting peoples time.

LOL= laugh out loud
300 miles to see Jerry - so what?
Ice Cream - puleeeze. Is that what you call a quality review of those two guitarists?

peaceout

MB representin. finally. please take a bow.

Reading about a show is like reading about sex. No matter how good or bad the writing, it makes no difference, it can't recreate that experience. Why are some of you getting so worked up about it? I'm looking in your direction jinpa. Chill out, go smoke some dmt, watch some more star trek reruns, and think about how much cooler it is to live on the east coast than in the armpit of America. Oh, the horror!

I would be very afraid of that man on dmt...or really most drugs for that matter...that man, or whatever he is.

ALL RIGHT MARTYBROAN!!!
If you really want to hear Warren get down with the blues checkout the Smokestack Lightning from the Beacon 10/11/00.

this review board has gone from the sublime to the ridiculous - and yet i can't stop reading it - i need help - someone help me, please help me

Oh, it's good fun...you can't stop because you love it...

Just like nitrous...

bwop bwop bwop....

I won't bore any of you with my history, suffice it to say my first live Dead music was at Woodstock and my first real Dead show was Stony Brook Halloween night 1970 and I have been on the bus to one degree or another ever since.

My take is that if you go to any of these shows looking for a Grateful Dead show, you are going for the wrong reason and will be disappointed. If you are going with an open mind to experience some talented musicians, some of whom were in the Grateful Dead, performing Grateful Dead music in the spirit in which it was originally created then you are on the right track.

There is no Grateful Dead anymore and never can be but there can be musicians performing and interpreting the music in their own way, some of which will appeal to some of our tastes and some of which will not. For me, Phil and his current line-up come the closest of any band out there right now. Ironically, part of the reason is that they can have shows that aren't as good or that appeal much more to some than others. That is part of what this music is all about. It is impossible to achieve greatness and inspiration without taking chances and by definition when you take chances, you will not always succeed.

That being said, this band succeeds on a much more regular basis than the Grateful Dead ever did. Their highs may not be as high but their lows are not as low either.

I wss fortunate enough to attend both Red Rocks shows, probably the only shows I will make on this tour and they were both great in my mind but very different. The Friday show was sort of a beautiful mellow show whie the Saturday show was a total blow you away rocking monster.

I pity anybody who goes to these shows to prove how much they know or how much more they know than anybody else. The reason to attend is to be in the moment and enjoy the music and hopefully share the joy (or the disappointment)with others through these review boards and in person, without having to worry about being judged, because all of our opinions are valid. It is unfortunate that some have to put others down in order to validate their own opinions and/or expectations.

Now that was a rambling post which may be totally full of shit to many of you, from a guy who likes to read these reviews but usually doesn't contribute all that much. I am out of here.

>and yet i can't stop reading it - i
need help - someone help me, please help me


just like passing a car accident on the highway

take two of these and call Captain Trips in the afterlife....

I THOUGHT THIS SECTION WAS FOR REVIEWS!
LET US SAVE THE INANE, BABBLING QUIBBLES FOR THE CHAT ROOMS AND OTHER MESSAGE BOARDS! PLEASE, SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO LIVE VICARIOUSLY THROUGH THOSE OF YOU GOING TO THE SHOW.................UNTIL IT IS OUR TURN HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!
LONG LIVE PHIL!!!!!!!!! CYA IN 2 WEEKS

Yes, no coloring outside the lines!!!

Bad kids, bad. How dare you explore a tangent!!!

Shame Shame!!!

Do not express!!!

Katzman, from what you've read so far I'm not sure if you'd couple me with those who >put others down in order to validate their own opinions and/or expectations< but I fully agree with you and approach the shows that way. As a result I have been dissappointed by nothing since I started seeing the Dead in 1993...Not long, and maybe even as a result of that I've been able to go to the Futhur Fest, Weir shows, Vince shows, Phil shows, Mickey shows (although what he said is *really* shitty) all sorts of them, and fully enjoy myself because I see it not as a comparative experience, but a cumulative one.

Marty Katz, take a bow. Go to the shows with an open mind and hopeful of having a good time. Don't expect GD. They died with Jerry and, quite frankly, GD really hit some lows from (at least) '91 to '95. Yes they also hit some soaring highs in there as well.

