Salivating as I wait for Phil and Bob to come to the land of the lovely spas.
Sunday show, last with Ratdog on the bill- the anticipation is all too much.
My excitement becomes unbearable as I read the tasty sets from the shows so far. INCREDIBLE!!
Dream medley: Dark Star>Shine on you Crazy Diamond>Dark Star (Who knows?...maybe)
Anyway, peace and love to everyone as I sit here waiting for my Phriends to arrive.

Can't wait for SPAC. this will be 5th show over the last 18 years for Dead or Dead related shows for me at SPAC. I'm only 2 for 4 with good weather though.

Does anybody know if they'll allow a small charcoal grill in the parking lot before the show?

they should.....did last time we were out there for the other ones....

spac will be the coolest show on the tour. its the best place with the biggest crowd. the security is cool. they dont bother anyone

Im from the NW, is the spac in saratoga NY, if it is then I want tell my buddy in Rut Vagas VT to have a great show and be wary of the effects of alcohol, when combined with grass. Hey dogstar a Jam>Unbroken Chain>Dark Star>Cryptical>Other One, would just be so sick.

hey now...NEED ONE TICKET FOR INSIDE!!!!! ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!....DROP ME A LINE!!!! I'll be at the Finger Lakes the night before for the Cheese...but plan on making the journey across state in the a.m.

The SPAC is in Saratoga.

You're right doctorgonzo, that would be a sick jam.
Anyway, the SPAC is a pretty cool venue. Security is fairly loose and there is a lot of ground to roam around on. The only wildcard is the weather, I was there in '98 for the Other Ones and it poured straight through the day. But all the other times I have been there I have enjoyed nothing but bright blue skies.
I have a feeling this will be a TERRIFIC show

poured lik crazy for the dead in 1985 at SPAC, but was still a great show.

Like dogstar I have a feeling SPAC this will be a great show. I saw two shows at Redrocks Rocks and I will be in Upsate for SPAC and FLPAC. I am hoping the band will follow through on the Good Lovin' tease they did at Red Rocks with a Good Lovin' opener at SPAC with Bob W. on the vocals. We are nothing if we don't have dreams.

Hey y'all~is anyone doing spac~>finger lakes??? or, preferably, is anyone from the new england area going home from spac that mayhap my man SideshowBob could hook up with for a ride home?

see, if HE can get a ride home from SPAC, i can have the vehicle to ride leisurely to canadaigua...

otherwise, i hafta be at someone's {kind} mercy who just may be going to those 2 consecutive~like...

(:

I'm going to SPAC, then home to CT...I'm flying solo for this, could use the company for the ride...

SPAC ME GOD DAMIT!!!!!
wew hew!!! the western buzz is finally wearing off and the jones are begining again. Here we go,,buckle up! 6 days till spac day!!! If the thunder dont getcha then THE LIGHTNING WILL!!!

Anyone know of a good campsite between Hartford and SPAC? Thanks ahead for any advice!

Im SPACing my Monkey just thinking about
this show...OOPS wrong board. Anyway
4 days and counting.

Pretty clever, Mr. Carlin!

Since it my first show of this tour my
2 cents on the list..
Jam>Here Comes Sunshine>Eyes>Solomons Marbles
Unbroken Chain, Blue Sky, Bertha.
2nd set.. DarkStar>Cryptical>Otherone>Crytical>DarkStar
Stella Blue>Midnight Train>China /Rider encore:
Tom Thumb

I put my full support behind that list except that I would substitute the Rider with "He Was a Friend of Mine!" It's my first for the tour, too! I really am having trouble sitting down all day. The suspense is killing me. I'm just glad I got my tix 2 wks in advance instead of 4 months or whatever like with the Dead! Good call on the Tom Thumb's encore!

I tell you though, like you Im sitting at
work going nuts. At this point Phil
could do all Weir tunes and I'd be happy.
Well.....maybe not! I keep looking at
my frigging calender on my desk saying
come on weekend. As far as the tunes go.
My list is a bit wishful, but funny thing
about Phil he seems to come through. Every
Phil show I have been too I never seem to
be let down.

trust me.....this spac show will be one of the "seven special shows" phil spoke about.
i think he has played 3 so far....i dunno.i could be way off, but i do look forward to this show
bobby will join in.....how about a BROTHER ESAU?
sully

You're probably right about this being a special one since it's Bobby's last...
Now Brother Esau would be one schaweet treat...my god. That's one I ALWAYS forget about.

>Every Phil show I have been too I never seem to
be let down.

That makes perfect sense to me! And with Bobby up there, I really couldn't be more excited...I am a big Bobby head though.

Anyway, we can all sit here in pain together for the next, what, only 3 MORE DAYS OF WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Good luck everyone, and hold on tight...the Bus is coming to town and I can already feel the vibrations!

Essau would be great. I would like a
Stranger or a Lazy Lightning, Even a jam>
truckin opener.Maybe Let it Grow I think
Herring could rip it up. But with Phil
any or all is possible, thats the beauty of it. Shit man my mind
is wandering on everything but work.
Be nice if Phil would look in on this board
and take some suggestions.
Almost 5, peace.

I can't wait!

How many sets are we getting from Phil? I assume since it doesn't say then we're getting two.

2 I think. The only shows he may do 1
set are the ones with Willie Nelson.
I think Phil is showing him some respect.
But then why not Willie is like an American
icon.

I bought lawn seats for SPAC without thinking about weather exposure, now I'm getting nervous. Is there any shelter from rain available to lawn people at SPAC?

Either way, I'm psyched! Nice to see a special enthusiastic vibe growing around this show.

OK your hippie Dippie weatherman here.
I have lawn also thought I'd check the
weather channel.. SIKE! clear sky and highs
in the 80s. UV index a 9. Bring sunscreen.
Also strong breeze from the north will bring
in some strong Skunky and Flowerly smells.
Anyway it looks like Perfect Phil weather.
Man now work really sucks!

Im listening to 6-25-85 as we speak! ~~crazy fingers~~~~...i've offically pulled every string in the book to make it up there this weekend, cant wait till sunday!

WOW! It sure is high energy in here...very nice...things on the midwest posts were very heated at times...I CANNOT WAIT...I'm watchin' the weather, too...I'm gonna be taping at SPAC and Hartford, that is if the no-rain reports hold up!..I'm very happy about the next week of my life! A week after these two shows I'll be catchin' em down here in my hometown at Merriweather! I'll be taping at Merriweather, too. I'm running an MD. I'm gonna try to start trading so if anybody's got anything good, let me know. I'm really looking for excellent quality copies of 3-18-93 and 6-26-93 (my first two, and as it turns out, best Dead shows).

Does anyone know what time the lots open for SPAC?

I just saw the strangest picture...It's of Phil playing a guitar, not a bass guitar, but a guitar, on stage...Did others know that he could do this? Weird...(if you wanna see for yourself go to www.phillesh.net/galleries/3/15/99 Phil's B'day HJK...

He played guitar on the first few tunes, and Mike Gordon pumped the bass 3/15/99. I think SPAC is gona rock, hoping for the Masons>Alligator they got last night!!!

2.5 Days and counting till Phil @ SPAC, work SUCKS!!! why can't I be young again and tour full time. Being responsible SUCKS! I fully agree with PhoreverPhil, SPAC or FLPAC will be one of the 7 special ones. Hope it's FLPAC, got 2 PHAT front row seats. Va Beach could also be one of the 7, got a hit that one too. Can't wait to see all the smiling faces. I'm smiling just thinking about it. It's great to see all this energy about touring again, it been along time coming. Thanks Phil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes 2.5 day and counting....
And I havent done any work and Work Just
sucks anyway at this point! Just blowing
off steam. Wish I could hop the bus to Hartford.
I keep hearing resistance is futile......over and
over.

Phil-Day is just around the corner at the SPAC and I CANNOT WAIT!
To Phil Phreak-the only cover from the weather in the lawn is behind the grass, but part of the fun is experiencing mother nature (I was at TOO in '98 there and it POURED the entire show)
KRAZYKAT- the front lot should open around 10:00 or so, thats what time I'm coming. But generally, with the setup at the SPAC you might be able to find a spot in the rear parking lot by the golf course and on the grass at anytime.
I also agree that this will be one of the "special shows". It's Ratdogs last on the bill and the setting is perfect. My call: a "Good Lovin" opener w/Bobby or even maybe a Sugar Mag. But, then again it will also depend on the set that Ratdog plays.
Also, Phil will be playing two full sets, and combined with the nearly two-hour Ratdog set we should all be in for a great chunk of terrific music.
THE EXCITEMENT IS DRIVING ME CRAZY. Hope to see you all there. Just ask for DOGSTAR and you will find me. I will be the yung-looking, short-haired freak with a big smile on my face. Peace and love. I feel that this show is going to be special.

Thanks for the info, Dogstar...I hope that we get the song that your name comes from!..Where is it? Ahhhhhh...it's at SPAC!!!!!!!!

Hey Guys, me and my mama, and my cousin and his mama is head for saratoga saturday night, we got a camp site so we can get on the lot early. any of ya'll meeting any wheres at spac let me know.

The SPAC show is gonna be special. I was just reading Red Rocks reviews, it sounded magical. I have a really good feeling about this show. Bobby and Phil. Talk about magic!! C'mon! Pulling the rabbit out of the hat! Did someone say *rabbit*? Let's hope for good weather! Got the phingers crossed. See y'all there!

OK, it's the big day and sunny skies! Packed a couple of cheap plastic parkas just in case and we're off to the Spa Land! Yippee!

"Why doesn't Ratdog 'ROCK"? Someone asked me that last night. First I think Karan is a poor choice. He tries to sound like Jerry; it worked when he was paired with Kimock but on his own he doesn't have much of a presence (especially when compared to Phil's band where there are two HEAVY-HANDED guitarists), secondly, (I KNOW THIS SOUNDS BLASPHEMOUS) Rob Wasserman is a virtuoso classic/jazz bass player but pairing him with Jay Lane (a cutting edge rock/new wave drummer) makes for an oddball rhythm section. I love Rob but if they had someone like, well, Les or Phil for example, I think they would sound punchier and more vital. Rob seems to weigh the more rocking tunes down. This is just a concept I'm throwing out.

I wish I could've seen both Phil in Hartford and Old And In The Way at the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival. When push came to shove, my heart was in seeing Old And In The Way. The show was fantastic. Seeing Doc Watson, Grisman and the Saturday night grande-finally, Old And In The Way. The band came on at about 11:45pm and played to 1:35am. 'Red' Peter Rowan's guitar work was great and his vocals haven't lost any range. 'Clemp' Vassar Clemmens was un-fuckin-believable on Fiddle and did a nice baritone part on a few songs that would've had 'Spud Boy' Garcia's higher range vocal. 'Dawg' Grisman was great on Mandolin, he does some nice basic vocals on songs like 'Old And In The Way'. The Bass player was capable and competent and Herb Peterson is a Banjo virtuoso, It's too bad no one had 'Spud Boy's' Jerry's higher end falsetto to complete the mix. Highlights included a great 'Wild Horses' (I tried to imagine Jerry's closing vocal "I'll Ride Them Someday" in the mix), a trippy Rowan vocal on 'Land of the Navaho', a nice 'White Dove' with mostly Rowan taking Garcia's part and fantastic looong jamming 'Midnight Moonlight' as a first encore. All in all, it was a once in a lifetime show.
Howard..

Hey Guys,
Just had a real trippy experience. First of all, I know it's another thread but lasts nights show kicked ass. I was wearing my #21- didn't see any other Zoners.
Anyway, I'm shopping for books in Albany about an hour ago to teach my elementary summer school kids tommorrow and who should I see shopping for books but PHIL with his wife and son!!!! I was pretty dumbstruck but was able to squeak out a few appreciative words and got an autograph on a Joan Baez book- It was the best I could find and since his announcement about her sister passing away I figured it was appropriate. Phil was super cool shook my hand and let me exchange a great big hug with him. I love this band-see you all at SPAC in about an hour- tonight will be special-Peace and Love to all.

This message is for all who aren't on tour next weekend or who want something "worldly":

I'm telling you folks- this is it! This is the kindest festival running!

A sampling of the line-up for this year's WOMAD festival in Seattle (July 27-29):

Peter Gabriel
Gregg Allman & Friends
Steel Pulse
Neville Brothers
Youssou N'dour
David Lindley & Wally Ingram
Afro Celt Sound System
The Blind Boys Of Alabama
Ynugchen Lhamo
Lo' Jo
Babara Luna
Pato Banton & The reggae revolution
Maktub

and about 30 other bands from around the world that you've never heard of before- all in 3 days for $75!!!

Camping on-site. All in all a very mellow scene- and the best music festival I've ever been to- this will be my fourth year :) take advantage of those cheap air fares and get out here!

PS- There are NO BUSES at this one!

Blackbird>
Me&MyUncle>
FOTD(allacoustic)
BuryMeStanding>
GoodMorningLittleSchoolgirl>
Playin>
UJB>
OctoberQueen>
EvenSo>
He'sGone>OOv1>BassSolo>
Samson>
Terrapin>
UJBreprise

Thank you Brian Shupe

Sweet!

Phil setlist??

Set I:
Jam >
Shakedown >
Music >*
Good Lovin*
Low Spark
Tenn Jed
Tons of Steel

*With bobby
Mike Gordon seen walking around. He's expected to play second set

Hey, hope everybody had a great show. Plus, I don't know if everyone's heard, but the Dead are releasing a 12-CD box set in October. Holy shit! Can't wait for that monster.

any news on mike gordon joining in?

Come on!! Setlist please!

7.22.2001 SPAC Set 1: Jam > Shakedown> Wheel Jam, Music Never Stopped > Good Lovin', Low Spark > Tenessee Jed, Tons Of Steel (End Set 1) Set 2: Viola > Mars Jam > Viola > Sugaree > Viola > Mtn Jam > Duprees, Night Of A Thousand Stars > Space Jam > Lucy In The Sky > Masons Children, The Wheel > Other One Coda > Cryptical Coda > Wheel Reprise > Sugaree Reprise E: Casey Jones

Thank you Brian for all of your updates. Lots of happy zoners.

