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ZONE
OUT with The ROLLING RIDER
This
Week: Roaming the West
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RE: 2.9.01,
Fillmore, Denver, CO.
Phans,
Rolling
Rider here, truly awestruck by a brilliant performance of Phil and Friends
at their 'home away from home'. Heck, it's getting to the point where
the Denver PHilmore may very well BE home. Before Phil's organ donor rap
the following night, he actually proclaimed boisterously,"I love this
place! I'm going to come back here ALL the time!".
Undoubtedly, many a head wandered out onto Colfax Avenue in the stinging cold thinking the very same thing. Due to delays caused by everything from phederal marshalls, to at least 150 phrozen phingers still up in the air for a miracle at showtime, the JAM>HALFSTEP functioned as some kind of opening processional hymn.
Warren set the tone with a soulful version of SMOKESTACK, including some pigpenesque improvision on the lyrics. Then, they band ripped into SHAKEDOWN STREET, which literally had the Philmore looking like the 'bouncy plastic castle' room at sesame place. Kinesthetic pandemonium. To my recollection, this was the first time Phil gave the big 'gracias' to Denver in the form of the coveted Shaker. Jimmy Herring, methodic and flawless leads being his modus operandi, had a ball with the this number. 'It's not because you missed out, on a thing that we had to start' was of course apropos for many a late arriver.
Rob Barracco never ceases to amaze me, nailing complex lyrics, and providing a brilliant mesh of different key styles, both humble and thunderous. RAMBLE ON ROSE, his first moment in the spotlight friday and a highlight for this rabbit, had everyone grinning ear-to-ear. Yes, amen,the grass AIN'T greener either side of the hill. BROKEN ARROW, however, simply had to be the shocker of the night. The tune has completely transformed. You haven't heard Broken Arrow, until you've heard it as a resounding harmony from Phil AND Warren. You'll have to hear this one to believe it. The colorado faithful, 40% snowboard bums, 40% skiiers, and the other 20% probably married, were surely waiting with bated breath for the COLD RAIN AND SNOW. They got it alright, a set-closing, roaring joyride with Warren absolutely exploding on the guitar. Taking the lead, purely riding the wave created by the lunar pull and tide of the phans, had me (tongue-in-cheek but dead serious) quipping, 'Jerry who?'.
Now, now, just kidding. It's just that Warren is such a grate, grate 'friend'. 'nuff said. A searching JAM opened up the second set, prelude to a rollicking version of HELP>SLIP>FRANKLINS which kicked things into high gear. Rob then reached for the gold ring with CRAZY FINGERS, but the carousel, in my mind, was had yet to yield the true gems of the night. NOT FADE AWAY tore the roof off as usual, but on this night, the falling action and resolution simply made the tale. FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN is always a crowd-pleaser in these parts, and friday night was no exception. The fire gospel rang true, as the more that you give, the more it WILL take, to the thin line we're on...how true. The second set closed with one of the strongest versions of MORNING DEW I've seen in many years. Poignant, at once beautiful and haunting, powered by the trademark BASS. Phil's voice sounded it's best of the night, and this messianic moment had me reeling...'Where have all the people gone, today?'.
After going in and out of the Wheel jam about 46 times in the first set, a seismic version of the WHEEL as an encore was like a ribbon of gold wrapping up what proved to be an exquisite homecoming gift. In what seemed to be an impromptu first verse of THE OTHER ONE, Warren and Jimmy burned up the strings as Phil did what he always seems to do: chug away immortally on the bass. The jam eventually melted back into the WHEEL, solidifing it as the 'theme' of the night.
'a
little bit harder, just a little bit more,
a little bit further than you've gone before'
roaming on,
Your
Rolling Rider
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