Here's the skinny so far....

Phil on at 5:35pm , played till 6:35pm......
Good Lovin'
Tennessee Jed
?
Friend of the Devil
?
?
Bertha

15 Minute Break!!!??? Back on stage at 6:50pm...

Set list corrections:

Good Lovin'
Tennessee Jed
Friend of the Devil
Hardest Part (RA)
Next time you see me
Bertha

Barry Sless on pedal steel the entire 1 set.

Is this the sound check??

Any updates - I know The Duo and the Phishmen are on stagw now........

Good Lovin
Tennessee
Friend of the Devil
Hardest Part
Next Time You See Me
bertha
Another Phil Pee break AKA Set Break
loose lucy > hey bo diddly >
skakedown
They Love Each Other
Unbroken Chain > Death aint got no mercy
Gimme Shelter
intros & philspeak
The Weight

and they're packed & gone.

From tooboard

Hey Bo Diddly ??? Nice !

Anyone else not care too much for Joan's take on Gimme Shelter ? She kills it on tunes like New Speedway and Lovelight and Mr. Charlie..... just not digging the Shelter with JO......

Saw Shelter at the AC House of Blues in December, it (and Joan) rocked the house down.

Joan wasn't at the December AC show, Chris Robinson was the singer for that tour.

Here's the list in a little more readable form. This one was over before I even had time to get back on line. Looking forward to hearing some reviews from those present. From appearances though, this appears to be the night PLF caught their collective breaths after last night's insanity in Asheville. A readjustment after Scofield's exit and Sless' reappearance is also probably in effect. Enjoy the day off and everyone enjoy the ride up to Jersey!

Phil Lesh & Friends
June 28, 2006
Alltell Pavilion at Walnut Creek
Raleigh, North Carolina

Set 1

Good Lovin'
Tennessee Jed
Friend of the Devil
Hardest Part
Next Time You See Me
Bertha

Set 2

Loose Lucy >
Bo Diddley >
Shakedown Street
They Love Each Other
Unbroken Chain>
Death Don't Have No Mercy
Gimme Shelter

Donor Rap
The Weight

Phil Lesh
Larry Campbell
Barry Sless
Joan Osborne
Rob Barraco
John Molo
Greg Osby

what about trey taking scofield's spot instead of sleiss. he's ok, but that's kind of a let down, i'm sorry. trey would bring the funk out their with Phil as well as his own gig.

great show tonight. Phil and Friends smoked. Saw the first few tunes of GRAB, and they really didn't do it for me. First tune was pretty cool, real spacey but couldn't get into the other tunes so much. Split early.

I was there to see Phil!

Thanks!!!

Sless is an excellent player. Fits better with Phil's band than Trey also.

Hopefully Trey will play as a guest with Phil a few shows.

one more

cool photos! thanks for sharing, frank!

That's a badass Porkpie hat on Greg Osby! If Larry had that hat to go with his soul patch he'd be an honorary Blues Brother Looks like the No-Headband policy was in effect tonight;-) Thanks for the sweet visuals Frank!

Why the change in line-up?

sless is relinquished to steel for the whole show?

>>>Why the change in line-up?

John Scofield has a European tour set up.

http://www.johnscofield.com/

I like phil's 50s greaser getup!!

he just needs a pack of cigs rolled up in his sleeve

molesh, I'd be betting sless was on guitar for most of the 2nd set. somehow, I don't see pedal steel on unbroken or shakedown!

Phil in white, outta sight!

Cool backdrop..What is that..??..

Oh yeah...Nice to see Barry out there w/ Phil again...

Barry brings it....

he earned it

Barry has no original guitar sound to call his own. Better than Trey, Larry or Sco? Pleeze..

barry blows sco out of the water doing anything jerry/dead-esque. (ya'll owe me 2 cents)

Enjoyed the show but was expecting more after some of the reviews I read of Asheville and the Florida shows. Seems like this was just letting Osby and Sless get their feet wet. Lots of fairly simple songs. I do wish Sless had played some guitar. His pedal steel was inaudible most of the night. Knew I should have gone to Asheville.

that backdrop works wonders, believe me my phriends ! :-)


gimme the brain cell melter anyday !