Katzman, also have to agree with you on Saturday's Red Rocks show. I missed Friday but I felt like Saturday's show just blew me right back into my seat and plastered me there. It was the best concert I have seen in at least 10 years.

Just so I contribute to the spirit of these boards and put some review stuff in here, here goes.

I know this is the wrong place to comment on Red Rocks but this is the chat I am on now so here it will be. I never learned to color inside the lines anyway and I won't start now.

Of all the hundreds of Dead and Dead related shows I have been to, I can honestly say with only a medium level of chemical assistance that particular night, that Saturday night at Red Rocks was one of the top ten most amazing experiences I have ever been part of.

I would swear that they waited to open the second set until the storm was right on top of us so they could play that incredible Help>Slip>Eleven>Slip>Franklins>Dark Star>Lucy in the Sky>Dark Star>Rider with the St Stephen>Not Fade Away encore.

They seemed to be playing off the electricity of the lightening during the beginning of the set and everytime it flashed and thundered, they took it a step higher. If you want to talk about a totally chills down the spine experience that was it for me. The storm finally began to subside a little during the 11 and they just continued to blow us away including a somewhat rare for this band by my experience unstructured space during Dark Star.

We could have sworn that Lucy would be the set ender but holy shit, back into Dark Star and then Rider to end the set.

At this point, one of my grizzled veteran friends could only say "WOW, that was really f'in good" about ten times.

We figured they would come out with a calm us down encore when once again we got totally blown away by a thundering, electric perfect St Stephen and a reprise of Not Fade Away which was the encore the night before. They did it this time without any lyrics, just the guitar riffs then they slowly not faded away off the stage with the crowd doing the rhythin clapping and "know our love not fade away chant".

This of course coming after Phil's speech between encore and end of set where he once again referred to Red Rocks as an extremely magical place and his favorite outdoor venue in the USA and told us he would make music with us anywhere, anytime.

What a night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If I could choose to be anywhere with any people, doing anything for some moments of the pure joy of being alive, that was it.

I sincerely hope it works for all of you that way often enough to ease any cynicism you may begin to feel.

let the band play

AND HAVE FUN!!!

redrocks, we get it. been there done that. now that katz and watkins have decided that our thread listings are not important and anarchy reigns since they were at "the rox" lets all forget about listing individual sites and just have one big summer thread so people like katzwatkins who can't follow directions and can't draw between the lines can post their rox threads anywhere and continue to tell us that their place is better than ours and phil likes them better than us. yada yada yada. they obviously have no respect for the cheeseheads who are trying as hard as they can to get off their smack. but watkinskatz need more space for their rox revelations than the rox thread can hold i guess. maybe tomorrow they can relive saturday rox show on the alpine thread and then the deercreek thread etc.

Thanks Marty, I caught the three Greek shows...and thanks to your goose-bump-inducing review I feel like I have a small idea of the magic that took place at Red Rocks...

Even though Marty's post isn't about the right show, it at least is a freakin' review!!!!

(get the hint Jinpa...?)

Ahhhhhhhh

Finally, the master of this universe speaks.

Its good to know that negative vibes can survive even in the face my almost sickeningly positive approach to live.

How sad for you.

Jinpa, it's a Philzone message board. Sorry for offending your "delicate" sensibilities by posting any commentary/musings about anything other than last night's show on this thread. Mea culpa.

I was at Red Rocks in 79. I think it was the only time the run was rained out and moved to McNichols. Just my luck. The first night was at the Rocks but that show was weird because some guy tried to commit suicide by jumping off the Rocks. Pretty mellow show. I remember Bill Walton was there and was in front of me. Man is he tall. It was hard seeing over him. The next night at McNichols was general admission and was a riot. Literally. People broke down the glass doors rushing in. It was pretty scary but an unbelievably hot show. They came out of drums into Wharf Rat and then Truckin. And Truckin wouldn't end. It was smokin. Finally they just ended the show on Truckin. And encored with Sugar Mag. Third night was forgetable. I also remember that was the summer Jerry wore a ponytail and wore shorts. Pretty funny.

