It's already 10AM and no one's started this thread yet? I guess no one has wireless in the lot ;) Since I called Eyes and Franklin's last night, to my (and Jill's) despair since I wasn't there, I'm going to make a wishful prediction and say this is going to be another incredible show.

And as always, All Hail TaperRob!

I cant wait for tongiht!! really hope they tear it apart tongiht.

Thanks for the "shout out" Anna. I'm still kicking myself for not going last night! Looking for a ticket right now and will be there will bell's on tonight!

Lets hope for another good one... Can anyone tell me how to get into the parking lot instead of being shuffled into the parking deck? A friend of mine went last night and said they were sending everyone into the parking deck.

In order to get into the parking lot instead of the parking garages: First say no to the guy directing you into the parking garages, and he will say drive straight on and stay to the right. Don't stay to the right, cause this will take you to Giants Stadium, and that is a hike in order to get to the venue. Instead take the left and this will bring you around and into one of the lot you would most definitely wanna be in. Be nice to the ushers, and they won't hassle you. Gotta love the Dead!

Some rise, some fall to get to Terrapin.....

izod

Something smells like an acoustic set is in the brew tonight!

Perhaps a Jack A Roe, Deep Elem Blues, Operator?

Dude, the only thing that smells are the Wookies in the lot!

Very true, could be the fresh cedar I've widdled! I hope they stay in the lot!

Touch Of Gray

Well, I had planned to make an end-run to this show, but (and I love her) THE WIFE ruled that one out, with comments about waiting until this weekend, 2 shows, etc. etc......so, I went and played golf instead and shot an 84, pretty good score for me! I won $9.00 as well. So that makes for The Greatest Story Ever Told to be in the show tonight. I'll just have to enjoy it vicariously through the magic of Taper Rob and the delayed "live feed".

taperrob...in the front of the house?

Pride

The Dead
4/29/09
Izod Center
E. Rutherford, NJ


Touch Of Gray
Pride
Crazy Fingers*

*w/ Branford

Crazy Fingers

taperob is so amazing. hope you are at the show in los angeles. would love to say thanks in person.

I could go home happy after Touch of Gray. But I'm not going anywhere If they play Terrapin I'lll poop my pants.

Deal

set 1:
Touch,Pride,*Crazy,*Music,*Deal,*Days Between(Warren vox)
*with Branford

Days Between - we saw that in Worcester night one, nice!

This show is fucking hot IMO. So much energy.

*Casey Jones

Casey

Will there be a live feed from Taper Rob tonight?

that's it for set 1

I am to Taper Rob as a crack addict is to a $20.00 piece.

Oh Taper Rob, Where fore art thou Taper Rob? Robert? Bobby? Rob-A-Roo?

That's cute TRH

Hold your breath...it may be about to come on...don't breathe yet!

You can breath now, false alarm - it's David Gans show.

This show looks HOT on paper so far .. . nice set list. . . whats with Sirius only broadcasting 1 show so far ?!

set 1 listen here> www.live365.com/stations/2012_live

The station is full-up!! WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH

can't you upload to megaupload.com or something free that doesn't require a C.C. ?

just started on gdradio.net!

These aren't "uploads" persay, more like streaming audio, at least that's the way I understand it, what he is doing...

YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH WAY TO GO TAPER ROB!!!!!

Thanks for the heads-up, John Green!!

set 2 opener: CC Rider

tog sounds good, like WH and BW vocals!!!

cool. . i went with 5 day free trial . .listening to "crazy" thanks taperrob. . you the best !

Taperrob Thank you Brother. I'm sure you have kind help but I can't thank you for your commitment to excelence and to feed your family the music we are all addicted to!

Myles

Oh baby, they are playing my song THE PRIDE OF CUCAMONGA whoa whoa whao

second set opener: UJB

So I think I'll drift down where it's at, where the weed grows green and fine, and wrap myself around a bushel of that bright whoa, oh, Oaxaca vine.......