Trey....








































SUCKS!!!

Barry Rules...

What about Osby? Surprised nobody has mentioned him yet. What's the word on him? I know he smokes but is he stepping up here?

Is Osby on board for the rest of the tour?

Been a huge fan of his for years, and would love to see him with Phil...I'm leaving my rain soaked home in Maryland for some NE shows starting tomorrow in Camden. Can't wait!

Osby was great, very tasteful playing as always. The show had a good-time rockin' feel from "Good Lovin'" to "The Weight." I will say, after the throwdown in Ashevegas and this show, that Phil is playing with a focused energy that I haven't heard in any incarnation of the Friends. "Death Don't" was particularly well-placed, as the author of the song, Rev. Gary Davis, hails from nearby Durham, NC. It's tough to really describe the power of these shows, but there's no weak link in the lineup. If you are an old tour head, get out to a show--I guess the vibe is akin to those truly great Dead shows that had high fives slapping and hoarse voices cheering.
I can't speak for the Phish guys' sets, as I am not a fan. But Phil is on fire!

Thanks for the reviews and pix!!!

Listen to Osby on 7/20/02 Camden. That's all you need to know!

Trey who? (j/k, I like him even tho my friends hate him!)

Barry is awesome, don't mess with him!

I am only bummed at the fact that there was absolutely no announcement or statement that SCO would be leaving the lineup as soon as Trey joined in..... I think Barry is a great player - but agree with the above comment that there is absolutely nothing original about his style of play..... SCO's jazzy licks made the music sound very Jerry-esqe, but Sless just kinda gets lost in the mix...... Based on the run of shows last Fall, and the nights with Warren and Trey realy sounding that much better, I hope there is a rotation at the guitar slot over the course of the tour.........Sless included of couse.....

It's been common knowledge around these parts for at least a month that Scofield was leaving to do his European tour. Check in on occasion and you won't be surprosed by events.

>>>>the vibe is akin to those truly great Dead shows that had high fives slapping and hoarse voices cheering.

NO SHIT!!!

i am still a bit hoarse from a week ago.

My review is posted here:
http://blog.news-record.com/staff/musiccan/archive s/2006/06/concert_review_11.html

Thought it was a good show. First time seeing Phil. It wasn't the Dead, but it was good to "scratch the itch."

We all knew Sco was leaving. Come again soon!

"It's been common knowledge around these parts for at least a month that Scofield was leaving to do his European tour. Check in on occasion and you won't be surprosed by events."

Yeah I should.... Im all Sugarmegged up when there is no touring....

To answer a prevous question... Osby was light during most of the first set, but he stepped up big time during the second set. When you get a chance, listen to the Shakedown and especially the Unbroken Chain from this show. Osby played through time signature changes and chord changes like they weren't there. Larry finally got Osby to trade 4's with him, and the result was out of sight. I woundn't mind seeing them lost Barry and keep Osby on stage the whole show, trading licks with Larry all night long. But hey, it ain't my band

When Osby stepped out, he did some nice stuff. He and Larry Campbell got a nice call and response thing going on a few occasions. But when Osby was onstange, Sless was particularly inaudible, maybe because pedal steel and sax inhabit the same area of teh ear, maybe because Sless is just turned down so far. Whatever--Sless really seemed unnecessary to the proceedings mostof the night. Agreed that the show was tight, but I was hoping for a bit more experimentation than we got, especially seeing as this is my only time to see them on this go around.

i didn't know scofield was leaving when i bought the tickets, i found that out later. as for trey joining, it only made sense, especially with the timing. in buffalo in dec., scofield was still learning the music, but definately took the spotlight over sleiss. trey has well earned to play lead with phil. that feb. show from the beacon smoked and like i said earlier, trey brings the funk, regardless of his solo b.s. i like all kinds of music and especially with real talent. trey has done it for me many times and i know that he has tremendous respect for phil and the music of the dead. at least, bring out trey for darien. sleiss is good, but there are plenty of other guitar players out their that are better. Kimock, Herring, Haynes, Anastasio, even al schnier is better, sorry if you don't like what i say, but i know many that would agree. i just didn't feel it from sleiss, he's not that original and just doesn't stand out. Please Phil, let trey play. thank you. Peace, Love, and Phil.