"The human language is like a cracked kettle on which we beat out a tune for a dancing bear, when we hope with our music to move the stars."
-Gustave Flaubert

****Warning... Not a review****

I have not slept in a very long time. Please
'bear' with me.


I have one thing to add on to the thought of the
boys getting together. Actually a few. My very
first Dead show of any kind was on Furthur 98.
1st was Columbus which was OK, 2nd was
Pine Knob (w/ fungus) and was the most
beautiful experience of my life. It ended with
the crowd doing Not Fade Away chant into the
lot. I knew that I was home. It was truly a life
changing experience in the most literal sense.
I woke up early the next morning and drove out
to BFE just to watch the sun come up.

Anyhow, I have been to 17 TOO, P&F, P&D
and RatDog shows since. (This P&F line-up
blows 'em all away) A couple of weeks ago, I
saw Dark Star Orchestra. For the first time, I
truly understood what I was missing having
never seen Jerry. The guy who does Jerry is
unbelieveable.

I would really like to see all the boys back
together once more for three reasons. First,
because I want my daughter to get to
experience them all together. Second
because I want to be able to experience it with
the eyes and ears that I have three (or more)
years later. Third because I thought the music
was incredible. IMO, if you listen to TOO 98,
TOO 2000, Ratdog and P&F, you can very
clearly see Phil's influence on the music of
TOO 98. I could be completely wrong though.

As somebody who found the scene in '98 (at a
time that I had just given up on the whole
human race and just wanted to fade away) I
am grateful for every show that I can get to and
for every note that continues to be played. I
think Phil is the keeper of the heart and soul of
the dead and is driving the music forward like
nobody else.

The one thing that I don't understand about P&
F is, WHERE IS EVERYBODY? Phil is THE
band, the love is there, the music is there,
Where are the crowds? where are the
Deadheads?

got it mule. pretty funny. and you're right. reviews are hard to come by these days.
btw bb pretty funny walton tale. also seems like a pretty harrowing three days what with suicides, walton's head and glassbreaking riots. wild and wacky stuff.

>my first dead show was 98< ok this one is too easy but seriously tacobell, i'm sorry you never got to see the dead because you sound like you would have appreciated it. however happy you have been seeing these shows since, don't be mistaken. the dead really did end in 95. you've never seen the dead and you never will. yes the scene has come back with these tours. however unless the big guy materializes onstage, you'll never know what it was truely like. also, i've seen dso, and they are fun but again, he doesn't look like the big guy, he doesn't sound like the big guy and he aint the big guy. just a fun cover band. sorry.

Seems like a good time to barge in with another rox reference to piss someone off. I have been to over 300 GD and related shows and Saturday night was the best show I have ever seen. I drove from the bay area on a whim after seeing what I thought was the best show I have ever seen at on Sunday at the Greek the week before. Maybe it's mmeory loss or maybe these guys are really good. Tomorrow it's back to the Greek for Trey Anastasio which also has potential for greatness. I hope I never get old like some people.

Either we are both losing our memories or these guys are pretty freakin good.

Jinpa...

Not only are you a constant source of
negativity but now you have taken to
misquuoting me for the benifit of your own
statements. Where have you come from? Who
are you so upset with. Perhaps it is time to
take a look within.

MY STATEMENT WAS:
"My very first Dead show of any kind was on
Furthur 98."

YOUR MISQUOTE WAS:
">my first dead show was 98< "

1. If you wish to be such a source of negativity
on this board that is your business, I can just
ignore your postings. I intend to from this point
forward. However, when you take to
misquoting me for your own reasons, then it
is my business.

continues...

2a. By adding the "of any kind" disclaimer to
my statement, I thought I was being clear
enough for most reasonable people.

2b. I suppose I should have been more aware
of the presence of the unreasonable ones
and qualified my statement furthur.

2c. Perhaps I was clear enough, otherwise
you would not have had to misquote me in
order to qualify your statement "ok this one is
too easy"

3. Who or what gave you the impression that
you are the guardian of... I don't know...
whatever you think you are protecting here. I
am just perplexed as to where a statement
like "ok this one is too easy" comes from.

continues...