Alright, now that I saw the setlist, who has the tape?I keep missing the Tons Of Steel! I've got Mansfield DFC and Hartford (near board), both on scheops, both blistering. Trades anyone?

Jim..email me at Volcom123@hotmail.com I'm dying to relive Hartford...my list is at www.phishhook.com/lists/nattyphish

Thanks,
Dave

Wowee!! Good Night!!

ok, i need sleep badly, but can someone pleeze confirm? I heard the 1st part of Sugaree listed on the setlist here but to my ears during Part 1 they played only the fast jam that peaks the song, but no words ...then much later in the set Warren sang it with serious passion but they did not do the jam at all..

...the Other One finish in the middle of The Wheel was SWEET

I can't believe I skipped this show. Stupid, stupid me.

Ok, I'm a zombie at work today. I feel like a sack of used doorknobs.

This was my first show from this tour. I was thoroughly impressed, as usual.

Before I go into detail about the show, let me just say how cool it is to have this community going! Unbelieveable! From the time I stepped out of my ride until I got back in to make the long ride back to Syracuse, I was hanging with ZONERS! I love it! I met up with TC, Cryp (agian), Bossfan, PuckEweDan (again), Jill, GentleBen, Brett, Jen, Schnee, etc...So much fun to go to a show and KNOW so many people there!

Bob's set:
Bob's set was mediocre. Nothing to blow me away. Who is that kid playing sax? What happened to Dave Ellis? The best quote from Bob's set came from Cryp right as Bob went into October Queen..."On that note, I need a beer!" Spent the rest of the set in the Beer Garden. (Thanks to Cryp and Dan for buying my sorry ass some beer!) Kind of bummed I missed the He's Gone. Pretty happy I missed Bob doing Terrapin...

Phil's Set:
As soon as I saw Phil's red, white and blue tie-dye, I said, "Phil's got his US Blues shirt on!" But alas, it wasn't to be. Maybe tomorrow night!

Jam > Shakedown> Wheel Jam:
Stupendous. While Dan and I hit the pisser when Shakedown came on, we could still hear that it was a balls-to-the-wall rendition. We got down to the pavilion (Thanks Jill for stubbing us down!) and it took me 3.5 miliseconds to really start grooving.

Music Never Stopped > Good Lovin':
Bobby time again. Music was so-so. Didn't really grab me by the shorthairs. Just a typical Music. Good Lovin', on the other hand, was fantastic! The PLQ was really pushing Bob and it sounded great! Much better than the lack-luster Music.

Low Spark > Tenessee Jed:
I simply adore Low Spark. Great tune. Pretty standard rendition. Tenessee Jed! This was the first time I had heard them do this tune and they didn't disappoint! The rebs were making a charge thru the holler! Lots of energy on this classic gem!

Tons Of Steel:
I could listen to Warren sing all damn day! Lady Shabbazz cracks me up when she hears Warren sing..."He isn't an attractive man by any means, but damn he's sexy when he starts singing!" I couldn't agree more...


Set Break. I bumped into a guy I was hanging with at the Phylan show at Alpine last year. He had been tackled by security and thrown out for pissing on the fence. I got yet another great quote outta him...When the cop tackled him he yelled, "Hey, you're pissing in my back yard!" The alleged pisser looked at him with a calm face and said, "You're taking this rather personally, aren't you?" I have no idea how he managed to get back into the show...

Set 2:
Viola > Mars Jam > Viola > Sugaree > Viola > Mtn Jam >
Holy shite! A good 40 minutes right there! Twists and turns down every alley! During the "Mars Jam", I turned to Dan and asked, "What is this?" To which, he replies, "I don't know, but it's WONDERFUL!" The Sugaree was really just a jam. Definitie Sugaree qualities, but more of a Jam. The Mtn Jam was stellar! Y'all Southerners, get ready for August!!

Duprees:
Quick, tight, standard rendition. I love this song! It's great to hear Rob and Warren go back and forth on the verses and chorus.

Night Of A Thousand Stars > Space Jam > Lucy In The Sky > Masons Children
I'm still getting used to Night of 1k Stars, but I really like it! The Space Jam was way out there. I could feel something wacky on the horizon, but I thought it was going to be Dark Star...And out came LSD. Very nice! Great to hear Warren belt this one out (see Lady Shabbazz's comments above). Mason's was marvelous! I didn't even recognize it until they started singing. They have breathed new life into yet another classic Dead tune! Chalk it up to Fate!


The Wheel > Other One Coda > Cryptical Coda > Wheel Reprise > Sugaree Reprise
Whoa! The Wheel was turning and an Other One came from NOWHERE! Right in the middle of the Wheel Jam, Phil starts laying down the O1 line and BOOM they were right into it. Ya NEVER know where these guys are going to go! They constantly keep me guessing! The O1 > Cryptical lasted a total of a minute and a half. So short, so tight, but SO intense! That little snippet had the same energy as a 35 minute version. Unbelieveable. Especailly the dramatic pause, which I've never heard them do...Back around the circle to finish off the Wheel and finally into the Sugaree we had been hearing all night. Warren puts so much emotion into that damned tune! The jam toward the end of that song was full of power! I love it!

E: Casey Jones
Running out of time, so it had to be a short tune. I never grow tired of the way they do this tune. Start slow and steadily increase the tempo (like a train leaving the station) until it's full blast, balls-out, maniac mayhem! I thought I was going to explode. Luckily, I didn't.

After the show, it was out to the lot to Cryp's ride where we drank a bit of wine and tried to cook up some food. Johnny Law chased us out of there before I could get anything at all to eat. Pigs.

All in all, it was a great time! Great show, with great company! Thanks all for keeping the community in tact! See you all at the Finger Lakes.........

-The Reverend Raheen M Shabbazz
"Keep Hope Alive"

Did they sing sugaree? And did they sing O1 and Cryptical?

Sugaree, Part 1: The fast jam, no words..at first it seemed as if they would do the song but it quickly built and built and then at its frenzied peak they dropped the melody altogether and completely shifted gears into another direction...

Part 2: Warren sings all the words, very little, if any guitar jams, but Warren brings it to a roaring peak vocally..

The Other One...the jam>"comin, comin, comin around" repeated>end of cryptical "you know he had to die">Wheel..

more latah...peace

Hello,

SPAC was a great show, though not an insane all time best kind of night, it had some insane peaks.

Missed Disco, saw Bobby from Playing on and it was good but I knew what I was there to see.
My setlist is a little different from the Philzone.com setlist.
Set 1
1. Jam->
2. Shakedown Street->
3. Wheel Jam->
4. Shakedown Street
5. Music Never Stopped->
6. Good Lovin'
7. Low Spark of High Heeled Boys->
8. Jam->
9. Tennesee Jed->
10. Tons of Steel

The opening jam sounded great being driven by Molo and Phil. Phil played the best I've ever heard him play (two dead shows, otherones, two previous Phil and Friends). I felt the two Burlington VT shows last fall were pushed to their peaks by mostly Jimmy and Molo. This show I felt the peaks were reached by way of Phil and Warren. When they dropped into the shakedown chord everyone was really psyched and it was a ripping shakedown. It was funky and outside at the same time. Warren sang it nicely and they went into an interesting beautiful Wheel jam. Out of this though they definetly returned to finish the Shakedown. Hot 20 mins plus of an opening show and one of the best jams of the evening had gone down. You got to love Phil and Friends.
I knew Bobby was coming and there he was. Music Never Stopped was one I wanted to hear Phil and Friends play for along time with images of really smoking 77 GD versions dancing in my head and I knew that this band could really power out the ending jam but... they didn't. A nice jazzy jam took place in the middle but the rocking out multiple peak ending I had anticapated never occured and I was hoping Warren would be singing backing vocals with Weir. It then segued right into a hot bouncy summerfun (i.e. forgettable but really enjoyably with lots of trademark hollering Bobby) Good Lovin.
Low Spark was very well done. Lots of great interplay all around. Great Vocals and Jimmy and Rob both really shined on this one. A short connecting jam lead to Jed. This was good and Barraco was really trying to sound like JG imo. It was good funky simmering in the 76-78 style of Jed. This went into a rocking so 80's fun Tons of Steel. Although the set was fairly long and the second sets length more than made up for it I felt there needed to be one more high energy "YEAH" closer before the break. Check out the Cold Rain and Snow from 9/30/00. Something to leave us super pumped for the break but whatever. Real good first set. The opening Shakedown segment was the highlight. Phil did not sing one lead vocal the entire set which seemed odd to me.

Set 2
1. Jam->2. Viola Lee Blues->3. Mars Jam->4. Viola Lee Blues->5. Sugaree Jam->6. Blue Sky Jam->
7. Viola Lee Blues->8. Mountain Jam->
9. Viola Lee Blues10. Dupree's Diamond Blues
11. Jam->12. Night of a Thousand Stars->
13. Space Jam->14. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds->
15. Masons Children->16. Jam->17. The Wheel->
18. The Other One Chorus-> (not coda)
19. The Other One Coda-> (the end of the other one which leads back to cryptical)
20. The Wheel->21. Sugaree
Encore1. Casey Jones
The band came back out onstage and started some soft sounds and slowly over the course of two minutes entered a monster show highlight Viola Lee Blues. A long energetic jam happened even between the first Riff of the tune and the first verse. After the first verse came a hot tight tight "Mars" jam which is a cool series of chord changes this lead back to the second verse of VLB.
A piano driven mellower jam ensued before being brought up by Jimmy and Warren and dropping sweetly (this was the whole band but special props go to the smoothness and flexibility of John Molo. Mickey and Billy couldn't have done this as well at all) into Sugaree's groove. This was not a performance of Sugaree like the setlist says this was a short jam on the two chords which then changed grooves and since it is the same two chords once the blue sky style groove came into play it was a blue sky jam which smoked. Warren was the one really shining on this one. I thought we might even get the tune but that wasnt to be which was ok because right before you started to wonder what song was being played we recieved verse three of this monster Viola Lee. After verse three there were a series of sonic meltdowns. Out there psychedelic music. Phil played some really interesting loud driving chords and patterns during this part and then keeping with the allmans tease earlier a full on three minute Mountain Jam. So anyway from the mountain jam I swear they went back one more time after playing there hearts out for almost 40 mins went back to repeat the first verse of Viola Lee and the came to the first stop of the set. This jam is a hear at all costs and while I dont feel this show matched in terms of total quality the energy or total show sweep of the two burlington Phil shows I saw last fall, there was nothing as adventure filled and intense and rollercoaster feeling as this Viola Lee Blues. They didn't segue into Dupree's which was fun and it was good to hear a song for the first time this set. A little spacey jam led way into Night of a 1000 Stars which was only an ok tune imo. A long spacey jam ensued out of 1000 stars which is cool but I felt it was almost there just as something to fall back on while they figured out to what to play next. It was well done but not as inspired as the early space in Viola Lee. It felt like they were almost copying what had already been done a few times that set and I was ready for a tune with jamming on it instead of just space again. Dont get me wrong I love love love the outside stuff but not when it doesnt feel like its going anywhere. Felt like Days Between was coming but Lucy in the Sky Diamonds was real nice. Great Vocals and a cool cool jam on the ending chords where the band went to the Relative Minor and played a cool Eastern European style jam over the outro. I would have prefered a Garcia/Hunter classic at this point but hey all shows cant be setlist hogs like Hartford :) Mason's Chilrden was more high energy than I expected and really well done. A little more uneeded spaciness came out of the end before going into The Wheel.
This was an evening of foreshadowing. The Wheel in Shakedown earlier, the mountain jam at the allmans a month ago, the sugaree in Viola Lee, the other one in ratdogs set anyway
The Wheel was fantastic. Hooked up and pumping right into the other one which only had a short intense stop start jam and then the Chorus and then went right into the ending of the other one which typically would lead right back into cryptical. This was not the coda to Cryptical it was the Coda to the other one. So this instead of leading to Cryptical (which would have ruled!!!) we get the end of wheel which I thought would end this already epic long ass set but instead brought us into Sugaree. Finally
So Sugaree takes a while for the vocals to come in because Warren could find his lyric sheet. Finally he free balls it for the first verse until the words are brought out. The jam after the second verse was so great that they didnt jam between the other verses. Warren and Jimmy played so so great on this version. Wow on that middle jaM. Vt last Fall it was Jimmy which lead the way on Sugaree this time it was Warren. Phil signaled we are out of time and that jam was so hot so lets just sing the last two verses but first let me play a sweet 4 measure mellow beautiful bass lead and now lets rock out the ending kind of deal.
Phil thanks us and then a rocking Casey Jones to send us home. So much fun.

I needed to add one more thing but ran out of room. Phil sang no solo lead vocals yesterday. Has this ever happened before in Phil and Friends? I thought it was kind of strange. Just wondering. Has he been singing all tour? His background vocals sounded strong and good all day.

VVonderful gentlemen,
thank you Bobby Rob et al
thank you Rob Jimmy John Phil & Warren
listen ya' again real soon
"all ears"

Oneness through subjugation
Family through love
Those who could see it, know how it was
Brothers and sisters flowing as one

Thank you(!!!)Phil, Warren, Jimmy, Rob, John, Bobby
and every single lovin head @ SPAC. There is no mistakin where we were!!!

Did they sing the Other One or not?

Hey Buck,
They sang the O1 chours 2x...

Just "Comin Around", but no "Spanish Lady comes to me...."?

Caught the last two tunes of Disco, very cool psychadelic music. Wished i caught more of them. Bobby was great! Highlite= Blackbird, Devil Other i jam terrapin!
Phil= Awesome! Hilites=Shake,Music, Lovin, Viola was Crazy Many many teases=Here comes, Rider Darkstar were just a few. The whole show was basically a highlite. Thanks Boys!!!!

No verses at all for o1- just a rippin snippet as mentioned above-it seemed kinda quirky, sounded like they were gonna play the Cryptical ending but back into wheel we went-did we ever!! Lotsa love and magic in the air last night. I was sporting my too tight #21 again(shoulda gotta medium)-where were you guys??