Right on Laughing Bones

Can someone give us a more detailed review?
Who sang NTYSM? Were there any extended jams? Any fiddle? How many songs did Joan/Rob sing?

Great show! Joan sang NTYSM. Just wanted to comment that they didn't play Bo Diddley after Loose Lucy, they played "Shakedown on 9th Street" by Ryan Adams then Shakedown Street.

As stated it was no secret about who would be playing at different times in the tour. If not here, then on Phils official site and it was also in the mailorder anouncement about the tour. I'm glad Florida got Scoefield!
Mark nice to see you in these parts. Did you make any of the Florida shows?

>>>>>they played "Shakedown on 9th Street"

not Bo Diddley

SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Lucy, lucy my gal...."

Sless was awesome on pedal steel for much of ?the first Providence show this past February. However, if you don't like the 'cowboy' type tunes.....

Still, I was hoping to hear Scofield as a change of pace.

Psyched for Camden and Holmdel.

Does anyone have anything on how the Trey/Mike/Duo set has been?

Someone has already mentioned it, but the song after Loose Lucy was not "Bo Diddley," and it's kind of curious how anyone who was paying the least bit of attention would think that it was.

"Shakedown on 9th Street" is on one of the early Ryan Adams albums, maybe the first one, and as the chorus is about "Lucy my gal" it fits nicely with "Loose Lucy."

I thought the show was really good -- especially the interplay between Osby and Larry, and Molo kept it rocking most of the night. If you have to have the really long spacy jams, this show wasn't for you, but I really dug it.

Raleigh is the only show that I will be able to see on this tour. After reading all the posts about the previous shows, I must say my expectations for this show were low since SCO was leaving. I thought it would take some time for Sless and Osby to get into the flow. Unfortunately, my expectations were met. It was a tight show, but there wasn't a lot of interplay between the band. Sless was next to non-existant. Seeing no guitar set-up, I knew he wouldn't be moving out from behind the pedal. I thought it took a while for Osby to get comfortable, but he did some nice stuff in the second set. Headband and Molo were tight as always and it's always a treat seeing Joan. Phil is Phil...what more can I say.

I will say this....Beware when Phil is not closing the show. The band was slotted for 5:30 - 8:15 and they fit the show perfectly into the allotted time. I think this limited their ability to "lay it all out." In fact, Phil seemed to be concentrating on meeting the time that was given to the band. They didn't even go off the stage before the encore. Phil went directly into Donor Rap.

Bottom line...I wish my expectations were higher and they were met. But I got what I was expecting.

Peace...and enjoy the rest of the tour.

is this band so good that Trey and Mike Gordon who are on a summer tour DOUBLE BILL don't sit in? These Guys have been disappointing me for years. don't sit in, don't play any Phish and phuck off

Rich said it exactly. After reading reviews of Florida and Asheville, I was hoping for something truly out of this world, but knowing that Sless and Osby were just getting there, I was cautious. It was a good show, not a great one. And it wasn't helped by letting Trey and Mike and whoever close although I did get home early.

The second set started off

Loose Lucy>
Shakeown on 9th St.>
Shakedown Street

The Bo Diddley tease came between Shakeown on 9th St. and Shakedown Street. Shakedown on 9th Street is from Ryan's first album Heartbreaker.

Here's the updated and revised list. Thanks for your corrections and reviews.