4. My thoughts and experiences expressed in
my posting are separate from my opinions.
are mine. They are not to be edited. They
belong to me and are shared for anyone who
cares to read them. It is not for you to decide
what I "truly understand" In fact, you basically
misquoted me again because I did not say
that I knew "what it was truly like". I said that I
truly understood what I was missing.
Additionally, it was not from what I saw, it was
from laying on my back looking into the stars
listening to the closest thing to Jerry's voice
that I have ever heard and feeling how his
presence (even though it was false) changed
the whole thing. For days I felt like I could
never go back to a Phil show. These thoughts
and feelings have NOTHING at all to do with
you... never will.

continues...

5. Perhaps if others out there agree with me
that your negativity is not needed here, they
will indicate it in future postings. Perhaps then
you will begin to take the high road.

continues

jinpa, congratulations, you sucked me in. But
it ends here. I am quite certain that there will
be much negativity aimed at me coming from
you. I will not respond. The stronger your
attacks, the louder my silence.

I wish you peace my friend.

Bill

*** Sorry about the multiple posts and long
messages everybody. The server was doing
something really screwy***

Been lurking about the site for a good while or so... My only minute tibit of wisdom is, reply only to posts that you like, hold yon tounge(fingers) for the stuff that you classify as
drivel, bashing, or poppychock. It seems that if you feed negativity, it only gets more depressing. ...Be posting after the mini tour of MA>CT... wish I could catch more...
Anyone know if there are any tapes of PLAF opening for Bob Dylan at Augusta, ME last year. I'd like to hear that Terripan once more to see if it compares to 3.24.90... Only one
more week till Mansfield...
Stay cool peace cats

Thanks Tom. You are right. I shouldn't have let
it get under my skin. See ya in Mansfield.

I am new to this message board and I will first qualify myself by saying that I have seen xxx number of Grateful Dead shows. Those shows encompassed the second fifteen years of the bands exhistance. It is my opinion from the P&F shows that I have heard and seen that this incarnation is every bit as good if not better(certainly more enjoyable music, scene et al.)than the Dead were since '91. Burn me at the stake if you will.However, Saying that Warren Haynes is "Jerry calliber" is rediculous.As far as reuniting the surviving members of The Grateful Dead, no thanks. I do not want anything to do with it. Let everyone do there own thing. As far as Phil and Friends it would be awesome if this lineup stays intact for a while, but people got to do what they got to do. While I have put myself on the Whipping Post I got to say While I enjoy what Warren adds to The P&F lineup I am really listening to Jimmy. Herring is quite articulate and for me adds the Garcia elliment to the band.popi

>>>If its all Warren, who I loved
as a Brother and a Mule, why wasn't Gov't Mule causing such a scene?

I think it has more to do with the material he's playing.
Look at Clapton. Great on guitar whether it's slow blues, Cream or Pink Floyd with Roger Waters. But the Cream, Blind Faith, Derek & The Dominoes & Floyd stuff blows me away in a way the blues never do.

As for the argument someone made that until Warren gets an ice cream named after him he won't be Jerry's equal, LOL! Jerry was such a cultural icon that he could have walked on stage, played 6 seconds of the beginning of the theme from Green Acres & half the people would have wrote down 'First Green Acres Jam' & thought the show was great for that alone. Jerry once said in the late 70's or early 80's "We could play ANYTHING, even 'Louie, Louie' & the fans would go nuts". The point was the trained seals in the audience weren't really listening but were worshipping ANYTHING he did, especially if it was a statistical rarity. They'd even love a crappy song like Louie, Louie. So ten years later, what do they do? Play Louie Louie as the people go nuts. Jerry must have been laughing his butt off.
The truth is that Jery was a great guitar player who was steadily in decline for many years. Although there was still greatness at times, the lows got lower, & the highs weren't as high or as often.
Personally, I wish the Dead had played the way P&F does for the 15 years I saw them, in format, selection & intensity. Too bad Phil wasn't calling the shots back then.

