October 24, 1999
- Phil put some serious pressure
on the Rolling Rider as far as 'tying things together' (as he did so artfully
saturday night), but I’ll roll up my shirt sleeves and give my best shot...
Friday night's show began soft and gentle, with Phil and Friends taking
the stage still in deep thought from the previous night. The tune up was
a spacey probing into what would become a simply ethereal STELLA BLUE.
Bathed in pink light, Phil literally cringed as Kimock's malleable slide
bent to find the hidden note. Billy Payne sounded wonderful on keys, and
helped Phil transition into a delicate BOX OF RAIN. Phil echoed our thoughts,
explaining, 'feel your way like the day before'...this version of BOX
had a new vocal nuance throughout, as Phil sang the chorus- 'see you...see
you through'. Albeit surprising we received STELLA without 'WISH YOU WERE
HERE', a soft bassy jam became MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON, and Phil wondered
aloud, 'Tom, where did you go?'. MOUNTAINS is a tune where Phil exudes
confidence vocally and he certainly showed off his chops in this version.
Barrere stepped up for a spirited version of WATCHTOWER, teased Thursday
night. The jam following became A LOVE SUPREME, a brain twister that featured
all five friends sharing the sound...this song showcased the unselfishness
of the friends. Phil eventually gave a vocal to A LOVE SUPREME, and soon
after segued into UNBROKEN CHAIN. A feeling of mutual love, respect, and
gratitude flooded the Philmore, seeming to power Mr. Lesh to take things
to a new level. The instrumental segment was mind boggling, with Kimock
pulling something indescribable from up his sleeve to lead us back into
the 'lilac rain'. As mysterious as a waterfall of stars each of a different
tone blending together in a pool of light. 'Thank you Phil' was heard
throughout the Philmore as the houselights went on.
Set Two opened with a strong PLAYIN IN THE BAND, with Barrere on vocals.
Phil gave Kimock the special signal, and he responded with another flurry
of notes. This jam slowed down enough for Barrere to yell out, 'this is
a Lowell George tune for Jerry Garcia!', and the friends then busted into
WILLIN'. Interpolated within was a humorous and apropos rendition of DON'T
BOGART THAT JOINT which segued back into WILLIN’ to a jam that found it's
way back to PLAYIN IN THE BAND. A strong I KNOW YOU RIDER followed and
the Philmore crowd appreciated Phil’s wish of shining his light through
the cool Colorado rain. This mighty RIDER went into a jam that eventually
teased COSMIC CHARLIE and even SPOONFULL / SMOKESTACK. Phil finally decided
on ALLIGATOR, which was about as 'rockin' of a song anyone could hope
for. In aqua and green, Phil bounced through this number, nailing the
vocals and chugging along at a feverish pace to the absolute delight of
the phans! You could have heard a pin drop during the set closer, a powerful
version of MORNING DEW. Phil seemingly alone on the blue stage. This emotional
hymn seemed inextricably connected to the encore KNOCKIN ON HEAVEN'S DOOR.
Saturday, the finale, was brilliant. The opener, a 100+ minute version
of VIOLA LEE BLUES>LIKE A ROLLING STONE>VIOLA LEE BLUES had the
philmore crowd mesmerized. Ecstatic dance and surges of energy abound,
Phil sang ROLLING STONE like it was his own. One got the overwhelming
feeling that the wisdom of that lyric reached each and every one of the
phans on hand. Phil and Steve really love that VIOLA LEE! Phil’s 'friend
format' is so perfect because it provides that built-in element of improvisation
and tunes developing and evolving on stage, a la GD. The crowd entranced
following the opener, Phil chose STAGGER LEE.
Like much classic GD, this bird sputtered and stumbled for a few moments
before taking off in magic flight, concluding with Phil roaring on the
final lyrics. Set one closed with a Zen FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN, Phil explaining,
'the more that you give, the more it's going to take...'; and, dreams
certainly seemed to come true for band and audience during this run. On
the heels of a psychedelic fire, set two began with TERRAPIN STATION!
Phil and friends needing no time to continue on this miraculous journey
embarked on by the VIOLA. As Phil sang, 'in hopes he will come back, but
he cannot be bought or sold', the Philmore attained an almost scary level
of energy and anticipation. I laughed as Barrere, glancing at his music
stand, stepped up to sing 'inspiration' but stopped short, as he realized,
'oh, this is one of those one's where the PHANS sing background with Phil!'
and gestured to the crowd as such. Kimock was radiant on the TERRAPIN
JAM, channeling the infinite aspect of this piece perfectly.
Phil, appearing focused, led a jam which our section dubbed the 'messiah
jam' but I believe was untitled. Next it was Little Feat's turn FAT MAN
IN THE BATHTUB. By the way, a thank you must go to Phil’s friends Little
Feat. After another jam, Phil performed an impassioned version of DAYS
BETWEEN. An eerie feeling came over the Philmore and the mind wandered
as Phil remembered aloud when 'all we ever wanted was to love and learn
and grow'. A few tears later, Phil turned things up with an exquisite
DARK STAR, now singing the second verse. Drawing from a well of energy
that I can not fathom, Phil again took us through the transitive nightfall
of diamonds and then into an exhilarating version of FRANKLIN'S TOWER.
We all relished in this tune, savoring each note as the 'lil' angel' (oops!