Phil Lesh & Friends
June 28, 2006
Alltell Pavilion at Walnut Creek
Raleigh, North Carolina

Set 1

Good Lovin'
Tennessee Jed
Friend of the Devil
Hardest Part
Next Time You See Me
Bertha

Set 2

Loose Lucy >
Shakedown on 9th Street>
Bo Diddley tease >
Shakedown Street
They Love Each Other
Unbroken Chain>
Death Don't Have No Mercy
Gimme Shelter
Donor Rap
The Weight

Phil Lesh
Larry Campbell
Barry Sless
Joan Osborne
Rob Barraco
John Molo
Greg Osby

i'm a fan of Phil and Phish, why doesn't trey and mike sit in for at least a few tunes and phil sit in with GRAB like he did at bonnaroo. i am just hoping that there are more surprises for this tour. don't get me wrong, phil rocks and he can pretty much do whatever he wants. since phish broke up, trey's solo material has not done much for me, but he still has a lot to bring to the table. listen to the feb. beacon show from 06 or the 3 April shows from 99. phil and trey rocked together. even the comes a time show, i didn't hear of barry sleiss being invited. no disrespect, i just don't think he's up to phil's par. i look at phil like a music instructor teaching grateful dead 101. for those who actually do appreciate the music of trey/mike/ and/or the duo, does anyone have an opinion of their set? and how long did they play?

Sless is definitely up to par, although he does seem to have a problem being heard.

I like Sless fine, but would be OK with Trey too. I would love it if Trey sat in, or I would have loved it if he played the whole show with phil, but who says that's up to phil? Maybe Trey doesn't wany to play two shows, wants to do GRAB. Seems better receivd than any of his other post-phish stuff. I kinda like DUO, so I hope this stuff works out.


>>>>SCO's jazzy licks made the music sound very Jerry-esqe

Um, really? That was not my experience. Not that there's anything wrong with it, loved it. But not jerry-esque.

jmvho, after the 3 shows in florida and 3 shows in philly with sless.

scofield and campbell got off better together.

jmvho

sless is decent, larry blew my shit out

LET TREY PLAY!

Warning: This is a negative review. All of those going to Camden and other points north please don't read. I know your show will be great and you will have a good time.

First, I am by no means a Phil basher. I love Bobby and Phil, and see RD and PLF every chance I get.

Quite frankly, last night's show in Raleigh was a trainwreck. Easily the worst Phil show I have ever seen. Actually the worst post-Jerry GD related show by anybody I've seen.

MInd you, I caught this exact line-up (w/o Osby - and SIpe instead of Molo)) at Hammerstein in Feb and was blown away. I love Joan, Rob, Barry, and of course Larry Campbell.

For starters, the venue sucked (read dooodahman's review on sheds), but I knew that going in and was prepared for it. It was a mid-week show starting at 4:00 pm - tough on everybody to get there.

The setlist certainly doesn't jump off the page. In person, it wasn't any better. The whole first set was dull. Second set saved by Unbroken Chain and Gimme Shelter, but otherwise boring.

The main problem was this was a band playing together for the first time this tour...Scofield out, Sless in...Osby on sax...I know that Cmaden will be 100% better...

My other big complaint was the poor mix. Larry Campbell needs to be WAY louder...he was the only person playing anything interesting last night. Also, let Larry sing more - he has a great voice.

Don't get me wrong - I had a good time (even with listening to dooodahman complain about the shed all night and 2 hours
home! :mrgreen: ) And I will go see Phil again. Just a very off night...

I was actually hoping Trey was going to sit in for a few songs to liven the show up, but I can't blame him for not wanting to be anywhere near this disaster.

Only stayed for 30 minutes of Trey/Mike...lots of noodling (and God, even Phil sings better than Mike Gordon!)

All right, sorry to be so negative, But I's gots to call them as I see them.

Your mileage may vary.

LET TREY PLAY!

"Larry Campbell...has a great voice"

I stopped reading right there.

Appreciate the honest review Bob. My one complaint was that the show couldn't have been worse then the '96 Furthur fest featuring RatDog with NO LEAD GUITAR!!!! Worst show ever! Saved by Mystery Box though.