"one man gathers what another man spills"
If Jerry was alive today, he would just be bowled over by the playing of this band. I could picture him jamming with these guys and smilimg from ear to ear. We should all be thankfull for this taste of the music we thought was gone. It's not the Dead. Think of it as the same plant but with a new offshoot of buds. It's all good.

I like Warren an awful lot, but I've taken quite a shine to the Crusader show. Jimmy's excellent. It is kind of a combo thing though. What makes y'all think Warren would leave? He's juggling bassists in mule and he obviously wanted to play with phil more than the allmans, otherwise the allmans would not have had to split their tour down the middle to accomodate him....they had even sold tix to shows (that they later had to cancel) before Phil's plans were set. I'm thinkin' and hopin' he'll be here a while.

Jerry was Jerry like Charlie Parker was Charlie Parker...but now they're both taking a dirt nap and we are DANG lucky to have a second chance at the whole thing...cause if the music wasn't so exciting, we wouldn't be here and I certainly wouldn't bother driving 100's of miles. Chant with me "its all good its all good its all good"

And its great that there are other bands that folks tour with to take the pressure off of one band. That's the ideal way to keep crowds down. In my town, all the heads are going away to do their travel thing, be it festivals, SCI, phil, and then meeting back at the beershack to spread the joy. Its nice.

Blah blah blah......How about a review?

BOTB: Good point.
If it wasn't happening now with P&F, we'd all be looking for every Dead show ever played on tape.
It's alot more fun expieriencing the live eargasms P&F is giving us than thinking back on what's past history.
Let's enjoy P&F while we got 'em.
Better than Jerry or not, I sure do enjoy this band.

Jerrys DEAD. I was lucky enough to see him lots and talk with him a few times. Warren and Jimmy and a whole lot of other gifted musicians are carrying on the tradition. What was then is over and what is now is whats happening. Jerry opened my eyes to all sorts of music and his final gift was the time to see it, by not having to see every GD show. I'm sure he is smiling down on me in the pit at every metal show, techno and hip-hop too, not to mention all the jam bands and festivals out there.

Hey bucky is it just me or does this jinga guy remind you of sal from the old board!!!!!

1) You all need to back off and chill a bit. Enjoy what you are hearing/seeing and savor these moments....WHOEVER is playing and for WHATEVER reason you enjoy it for....It won't be here forever!

2) If you don't go and see PL&F, you are missing THE best GD related music to be performed in ........20 or so years........

3) PLEASE post a review from Somerset......Someone?

MrCharlie

One more off thread - Katzman, you got it!
We love Jerry.
Jerry is gone.
"We don't care who dies, the experiment continues"
Prankster quote from 1st year Further @ Fiddlers
Please remember where the Dead came from, and our destination
BTW I too miss Drumz

The second set was somewhat dragging, and the slow songs, the quick onset of cool temperatures after the blazing sun really slowed down our section of the audience. Warren had a chance to really open up, and to win over our clan; but it really wasn't full of any major highlights .... until the Help-slip-sugaree!-slip-franklins.

That chunk was by far the best played HSF I've seen out of any post-GD incarnation ... just a great dark Help, a big Slipknot jam .... into Warren's Sugaree, a little slower than the norm but he just took break after break, building each into the next. Just incredible work over a 5 minute period, Warren's an incredible player; I found this passage incredibly moving.
The slip faded nicely into that half-second pause before Franklins, all the expectation in the world; an instant of bliss. First feeling like that I've had since a GD show :)
The Franklins was great, both guitarist taking great solos and really playing together to build it to a huge finish. Normally I hate people [other than Garcia] playing this song, they make it boring .... this was the first non-Jerry version [including Other1's, previous Phils, Mickey] that actually made me dance, had that joy in it.

The Bid You Goodnight was nice, acknowledging the more family atmosphere of the whole venue; and keeping the time limit.

2nd Night:

Les Claypool really put on a show, maybe the set of the whole weekend with his huge Shine on You Crazy Diamond [with about 3 other songs `inside' it including a hilarious When I'm 64 Beatles] ... and a `Ground Control to Major Tom' Bowie cover [with a wild helmet on] that put a huge grin on every face I saw. Kind of `heavy' playing, but his raps about the crowd, the guy in Orange, the food vendors, tubing in the river ... he had an unbelievable stage presence and fed off the crowd. I was impressed and will go out of my way to catch the Frog Brigade again.