A few thoughts on SPAC:

Bobby rocked, but he needs to get rid of Karan. He'd hand him off leads, but Karan would let them go. Kind of sounded like Jerry in the last year or two. They'd build to a really high peak, and then it would just drop off into nowhere. I'm starting to agree that Wasserman is probably not right for Ratdog. He's got a really heavy sound, and there's no standout lead guitar to soften things. They also had a really hard time finding their way out of jams. One time they had to stop cold to go back into UJB (I think).

Phil's first set was unreal. The Good Lovin was really high energy. Did anyone else notice that Bobby was trying to "yelp" at the end, but couldn't get the sounds out. He kept shaking his head.

VOX on Viola were tight and sweet, which is more than I can say for the jams, which seemed way too preconceived. To some extent they seemed a bit Phishy in feel and nature. And along came Duprees, which set the rest of the show back on course. Definitely a high energy show!

Anyone else see MIKE GORDON last night at the SPAC
show!!!!! My seat was right across from him and I
asked him if he was gonna play any music and he
said he wasn't which was a shame! Still good to
see him though! The show was unbelievable

Brian K, i totally agree with you. Check out "time for a change?" in the other stuff section of the zone, i wrote some sruff about the shows i saw on this tour before i saw this thread.peace

I don't have time for a review but I'll say this much for now( and will review many of the shows in the up and comig weeks ahead).

SPAC was Very good , BUT, there were some monkey wrenchs in the show that threw it off.

Met the Rev & J. Moore & the Photographer from the Other/Ratdog camp who was VERY VERY cool and took my camera in for some time in front.

ALL these shows for me are great regardlees of the show content. Meeting the rabid Phillsters and Philletts is making this summer one of the better ones for me in a long time.

>>>Anyone else see MIKE GORDON last night at the SPAC

I wouldn't know Mike Gordon from Gale Gordon....

T.C. - I promise to hook up with you at Jones Beach, and or any other show through Hershey.
Had fun with your wife again last night. Hope you are enjoying the night off.

So...oh so sick. take me back to
85.......spac......summer tour.......is this shit
for real.......how sick can it get?.......end of
tour jamm-y fest should prove volcanic!

True Tapecat-True-
But a gem nonetheless.

Final spac

P&F 7.22.2001 A SPAC Odyssey

Now things here may get a bit weird at times, as well as cerebral and celestial; so bear with me for a bit as I try as get the following theories off the ground…

Fast forward to 10PM on Friday July 21, 2001. Phil Lesh and Friends ( PLQ hence forward) Summer Odyssey Tour 2001 finishing another amazing show in fine fashion with a St. Stephen/Eyes/ Help /Slip/Eleven/Franklin’s double club sandwich set.

As fate would have it, and completely on a whim, our travel plans change late during this show and instead of returning to a friends in Rockland County N.Y., and then on to Saratoga as planned in the morning, we decide to drive all the way through, and past, to the Glens Falls area with no motel reservation. BAD IDEA. Great drive through the Berkshires to Albany where we should have and would have stayed if we had used our cell phones and tried to make a late reservation by phone. Up the Northway we speed towards SPAC, one of the seven great American rock music venues, with no clue as to the events that were about to unfold. I should mention at this point that we were traveling with another car also in need of accommodations for the evening. We stopped at a rest stop, got a few hotel phone #’s, but couldn’t find anything from the few selections listed. Up the Northway we zigg-zagged, stopping at alternate exits with our friend’s car and our looking for a room. Everything was locked up tight or NO VACANCY, we got laughed at every time we asked for a room. Having found out that the rodeo was in town, our prospects were nominal. Sleeping in the car seemed our only option as we continued up Route 9 towards Lake George with absolutely no hope for a room. We dejectedly tried in vain, again and again with no luck until fortune shined upon us. Our friends having headed south towards Albany just a few minutes ago, at 3:40 AM, forces beyond our control take over and begin to shift the balance of the events. Likely the last 2 rooms for 75 miles was now available due to a credit card rejection at 1AM, we signed in, reached our friends within minutes of their cell phone battery dying for the night, and finally reached our rooms at 4AM. We all had a night cap to toast our good fortune. Shortly after 4:20 AM we stumbled off to our room and my eyes were drawn to the heavens where the first light of the sun barely lit the Eastern sky and shared the stage with a beautiful vision of what I thought might be the planet Mars. I knocked on the window to show our weary friends and we were asleep before our heads hit the pillows.

Morning came in an instant; our sleep, though short, was suprisingly refreshing and we relaxed a good while before heading off to the show mid afternoon of a beautiful Adirondack day. SPAC was great as always in spite of the beer corral and no liquid in the pavillion rule and Ratdog provided another well received set that included Playin> Uncle John’s and later a Terrapin> Playin reprise.

The PLQ was set up and the circular lighting rig had a different image than Friday’s sun and Saturdays white. This was an image of a red ball exploding out of a tower with lightning, the male symbol (o->) and stars in the heavens. What’s this mean?

Out they strode and unleashed a Titanic Shakedown that went on for over 20 minutes of full-force funkified fury. Bob made his last guest spot of the tour as a beautiful Music Never Stopped ensued. All seemed to really enjoy this as the jam built steadily, reached a furious peak and rolling over into the finale build with tons of steam. Bob looked up, made a minor gesture to the band and the 90’s style ending of the Music finally came into focus, with it’s extra measures of each chord, and thus finally, to a logical conclusion, something I never heard the Dead pull together in any of the versions I’ve heard. Not to be outdone, an old style Good Lovin’ intro serves as prelude to Bob Weir at his best, out surfing the edge of the curl in front of a powerhouse band that can rock you till they drop you. I haven’t heard Bob yip! And Ha! That much since early 90’s and the crowd responded in kind by rising to their feet early and cheering and singing along with gusto. More gusto from the crowd and amongst the musicians as our friendly neighborhood rock star exits the stage to hugs and cheers. Low Spark finds Warren out front again and he is even more demonstrative and emotive both in his playing and in his physical
demeanor than the previous evening. It goes way out and comes in for an elegant landing and full stop. Rob rollicking next on Tennessee Jed that featured an interesting twist with the lead portion more and more delicate and quiet instead of growing more powerful, then when the thunder of the final “Tennessee’s” comes churning into the station, the previous quietness provides stark contrast to the boisterous power of the vocal reprise and heightens the payoff. Then, Tons of Steel closes with another powerhouse of rock power chord testosterone. Nice set but what was to come after the break was quite a musical experience.

What follows is my take on how I perceived last nights show based on my experience and tons of conjecture. It will take more than a spoonful of sugar to get this premise down, but here goes.

Set 2 SPAC

PLQ comes out bathed again in the red hue of Candace’s art. There have been no bright up colors at all tonight, No yellows, or blues, unless tinged by the blood red of Mars, representing savagery and violence of the male warrior spirit. “Mars Jam” ensues like the millennium jam we have come to know this last year in style but instead of warm and upbeat, it is dark and dangerous. Angrily churning away in a minor key, it is a wash with a mysterious darkness unlike any version of this jam I have ever heard. This leads to a Viola Lee Blues of Himalayan proportions. Forceful and dark, not like more upbeat versions I’ve heard by PLQ, none the less a tour de force in dark power rock. Each instrumental segment goes so far out that I think this tune will be a framework for the entire set and be repeated thought the night. Teases include clear Mountain Jam, I Know You Rider, some China Cat and a brief Sugaree instrumental peak, no vocal on any of these but all themes to be uncovered. Viola came to a final violent conclusion what seemed like over 30 minutes later and we all gasped for a breather. This song about lying and jail clearly has a negative and dark theme and this direction continued as Warren busted out Dupree’s, more darkness and now throw in loving and lying.
Night of a 1000 Stars was next from a standing start and the references to the heavens are clear, they even threw in some Dark Star teasing to further supplement the celestial yet subtle imagery. Another power chord romp through the classic and newly revived Mason’s Children followed and I thought this might bring the set to a close. Boy was I wrong! John Lennon’s opus to 60’s celestial psychedelia, Lucy in the Sky was performed with the ferocious intensity of a caged lion. More in store, the Wheel, representing the cycle that is all life, is displayed with grace and elegance. The middle portion gains intensity, and is overwhelmed by 30 seconds of the “comin around” part of the Other One chorus delivered with fiery intensity after a few short staccato pauses. As the Wheel comes back into focus the cycle is completed and it’s time for the finale and moral of our imagery. Sugaree closes as tour de force as often it has before. I have seen the PLQ play a great big happy joyous Sugaree many times but this one was dark, like tonight’s set. Big jam before verse 2, too many teases to remember, maybe Eleanor Rigby showed tonight, some nights seems like she is everywhere. Before verse 3, bigger badder jam and I’m wondering how can they top this before verse 4. They don’t. Instead, they increase the dynamic by decreasing the volume and intensity and quickly come to verse 4 within just a few short measures. The final payoff comes during the extra “shake it sugarees” in the final choruses and soars back once more towards the heavens at warp speed before cresting and coming back to earth with the delicacy of a falling feather. As far as the inferences go, I perceived this song choice might represent a major human sin, lying and loving and lying to love. Is the moral being true to yourself and others in life and love? “Just don’t tell them you know me” seems no way to lead a noble and enlightened life. Crowd erupts with intense applause, which continues during band introductions when Phil is interrupted, as the crowd will not yield the floor to our band leader extroadinaire. After introducing Warren, Phil is interrupted by another swell of energy and love from the crowd and can’t move onto the next member introduction due to the intense ovation given Warren. More adulation and rapture pour forth from the crowd onto our heroes. Casey Jones encore ties it all together, the red, the evil of cocaine, the love, the train imagery and more.

Great show. Many who went to the last two shows would prefer the St. Stephen/Help on the Way show, which was excellent!

I preferred SPAC. Was it my traveling experience? Perhaps I was tired and in a suggestible state of mind and read way too much into a concert. If not, I participated in an incredible musical risk taking adventure with our friends and Phil. Could the jam band leader extroadinaire have used the largest tour of his second musical career to launch a grand musical experiment? There have been some very good theme albums in rock history; all music has a rich tradition of sharing ideas and emotions and transformative experiences. Has anyone ever used a live concert, the ultimate musical high wire act, to conduct a jam-rock symphonic opus correlating to the movements of Mars, the mythological imagery associated with the red planet and all thematically linked with the song choice, lighting, set design, musical key choices and even playing style and technique.
Am I crazy or did Phil just pull of incredible multi-faceted cosmic musical epiphany?

could be a little of both, larry :)

seriously, you're probably not that far off the mark...

a review:
i was very glad to have a reserved seat for this one as i headed thru the masses during the beginning of Weirs set..the lawn was already packed from the bottom to the top, a good, full crowd this warm Sunday..by the time Phil came on, even the uncomfortable looking steep angled asphalt aisle spaces were packed...SPAC really seems to bring out the crazy masses, a tradition since at least '85 ("we're waiting for YOU, buddy.")...

Bury Me Standing is a solid tune, i enjoyed that, but Schoolgirl killed the momentum for me..i don't dig the Dog's thin version, this song cries for a gritty blues guitar sound to work and Karan just doesn't supply any emotion whatsoever here..i was dissappointed to hear Playin' because i was hoping he'd play it w/ Phil and it was extremely short, very little jam to speak of, launching into a singalong Uncle Johns...Samson and Delilah evoked the same response as Schoolgirl, just too Lite, not enough grit to do the Reverend Davis justice..

PLQ: The Shakedown was completely different than the Alpine version, moving into sweet melodic spaces, definitely some Wheel flavor, and then returning to a fat funky funfest on the theme when i was sure the song was long over and again Jay Lane was dancing like one of the newly converted, occasionally playing air percussion along with Mount Molo..

Music Never Stopped had some rough spots, especially when Bobby tried to singal changes to the band which only seemed to confuse everyone, especially himself..when he got back to just playing, things settled into a groove and we got to cookin..it was cool to hear Phil do the old bass intro to Good Lovin'. at the end, it sounded like Weir started to do the "you may be weak" line but after "you", just went to "HAY!" and they went with that the rest of the way, not the extended ending like back in the day..

i was grateful to see Bobby lay his guitar down at the end and and make a point to give each band member a big ole hug...

Low Spark is such a perfect vehichle for these guys, it goes perfectly with Phils style where he'll play a couple of high bouncy high notes and then end the line with one of his patented fat low notes..this version stayed tight, not too long and spacey this time around..

2nd set started with a similar single theme jam to the one at Alpine Valley (before St Stephen). Viola Lee had the whole place doing the Haight St Shuffle, as always..the Sugaree jam went on for a escalating frienzied minute or two, then dissappeared completely..i was wondering at this point what the heck phil was up to, maybe an idea of different things in different places..

The Mountain Jam was short but sweet, like Maine '99, a possible forshadowing of a hot southern event to come in the near future..I was suprised and pleased to hear Duprees, minus any guitar solo, just wonderfully sung by Warren..it was refreshing to hear a differently paced set than the wild carpet ride the previous nite..

I thought the beginning of LSD was New Potato, noticeably absent this tour..Masons Children was another surprise in this slot and, like larry, i was beginning to sense a theme of balancing earthly and etheral highs and lows of mythical proportions.."we may never grow so tall agaaaaiiiinn."

The jam out of the Wheel seemed innocent eough at first, but after awhile you could sense some distant thunder rumblings from Phil and after a bit it was undeniablely The Other One jam...they sang the "comin around" refrain several times and then Phil sang the end part "you know he had to die"..i suddenly realized he was finishing the uncompleted Other 1 from Alpine Valley(like the dead used to do with Playin'). what was that 6-7 shows ago? Phil is diggin DEEP this tour..