Also, let's not forget that Trey would have to be asked to play and I assume that, for whatever reason, he just wasn't asked last night. Maybe Phil wanted to give the new lineup a chance to get comfortable with the guitar change

Also, let's not forget that Trey would have to be asked to play and I assume that, for whatever reason, he just wasn't asked last night. Maybe Phil wanted to give the new lineup a chance to get comfortable with the guitar change

Of course you are right...just adding some humor.

And btw, I stand by my statement about Larry's singing. Saw him A LOT with Dylan - he has great vocal chops

headband *did* have his headband for the second set last night...!

Larry sang well on Deep Elem in Asheville imho.

mj

oh man florida was tits!

i can tell, they shot their load, with scof.

sure the rest will be fine but, florida was SICK

trey and gordon, blah

jmvvho

Too tired to type when I got home last night and didn't get to it until now... but I thought it was a fine show. I'm only seeing Raleigh and Camden (and perhaps an emergency show in Louisville). I'll admit that Sless was low in the mix and hard to hear most of the time, but we should be glad to hear this band's "off" shows, which are better than most anything else playing today. I can't think of any other band I'd drive 580 miles round trip in a day to see, and I'm just happy Phil's still bringing interesting music every night.

Hey mark Boca was the bomb!! Everyone have a good time in the norhteast!!

Going Sunday at Saratoga! oh yea!!!!!
Phil's closing, just the way it should be...
I'll be sippin' cool ones while Try and Mike do thier thing

their...D'OH!!!!

Ten days before my wedding I went to a rock and roll concert. Going in I suffered from a bit of guilt that I could be better spending my time doing other, more productive things than rocking out. I've equated rock and roll before to going to church, and sometimes you need to make time to take communion.

The show was Phil, in Raleigh. I knew the show would be mostly Dead tunes. I've been on the Dead bus for close to thirty years now, and I wondered what genre Phil would choose from, such as the westerns, the blues or the long spacey jams that have dominated his recent tours.

He chose love songs. From an opening Good Lovin to a second set pairing of They Love Each Other and Unbroken Chain the show revolved around love. It was a love fest.

The second set ended with a rambunctious cover of the Stones' Gimme Shelter. Fittingly, I had recently responded to a question about favorite lines in songs on my Stones mailing list with "love, sister, it's just a kiss away." If I took the show as a sign of good things, the encore cover of The Weight also reminded me not to take myself too seriously.

Doug (I got the fever, she's got the cure)

my photo made the setlist page

got 2 words for those that want to see Trey Play with P&F....... NEW YORK

First time poster and I don't want to come in with negativity BUT...

I saw the simulcast from Roo and thought Phil's band sounded pretty good. Basically, a nostalgia act. Playing the old favorites, not breaking and new ground, but I like thos songs and they did sound good. Since I had front row tix I was mildly excited for them as an opener.

At Raleigh all it sounded like was a second rate nostalgia act. DSO has more psychedelic and layered jams. You could NOT hear the slide. I thought Campbell sounded good at roo but his playing was bland.

I don't know how Phil's band can close a show after Mike and Trey. Certainly not a flawless performance but far from nostalgic. Improv to the max. Sick jams thoughout, although too many ballads with the rest of the guys acting only as a backup band at the end (I think they are a bit short on material). Sick, organic, jams at first. I don't see how you can follow that with rehashed, not reworked, Dead covers.

just finished listening to the sbd of this one again. it doesn't look like a great show on paper, but i think it's a mellow smoker. it was fun and energetic and i thought osby did a great job.

if you were looking for a mind-expanding tripfest, this show wasn't it. if you're looking for a good show to sit back, relax on the back porch, and drink a beer to... this is the one. this one's for the grown folks and that's exactly what i like about it.

Just the TLEO was worth the price of admission!

Raleigh was the end of a sweet tour for me...Part A, anyhow, Part B is scheduled to begin next week <grin>

By the way, in case anyone's interested, the "Ninth Street" in RA's song is a real place (it's the hippie drag in Durham).