WTF UJB or CC

sorry, it's def. UJB

Sitting On Top Of The World (Warren)

"There a band beyond description" yeah Rob !! why can't Sirius fulfill our needs ?

"The Grateful Dead Station" my ass. ..they've broad casted 1 show so far . . . mean while we got heads on the inside busting their ass to stream a 56k feed during set break

UJB>SOTOTW

is there a full house tonight? i know they cut tix $$$ to these 2 shows?

Doin' That Rag (Warren)

Sitting - Doing That Rag

SOTOTW

Pink is out for SOTOTW!

thanks for the clarification .. lol .. mu crusty ol' brain couldn't remember sototw = sitting . .whew

Many thanks Taper Rob - sound is great and we all apreciate the great lengths you have been going through to bring home the bacon!! Have a great rest of the show!!

I don't know about you guys, but my ears are telling me that Warren's wawa is sounding sweeter every night

please can we get the 2nd set streamed (too)

live365
gdradio

Taperrob = portable multimedia broadcast unit !!
much love bro !!

crazy w/ branford.

i agree steve he sounds less and less like "allman brother warren"!!

Ramble On Rose

The Dead
4/29/09
Izod Center
E. Rutherford, NJ


Set I:
touch
pride of cucamoga
crazy fingers*
music never stopped*
deal*
days between*
casey jones*


Set II:
sitting on top of the world
doin that rag*
ramble on rose*





* = Branford Marsalis

so we got

UJB
Sitting
Doin That Rag
He's Gone

?

can someone put the list together? I can't tell what's list from what's prediction....

i thought ?

My list is correct - the rest is guesses

I thought UJB was set opener

Not according to Taper Rob

Don't you just love catching Captain Obvious with his wrist limp?

BTW. .listening to this nights "Days Between" sung by Warren is far more convincing than Bobs @ Worcester 4/18 IMHO (maybe it's Branford's horn ?)

The Dead
4/29/09
Izod Center
E. Rutherford, NJ


Set I:
touch
pride of cucamoga
crazy fingers*
music never stopped*
deal*
days between*
casey jones*


Set II:
sitting on top of the world
doin that rag*
ramble on rose*
terrapin*




* = Branford Marsalis

>>Wrist Limp

????? WTF

i was wondering that too Capt?

yea . .you got me ?. .. maybe a reference to masturbation ? i dunno. .don't care

I think Bob nailed Days better but Branford and the whole band are on a different planet than Worcester

BTW. .listening to this nights "Days Between" sung by Warren is far more convincing than Bobs @ Worcester 4/18 IMHO (maybe it's Branford's horn ?)

It's the horn
I liked Bobby's version better (live is always better, nuh?)

Hey now, Worcester was awesome, both nights, but you are correct: New Jersey is a planet unto itself

Set 2:
Sitting On Top Of The World
*Doin' That Rag
*Ramble On Rose
*Lady With A Fan>
^Branford Jam>
Drumz

*=w/Branford Marsalis
^=Jeff, Branford, Billy & Mickey

The Dead
4/29/09
Izod Center
E. Rutherford, NJ


Set I:
touch
pride of cucamoga
crazy fingers*
music never stopped*
deal*
days between*
casey jones*


Set II:
sitting on top of the world
doin that rag*
ramble on rose>*
lady With A fan>*
^branford jam>
drumz
space>*
the wheel*


* = Branford Marsalis
^=Jeff, Branford, Billy & Mickey

The Wheel

looks like Branford was there for pretty much the whole show eh ?

The Dead
4/29/09
Izod Center
E. Rutherford, NJ


Set I:
touch
pride of cucamoga
crazy fingers*
music never stopped*
deal*
days between*
casey jones*


Set II:
sitting on top of the world
doin that rag*
ramble on rose>*
lady With A fan>*
^branford jam>
drumz
space>*
the wheel>*
terrapin*


* = Branford Marsalis
^=Jeff, Branford, Billy & Micke

"while the bass player's lights a glow .. strange shadows from the flames will grow . . " lol. . . that bass is sick !!