This rolled effortlessly back into The Wheel and then Warren took us home with his vocal mastery on Sugaree..

one great moment to remember: i forget if it was this show or hartford..as the guitar techs were tuning up Warrens and Jimmy guitars one of them played the Rawhide riff. then the other one responded. they went back and forth and jammed on it for an instant.. about the crews: i've been to countless concerts and i've never seen crews break down and set up as professionally and quickly as these two crews did...it was impressive to watch, big kudos to the crews of both these bands...roll 'em on out...yeeeee-haah

wow, i didn't hear the same show larry did.having seen 3 shows in the spring i was looking forward to spac for awhile. i mail ordered the 1st day and was "blessed" with last row in the pavillion under the watchful eyes of the water and dancing police. to have a show, in 90+ deg, w/out water,is probably illegal,and dangerous. maybe they didn't want us spelling the 5$ waters on the precious concrete.enough of the bitching about the venue, but this probably influenced my negative opinion of this show. i thought shakedown was a hugh funkfest and i liked how warrens envelope filter sounded (dirtier)than ol jers,...

All in all the SPAC was interesting. Funny
cause the show I thought had almost like an
opening night appeal. Not spectacular, but
nice jams. Shakedown jam was sweet, low spark
was sweet. Watching Bob trying stop to the
train for the guys to switch keys was funny.
I love the opening jam in the first set into
viola. No Phil singing lead.Duprees was nice
haven't heard P&F do it live until SPAC. Warren
does that tune justice. Masons was cool to
upbeat& rockin another first. But for me this
was the type of show that make you want to go
on to the next. Kind of like the opening night
of the beacon, only makes you want to check out
more shows.
Now for the most part I have to give Ratdog some
props. Im not a big fan but they played solid.
Sometimes the sax got on my nerves, but it did
fill in nicely where Karan could not. One thing
about him he's a good structured guitar player,
but not so good a free form jamming.
But Bob sounded better than I though singing
terrapin (wish he would have sung it with P&F)
Im still not really getting into Bobs new stuff
though. All in all my first trip to the SPAC was
great, great setting for a show, even the band
playing in parking lot was sounded good.
Not to sit back and wait for the jersey shows.
Thanks Phil.

well, i'll do my quick review from hwere on,wheel jam>i was hoping they would play it but NO,more teases. i'm starting to find the constant teases annoying and was hoping they would play a song.they welcomed bobby and MNS was cool to here, but the jam was weak with warren not doing much and the ending sounded like ratdog,ouch!SEE GD,RFK 91,good lovin was fun and i was hoping for the ol 1970 jamming version,low spark- nice crooning from warren,kind of boring for me,see "classic" rock radio,time for the 15 min water line.tons was cool to here but, to close the set? oh well,maybe next set.i enjoyed the viola>mars jams but i felt the segment streched way to long and excessive noodle action was everywhere.duprees was nice to here and 1000 stars was ok,see "classic rock radio" LSD is not close to my fav beatle cover, but great minor key jam @ the end led by warren.my 1st masons was cool to here and then the medleys started. i prefer complete songs and i listened from the lot.i give this show a B- for lack of focus and song selection, see ya tonight

Check out the 7-22-01 setlists and photos from ThePhilzone.com

TapeCat's rig and Reddy Killowatt made it into the photos!

Woo-Hoo!

I saw Mike Gordon, too...He was walking past the taper section. I was very pleased that he was still interested to see the music...I do wish he'd made a guest appearance!

Hey folks got back from SPAC yesterday ,too tired to even turn on the computer. So...SPAC,let's see...It was hot! Upon arrival we were chased away from a wedding that was going on. That was kinda fun. Parking lot was real cool before the show everyone having a good time I didn't see the cops at all. Drank some Sierra Pale Ales and headed inside.I was meeting some friends from Ohio and found them in no time once inside. "Hey Brian & Kristy!!" Missed the Biscuts. Saw Ratdog. There's not much I can say about Ratdog except for "What happened?" When I saw them in Philly (Dec.`00) they brought the house down! Even though I danced through thier whole show, there isn't one moment I could say was shining. Very average playing on Karen's part. However Bobby's singing was great, nice to hear Schoolgirl again. Had alot of fun during the intermission EXCEPT FOR ONE THING!AND HERE'S MY BITCH...My friends and I were in the lawn on the right-hand side. Before Phil took the stage there was a scene over there. A guy took a massive seizure. I turned around to see him on the ground gripping a handful of Earth and flopping around. NOBODY DID ANYTHING EXCEPT WATCH! I ran up to help asking "Who is with him?" NOBODY WANTED TO TO SAY THEY WERE WITH HIM! One smart person ran for the EMT's. The EMT's ran over and were totally unprepared for this,having to send some of thier guys for the equiptment they should have brought with them in the first place. I kept asking who was with this poor soul (seeing is that most of us don't go to the shows alone) and finally his "buddy" spoke up! "He's with me, he has a history of seizures" In the mean-time, like 50 people are crowding the EMT's to get a better view. Literally steping on them so they can see, not help. I got very irate at this point yelling at these ASSHOLES who evedently bought tickets to this guys seizure and not the show. AGAIN I ASK "WHAT HAPPENED?" WHAT HAPPENED TO TAKING CARE OF YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS? WHAT HAPPENED TO LOOKING OUT FOR EACH OTHER? DID THIS WAY OF BEING DIE WITH JERRY? ALL I CAN SAY IS I'M GLAD IT WASN'T ME,BUT THEN AGAIN MY FRIENDS WOULD HAVE HAD ENOUGH SENSE TO HELP. THESE SHOWS ARE A WAY OF LIFE TO ALOT OF US,WE'VE BEEN HERE FOR YEARS, IT'S HOME. IF YOU DON'T GET IT, DON'T COME. THIS IS A COMMUNITY NOT A DISPLAY, EITHER YOU'RE ON THE BUS OR YOU'RE NOT! All in all PHIL was great! Warren smokes, we love him sooo much! Rob way to go, keep it up man! Molo what can you say, he' s a rock. And last but definately not least Jimmy Herring..there hasn't been a guitarist to impress me like he has in a while..WOW! Sorry to everyone that put up with my bitching on this post. To those seizure spectators I say "SHAME ON YOU". EVERBODY I EMPLORE YOU SPREAD THE LOVE ENJOY THE MUSIC AND TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER!!!See you all at PNC and beyond!

Looking to trade a DAT copy of SPAC for Hartford! Please email allbros69@hotmail.com
Thanks...
Mike

sorry to add to the rants, but there are my two cents about the SPAC scene.

RANT #1 - i drove up to SPAC from NYC, and just short of Albany came across a few cars with GD stickers all over them. kinda nice to see the 'family' was getting together again for summer tour. but as we were approaching Albany, one of the cars started to throw their garbage out the window!! what's up with that!?! i thought we has more respect than that. i eventually passed the car and the occupants were in the 15-17 year old range. i'm not trying to be an old cranky guy and i'm glad that the music is reaching a new audience, but where's the respect for the environment? where's the common sense!?! go back to your MTV/high school world and come back when grow up!! we don't need you.

RANT #2 - I thought that SPAC was a great venue and the lawn and buildings added alot to the beautiful scene. during half time of the P&F set, i saw a bunch of young kids pissing on the buildings. the restroom was no more than 10 feet away from where they were pissing, and i went to use them and it was virtually empty (probably beccause everybody was outside against the building). as a scene we've had enough problems over the years, and we want to be able to come back to SPAC in the future. again, i'm not trying to be a naysayer here, but grow up!

I guess I've grown up alot since i started touring back in the 80s, but this is OUR scene. why are we constantly trying to ruin it?? that's the part i just don't get.

sorry for the rants, i just wanted to get that out in the open.

ps. GREAT SHOW!!

I saw Mike Gordon there. We've been aquaintences for years, so I was going to plead with him to NOT BE A FRIEND TONIGHT, but I blew it off. It's all the better that he didn't, because he's nowhere near the caliber of PL&F.

Can anybody tell me whats the average age crowd that are attending the shows? The reason I would love to know is because Im taking my wife to Phil and ABB mini-tour to relive our YOUTH---Please dont let it be ruined by a bunch of PUNKS!!!
Young heads(great), But PLEASE , NO PUNKS that dont have respect for anybody else.

I feel like now is the time to sum up my weekend 3-pak and got on with life, so here you go: Great Woods lot scene was the usual, pricks everywhere trying to take your beer, once inside made my way to the lawn for hte opening jam, missed bobby. Here Come Sunshine was very nice, strong subtle jamm, then Bobby came ou, everyone was stoked! Unfortunately the FOTD>Watchtower>FOTD was very weak. Phil cranked out a couple of more phil nugs and shut us down a nice Cumby's. Second set got going with Fennario, nice but mellow. Unbroken turned show around, the jam in this song where the pace picks up had to have been 10 minutes of balls out jamm. Big ole terrapin with tons of jamming and nice stella blue in the middle. Golden Road and Lovelight both rocked, solid show
Hartford-went in to see bobby, should not have, very unimpressed with his set, Im not going to bash bobby, I just don't dig it. 1st set picked up where friday left off, comic charlie was nice opener, solid set. SET II first off let it be known that this set ABSOLUTELY RIPPED!!!! I was in total awe at some points, song by song, jam started off alittle bit spicier with some allmans licks in there and then one phil bomb accompanied by warren chord and Dear Mr. Fantsay took off and never came down->St. Stephen continuing on, have lot let up an inch->Eyes ...this was sick, even with phil hollow voice belting out the vocals->St Stephen..the place was hopping now. HELP..holy shit, the beginning of help was so fucking rocking. Everyone was wailing on the stage Warren was blasting power chords for every bomb phil could drop. Jimmy was quietly taking over the show with some kind noodling->SLIP...they still have not let up one bit since the opening note of DMF. Molo got rockin during this jam->Eleven...almost blew the entire roof off->SLIP->not stopping->Franklins...just keep freaking out, there was no confusion tonight. Enc. Built to Last...was not expecting, sounded close to the dead's version just without sweet ole Jerry. Sounded great, "show me something built to last,or something built to try!"
TOGA--this place is so dam kind, park in the state park next door, the place is beautiful and backs right up to the venue. Downside, beer tent, I like to take my brews and cruise, the place was packed and the brews were bunk. Onto the show...
I think that the balcony in the amp drowns out the sound on the lawn. Shakedown was nice but mellow, music>good lovin was fun, great to see Bob and Phil smiling and hugging. Tons of Steel was a great one, nice closer. The second set was long with big ole viola lee that included many jams. There was rockin Masons and Casey jones encore. I was getting tired by set II spac.
Overall--Set II Hartford was the best I have seen it since the great one passed on, just staight up rockin' I give it 9.5 SPAC was strong, but it was not hartford. 7.5 Great Woods was solid, but I was wacked 6.5-7. Great to see the spirit alive, that what its all about....and we kep on dancing

From the Bunker: Stardate Hartford

I don't know about the SPAC show but Saturday in
Hartford, during the second set, near the SECOND
Slipknot, I fell to my knees and pleaded with THE
band for mercy. I hadn't stopped spinning for
nearly an hour and a half since every song played
right into each other in the biggest, baddest
St.Stephen>Help>Slip>Eleven>Slip>Franklin sandwich
of all time. Oh yeah, how could I forget the
thirty minute Eyes of the World that left me
crippled with glee there in the middle?

They said some guy named Bob's band opened.
********

Amen.

Chuck -

It's all relative. If your youth was in the 70s you might be disappointed. If it was in the 90s you'll be pleasantly surprised. Much of the crowd was in their 30s (at least in the pavillion). Even the younger tour spoogers didn't seem that bad. What pisses me off is that the young hotties all wear underwear nowadays (sorry gals, I'm not a pervert or mysogenist, but I can't resist looking if it's there). It used to be that you could get a free peepshow, but not anymore. Do the boyfriends all go out spanging just to make $ for their girlfriends new skivvies? It's also a generational thing. There are alot of punks because their parents didn't give them clear limits as children. There's nothing more I love than to be called an asshole by a 10 year old. Every child should have to watch The Godfather in 5th grade so they can learn the meaning of respect.

There actually were alot of youngsters at the shows but overall the crowds were well behaved


saw one asshole getting into it with security off to the left hand side of the taper section....
but that was about it

>>> suddenly realized he was finishing the uncompleted Other 1 from Alpine
Valley(like the dead used to do with Playin'). what was that 6-7 shows ago? Phil is diggin
DEEP this tour..

I always hated that. Seemed like pandering to the people doing the whole tour.
How about the guy (like me) who can only do one or 2 shows? A playin' reprise without the rest of Playin', or 4 minutes of Verse II of Dark Star (see Star Lake '92) could leave an empty feeling in somebody who wasn't at the show a week and a half ago when they did the rest of the song.

As far as the crowds have gone in my experience which admittedly was from earlier in the tour ( Red Rocks/Alpine/Deer Creek) they have been generally pretty kind and mellow. A good mixture of old heads and younger heads who understand.

By understand, I mean that they are there for the music and have respect for others and their surroundings. There have always been and will always be a part of the scene who don't understand or who are there for the wrong reasons. These people were there in the late sixties when I started to go to shows and have been there all the way through the years. They believe that being a hippie or an independent thinker entitles them to do whatever they want despite the consequences or its effect on others.

Somehow being cool or "in" equates to being rude to others or the surrounding environment and I just don't quite get what they believe in.

As I said, these types of people are not new to the scene but in my experience there have been less of them on this current tour and many less than you might find at other jam band or any rock shows for that matter.

Anyway IMO, philnatik, don't have any worries about the crowd age or behavior. It wil be no worse than your youth and perhaps somewhat better.
Either way, the music will be well worth your time and effort.

Thanks Brian,
Im 36 and my wife is 40, I appreciate the info.
Ive got a teenager at home myself and I can say right now (while im talking to you, this minute , we are listening to a grand rendition of AIKO), that Im very proud of her!!!
Straight A student, very beautiful and most of all***she' very respectful!!! Shes also dancing her ass off right now.
My headtrip was early 80's to Jerrys pass. Although, My wife is so laid back that she could get along with the devil, I just want her to have old HIGH TIMES again.
My whole family(even my 4yr son) are so influenced by JAMS and BOOGIES and I would love nothing more to see the younger crowd keep this trip going. But I guess theres a difference between LOVE and HATE. We will just have to make the best out of our journey I guess. Thanx again!!
Bye the way are you hitting Charlotte by any Chance?