Amen to that Radf ord AJ.

I must say after listening to the sbd that the mix is better and the pedal steel is more clearly audible than it was from my seats on Wednesday night. It is a great show to kick back and listen to.

When I was there I thought the music was good in the first set but I thought it a bit disjointed...
Second set progressed well and Joan absolutely blew me away with Death Dont Have No Mercy. Great interplay between Campbell and Osby in the second set as others have said. I liked how everybody (Barraco, Campbell, Lesh, Osbourne) took a verse in The Weight and then all sang together on the last verse.
Molo and Barraco solid as always.

By friday can't come soon enough (Rosnata) (67.81.186.241) on Thursday, June 29, 2006 - 12:43 am: Edit Post

"molesh, I'd be betting sless was on guitar for most of the 2nd set. somehow, I don't see pedal steel on unbroken or shakedown!"

shakedown street NJPAC 11/23/05

sless on pedal steel

http://ia301105.us.archive.org/2/items/paf2005-11- 23_dsbd.philleshnet.31792.sbeok.flac16/pf2005-11-2 3_dsbd_d1t01_64kb.mp3

I felt like this show was fantastic. First off, after an obnoxiously lackluster performance by "the duo", Phil and Co. came on and just delievered the goods. I don't know how anyone can just simply call this "nostolgia". While it was nostalgic, it was also fresh and exciting. Joan Osborne was a great choice as vocalist and she really brought it home in a Joplin-esque way. She had soul and it was a great vibe that was sent out.

The jam in Unbroken Chain was absolutely hypnotic. I just closed my eyes and as the jam continued to build in beauty, I felt a breeze blow across me that just made me feel safe. At one point, I felt like I was the only one they were playing to. It was a great vibe.

The setlist was great and the Shakedown Street have EVERYONE on their feet, dancin' and shouting out "WOOOO!".

THe show was fun. It's not the Dead and they don't try and make it the Dead. It's Phil and his friends making great music and keeping the spirit of the music alive. There was a group of kids in front of us that couldn't have been more that 17 years old and seeing them sing along w/ Unbroken Chain and Good Lovin' showed me that Phil is accomplishing what he set out to do. Keep the legacy alive for other generations to come.

Glad to see/ hear Rob singing more.

Yes, it was a younger crowd than I'm used to seeing. I thought the Trey factor was involved in that...

Caution: long post. Not for ADD types.

Thanks to Mr Lesh, (and the extreme generosity of LG and Nick), it has become a summer ritual for LG, Special Ed and myself to hop a cheap flight (recently Southwest) from Philly to Raleigh to visit Nick (G’s brother in-law/and our chosen bro), and our longtime bro, Louis (with his perfect life in Wilmington, NC) to take in a Phil show and celebrate brotherhood and life. Recently / thankfully Brackish, an old Havertown friend and grade school bad boy (and one of the many characters at the 77 Englishtown classic) has been flying up from his home near Miami to take part.

As I had mentioned in my 2/26/06 Tower review, Nick began hooking up with us for late 80’s and early 90’s RFK and Philly Spectrum Dead shows. We used to call him Father Nick as he was the one who seemed to always keep his head on straight while others were loosing theirs. At always the right moment, he would produce a navel orange, suntan lotion or whatever simple aid was needed from his magic knapsack (a bag security never searched and always honored). When I did my first substance free Dead show, it was Nick who rewarded me for the effort with a Garcia Frisbee, one that I sill carry in my car.

And sadly in February the last time we saw our Father/Brother Nick he was in dire shape…his visit up north for the Tower shows seemed more like a wake than a celebration. Despite feeling horrible, he gutted out the first 2 Philly shows and thanks to the grace of God, the wonders of the universe, all our prayers (thanks Ursus), and the curing power of Phil shows, Nick was not only hosting this Raleigh gathering of the bros, but as of his last 2 scans, I am thrilled to report, cancer free and feeling great! When we pulled up to his hotel and he stepped out donning an “I’m not Dead Yet” Spamalot black tee, I knew we were in for magic.