../287255/612710.jpg

The Dead
4/29/09
Izod Center
E. Rutherford, NJ


Set I:
touch
pride of cucamoga
crazy fingers*
music never stopped*
deal*
days between*
casey jones*


Set II:
sitting on top of the world
doin that rag*
ramble on rose>*
lady with a fan>*
^branford jam>
drumz
space>*
the wheel>*
terrapin>*
i know you rider


* = Branford Marsalis
^=Jeff, Branford, Billy & Mickey

i know you rider*

Gerry, I love the way Jorma does it also GMTA (great minds think alike)
Myles

My buddy is at the show. He said they tore the roof off the place at this one!!!! IKYR was EXTRAORDINARY!

are we waiting for encore ?
hello *tap tap* is this thing on ?

E:woman are smarter

All topics > other stuff > 4/29/09 - MeadowBrendanContinentalIzodLands Updates
for complete listings.

The Dead
4/29/09
Izod Center
E. Rutherford, NJ


Set I:
touch
pride of cucamoga
crazy fingers*
music never stopped*
deal*
days between*
casey jones*


Set II:
sitting on top of the world
doin that rag*
ramble on rose>*
lady with a fan>*
^branford jam>
drumz
space>*
the wheel>*
terrapin>*
i know you rider

encore
donor rap
women are smarter*

* = Branford Marsalis
^=Jeff, Branford, Billy & Mickey

Wow.

wow indeed...bet it was smokin!

night and day

Inspiration, move me brightly
light the song with sense and color,
hold away despair!

First off- wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!
That said tnite was the thing. Not a close relative of the thing or a cuzin of the thing but the thing I aint heard or felt since 73. Jams bustin out a nowhere great glorious dead- you forget how good it can be.
Meanwhile back on earth did they have to feel u up like that on the way in? Me and the Missus bought these 2 really kool homemade posters fgrom this dude near the entrance. They didnt want to let us in with em!!! Thankfully the security guy saw reason and let us pass. Anybody catch the name of that poster artist?? His stuff was way original.

Again simply magic from get to go!! What a night!

set 2 streaming on http://www.gdradio.net/

just started

Just got back. Great time. Drums & Space is AMAZING, especially w/ Branford. First set was nice, Jeff tore it down on Deal. Terrapin>IKYR was fantastic. Just amazing. Still glowing of happiness.

Just in from the show. Notes:

crazy fingers - sublime with branford's alto on top. A+

music never stopped - Great placement - tempo too slow. Kick it up guys!

deal - well done. everyone had a solo that took the energy level up a notch. bm was playing some nasty sax throughout

days between - whoa! major roadbump after Deal. The arena was a cocktail party. However, I guarantee this will sound fantastic as a standalone track. Jeff C gets props for switching to the B3 for a hymnal feel and rocking the Leslie's.

Set II:
Just before Set 2, Warren's roadie took away his songbook and setlist and came back a few minutes later with new info. Perhaps the opener was added:

sitting on top of the world - cumberland-like guitar. wh was ripping and bobby was on point.

ramble on rose - crowd favorite. reflected back to spring 88 when Jerry sang the crap out of this one in same venue. wh and bw switching verses was interesting

^branford jam> drumz - I will definitely listen to this drum suite many times forward

i know you rider - crowd goes absolutely nuts! harmonies are solid.

E: For an NJ venue with major surrounding construction:

That's right! Leaving is Smarter
_________________

All in all:
My favorite song of the run was 'Milestones'. I can't remember the last time I heard Phil play hard bop bass. He was driving the ship - the drummers shined in their spot in the song.

My favorite show in attendance was 3/29/90. I could not help comparing the duplicate songs from night 1: Eyes, Estimated, Dark Star, Bird Song, Lovelight.

The current band is firing on all cylinders. Name a year after 1970 where 3 1/2 hours = 14 songs.