AND Thank You too!!!
MARTY
For your comfort*****we will have a blast.

Chuck, good work on a respectful teen. would you say that her friends have the same levels of ingrained respect? I really believe that parents need to teach it, and too many aren't.

My 6 year old (oldest of 3) has finally brought a smile to my heart. Along with the Backstreet Boys he's really been grooving out on long jams, especially from '72 and '73. But he can pass on the vocals; I think it's because he can't understand what they're saying. Jerry had a nack for being indecypherable.

Will any of you Guys be at the Charlotte show? We are staying at the CROSS COUNTRY camp ground in Mooresville. about 20mins away. We would love to meet some new friends. We got 4 couples going but theres still plenty of camping sites left!!!

"Bye the way are you hitting Charlotte by any Chance?"

No, I was limited to SPAC, but I've been having way too fond memories of touring recently now that there's worthy music.

Chuck

a whole shitload of us are going to be there..

the clan i got going down is staying at a friend's house...


could number as many as 10-12 of us

Yes, Brian<
Her friends are all pretty "RESPECTABLE and act in a Mannerly fashion" , But as you know , we were teens once too. So I can honestly say, shes not perfect!!
Were not perfect parents either, but as long as we can keep teaching them about one thing, I think we will survive. And that is Love as you want to be loved. And I know how you feel, I went thru the B-Street Boys thing too. Im not a fan, but I rather her listen to that than something that promotes violence.

philnatic, woohoo, an older woman, what's that like huh? (ps: don't think women like when you give out their age).

Crypt, Maybe we could hook up somewhere!!!
Cool
Guys feel free to e-me any time.
carareed4vt@aol
Got to go<<<we are getting a hell of a STORM right now

keep your eyes peeled for the Philzone flag..

it WILL be up and flowing

<see starlake 92< bucky i couldn't agree with you more. btw, i was at those shows. and for someone who says the dead sucked and were completely predictable since, oh '67, you must have forgotten about the second night there, 6/23/92. what an amazing show. what an unusual first set:
Help/Slipknot/Franks, Minglewood, Stagger Lee, BTWind, Big RR Blues, Memphis, and New Speedway Boogie (to close the set).
2nd set was also incredibly hot and also unpredictable:
Truckin/Spoonfull/ (a monster) So Many Roads, Way to Go Home, Corrina/Drums/Last Time/Standing on the Moon/Sugar Mag. Brokedown.
come on now bucky give us a smile and admit you had a good time here.

Starlake '92, funny you mention that (though its too bad you don't look past your needs to take a good look at the brillance of finishing something that way, in that context on that nite)..

i was at Starlake '92 (my favorite So Many Roads, just dripping w/emotion), dancing, grooving with my eyes closed during that Stagger Lee and i heard a VERY loud cheer, very disruptive, i figured something wonderful was happening..what did i see when i opened my eyes? i saw dozens of losers jumping the fence like a pack of rats..i could never understand WHY people cheered this scamming act and didn't see the simple fact that this was a direct threat to (as was said) OUR scene..notice Jerry played New Speedway to end that set, just like at Deer Creek '95..

i saw the same thing happen at SPAC, people cheering as peeps tried to outrun security...will we let this happen again? personally, if i see a punk jumping the faence i WILL do something about it. i alerted a security guard at Alpine Valley when i saw a break in and he nailed the idiot and it felt right..i would have grabbed him myself if i had to, screw it if people had a problem with it, i'm not gonna stand by in silence this time round..these people use all this freedom as an excuse for not having it tgether to have a ticket and feel entitled to a free experience they did nothing to deserve. its bullshit. they should all be forced to mow Phil's lawn for the next 2 summers..

what else can we do? i gave out 500 garbage bags this tour, that felt right, too..it sure didn't hurt...

i agree the water situation in SPAC was dangerous and inhuman and i hope to find time to write them..they not only took the bottlecaps they made people empty out bottles before entering reserved seating..unbelieveable and insane..

i went off on a security usher about this and later went to her to apologize for the outburst and we ended up talking a little..she urged me to write management, thought it was inhuman treatment as well..

the mood and consciousness level of this tour changed dramatically when it hit the east, like night and day, i really missed the sweet, mellow midwestern crowd...

...i saw Gordon, too, exchanged smiles and nods...

I was walking into the Deer Creek show when I saw a guy scoping out the "fence scene" I asked what he was doing and he said, "I seeing if the security guards are gone so I can jump the fence". I proceeded to inform him about what happened in '95 and showed him how that could hurt the scene and it's future. Then I gave him my extra ticket and asked him to enjoy himself.

Glad everyone is enjoying the shows. Don't know what happend to Ratdog, they absolutely set the stage for PLQ at Pine Knob and Polaris. I thought they primed everyone for PLQ's onslaught of Jamming. More so than String Cheese and/or Disco Buiscuits IMHO. :-)

cool, Loyd, i think the best way to fulfill Chucks dream of seeing the new blood carry on the traditions properly is education, just letting them know what the deal is...i talked to a couple of teenagers who cheered the break-ins along with a few others in my section and they understood and agreed that this not something to support if we want Phil shows to be as enjoyable as possible in the future..

Yes, I agree Irisguy. I was 14 and "out of control" when I accidently stumbled on the scene in '84. Instead of being shunned, scolded at, or ignored, people were quick to talk to me with a compassionate heart which allowed me to see how my actions directly impacted the space around me. It was, in fact, some of the best education I have ever received. In order for anyone to behave in a way that makes our scene flourish, they need to be shown how it's done. If someone interfaces the naive with resistence, resentment and distrust, guess what? There's a good chance they will turn out that way as well. Just some food for thought.....

"Wake up to find out....."

Sjf- Your right. But the fact is-the bigger this scene gets the uglier and more beautiful it becomes at the same time. When I saw the Dead at SPAC in '88 the gate crashing was outrageous. Fences literally torn down,security fully brutalizing heads, saw a girl get stepped on by a cop on a horse. Once inside-the scene was sweet. Theres nothing like experiencing such an elevation of so many souls in synch creating music and putting magic in the air. There has always been a sort of anarchic-outlaw type ethos to the Dead scene. Some people think if they sneak in-they beat the system. The same year in Oxford, Maine I saw some bikers almost ride right throught the front gate during the second set. Cops were right there- they eventually just let everybody in. I don't endorse gatecrashing, here we agree. The way to deal with gatecrashers is to explain to them the delicate and precarious subtleties of our scene which are so easily endangered. Then as you mentioned above-they will understand. If an occasional sneakster gets in though through cunning or stealth it's just a part of the scene- not neccessarily a tragedy though. Some heads who are jonesing a show will stop at nothing, though this seems less common since the fat man has passed.The hotter P+F gets the hotter our collective frying pan becomes to dance in-sweet-hopefully we'll get it right this time. Good work with the garbage bags-used to see alot more of that kind of thing. Keep the flame alive. Peace.

bluechip, i was at SPAC '85 and '88, i know what you mean, saw a ton of crazy shit..we actually had to break OUT of the '88 show. when it started raining right after the show, we had to jump the gate to aviod the crush..so far this scene is very mellow with a few exceptions, reminds me of the late 70's and early 80's with a bunch of new styles thrown in..

i do see some signs if growing pains at east coast shows and my personal reaction is to try to send some postive messages, sort of like what Phil is dioig with his community efforts, just small stuff hoping to make a ripple effect..i'm not into being a policeman but i also feel too many people just stood by last time around and didn't stick up for others, just maintaining a peaceful place to gather by calling those "rebels" on their crap...here's to hoping we get it right this time...cheers and peace

>>>Starlake '92, funny you mention that (though its too bad you don't look past your needs to
take a good look at the brillance of finishing something that way, in that context on that
nite)..

LOOK PAST MY NEEDS?
Do you think I go to concerts just to help the poor musicians put some food in their hungry children's mouths? LOL!
A 4 minute Dark Star is still a 4 minute Dark Star on one given night. If I wasn't there (like most of the people on any given night), I couldn't care less if they played it for an hour the night or week before. 4 minutes is LAME!

BTW- Are we gonna have a fun ride on Thursday or what? Maybe we should tape the conversation & start a tree......

i was referring to the brilliant idea of the finishing the other one in the middle of the wheel and its symbolic significance (plus it kicked ass and everyone seemed blown away by it, unlike those Playin' and DS Part 2's)...it was far from lame at SPAC..Buckster let go of yer past hurt from weak shows of yesteryear, Phil isn't messing around this time..inhale deeply and repeat this phrase "its a new day and Phil is showing the way," try it, it works..

Thursday will RULE! taped conversation..call me out to rap and we'll duel all the way to the island mc Buck..i got yo # yo

Saratoga Springs:

Here’s my review for Saratoga Springs, 7/22/01…

Well, after Hartford it was a little difficult for me to really move at this show, especially after Bobby’s set which definitely had me up, so by the time Phil came on, I was perfectly happy to spend this much-mellower-than-Hartford show on my butt and back. The meandering jams the boys played were perfect, as was Mars on the horizon and the clouds drifting peacefully through the sky…

There’s a little pretext…a mood setter of a paragraph…

Ratdog:

Ratdog put on another great performance for us this day, seeming to be unaffected here in the woods by the energy the put out the day before in the Meadows…
The Blackbird was a great opener, getting the crowd fired up, but also easing us into the set with Bobby and Rob’s delicate acoustic interplay. The addition of Mark on acoustic for Me and My Uncle helped start the climb out of the Appalachia feel and into the Chicago/New Orleans blues feel that seems to be a thread through much of Ratdog’s sound. With the full band out on Friend of the Devil, the intensity built a bit more and with Bury Me Standing -> Good Morning Little School Girl we hit the first crescendo of Bobby’s set. I don’t remember too much about the jam into Playin’, but I remember the jam out of Playin’ -> UJB being excellent…I don’t remember exactly where I read it, but someone said that none of Bobby’s jams provide true segues between songs…he apparently always stops before actually starting a tune. That person must have been at different shows than me (Hartford and Saratoga)…although I’m pretty sure they posted on one of these two. Anyway, I really enjoyed Ratdog’s version of UJB (I’m not usually that impressed by live renditions, or excited to hear it for that matter). They hit all of the vocal harmonies nicely and the 7/8 jam before the a cappella break (which didn’t come until much later) twisted nicely off into some pretty out there jamming, which we rode all the way down to New Orleans and the castle of the October Queen. I wasn’t the biggest fan of this song the first time I heard it on Evening Moods, but I liked it much better live, and I really like the Deep End jam that comes out of it. Same goes for Even So…I didn’t really like it at first off of the album, but it’s slow groove had me in a nice mellow trance at Saratoga. He’s Gone is a something that I didn’t expect to hear either of these bands play again, even when I saw Bobby had played it out in the Midwest. Well, I was really excited to hear that one…It’s a song that pulled me up out of the mire of high school and helped me realize that I just have to shine through the tough times…It seemed to be doing the same for Bobby. My marred copy of this show on MD allowed me a couple of unskipping minutes from this tune and it sounds GREAT! And into the Other 1…it was very nice, and again makes me wonder what people were doing during this jam that makes them think they *stop* before starting a new song. Oh well…
The Bass/Drums jam was nice tonight, and short, too, which I was glad about and as soon as the drums picked up the Sampson beat I was up on my feet instantly hopping around with the little girl Cassidy I was sitting with (same group I mentioned in my Hartford post, only Cassidy wasn’t sick at Saratoga…and she was LOVING this show…I’ve never had the chance to hang out with a 5? or 6? year old (sorry Becky, I don’t think I ever got her age) at a show, and it was inspiring). So when that came to an end, it took me a couple of seconds to realize what that was growing from underneath the crowds cheering…is it terrapin? Naaa…I couldn’t be that lucky after Hartford…Oh, but it IS!..TERRAPIN!..Now I know that many folks are gonna think I’m weird, and the anit-Bobs will probably tell me that because of this I must like Brittany Spears or something, but I’m glad I heard Bobby do this song instead of Phil…I’m not sure why, but I think it’s because Bobby’s more song oriented than Phil…anyway, just a preference, so, if anyone has a problem with it, sorry…I hope it doesn’t burn you up too bad and ruin your day or something silly like that.
So, yeah, when Bobby sang the line “His job…*pause*…was to shed light, not to master.” I almost started crying…it was very nice. The whole thing was…and judging by the reactions to all of the key points in the song, most people really enjoyed hearing it. And then when the jam faded back into UJB (the gap hear was for the a cappella, not because they always stop between songs) and the vocals were amazing here…at least to me…

So, yeah, I loved this Ratdog set as much or more than their Hartford set, and probably as much as Phil’s Saratoga set (sorry anti-Bobs!..Oh, I guess it’s me that should apologize to myself for choosing such *silly* tastes in music…by the way, Bucky, do play an instrument?)

So, yeah, anyway, Saratoga Phil:

Phil and Friends Set I:

As I said, it was a bit difficult for me to get moving during Phil’s set at this show, and luckily the Phriends weren’t nearly as INSANE as they were a Hartford…there were points at Hartford when I thought I was going to crack, snap, slip, float away into the rings of insanity…if Saratoga were anywhere near as intense, I think I would have done just that. So yeah, they let me lay back and created a nice little fluffy cloud for me to ride when I got tired. And they also woke me up at the points when I got very, very sleepy, like with the CRAZY Viola Lee fiasco…but I’ll get to that later =|;o)

The Shakedown opener was great and had us all jammin' our pants off!..The Wheel flavored jam that came out of it was the beginning of that cloud they created for me…pulling the cosmic mists together and beginning to give it shape…

Then out comes Bobby. I had been hoping and hoping for a Music Never with him and Phil, and I finally got one. Not the greatest version, and it didn’t get *nearly* as deep-space and nutty as the Truckin’ -> Cassidy jam from Hartford (which was nothing less than amazing!), but it was a dance-fest nonetheless, as was the Good Lovin’. Now, people have mentioned that Bobby was throwing off Warren and Jimmy, and I can imagine that would happen. His playing is very unconventional…well, they seem to have warmed up to it nicely, and the three of them engaged in some great interplay for at least these last two shows. I was thrilled to see Bobby make it to each member of Phil’s ensemble and give them all hugs…

So, now we set of into the deep space of the rest of Phil’s set, starting of with Warren on a nice version of Low Spark (a tune I’m not extremely familiar with, although I’ve heard it enough to recognize that they did it very well)…The jam out of this had that cloud growing thicker and me needing to lay on it more and more and I had a great time watching the world roll by, the clouds a-streamin’ and the boys onstage providing the soundtrack. The jam built it’s way steadily towards Tennessee Jed, and, while I have a hard time enjoying this song unless I’m already super-charged and ready to dance, I loved hearing Baracco belt the SHIT outta this one! He sounded great! A bit like Jerry in intensity, minus MANY years of 3 packs of unfiltereds a day!..not quite as emotional, but I have to say I was very pleased. So that got me going a bit again…and then they played Tons of Steel. Now, I’m not the biggest Brent song fan…I like Just a Little Light OK, as well as Blow Away, but I’ve never gotten into Tons of Steel. PLQ definitely made it more enjoyable for me, but I still wasn’t grabbed…I did enjoy it though.