We rolled into Alltel VIP lot in the van Louis so kindly rented to accommodate us all and thanks to Nick, a trunk full of southern barbeque and everyone’s favorite liquids…..where Nick (thanks to LG’s generosity and planning) was greeted and surprised by his beach buds from the Emerald Isle area. Over-zealousness left us with 2 extra VIP parking passes and 2 great extra seats to get rid of and I was up for the task of making someone’s day. Nick who purchased the parking passes honored me by telling me I had taught him getting money back for extras was not as important as the value of spreading good karma and he gave me his green light to give away the passes if the spirit moved me. Now here’s a great tip for y’all about the Alltel; 15 dollar VIP parking passes at Alltel are special things if used correctly. If you ask right, your parking pass will gain you admittance and a purple bracelet for readmittance to a spacious VIP tent area adjacent to the VIP lot; a wonderful oasis with entertainment, strong blowing fans, separate bathrooms, free spring water, coffee, popcorn, and cookies and a full cash bar with a waitress serviced bar menu.

There I was standing at the lot entrance holding out these miracle VIP passes and the first 100 or so cars that passed me, blew right by in a rush to get to the general lot. It wasn’t until I solicited the help of the parking attendant was I able to give them away to two nice families who appeared grateful for their good fortune.

Getting my money back for our wonderful mail order extras proved harder. Ruby was kind to both Brackish (3rd row center) and LG (6th row center) but before they arrived (mail order being the crapshoot that it is) my man G assured our happiness by digging deep and paying lots to a ticket agent for four 2nd row dead center seats. With 12 wonderful tix and 10 bros, we were left with two great 6th row center seats to make someone’s day…...which on this hot NC summer day, proved too much to expect from that crowd. The few who inquired were turned off because I was not offering lawn tix. There’s apparently something about the lawn with phishheads. A few deadheads asked to trade me their seats, but for our cost of approximately $60 each (not to mention the fortune paid for the 4 a few rows closer), I could not afford to trade down. After hawking those gems for way too long, one guy offered me $100 for the two: a loss I could live with. I told him he was lucky to have the opportunity to see a great show in seats so close to the stage...however he told me he will be using these to watch the show …on the lawn...go figure!

I was grateful for the use of Alltel’s wonderful VIP tent, a place so comfortable to hang, we almost missed Phil’s start. The tables in the area had schedules of the event, so we knew that Phil was to slated to appear from 5:30 to 8:15....and precisely at 5:30 I was scrambling to my seat, as the band entered. It was great to confirm the new members were indeed Greg Osby as expected and Barry Sless as hoped for. Seeing only a pedal steel set up for Barry was a surprise, but it made sense with the extra musical voice in Osby and immediately I started thinking of the opening for another guitar lead (perhaps Trey?).

It was still very sunny and if you check out the pics earlier in this thread (thanks Frank) you can see Joan, Rob and Gregg donning sunglasses for the first set. If you look to the bottom of some of those pics you might see my big head wearing the green Eagles visor.

The first set was a rollicking light, airy and joyous affair performed with precision and gusto with a bet-you-can’t-stop dancing-15-minute Good Lovin opener setting the tone. It was hard to believe this was the first time this entire group of friends ever performed together as one. From the outset, Osby wailed wasting no time showing his world class chops and Larry who had relished in the lead guitar role with Sco played ying to Gregg’s yang. Joan sang it strong than soft and sexy making that back polka dot skirt come to life in all the right ways….and thankfully she never digressed into the cheesy “let’s bring it down” story telling I heard from the Bonnaroo webcast.

Rob’s singalong T-Jed was energetic and tight. Larry’s guitar and Robs piano took the leads and ripped to hell raising crescendos

My favorite Philband Friend of the Devil was an epic version performed 7-23-00 @ Montage by the Little Feat/Robben Ford incarnation. In Raleigh, with Larry on mandolin and Barry finally making himself heard on the pedal steel this one was kind of an Uncle John’s Devil and had to be the sweetest and cleanest toe tappin version ever.