Reflecting on Jerry in Nassau 90: a raised eyebrow, a sly smile and a competitive edge made the inclusion of Branford a special kind of magic which keeps us going show after show.

Branford added so much over this run that I am thankful to the boys for giving me the opportunity to relive those memories 19 years later.

fun times

"yes,tons text and said Branford came in on doin that rag towards the end"

well, the end was about twice as long as the rest of the song...it could be a contender for jam of the tour, or at least out of the five I saw > nassau - MSG - meadowlands II - gramercy - roseland...somewhat awesome

I enjoyed the show very much, and would rank it third of the three full shows...but it did have some great moments...

last minute decision to go was a good one, as $53 tickets were available at the box office...was able to find an unused aisle first row seat in section 128, where the sound and sight lines were excellent...difficult to get through the door, but no one checking once down there...I assume I claimed a seat that the brokers weren't able to resell...

another poor song breakdown:

Set I:
touch - solid start but the third one I've seen on this tour

pride of cucamoga - nice

crazy fingers* - nice, but branford low in the mix on soprano at first

music never stopped* again, nice

deal* - smoking...very nice contributions from branford

days between* - really well done, I liked it, but definitely a slower number, which affected the crowd...that said, the guy next to me almost lost his mind when he heard it (agree with above comment...will probably sound insane on the SBD as a stand-alone track)

casey jones* - nice


Set II:

sitting on top of the world - really cool, but almost too clean, or something with the mix...but I still enjoyed it

doin that rag* - killer...branford came out midway and the jam was stellar...real high energy, great vocal harmonies at end coming out of the jam...as much as I like rob, he was not missed on rag...

ramble on rose>* nice, crowd really into it

lady with a fan>* nice, again big favorite of crowd

drums*> spacey intro w/ chimenti and branford, funky soul lock-groove, which was cool but then went on too long...the aforementioned "political" voice samples were present...rush limbaugh on racism? anyway, it was "eh", and I enjoyed the nassau and MSG segments much more, as they had much weirder stuff going on, and vocal samples that sounded like foreign languages backwards...bill and mickey then did some drums proper, which was pretty cool...the big suspended drums and billy on the kit...big drums stayed up entire show, probably because the rear was curtained off and no view to block

space>* weir first one back with mickey, cool skroinky echoey stuff, joined by branford...phil teased the wheel, then they went back into spacey stuff, then the wheel bassline came back...he had the lights on


" If so, we might have gotten Dew in the middle of Terrapin tonight instead of The Wheel."

after the first wheel bass tease, the band could have easily gone elsewhere...sounded and looked to me like phil really wanted the band to go into the wheel, hence the second more forceful bass line which lead into the full tune...


the wheel>* nice

terrapin>* nice out of the wheel

i know you rider* - I really enjoyed this and thought it was jamming and rocking


Encore
donor rap

women r smarter* - really cool to hear this, high energy, and I'm glad we got this instead of aiko

* = Branford Marsalis

overall, very nice show to complement last night...

random notes...took me less than an hour to get home, but close to two to get there...cross bronx expressway was the most insane I've ever seen it...was afraid the van was going to overheat ha ha...kept getting off exits and reentering...probably saved about 20 minutes that way...

I didn't see so much of the nasty lot negatives lites described, although the nitrous is awful and clearly there are large numbers of people out there who are either going to be dead or straight up fucked in the near future...

on the positive...lots of musicians performing, including some band from SF in a big white school bus by the name of sugarfeather or something...that is almost certainly wrong, but they rocked and had a great late 60s pysch vibe going on...