String Cheese closed out the festival with 2 sets. The first set was a really warm set, a number of bluegrass songs [john hardy for one] ... great fiddle and flatpicking and just a really tight set as the crowd waited for the sun to finally go down.

Set 2 Night 2 SCI was the best set I've seen them play ever. They've stepped their playing and show up, putting on an incredible light show with very powerful, dance friendly music. Most of these sets I spent in the back with a hoop, but I went to find my friends for the last hour of the shows.

To my luck, first Les Claypool came out with SCI to play an incredibly twisted `Taxman' Beatles ... with a couple songs [including some Primus] put between the verses. Claypool really dominated the stage, but SCI stepped up and the combination really propelled the music much higher. I did not expect such a synergy, but it was amazing. After 20 - 25 minutes of incredible Taxman, they brought it to a perfect, tight finish. As my friend remarked `there is no weakest link there'

Then Les' Saxophone player came out for a huge Jellyfish, with a really great Jazz jam in middle; I don't know what tune they really tore into but I know it's a major standard that I feel silly for not knowing the name of. Anyway ... that was another 20 minute exploration, with the sax player leaving to huge roars from the audience, after repeatedly blowing us away.

SCI closed the show with a final huge tune, firmly plastering the grins to our sunburnt faces. A acoustic tune at the end was a sweet thanks for such a sweet family.

I would say that Phil's second set really had some incredible playing, but the SCI and Claypool stole the show at this festival. SCI's warm crowd, friendly crew and friends; the many kids that people were able to bring to she shows [and have it be a positive thing for everyone] ... I found these to make the whole gathering a much more positive experience than the average show, with each band having at least an hour of truly expansive and inspired playing.

Anyway, that might be long and rambling,
but it's actually a review. Quit all this stupid
arguing about whether Warren or Jimmy or whoever is best. They're all talented, and I'm really sorry for anyone who cannot appreciate any of their talents. Sounds like they're losing out, not that their negative opinion is worth hearing.

As the old saying is `if i had to explain, you wouldn't understand'
can't all the silly `___ is the best guitarist' stop? If it's art, everyone's entitled to an opinion and there's no one truth or best. If it's not art, then tell me so I can skip those shows.

Markus

Oops, this is the first half of the message, with the second half posted above, first. Sorry for the snafu, still coming down from the shows :)


Well, I was at Sommerset, for the whole run. Deciding to forgo the giant hill and hordes of Alpine; the Thursday night Phil show was a treat, with the whole two day festival a sweet family gathering. Far more kids and parents at these shows than most, even Les Claypool had his kids out to the shows.
I don't have anything good to say about the management at River's Edge, but they could hardly handle the general registration and running of things; so we didn't see a law enforcement type all weekend.

Security was laughable at the gates, opening onto a large flat open field, with the stage and board the only features other than the portolets and vendors/food that bounded the huge floor. A great setup, with plenty of space for the SCI hula hoopers [I'm one :)], people juggling and playing with all the fun spinning toys that people bring to SCI shows. Sound was great everywhere, so you could choose the packed FOB area, or lay down in the back and enjoy the stars; all general admission, the 10,000 or so people were nice to each other.

I agree with the earlier poster to say that String Cheese's day 1 set was good, but not all the way together until Gurtu sat in on tabla. After that they picked up, but it never reached what their second set the second night had.

Phil's first set was really short, the dancin' was nice; getting everyone loosened up while still keeping cool. It was a sweet, well played set, with the Uncle John's band the only tune that really cooked for me. Tight, deep jams, with UJB seemingly forgotten before they turn on a dime back into a verse. Impressive, they're far tighter than I would have expected.

chimichanga willie, i hope you're in a forgiving mood. i'm really sorry that you misunderstood me or that i failed in my attempt to state something. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. In fact I meant it when I said I was sorry that you never got to see the Dead because you seemed like the type of person who would have really appreciated it. i guess my point, which i so poorly stated, was that a lot of people on this board never saw the Dead, they began their journey with furthur, other ones, pf. and that's fine except I don't want them thinking that that's what the dead is. whatever they are feeling now fine. But it is different and it is not the dead. That's all. They may want it to be a dead experience but it's a scene experience. Again I apologize.

j-off-straw: while i'm responding, that's a low blow, now get off your knees and swallow.