And then the set break…

Actually would love to hear Bob sing Terrapin
with Phil's band plus the sax.

Krazy,

That was me who made the comment about Ratdog's seeming inability to flow out of jams without stopping. And don't get me wrong, I'm a proud Bobby fan. I just thought Karan was weak at SPAC. Bobby kept handing him leads and he let them flutter away; thus the continuity was lost. Ratdog did seem to be louder than P&F - did anyone else notice that. Ratdog gets better every time I see them (except for Karan).

I'll also say this to all the Bobby haters. When Bobby came on stage for Phil the entire place went crazy. More people want them to play together than don't. The Good Lovin was by far one of the hottest I've seen or heard. To all you Bobby haters, phooey. You're just jealous because you're too old for him to want your ass.

Phil and Friends Set II:

WOW...can you say VIOLA LEE BLUES!!! and whatta SICK SICK jam...man where the hell are they goi...can you say VIOLA LEE BLUES!!! and another GREAT jam...and again...and again...and finally, the repeated first verse of Viola Lee! Man...I really thought we'd get the Viola sandwich, but much to my delight, we got a Mammoth of a VIOLA LEE BLUES!..This has always been one of my favorite early Dead numbers, and this definately blew the seams off of that shit! Wow! I don’t know the Mars Jam by sound, but I wish I did. The last folder in the review room has a good breakdown of what Phil may be getting at, and the Mars Jam fits it perfectly. I caught that Mt. Jam, and was glad to finally get a full on Allman’s quote after all of the teases that Warren and Jimmy threw around for the two shows I saw (and I imagine much of the time they’ve been on tour). I’m not sure if it was here or elsewhere that they threw in the HEAVY Here Comes Sunshine tease, but it had me angry at the end when the didn’t play it…oh well…some other lucky souls will get to hear it (maybe me at Merriweather!)…Anyway, the jams between had lots of hints at Dark Star, and I think I heard a Days Between growing in there, but I think Mars cut of it’s sunlight.
The Dupree’s was a great surprise, and it also marked the beginning of a long flat-on-my-back-on-a-cloud segment. I was a-tappin’ my feet and listening to the woes of poor Dupree and lovin’ that story all over again.
Night of 1000 Stars has yet to get the fire started under my pants and this song and the ensuing jam had me slipping deeper and deeper into the billows of the cloud, drifting mighty happily into the semi-starry sky, drifting and dreaming. I had a nice little chat with Lucy up there with her Diamonds in her hands, holding them suspended and twirling in the air shooting glances of multi-colored light out into the heavens…we turned to follow them out into space and wound up running into…
MASON’S CHILDREN…I was up in an instant…my feet were moving as though I had never been close to sleep…I was screaming what words I could remember and reveling in the good fortune…It was almost like something they forgot to play in that incredible set from Hartford…WOW! What a wonderful, rocking, hard-ass, we’ll-always-be-young-and-boundless feeling song…I had a great time getting’ down to this one.
The Wheel had me reeling through the clouds again, only this time I tried walking around on them…I remained standing for the most part, until they dropped the refrain and into space jam…and what’s this I hear coming?! The Other One! Is he gonna complete Bobby’s thought, bringing us the second verse? Well, not quite, but he did something better, with the little stop and the chorus, the theme of which fits PERFECTLY with the Wheel (did anyone else notice that?)…I heard them start Cryptical and started to get REALLY excited, but was not TOO disappointed when they completed the Wheel instead, and landed square in the lap of Sugaree…Over the course of the two days I spent with these folks I have really come to love Warren’s voice. He really means it when he sings…he really FEELS is, and it came through nicely on this Sugaree…

The Casey Jones encore was a big surprise, and while I enjoyed it, I guess it wasn’t my first choice…I have to say, though, it got me up and ready to walk back to the car. All in all I’d say this show was really good, but mellow, which for me was perfect considering the Hartford experience and the drive back to MD that was required that night in order to work the next morning…(I ended up getting sick and so I took the day off, but oh well)…

Something that I noticed that was great about the line up with Bobby and Phil was, the opening band (in my case the Biscuits both times) serves as the opening band…OK, but to me, Bobby’s set serves as one HUGE, KILLER First set, setting the stage for the hyper-drive of Phil’s HUGE, KILLER Second set. It was a great pairing and I feel blessed and honored to have seen the shows that I did (so far!)

Peace and Love to you all and I’ll report back after Merriweather…

Brian K – I’m not sure if it was you who made the comment about transitions…I wasn’t attacking the person who said it, just saying I disagree…as for Karan missing solo tosses, yeah, that definitely happens, but I still like him…except that those missed tosses can be annoying…you’re right about that.

Bob has the voice..Phil has the Band.
Unfortunitly they both want to lead
so nothing will ever happen in a constant
setting. It depends on your taste, if you
like songs to be sung you go to Bob.
If you like instrumentals you go to
Phil. But Rob and Warren both can sing.

>To all you Bobby haters, phooey. You're just jealous because you're too old for him to want your ass.

We've been fingered!

Cryp - I know it's hard to not feel the Bobby-love being reciprocated. My therapist thinks I used so many drugs for so long to cover up that pain. But once, when I got up front, he did spit on me. I quickly chowed down a gram of pure MDMA and spanked my pud for the next 12 hours while listening to hot Looks Like Rains from '87, over and over. That scream is such a turn-on.

My only problem at the SPAC was as
follows. Why do Bob/Ratdog fans only play
Bob tunes. I was parked next to a couple
of Bob freaks. Everything they played on
their CD player was Bob. Even the Dead
shows were compliations of Bob tunes.
They wouldn't even play Jerry. They actually
had the nerve to play Estimated from Englishtown
and edited out the Eyes. One of the best Eyes
Jerry ever did. Pretty sad, atleast Phil fans
like to hear Bob and Jerry tunes.

BA HA HA HA!


help me up!

Compilations of Bobby tunes from Dead shows? Not only are they tweaked, but they have too much time and $. What really struck me is that about 50% of the crowd never had the chance to see Brent perform live - poor bastards. And a whole bunch never got to see Jerry play live. I bet if the dudes you were next to had seen Jerry they'd refrain fron their petty self-censorship. That's where Jerry's magic really hit the soul. I know that once I saw him live every tape took on new meaning. These kids never got the chance.

Actually one point you make is
true. They were kids, well atleast
compaired to me. They were probably
20. But still. Thankfully some cats parked
behind me and hand some really tastee
boards and blew them into submission.

Yo, BrianK,

C'mon...Give me a break with the "They never saw so-and-so and totally don't understand schpeal..."

It's rubbish, I tell you! I never saw Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, John Coletrane, Louis Armstrong, Curtis Mayfield, Bach, Bethoven, Igore Stravinski, Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix, Pigpen, Keith Goddchaux, Duane Allman, John Lennon, Muddy Waters, Lightning Hopkins, LeadBelly, Woody Guthrie and a slew of other fantastic musicians, but I "Get it". I understand the signifigance of their music and the emotion that was behind it. You don't need to SEE them to appreciate their music!

By that rational, blind people would never "Totally Understand" anyones music.

Some kids are just getting into the scene and probably haven't seen Jerry or Brent and really like Bobby. So be it. That's why they make chocolate and vanilla.

I'm sure they've seen some GREAT acts that you've never seen. Wouldn't that make you a "poor bastard" as well?

Step off the high horse and stop a stranger; just to shake their hand........

That's really the thing. We tend to like what we can sense: See, feel, hear and touch. Realistically, anyone under the age of 22 probably never had the chance to see and FEEL the power of Jerry. But they have always had post-Dead Bobby, so that's what they migrate to. However much I love Keith and Pig, I grew up with Brent. He's the only one I ever "met" (in the metaphysical sense), so I like him best. But how many of you who grew up with Keith really didn't like Brent? Or if you grew up with Pig did you really groove on Keith? I've met plenty in both of these camps. Vinny is the oddball, because I can't see anyone, even post-Brent, thinking he was the "man."

Reverand,

It's not a high-horse, just an observation. The Dead were always an anomole in the music industry. Probably more than any other band, it was their live shows that made them what they were. I sure as hell didn't make the classic observations that "They're not the best at what they do, they're the only ones," or "There's nothing like a Dead show." There was an undenyable "magic" when Jerry was "on" that couldn't always come through on tape. We all love Cornell '77, but could you imagine actually being there? That's my point.

And it does make me a "poor bastard" because I've not seen all the quality acts out there. Not like I'm going to do much about it though. The chocolate/vanilla analogy is a little off here also. It's more like fine european chocolate/Hersheys. Jerry on tape is not Jerry live. Bobby vs. Phil is more the analogy you bring up. If people just don't like Jerry, good for them. It's no sweat off my balls.

Actually my only shows where when Brent
was around. I only went to maybe 5 shows
with Vince and Bruce. But my favorites
where Pigpen and Keith (except when Donna
was howling). But that was before my time.
I mean if you listen to Live Dead and Europe
72, You gotta be able to know there is more
than Bob tunes.To me those 2 are like required
Dead listening pleasure in the beginning.
I guess maybe they thought they would start some
Hatfield/McCoy feud or something.

Just for the record, I didn't go to see Star Lake in '92. My days of travelling that far to see the Dead ended LONG before '92. Except visiting some friends & taking in Buffalo in '93.

So, no 'past hurts' there, SJF. Just critiquing the absurbity of the Dead (no knock on P&F intended there either) playing & later finishing songs over the course of the tour.

One more thing, if you'd been waiting 15 years & 150 Dead shows to see Dark Star, & they pulled off that 4 minute gem, wouldn't you feel ripped off?
C'mon now.......

You guys are really strange...it seems like you all never liked anything you had but only things you missed or can't have. Have you ever had fun or have you just spent your whole life reaching for that unreachable gold ring?

Had a great time at the SPAC, but it was hotter then hell and the water NAZIs created an unsafe environment for everyone.
The lot scene was cool, I was fortunate enough to be parked next to a really groovin' cover band that had set up an impressive rig for a parking lot.
Ratdog was good, not great although the song-selection could not have been better. Karan was barely audible(was he even playing?). The segue back into UJB to end the set was pretty cool to hear.
PHIL AND FRIENDS WERE AWESOME, especially the Shakedown opener which brought a smile to my face anticipating things to come. Unfortunately, my girlfriend was exhausted from the heat and a long day so I left mid-way thru the second set (Love can be a bitch)
Another great time at the SPAC!

thats a weak rap there buck...oh wrong discussion my bad

Oh, by the way, did anybody have the good fortune on the way to SPAC from Hartford of driving through the toll gate at the end of the Mass Turnpike in the far right lane and getting the handwritten paper sign that said FREE on it? That guy was cool…I’d like to send a shout out to that man!

Krazy -

I assume you're only talking about Dead-related experiences. Personally, I loved just about every show I saw. I loved Brent, and thought that Built To Last was one of their best studio albums. I also love most of my tapes/CDs. I was the type that never cared what they played as long as it was played well. But if Bucky needs a ripping 20 minute psychedelic Dark Star he has that right. It's not unobtainable because P&F plays them that way. A 4 minute DS can easily leave someone with a raging case of blue-balls.

Bucky - I went to SPAC with a friend who has been waiting 25 years (over 250 shows) for DS. At 11:15 he commented that he hoped they didn't play it because it would only be a short tease. There are others who want a lenghthy DS.

>>Probably more than any other band, it was their live shows that made them what they were.

Key word here is WERE. The Dead ist kaput. The shows, however, continue to live on...That's my point...

>>There was an undenyable "magic" when Jerry was "on" that couldn't always come through on tape.

I disagree. The magic flows thru my speakers just fine. You might want to check your cables...The sense of "as it happens" isn't there for obvious reasons, but I've had many-a-tape send chills down my spine and tears to my eyes...

>>We all love Cornell '77, but could you imagine actually being there? That's my point.

Even if you WERE there, it's a distant memory now that can only be revisited by listening to the discs...

>>Jerry on tape is not Jerry live.

No one will EVER see Jerry live again. That doesn't mean that the new fans can't get turned onto the on-the-spot genius that flows from his fingertips. My point is that it seems far too self richeous to say, "They never saw the Dead, they never saw Jerry, the just don't understand it like I DO..." I never saw Miles Davis live, but I certainly have an understanding of the signifigance his live shows played.

>>Bobby vs. Phil is more the analogy you bring up.

No, no...I don't want to go anywhere near that one...We've been down that ugly road many times here...

Shabbazz,

Somehow I think we're both arguing the same side of the issue, but we're coming at it from diferent directions. The Dead are history. Sweet sounds on tape also bring tears to my eyes.

But there are undenyable things that will probably never be again. How about the air of excitement and crowd roar at 7:36 , even before the house-lights went down. Or maxing out under a speaker and hearing a killer riff that only 50 others heard, and all 51 of you cheer at once while others look at you like they missed the secret. These are the small nuances that can't be picked up on tape. I've seen hundreds of live non-dead concerts, and these things weren't necessarily there, even for the most die-hard fans. There was nothing like a Dead show, and you can't sway my opinion on that. I wish everone had the chance to experience it, but the reality is that they don't. The point is that if new Bobby heads want to cut Jerry out of their tapes, OK with me. It really does me no harm.