I had to park on the very top floor of the garage...great view but I'd have preferred a lot...

despite the empty seats, venue did not really have an empty feel...nice crowd, mainly nice attitudes...up top filled in as the show progressed...

regarding warren's guitar tone...with the leslie and some of the slide work, I'm hearing "echoes" of early 70s floyd...

in conclusion, wish I could have made last night instead, but really glad I decided to go tonight and feel it was an energetic and well-played show, even if not up to last night's level...

for those who care...
set 2 now streaming here>

www.live365.com/stations/2012_live

Just got back. It had its moments, but couldn't hold a candle to last night. While I'm sure lots of it will sound great on tape, it lacked transportational energy. Just imagine 15,000 people (yes, very far from sold out) watching a decent Terrapin. Know what I mean? Not 15,000 people rising, falling and climbing to get to Terrapin...just watching.

I couldn't hear the Days Between for all the chattering around me. Warren's vocals sounded nice though. His singing has a lot of musicality. It also has a lot of personality when he's singing and not reading. On the other hand, Bobby seems to have developed a disturbing affectation nowadays of rapidly speaking two measures of vocals into two notes instead of singing them over the full two measures in a musical way. The rushed cadences are very unmusical. Haven't been following Rat Dog. Don't know if this is new or has been going on for a while. Maybe he just hasn't had anyone around him for a while to say, "Dude, that sounds bad, why are you doing it like that?" I don't know. Likewise, as ever, Bob's "rewrites" and new vocal interpretations are unwelcome "never stopped, never stopped, no the music never stopped, etc.". As I've said before, my pet peeve for the tour is "alternating lines suck!" Hey guys, your all 60ish...grow the fuck up. You don't need to share the vocals like they're a bag of marbles. What makes you think that that's the best way to serve the music and the songs?...Not that they listen to me.

Everything Branford added was golden. Wailing solo in IKYR.

nice accelerando to end casey jones.

sitting on top of the world & doin that rag didn't seem to really engage the crowd much.

ramble on rose was decent. Nice, but expectation defying. You could tell there was some "isn't that a 1st set tune?" going on instead of just digging it for itself.

lady with a fan seemed to peter out. I guess they planned to split it up anyway.

branford/chimenti jam with drumz was nice again.
nice but not too long space
the wheel was pretty solid, but there were some uncertain areas like where Phil wanted to make room for Branford to play, etc. Not sure how it will sound on tape.

terrapin - see above.
i know you rider - see above. I guess it was pretty solid. It's just the difference between the crowd following the ques "wish I was a headlight=time to cheer" vs. everyone sort of levitating on a pillow of pure joy with the exultation naturally peaking during the "sun gonna shine" moments. You know, I'm trying to talk about X factor stuff and that alway sounds stupid. If you know what I'm trying to say then you know what I'm trying to say and if you don't

women are smarter* was a nice choice. Nice to hear it after so many years.

Still waiting big time for a Gimme Some Lovin', Wharf Rat (Warren), Keep on Growin' & Lucy in The Sky.

I think the tour heads were a little winded tonight.Some aweful hacking in the lot as many kids are gettin real sick.

The first set was amazing, one of the best I have seen. Touch was much better than Nassau and they really played out Pride of Cucamonga.

When Branford cam out for Crazy Fingers, it was perfect. I could hear him fine in the mix.
The Music was rockin, except Bobby did that "naw" thing at the end.

Deal was much better than Albany, Branford took an excellent solo and Days was really good with Branford again added some cool textural sounds.
Then they blew the doors open on Casey Jones, which was far better than Albany.Nice long vocal ending.
The vibe inside was relaxed and easy to get around. I really liked the start of the 2nd set and especially Doin' That Rag, Ramble on Rose was great but many of the tour kids were sitting down around us.They were pooped.

Terrapin was nice but I went into the halls with my lady friend, who was working a booth.
We went to the floor for the post space which was very nice and they blew the hinges off on INYK, between Branford, Jeff and Warren they totally played it out.Phil sounded great the entire night.
Women was great and a nice ending.
Shakedown was gettin busted down early, many were already gone after the show, and then they started coming in and saying it was time to high tail it.

Many folks were talking about Adam Katz during the break and after the show which I thought was very appropiate and I thought they did Rider for him.
What stuck out for me this show was how tight the band was, granted last night was huge but tonite was well played and fun.