I mean toaster) continued to rip it up to the delight of Phil. Heaven
and earth having moved, the set ended. Just before the encore, Kimock
thanked the crew and everyone for these past three nights, and Phil, hands
over his head exclaimed, 'you just give us the music and we give it right
back to you!. ' Perhaps no song was more meaningful than the goodbye,
a profound version of TOM THUMB'S BLUES. Interestingly enough Phil described
how they had blackmailed 'the speaker of the house' into leaving his post,
and concluded with an absolutely resounding, 'I'm movin' on to New York
City, I do believe I've had enough!!!'. Everyone at the Philmore could
agree that we too were more than satisfied and eager to see Phil take
it to the streets on his tour of love. Stay tuned for more Rolling Rider
reports and until then, enjoy "the days that lie between, lie between..."
Till then, yours truly,
The Rolling Rider
October 21, 1999
Weaving through traffic on Colfax, gibbous moon
radiant above the Denver skyline, the Rolling Rider couldn't help but
have visions of Neal, Denver hipster extraordinaire. With Phil at
the wheel now, thoughts shifted towards these shows and how they mark
the embarking of Phil's own getting 'on the road' for his first east coast
tour. A 'bon voyage' at the philmore, if you will.
To the tune of the Beatles 'In My Life' the partisan Colorado crowd filed
in, many marveling at this new venue, impressive to the last detail, from
the chandeliers hung above, to the deluge of art/photography adorning
the hallowed walls; depicting Perry Farrell to Bill Graham, Ben Harper
to a black and white of Jerome Garcia (digging deep at Boulder's Folsom
Field).
Showtime, like days of yore, Phil was given a hero's welcome. You sensed
a grateful feeling, both for the fact that that Phil is frequenting the
new Warfield of the Rockies, and for Phil and Friends in general. Bathed
in turquoise, green, and purple light, Phil calmly opened with ST.STEPHEN,
and in seconds the Philmore was at a feverish pitch, the sound brought
Kimock out of his chair and across the stage towards Little Feat guitarist
Paul Barrere, who from the opening bars provided ideal rhythm for Steve's
searching leads. Phil's voice was flawless throughout, and impossibly
sweet as he described 'writing 'what for?' across the morning sky'. The
answer to the answer was a riveting STEPHEN jam that seemed to tease the
pinnacle of BIRDSONG while pursuing the ELEVEN.
With the song in the teens, in and out of worlds, Phil flicked off the
turbo boosters, and the let the vista cruiser float aimlessly through
the nebulae for a few precious moments. Whatever goddesses/gods are applicable,
a prayer rose up in the heart of your Rolling Rider. The jam then turned
over while Phil mercilessly teased WATCHTOWER, apparently craving more
jamming from Kimock, especially impressive thus far, building towards
a nice segue into an ELEVEN JAM. Little Feat keyboardist Billy Payne finally
turned some heads, banging away with a straight piano sound to the delight
of Phil and the phans. Albeit not Bruce hornsby, this well-received key
work provided a conclusion to this opening psychedelic romp down memory
lane.
Phil then busted an upbeat version of his theme song these days, FRIEND
OF THE DEVIL, (coincidentally Dylan's opener at his first solo gig at
the Fillmore this year), backed by sweet piano work from Payne. Many 'a
friend of' flashed through the mind, but Phil couldn't hide his eager
anticipation during the MR. TAMBOURINE MAN for sharing the stage again
with one Robert Zimmerman. 'I've landed on my feet', Phil belted out,
and who could argue...'in the jingle-jangle morning', we'll be following
too...
The Friends went into another jam which built up to a thunderous rendition
of COLD RAIN AND SNOW which ended the set. COLD RAIN has always been a
'Phil tune', his bass line setting the tone and pace for the best versions
the Dead produced - now more than ever, as he chugged away backed by a
rollicking group of friends.
Set two at the intimate, friendly confines of the Philmore began with
the cascading notes of EYES OF THE WORLD. This beautiful rendition of
EYES may very well have been the highlight, a welcome repeat from the
Warfield. 'Sometimes we visit your country, and live in your home' rang
true as Phil kicked down before his jaunt east. Eyes segued nicely into
NEW POTATO CABOOSE, a favorite of our old friends the Zen Tricksters.
Little Feat backed this wonderfully, once again letting Kimock wander
confidently through fresh, new spaces. NEW POTATO morphed into a magnificent
DARK STAR JAM, setting up an interstellar conversation between Phil and
Steve which lasted most of the set. As the friends went out of DARK STAR
and into a FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN JAM and then about eight different ideas
before finally deciding on Little Feat's anthem 'DIXIE CHICKEN' which
hardcore featheads swore was being teased all night. Phil was very animated
throughout, bouncing and swaying back and forth as he dolled out little
mini-bass bombs to back Payne and Barrere's moment of glory. Phil always
gives those 'youngsters' a chance to shine and Little Feat did it humbly
and gratefully all night long.
The long version of DIXIE finally allowed us another visit to DARK STAR,
this time with Phil singing the first verse beautifully backed by Little
Feat. Phil's query of 'shall we go, you and i while we can?' was answered
with an emphatic 'yes!' by the Philmore crowd, and DARK STAR dripped back
into a jam around FIRE that eventually became the set closer. An energetic
version of SCARLET BEGONIAS...'had one of those flashes, I'd been there
before'...time constraints force the Rolling Rider to cut this review
short, but I will say that after Phil's plea for organ donors, band intro,
and a long 'minor technical difficulty', the night ended with a methodic,
powerhouse WOLFMAN'S BROTHER, only fueling the rumors that Trey was in
the area. However, there's another friend or two we're waiting for as
well. Look for more on Monday... only love can...
Until then,
Yours Truly,
The Rolling Rider