Dont mean to interupt or maybe I do>>>
I have to agree with the one who said that the Dead is rooted from thier live performances.
Rev.>>, Im sorry but I would have to say that your misleading with your observation about all these guys and bands you said you've never seen.
Anybody can sit there and say that they "understand music" by listening to their lps, or any other form os studio work performed.
But I think it was Brian who was activating the debate about people being "poor bastards" because they probably never seen Brent, Vinny or even Jerry. Ive never seen Pig, Ive never seen Keith, Ive never seen Donna and Iwill be the first to tell you that Im a POOR BASTARD because Hes right. When it comes too Dead music, I believe you have to see them live to REALY UNDERSTAND THEM!
But then again guys, the dead isnt or wasnt the only band like this. I mean so inspirational and influencial. I know that in my heart Ill aways be a Jam head for the rest of my life, but if any of you ever get the chance to see a band called U2. Do it. The music is really predictable and not realy jammy, But its good R&R and they are very, very influencial to alot of people.
So what Im saying is that U2 is one of those bands like the dead(not musically), But if youve never seen any of these guys, to me>>thers no way you could understand or even relate to them.

Brian K

Yeah, I’m only talking about Dead-related experiences…meaning Jerry years and after, up until now. I know that hearing a 4 minute Dark Star could be a bit frustrating, but I think that yes, they did cater to people on tour from time to time. As much of a burden and hardship I’m sure it was for the band to endure, it had to also uplift them tremendously from time to time, so to sort tell a “story” over the course of a couple of weeks (i.e. start DS here, finish it there) seems like a nice little treat for those who supported the band spiritually so heavily…I’m not saying we all don’t and aren’t entitled to a 45 minute deep space wrap your brain around the sun Dark Star, but I have to say I think the concept is pretty cool (of stretching it out over a few shows). Just opinion…

But mostly what I’m referring to is the weird conversation going on re: weir v. phil v. brent-dead v. keith-dead v. pigpen-dead v. a bump in the road v. vince-dead v. bob-heads v. anti-bobs v. the world v. me v. you v. themselves v. whatever…some people here just seem to want to get in an argument. I don’t know…it’s just strange. I didn’t mean for it to be a comment on people’s general personalities…I don’t know any of them. It just seems like there is still something they aren’t happy about, even those who say they like P & F better than the dead after 2 o’clock 13 minutes and 54 seconds on the 8th day of February in this year of our lord one thousand nine hundred seventy four or whatever. If they’re so damn happy then why do they spend so much time hammering Bobby and people who like him and this and that. I don’t know…It’s just strange. I guess maybe they feel like Bobby is imposing himself upon their golden ring, thus keeping it out of reach because, shit, who wants a ring tainted by that baffoon?! But really, if Bobby weren’t there, I’m sure they’d find something else to complain about.

I dont like what I said at the end of my Statement guys and I appologize. You can relate to good music and also understand it. All im saying is that after you see someone live, if they are good, you do feel closer and have a clearer understanding of them. Do yall understand what im getting at? because I sure as Hell dont!!

>We all love Cornell '77, but could you imagine actually being there? That's my point.

I can imagine shooting a wad in my shorts if i was there listening to that transition to Fire from Scarlet live.

I don’t think you can really understand any band until you’ve seen them live. If they suck live, then you understand that they are primarily a studio band…If they rock live, then you know they are an in the moment band…perhaps good in the studio, perhaps not. But seeing a band live is seeing who they really are as musicians, in my opinion…the only honest way, because the studio freeze-frames all context and you can lie very easily on tape (i.e. overdubbing, fixing a ½ second fuck up, etc.)…I think this goes for the Dead, too. Fortunately they let us tape the shows. I do have to agree, though, that the tapes don’t cut it. I often forget what *really* moved me about the music until I see an INCREDIBLE show like the one at Hartford on Saturday. Then it all comes back, although tapes can definitely be moving.

Hey ,
Im starting to like this KrazyKat dude!!!
Hes exactly right!!!

20 minute DS vs 4 minute DS...who is arguing that? i think its everyone whos waiting for a long one...

it wasn't at all the same as the PITB or DS part 2's as i said, just a similar idea..a whole other situation and performance level so whats your point? you want me to defend 4 min DS's? cmon now

i wrote 7 reveiews so far and this is all you have to say buckster? how bout some love? geeeeez...oh well, at least you read it...

the only dead related show i ever felt like i'd been shorted at all was the last Hartford Further "lets finish before our kid's bedtime" show..but everyone has their own level of satisfaction in any given situation or time period..remember that guy in the Dead Movie yelling at Garcia, calling him a "ripoff" and "sellout" because the Dead had the NERVE to start charging admission to their shows after all the freebies they's played?

>shooting a wad<seriously, first it's erections, then periods, then other bodily fluids and now wadshooting, man i don't think i want to be anywhere near this guy at any deadrelated show. at least not without armor underwear.

i think i understand what you guys are sayin', i've had that experience..didn't care for String Cheese before i saw-felt them live and directly connected with them..some bands are actually worse live, though, than on record.

also, i'd like to think i understand duke ellington and louis armstrong and i strongly connect with the both of them though i guess a concert is out of the question..

Well, if you absolutely have to SEE the Dead and other bands to "Get It", perhaps you can explain to me how you go about SEEING the music.

I don't see so well. That's initially what brought me into this discussion. And, 9 times out of 10, I'm at a show dancing with my eyes closed LISTENING to the music.

Of course the Dead were rooted in their live performances. I'm not debating that. What I'm saying is this...

There will never be another Greateful Dead show. There are younger people coming to the scene who never got the chance to see the Dead. This does not mean that they like Jerry on a lesser level than those who did see the Dead. This does not mean that they don't "Get It". 'Cause when it comes right down to it, YOU LISTEN TO MUSIC.

They might not understand the interplay of the scene and Candace's lights and the killer cid you scored in the lot and hanging out with other heads and the this and the that, but THE MUSIC is right there for open interpretation and disection.

Now, if they are cutting Jerry tunes out of the tapes, they've obviously got bad taste...I concur.

But just because someone didn't SEE Jerry or the Dead doesn't mean that they are not able to fully appreciate the music on the same level as those who did. There are so many crispy audience shows available these days that throw you right into the middle of the auditorium, stadium, amphitheater, etc...

I just don't like hearing people say, "Well, you don't appreciate or understand the music on the same level as me becuase you never SAW them..."

(BTW, just for the record, I am not among those that never SAW them...)

Thank god for tapes.


JinPa
no need to worry bro...i drool a little now and then, but other than that i am pretty good about keeping bodily fluids contained.

>weir v. phil v. brent-dead v. keith-dead v. pigpen-dead v. a bump in the road v. vince-dead v. bob-heads v. anti-bobs v. the world v. me v. you v. themselves v. whatever…some people here just seem to want to get in an argument.

I don't think there really is any argument
here. Just odd little facts and comparisons.
I've seen Ratdog now a total of 4 times. I like
some of Weirs tunes, but realize seeing Ratdog
just doesn't work for me. I like Bob in the
Dead no question. I'll check out Weir and
Wasserman acoustic if they open for Phil.
But Ratdog no. My taste tend lean towards jamming
I dig instrumentals. I like Bob sitting in with
Phil for a couple of tunes. Shit I can name
7 off the top of my head I wish they would
play together. But like the Ratdog heads don't
P&F's noodling as thet call it. For me alot
of Bobs new stuff is weak and can be boring
after 2 hours.
I would agree with Bucky that a 4 minute
Dark Star would be weak. Why even do it.
But point being someone mention U2 I don't
like them too much and would not see them.
For me something along the lines of Rush is
more my R&R taste. Not bashing U2. Just taste
is different with everybody. I rather see
Phil then Bob.

bucky, way to reference shows that you were never even at. and to think i was defending you. man your credibility is completely shot.
one last ds story from starlake. right after victim, they segue into the afformentioned dark star, sing the second verse and noodle immediately into drums. this young lad behind me starts freakin and he turns and says kinda quizzicly, is that dark star man? did i just hear my first dark star? is that what everyone's been talking about? and i had to turn around and say NO. you haven't heard dark star yet. sorry.

Rev -
I don't recall anyone saying "Well, you don't appreciate or understand the music on the same level as me becuase you never SAW them..."

You're the one who came up with that line. I think that the idea many of us have been trying to convey is that there was something really special to a live Dead experience. Personally, I wish all the young tour rats could have that, if only once. I will also say that Phil has infinitely more of that "aura" than most other jambands. Now that Phish is kaput the people who have the travelling blues will see Phil and get a little of that magic. They sure as hell werren't getting it from Phish.

Saratoga Springs New York
I have not been back here since TOO in "98" where it did rain a bit on 4th of July, was not Mint at all. This time, there as no rain to be found and we couldn't have asked for nicer weather.
We left Hartford on a 3 auto caravan and headed north. I was expecting to have seats @ Sec 9 but The guy I met (chad) helped me out after the show in Hartford with seats that were 20th Row X get back to that a bit later. I had given Chad a little Mollie a couple different times and he styled my roommate(goody) and I with a nice upgrade f/ where we were.
Arrive in Saratoga and it is a beautiful as I remember it, the manicured lawns and islands that seperate the streets so rich and green. Check in to the Rip Van Damme(what a shit hole) at this point it was about 4:30 so once again we miss The Disco and yes we missed Bobby too for the 3rd straight night(oh well) We all wanted to hang in the lot for a while and they had us right up near the beginning(the flag pole) and once again ran into Mollie and this time it was in abundant and goody and I wanted to mx missle ourselves at least one time out of 3 shows and what better place to do that than SPAC on a bright and sunny 85* day.
Ok off to the show we arrive and during a nice Jam>Shakedown which I thouhgt was very much in tune and rockin>wheel Jam which was making think (I wonder when Bobby is coming out?) and sure enough there he was and Yes Music smokin the boys you could tell were groovin>Good Lovin where I was cracking up b/c Phil was laughing at Bobby when he was going off as he does>Then 1st Mike Gordon sighting where there was a "hey Michael and shook his hand" then Low Spark "thank Ya" my 1st one and I was very pleased with this version> a most smokin Tennessee Jed where SPAC rocked all night and to top it off a good ole' Tons of Steele.
Then it was off to the beer tent where they did not have rest rooms (what the fuck was that?) That was my only complaint.
7.00 guinesses weren't bad considering at Hartford it was Bud for 7.00 No Brainer
set II (High as a HAWK)
Viola Lee and YES this was a Viola Lee I must have came and went 100 times on this song going from Pluto to Sec 200 row H and the Mars Jam was amazing just perfect to open this beautiful 2nd set and then Viola (hello)> Mtn Jam that was amazing and right on. Then I was wondering and boom duprees and I thought this was performed incredibly. Night of 1000 Stars 1st for me and I was please didn't see the whole thing(nature called)which was a good time for spacy jam>LSD, the last time I saw this was Boston Garden 10/03/94 Encore, I was impressed with this version and actually thought it was smokin>Mason's children different but solid and very upbeat and dancible as most of this show was.
The Wheel personally I was thinking of a lot of teases during the show and was glad that we got to see it.>The other one chorus was totally tweeking with my mind like (huh) but it was great!then the almost cryptical would have been so MINT but the wheel reprised worked and then for sure it was all over but the screaming yahtzee they slap down a Sugaree which was on fire and had the place just going balistic. Encore The place is going nuts by this point almost all of my budz hanging (10 people or so) the energy was unreal and kaboom!! Casey Jones and Yes it was smokin!!!

Then it was off to Club Caroline(formerly Aiko's) right off of Broadway in Downtown Saratoga for some late night cocktails and a whole lot of dipping. Nice dead cover band with some great tapestry's. Left around 4:15 and tore up the Van Damme.
Had yesterday off as well and went to the beach a bit spent today still but I would not have changed that 3 day weekend for nothing. All smooth traveling and no hassles and gorgeous weather. Great friends Great Music and Just a GRATE feeling as I sit here and finish up my final review. I hope all of you Pholks enjoy the rest of the tour and in the Fall at the theaters if you haven't heard it yet the yahtzee will be getting screamed YAHTZEE!!!
Peace to all
Whitey

I bet 90% of the people in here who make fun of Weir actually were inside (whether they were listening or not) the venues for the Cheesedog sets.


So there.

uhoh, here comes a "had to see it live to review it or not" debate

...smellin that before its even cookin

the real point as it pertains to this actual show being reviewed is:
the other one was perfect for this moment, it wasn't the longest one ever and it didn't matter. it fit. it satisfied everyone i saw around me and then some. it segued perfectly into the wheel. it was a stroke of genius..please don't miss this point, it pertains to the present and to Phil...

Hey Ryan,
You're right, you didn't say those words, but that's definitely the refrain I've heard time and again from many of the older heads. Admitedly, I may have lumped you into that category before giving you a fair shake. I agree that there was nothing like a Grateful Dead show, but the music is there for the next x generations to interpret and it pains me to hear the veterans turn the youngins off with cries of "Man, you have no idea what it's about..."

Destination: Further

Well then take of a % for me I went in
5 songs into the Ratdog set. My neighbors
burnt me out on the Bob tunes. Shucks I missed
all of Bob new tunes.:(

Rev,

I agree totally. Just because they haven't seen them doesn't mean they can't be a Head. How about all those foreign heads who never got to see them, even when they were playing. Now they're the real "poor bastards," and 9/10 will admit that point. Can you imagine how hard that must have been.

Louis Armstrong once said, "If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know."

I think this applies here...you either "get it" or you don't. How someone goes about this discovery is a personal matter...

"It is good to have an end to journey toward, but is the journey that matters in the end."

~ Ursula K. Le Guin

Trying to quantify this "experience" is pointless. The Dead have changed so much over the years, and luckily we can "relive" these moments through tapes/cds etc...but as far as the here and now is concerned...

"When the way comes to an end, then change -- having changed, you pass through."

~ I Ching

peace.