A nice sleeper show, it will sound good on tape.

I think it is safe to say Philly is gettin the Dew. I hope on Friday when I am there too.
Happy Trails

who was Adam?

Adam Katz was a kid that was killed by the security goons at this arena on 10/14/89.

for those who care...
set 2 now streaming here>

www.live365.com/stations/2012_live

TAPER ROB - WE REALLY DO CARE !!!! Thanks so much!!

CAPTAIN OBVIOUS - IT WAS A GOLF REFERENCE; SORRY THAT YOU DIDN'T "GET IT". Gotta keep hat left wrist stiff, bro. Fore!

WeWantPhil's review pretty much summed it up for me. When Pride Of Cucaminga is the highlight of the show, you know it just wasn't firing. They played well, it sounded good, had some great moments but was just lacking energy in my opinion.

I was really hoping for a big Terrapin before the show and got a small one instead. It didn't really go anywhere and lacked magic.

So, I'm not being negative, just not super positive.

i thought last night was excellent
after really enjoying tiesday nights i kind of had my doubts
i heard pretty much every song i expected to with branford save terrapin on tuesday nights
so i did think there was a possibility of wednesday being a throw away show and a clunker
luckily we woke up so stoked that we went again

let me say that the lot scene was a complete 180 from the first night
they either cracked down on the tanks or the mafia sold so much they ran out
either was the scene was much more mellow and much much more fun and we were VERY HAPPY for that

basically missed the opener AGAIN
jersey shows are really rough because i run into so many people that it takes me forever to get in
mental note to self: start heading in at 6:30 because stopping to chat with folks i havent seen in years takes up some time

again, i thought the song selection was great
i was unsure what they would do with branford as i thought they threw almost everything but the kitchen sink out the first night

pride>crazy fingers>music>deal i thought was off the charts. bobby was GOOD and had some fire in the belly I thought. Pride is pride of course and ya GOTTA love that, least I do anyway. But the fingers>music>deal was well played and had A LOT of energy and people were stoked. they jammed, they rocked, and they had the upper deck bouncing and folks were having a really good time which was addictive.

im a days between fan and it was eerie and slow but definitely a downer after the upbeat buildup from fingers to deal. i wound up sitting down and smoking out during days. enjoyed it but it was the breather of the first set. casey jones to close it and i liked how again they ended the set on an upbeat tempo. seems to carry over through set break and i was digging on that the last two nights. lots of fun the first set and folks were up and dancing and singing along. just some good ole fashioned dead fun.

again we went nowhere at the break as the crowds were insane. not worth trying to take a piss or get a beer cuz the lines were so long.

2nd set SOTOTW was a great choice and had a very nice groove. really rocking and uptempo and the energy build up was pretty sweet. Doing That Rag was awesome and one of my favorites so I was stoked to hear it. Definitely made me think of Barraco as I think he OWNS that song. It was good and once again I was very happy with the song selection.

Rag>Ramble and again I was very happy. I was hoping to hear a ramble on rose and it was well done and kept up the momentum into Lady With A Fan and then the drums space with b ranford and jeff jamming for parts of it were very cool. again, i love branford and thought he was excellent and on the stage a hell of a lot last night. he doesnt just step in and step all over everyone but it a lot more intricate with his playing and i really enjoy it. i definitely think he helps set the bar and the band responds but of course YMMV.

Wheel>Terrapin>Rider ya knew we were gonna get a wheel and a terrapin and away we go. again bobby seemed more focused tonight to me or maybe after having a great time for two nights i am more forgiving. unsure of the exact reason but i thought he was focused and lively and i had an absolute blast. tough NOT to like wheel>terrapin i dont care who ya are. rider was good energy and the crowd was wayyyyyyyyyyyyy into it. lots of energy last night so the emptiness and the curtains didnt bother me so much i guess. folks were rocking the fuck out.

after that high charger phil comes out and speaks of COMMUNITY and MAGIC and once again, right on, right on phil!!!!!