The Somerset show:
The venue was more of a festival type atmosphere. 1 large field surrounded by trees in every direction. There was practically no security at all (I saw one cop the whole time). We arrived with in the venue a little late (due to the 2 1/2 hour on site camping line.. even though we had reservations???????) so we completely missed The Big Wu. Sting Cheese was fantastic! But Phil was tops. 1st set ran real short, (they where pressed for time from the get go) I'd say about a 40 min. Dancing was great, not to mention UJB -> Love light. Was quite surprised when they ran off stage early though. NOW 2nd set was WHAT I NEEDED! One of my favorite songs to hear P&F play is Unbroken Chain. And the Jam-> Unbroken was phenomenal. Just a little light jammed out for a while, very nice. After reading them play the whole Help -> Slip -> Franklin's thing at Red Rox... I wasn't really expecting to hear it, but man was I happy too. And your traditional "Bid you good night" was great to hear for my 1st time. All and all the muzic was great, and I heard 4 songs I was waiting for already on my 1st of my 3 show run through the mid-west. Even though the 1st set could have been longer. I'd definitely go back to see another show at that venue.
The on site camping was great! A little packed in but thats expected. Shake Down about 1:30 am was off the hook! Wowzers! Got out early in the mornin' (didn't stay for SCI second night) and took off for Devil's Lake State Park for some hiking and fun.
TC shows up around 10:00 w/ his gang. Thanks TC for making the especially long haul just to meet Muadib and I. Was good to party w/ ya, Lady TC, and Harry. We crashed out about 2:30pm pretty hammered. And about 7:45am I hear a tap tap tapping at my tent, and its TC's crazy ass. He's all packed up and ready to hit town for breakfast So we had a Philzonian breakfast in town, and a nice morning hike / climb and bake. Great way to start the day of the Alpine show.

"Can we get a post about last nights show
here!!!!! Enough with the comparisons
already.. BLAH-BLAH-BLAH!!"

No shit! I've seen hundreds- even thousands- of the same posts and topics on the old boards. Enough already. Take it elsewhere! Aren't these boards for REVIEWS?! Just another dude who gets tired of paging through a 100 lame posts to find one good show review! Later-

ok, so i decided to take phil up on this odyssey thing...

entering this venue, you could see it was just a fairly large field..it was in between the wu and sci sets and everyone was taking it easy on the sun..there wasn't much shade to be had and there was a looooooooongass line (and a shorter one on the other side w/ a water hose)for the one water source. this place should address that issue. i bought a couple of bottles and went onto the field, back to where my new friends were at..a girl behind us was very red, eyes blurred so i gave her alot of my water as i talked to an old friend i ran into unexpectedly..

sci started out with a great bluegrass jam that set the tone, hula hoopers were having a good ole time. michael kang is one hell of a fiddle player, he should play it more often imho. i agree with the earlier review that they hit a groove late in their set and went off to huge applause..

dancin' as an opener sounded a bit strange to my ears, a bit of an adjustment to get into the rhythm and blues after the melodic sci tunes. i was surprised phil chose not to jam out to start, this crowd would have eaten that up..Lovelight was tremendous, with some great buildups and peaks, i could see why the version at the Greek show had folks talkin.

i 2nd the notion that the jam>unbroken chain was a treat. they nailed this. i was hanging out with oldtime heads from st. paul who hadn't seen phil since last summer and they were in awe of how perfect the Chain was played, Jimmy really shining with one tasty lick after another..Help on the Way>Slipknot was my other highlight, strectched out and sinister, good stuff...

the next day i relaxed with the 3+ hour tube ride down the river and it was a hoot to see and party with all the hipsters from the show going down the water 2gether.damn that was fun..some folks kept breaking out in "row row row your boat gently down the stream merrily merrily merrily life is but a dream." wise words..........peace

Great venue, mediocre show (for a Phil show, that is.)