Yeah IannaI!..I like those quotes, too...

Well, can I put this to rest.
Been to a shit load of shows but never seen the Dead. I was there but I was allways blinded from chemical senarios!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SORRY>>>>damn, couldnt help it. lol

****NEWSFLASH*******


Reuters- Mansfield, Mass Tweeter Center


The infamous "Whistler" of Beacon fame has been identified.

His truck was parked next to Tapecat's in the lot and his whistling has been id'ed by witnesses (reliable taper sources) to the carnage and mayhem he was part of

Get this:

He sang Estimated at the top of his lungs, even doing Bobby croons in between whistles.


He is a Masshole.
Late 30s's early 40's.
Tall...brown hair..and looks like Weir.


Be on the lookout for this perp.

A reward is being offered by the Hot Sauce Coalition.

What's a masshole.This guy sounds like he is cool as hell.I love going to shows and bumping into positive happy people who are actually adding to the fun as opposed to those who are there to stop every form of free expression by the audience.I can't wait to see this guy do Bobby croons between whistles.I don't think its possible.Speaking of tapes have you checked out any of Phils free downloads?How are they?I can't download on this computer.
P.S. One of my squirrel herds is missing!!

>>>bucky, way to reference shows that you were never even at. and to think i was defending
you. man your credibility is completely shot.

Why the hell can't I say a Dark Star was 4 minutes if I wasn't there?
HELLO?????

BTW- I wasn't at 2-13-70 either, but I think it's a pretty good show. Oh, sorry, I don't know what I'm talking about because I wasn't there.
I guess I should go throw out every tape of every show I have that I didn't attend because I really can't understand that show or how good or bad it was.

Jinpa, go back to picking on Keyshawn for only averaging 3.3125 Dead shows per year from 1979 to 1995......

buck, your point was irrelavant anyway, just didn't match the current reality...

can we talk about phil? pretty please?

these endless debates really stray from any legitimate point to be had, to say the least

Just answer my e-mail.

>What's a masshole.

Try this for an explanation:

http://www.masshole.com


Basically, one of us dickheads from massachusetts that'll pee in your sink if you let us in your house.

There was a possible hat sighting at this show. Yes, THE hat. It's not confirmed, but from a very reliable source. For obvious reasons, the person who observed said hat did not approach it.

That is a funny website. One other note, people who fight about being a bigger and better deadhead than the other are pretty pathetic. I can understand your beefs, but please understand how this looks from a 3rd party, extremely weak. Thank You for your time.
The Fat Man Rocks!

What I don't get is how making fun of Bob's Daisy Dukes is an attempt at "deader-than-thou?"


No one said shite when people ragged on Phil's singing back in the day.

Now Bobby's daisy dukes have to be fair game. He's gotta laugh at himself for ever wearing those damn things...especially when he had that pink guitar, too... <;o)

>bigger and better deadhead than the other are pretty pathetic.

Which in reality means your not a Head at
all.

The Hat Guy: does he sport tin foil as a part of his act? does he have a whistle he blows into? does he have a companion who does crazy break dancing and wears a wig? does he also ramble on, loud and incoherant? does he attend a ton of concerts? maybe its another nut, but i've seen this guy for years, a real loon...

H2O problems at this show: if you had one (i know i did) and would like to complain to SFX there is info under the "H2O at SPAC" conversation where you can fill a survey and then email them..sounds like ALOT of people on the internet are doing this, incliding me....their water policy at SPAC, THAT "sucks" and Hartford is definitely "better" in their hospitality these things can be measured..

does he also ramble on, loud and incoherant?

reciting lines of a manifesto?

that's the guy!

>does he also ramble on, loud and incoherant?

reciting lines of a manifesto?

that's the guy!

Hey don't talk about me that way.

as gene rayburn used to say..its a match!

saratoga, great show I laughed, I cried, I laughed. Warren simply ripped all night. Barraco is a nice fit ,right on with the Jerry vocal stylings. Found it odd no Phil vocals. But, was still very impressed. Overall two thums up!!

I am a head, just not a dickhead like others who are compelled to fill up space with their pety battles, it's one thing if their funny, but it sounds like a bunch of bitches bickering. Which is reality means you are the latter type of head.

This show was mutch better than Cats. I'm going to see it again and again and again...

SORRY BOB FANS ...BUT BOB SINGS OUT OF KEY A GOOD MAJORITY OF THE TIME...TO TEST THIS THEORY...YOU MAY WANT TO USE A TUNING FORK ...OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM THAT GETS RID OF CERTAIN FREQUENCIES..THEN USE A TUNER WITH A MIC...AND WHILE I'M NOT THE BIGGEST FAN OF THE WAY PHIL SINGS IT IS AT LEAST IN TUNE...A GOOD MAJORITY OF THE TIME...AND OUT OF TUNENESS IS SOMETHING THAT DRIVES ME CRAZY...SORRY...I AM REALLY A NICE GUY..*S*

I am sorry...I retract that last statement...it really serves nothing more than to fuel peoples fires...now I am definately a bigger Phil fan...but respect Bobby's arranging/chordwriting skills...as well as the people he chooses...to write the words he sings...now ratdog for me is a bit too...how should I say..ummmm...on the lighter side...but I still like Bob...there is nothing wrong with Bob..I just wish he could jam harder and thats me...however I must admit I have heard very lil' recent Ratdog...If anyone has any cdr's that they may think will turn me on...I'd love to trade for them...Although I must say that most of the Bob bashing is done in fun...I am very sorry...for adding to the negativity...I feel much better now...

Dude I was at SPAC and Hartford and man it was awesome. Next time I go I'm gonna try to hook up with those 18 year old hippy chicks in the lot. I know a guy who did and got some real action. Later y'all......

Cmon Luke, this is Darth, give us the goods.

Hey Luke, what's with the Winterland post?

Yeah, what's the lowdown from the Dagoba system, these chicks look like Yoda or what?

>>>The Fat Man Rocks!

The Fat Man's Dead, hasn't rocked in years.

Unless you meant Warren Haynes.
Or me or Keyshawn......

Hey Bucky, you are correct; The Fat Man Rocked! Also Warren Haynes is pretty heavy and he rocks also. Now Keyshawn, he just makes me puke.

Bobby constantly singinig out of key????
Give me a Break. Bob Has the best voice of the remaining dead members.. Cut him and us some slack please. Id like to see you remember all the words to ballad of a thin man!

I saw somebody standing nekkid and I said, "Whoa, who is that, man!"

7/22/2001 S.P.A.C.-Saratoga Springs, NY.

Man Oh Man do I LOVE this venue! I was really looking forward to this show and wasn’t disappointed in anyway although it way touch and go for a while. As soon as I arrived things were excellent! The weather was great, I got parking in the first row and put up the flag. No sooner did I get this done than the Photographer for Ratdog came up and introduced himself to me. After chatting for a while we did a swap-I take in his deck and run the show for him and he takes in my camera and shoots a roll from the pit for me. Cool Deal! So then I off for some shopping in the lot, this was the only bad thing from S.P.A.C. the Coppers swept through the lot and shut down shakedown before it had a chance to get going. With a rather high number off shady people running around it also shut down most of the “other” vending as well so I went into the show very needy. Once inside I set up a waited, during this time J.C. came up and shot some photos of Reddy Kilowatt on my mikestand which tickled me to no end (Later they were posted with the setlist on Phil’s official site).

From another show but just as fitting, Ratdog- what can I say about these guy’s that hasn’t been said already….Nothing. I was trying to get with the dog but just can’t. The hard driving factor from PLQ just plain dusts away the softer & gentler Bob stuff, IMHO. There were moments of coolness none the less. Nuff said. One thing to add to this, I met several tapers who said that they were only there because of the Bobby joining in with Phil part……WEIRD!

The Phil Lesh Quintet
Set 1: Well I’ll tell you this is one HOT show. More so now that I’m home and have had a chance to check it out again I’m quite impressed with it.
Jamming to open warms up the crowd like stretching for the 100yd dash. Good Call, because in NY when you do a Shakedown Opener things can get a little crazy, and did. Also a good call with the Shakedown in the lot! So out of the Shakedown we get a little wheel preview to slide out of Shake. Bobby hits the stage, time to interrupt the flow again. But- this time I was totally diggin’ it, in fact I’d say it was the best Crusader appearance of the bunch I saw at least. Both the Music Never Stopped & The Good Lovin’ were tune I had hoped to see with this lineup and I got both together. A Rockin’ Good Time my Friends. And then Bob’s Gone…….With the biggest round of applause I had seen for any of his appearances. Next up the Low Spark! YES! Waited finally got it, even though it was short, there’s just something about the way Warren sings it that makes it one of my favs. Tennessee what can I say? As always a Phil-A-Sized version that filled out the set well. For a set Closer, Tons of Steel, and again a pleasure to hear Phil & Co. doing justice to Brent tunes.

Set 2: Before I go into the set I have to say I had to do some biz’ up at the services area after starting my deck. I was amazed at the amount of people that left at the setbreak, it BOOGLES my mind! Also it sucked that the beer garden closed at the break and I missed getting some!
Viola kicked off the set with a Bang, another huge version! After a while the band comes around to the structured, Mars Jam. Nice but short and before you know it they roll back around to the Viola again WOW! I never get tired of this awesome Tune. Then with some Jethro Jamming they roll into a nasty little Mtn.Jam. Short again damn it, but it made for a nice transition into Night of a 1000 Stars, “Writing mad sonnets in the midnight park, Leaving tracks of tears for her Watermark”, Amazing lyrics from Hunter and a pleasure to listen to as it evolves over time. Still jamming and transitioning we get a surprise of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. This version of LSD is so Cool, the way they taper out of the tune and into the jammy tranny to follow is Freaky Deaky Coolness for sure. Then to follow it up with the Incredible can’t get enough of it Mason’s Children Ohhh MY, Warren and Jimmy simply cook in this version! Drifting out of the Mason’s before you know it we come round to the Wheel. Now this was one sweet ride but the very ODD placement of the Other One Coda & Cryp Blip to follow in the middle of this tune was weird (Some Rolling Thunder placed into the Wheel for effect perhaps?). Something I’ll have to chew through a few times to understand a little better. Last but not least we are treated to another of Warrens nicer Jerry tunes, Sugaree, a good choice to close the show for me, loved it.

The Casey Jones was a nice hard drivin’ tune to finish off the night. A good choice for the head when thinking about the long drive ahead to reach Finger Lakes. (Which I’m verrry sorry I didn’t attend, missed the HTH which I have waited 20 years for)

The After show Party- I tried to find Cryp & the boy’s grill fest with Jill and Sideshow Bob but had no luck finding them. So I went back to the truck and hung with the Philzone staff until they chased us from the lot rather rudely. I had chosen not to go to the Finger Lakes show and instead drove 21/2 hours somewhere deep in the heart of New Jersey to the Philzone Bunker, for a three day festival of Jackedness not seen by me for a while. All info from this gathering is confidential and I would be in fear for what may happen to my offspring if I were divulge the goings on there. However I will tell the tale of the Sando exchange……

On the way to the Philzone Bunker we shared passengers so I wouldn’t get lost, so in the Tapemobile there was Schnee & myself in the Jeep was Bret & Shakergirl. So here we are travelling at a cool 90 mph at 2:00 am after drinking a few Hop pops in the lot and more than my fair share of herbal refreshment. Now this is a high tech crew, taping rigs, cell phones & even radios so we played with all of them during the ride. After about an hour we realized we were hungry and Schnee remembered that she had a killer NY sandwich in the other car (Sando is Philzonian for sandwich). Much discussion was made as to how we would get it to the Tapemobile, stopping at some point down the road. However I had other thoughts and before you knew it we were all on the same page.
Bret was on the phone with someone & so was Schnee, I noticed a very straight section of the road coming up and made my move. Speeding up to catch Brett I’m now along side the Jeep. Bret has to wake the sleeping Shaker, within moments she’s shaken off the sleep and is ready for the “Hando of the Sando”. Slowing down to 60 to 65 mph. & rolling down my window preparing for the exchange, Schnee is cracking up at the response from her caller as she tells them about what is going on at that moment. Shaker is ready, I’m ready, One swerve to the jeep to check things out and then the attempt 1rst try I missed, but it’s all good. This provokes wild laughter & shouting into the phone from my companion and as I looked into the other vehicle a see the same going on over there.
The 2nd try was more serious, I locked onto shakers eyes with a lazer beam intensity, now we are ready slowly I moved towards the Jeep and grab the bag, shaker released and the Hando of the Sando was a complete success. This caused wild fits of laughter from all, there was hand waving, fists pumping, revving of motors, and crazy reports to the callers on the cellys. Pandemonium. In a crazy celebration we forget the sando for the moment. Once it was time to get down to business Schnee opens the bag only to find that Shaker had passed us a bag of trash instead of the Celebrated Sando. Which in turn caused even more fits of laughter, I tell you folks it was too much.

Christ! I almost forgot the sjf Factor!

Crypy kicks me his ticket for some second half fun down in the pricy seats and who do I find in the seat in front of me? sjf.

So he says"where's your glassy?"~~~~~~~~~After 15 mins. of packing and speedbowling I finally have to say "Whoa!!!!!,What are you tring to do make my eyes bleed or something?"

Thanks. Do it again anytime my friend!

Tapecat
a). I really dug that Lucy in the Sky as well. Totally cool mood change. (Do you think a Lucy in the Sky > Loose Lucy segue would work ??)
b). Errie when Warren sings the Brent and Windwood tunes - its like he's them! Say, has anyone ever seen Warren in the same room with Winwood or Brent ....

"the sjf factor" LOL...you slay me dude...
by jove my good man you were so bloodied in Hartford it lasted bloody well into the SPAC event...any bloomin time we can spend a jolly good tea time in good cheer is time well spent my friend!

hmmmm haven't seen warren in a room with pigpen, any of the beatles, or otis redding either....the plot thickens..

Trust me

i had to pull a "no mas" myself after the sjf factor rocked me

I went to this show and it was great had third row center.I just went to the Palace theater show and if anybody has any bootlegs would you please put them on this site.