hmmmmm encore??? what could it be??? opening riffs and everyone is thinking aiko but it had a different feel. Women Smarter!!!! another excellent song selection and a great way to do things a lil differently and keep it fresh and interesting!!!!

two days in jersey and i thought we got two fantastic shows. tuesday was phenomenal and last night was very very good. different and more rowdy and rocking but again i had an absolute fucking blast.

back to the car and out with no hassles. none of the super sketchy scene that bummed me out the first night and we zipped home in record time. im a lil sunburned and my legs are killing me but i have a smile a mile wide. these shows far exceeded my expectations and im glad we pulled the trigger.

good times, good times.

http://www.archive.org/details/thedead2009-04-29.krall.flac16

strangefeather:

Great reviews above. I thought it was just me - some of the songs were great and reminded me of yesteryear, but I just wasn't feeling that old time energy in the arena the way I hoped it would be. It was also a little bit of a buzz kill (no pun intended) to see the kids staggering around in the parking lot before the show.

Branford Marsalis' playing was off the charts!!!

Onward to Philly where I know the Spectrum will be rocking!

OK...Lemme give this opinion thing a stab. :-)

I really had a blast last night. I haven't
seen any 'Dead' projects for a number of years.
I'd read the positive reviews of this tour.
And then Branford's billing sealed the deal for me.

I was definitely not blown away by the first
set...although I had lots of fun. My concerns
about this lineup were showing up. Darn, I
love Warren's voice...but then, his guitar
tone often sounds very brittle to me. He's
a powerful blues-rock guitar player...but I
prefer a more melodic, jazzy guitar player
in that slot. (Opinions, Opinions...) Mickey
and Billy...they often sound sleepy to me.
John Molo has reinvented the way I want
this material to sound. (More opinions...)
And they played that 'Music Never Stopped'
and it was SO SLOW and BORING. (I really
ended up loving this show...just stay with me, please.) :-)

There were wonderful jams in Crazy Fingers.
Branford was amazing. Soloing over the verse
chord progression, he was improvising new,
amazingly beautiful melodies with each new
pass of the progression. I was thinking...
now if only Warren could do that. Then Branford
and Jeff really hammered the band up a notch
with a very exciting 'Deal.' 'Days Between'
was startlingly beautiful with Warren's
emotive vocals. I was SURROUNDED by loud
talking people throughout the song. I feigned
libertarian coolness but inside I was thinking...
Don't you hear the beauty that Hunter's laying
out here and that Garcia smelted into being with his
tears and emotion?! :-) Ok...back to the show.
Casey-Jones was Casey Jones...Fun, rockin'
with a bang up ending.

So at setbreak, I thought...well this is it...
a nice, good time, fun act of nostalgia.
OK, cool. I can dig that...

The 2nd set was a whole other animal to me.
Something 'gelled' and they seemed like a
different band. 'Top of the World' got the place
off to a high-energy start. But it was 'Doin' that Rag' that
really had me perking up and paying deeper
attention. I wanna hear the songs sound good.
I wanna have a dancing, good time. But really...
the reason why I'm here and what I'm interested
in is levitation inducing group improvisation...
The magic! And wow...it really came out
during that jam. Dare I say...Grateful Dead-like
openness and spaciousness and fluidity and liquidity
arrived in the music. Mickey and Billy REALLY
hit their stride and the music just lifted up onto
this completely other level. Branford was brilliant
in this patchwork playground and he was smiling
and dancing...and really seemed engaged.

So basically...I realy dug the show in a
heavy way from 'Doin that rag' on. As
people have said...the place was going
nuts for 'Ramble on Rose'. The first
half of 'Terrapin' was executed beautifully.
The Mickey-Billy-Branford-Jeff Quartet
was really surprising and fun for me. They
were veering into some hip-hop'ish territory
and then even into some electronic/techno'ish
sounds started creeping in. Branford was
LEADING the whole thing and it felt really
spontaneous and exciting to my ears.

Space was EVIL and Phil dominated with his
monstrous, distorted bass. Branford
was squonking with a free-jazz fervor.
It was beautiful, chaotic, noise. The segue
back into 'The Wheel' was extended and lovely.
They played that song real well...again with
patient, spacious, group oriented jamming.
The segue back into the end of 'Terrapin'
was thrilling and they blew the roof off
with 'IKYR.' 'Man Smart Woman Smarter' was a
fun send off. I would have rather heard 'Iko'
and Branford played that melody anyway.
It's in his New Orleans blood.

We were seated just behind the stage and
the sound was great. Even better was watching
the interaction between the musicians on stage.
They really seemed to be having a blast.

I only wish I was seeing more. I'm very
excited to start digging into the tapes from
the other shows. I've been a pretty partisan
Phil&Friends fan...but it really seems these
old boys actually have something left to say.

Great fun!

Todd - I thought there was a curtain blocking off the seating behind the stage?

Yes...there was a curtain blocking off right
behind the stage. We were in the corner on the
Phil side. Nice view and sound there...

For those who said the show lacked energy, I couldn't disagree more. Ironically, the only thing that was a tiny bit disappointing for me, energy wise, was Terrapin. It was the one song I really wanted to hear, and I was expecting a little more energy when they returned to it. I think Warren or even Phil should sing that one instead of Bob, but Bob certainly had his moments throughout the night I hate being yet another person with two cents to throw in, but if I had any suggestions, it would be for Bobby to play guitar more and sing less. I think he is more underrated on guitar than he is overrated on vocals.

Anyway, I had a freakin' blast. I had my coffee and my water for the second night which helped me stay pumped up. The whole first set was on fire, and I thought Branford added a lot more to this show than Tuesday night's. Loved Ramble, Terrapin, and IKYR from the second set, and the space with Branford was outstanding.

All in all, I was really impressed, and out of the dozen or so Phil/Bob/Dead shows I've seen, last night's was quite possibly my favorite, and certainly the most exciting.

If I had bad seats at the venue I always went behind the stage. You could always find a great seat and the sound was always good (except in '85 when they turned off the speakers two songs into the first set! Both nights!).

I had a woman tell me her biggest secret
I saw Trooper's inside filming people thru a corporate skybox in the 200's
I went upstairs and found the dancers
I found what I was looking for

Even if these guys never played again
It's not over
This music has some legs

No shite - Joy
There was joy there

I really am beside myself..Got nothing to say other than the music was challenging at times

Many folks had smiles on their faces

We got a miracle beer which is better than a ticket any day

Some lady bit me (in a sexy way honie baby)as she walked up the stairs and she spoke in broken sentences and smelled like Cinnamon

THe music was great

Memorable - Thanx to everyone involved

Here is a pic of the band that was playing in the lot...Strangefeather ? Anyway, good setup & good music for the scene before.

The show was an up & down affair for me.

The "blues jam in the middle of Pride was cool, but the in & out of it was WAY rough, way rough. Highlight of the first set for me was the Crazy Fingers, very nice jamming going on. Days Between was an absolute train wreck imho and killed the set for me, total bummer.

SOTOTW was sweet and Rag had a wonderful jam in it. Highlight for me was the jam>drumspace segment which I thought was way too short as it was the most interesting piece of improv I had heard the whole night. The rest of set was nice but nothing that took me "there."

I will say that folks who don't know the words and try to sing need to STFU, folks who smoke really shitty weed that smells like straw burning, need to quit smoking pot AND the toolbag cig smokers need to hold the fuck off and light up AFTER the show, sheesh o cripes I was gagging. Understand also that I quit on 2/23/2009, so I might be alittle bias here, but damm dudes, I could hold for a few hours when I did smoke, so it ain't hard, think of the people around you, oh wait that IS the fucking problem, you don't think ;-)

See yinz on Saturday ...

^^^^^^^^^
It's a rock concert. Grow a pair.