The short and bouncy RA tune fit well. Joan’s voice is perfect for his tunes. The jams showcased each band member and listening to it was hardly the hardest part.

Next Time FLAT OUT ROCKED with Osby’s leads, Joan’s throaty delivery and Larry and Barry’s interplay. Lest us not forget Misters Lesh and Molo who add steroidal power to this blues number (as well as every song before and after ….but for me that is a given).

Great set ender in Bertha with Rob’s strong vocals and keys, Osby color and some great Jerry riffs by Sless.

After a short set break with a nice retreat back to the VIP tent, the second set started in the same vein as the first with a good time, explosive and tight Lucy with Larry’s leads, Robs singing and Osby’s sax taking us round and round and round and round.

Into Not Fade Away...NOT....perhaps Hand Jive...NO such luck....next day setlist said Bo Diddly...I know Bo and this was NO BO...Phil rule: when in doubt, it’s a Ryan Adams tune. We now know it’s Shakedown on 9th Street and for all of us who have never heard it before it’s a Mick Jagger style Molo powered NFA with different lyrics...so how bad could that be? It certainly kept me shakin. Bedsides, I like my RA songs shakin and stirred....by Joan.

Into a wonderful, powerful and jazzy Shakedown that...need I take this futher...SHOOK the house down. Seriously, it was perhaps the song of the night….

Unless you happen to dig classic Jerry tunes sung sweetly by our hero who happens to be in the best voice I can recall. The song featured super Barry Larry interplay. TLEO solidified the love theme and I can’t think of a better one for what was going on in our corner of the world.

Then again, I can’t think of a more appropriate tune for this north meeting south occasion of brotherhood than Unbroken Chain. Strangely, in the envelope with the mail order came the words to this very song, of which I was quizzing Ed and Brackish in the lot.. who did well until we got to the saw whet owl. Great version, with nice Osby touches but I can’t think of any Unbroken that wasn’t great (aside from the sloppy and sad GD Spectrum breakout). The song always succeeds in sending chills down my spine. Thanks Phil!

Then the song we loved and loathed a few months ago at the Tower; a version that under those circumstances had me in tears. A few months later with Nick's black clouds lifting, I found myself emotionally neutral and for a while my thoughts drifted to Vince Welnick. Once again, Joan got herself so well into character delivering Death in such a definitive and convincing fashion. I wonder whom she is mourning during the song.

Next was a Gimme, frankly a song I could do without, (when I hear it, I think to myself, hey Phil, GIMME another song)....however this was a strong version and the sax made it more interesting.

The Weight is always nice with the trading of verses and this time was great to hear
Larry’s turn. I hope to find the time and energy to review the Orlando show that featured two songs Larry sung quite well!

The next act was so loud it saw us all retreating first to the lawn highlighted with a very talented and sexy girl dancing with stringed lights...(making me think that maybe there is something to this lawn thing)... and then to the exits and the lot where most of the group enjoyed quite the southern pigout. I stayed to the end in hopes of an appearance from Phil (which never materialized) and actually went back to our seats for the last three songs. I must report, quite frankly, Treys band did NOTHING to Grab me.

Famished, I was the last to make it back to the van and I wish the best of karma for whomever saved me the mixed BBQ sandwich…and I must say there is nothing like a serving of NC banana pudding to cap off a show.

I feel truly blessed to have experienced such an energetic and polished Phil band in such a wonderfully kind venue (which features a general courtesy tent offering free earplugs, spring water, suntan lotion and bug repellant to all). Basking in the love of brothers and friends, this indeed was a magical day!

Thanks Phil, John Barry, Larry, Gregg, Rob and Joan (my daughter’s name incidentally).

Thanks Louis, Brackish, Special Ed, and all of Nick’s beach homies, especially the “official” show photographer that must have taken over a 100 assorted shots of our group I can’t wait to see.

Special thanks to LG whose friendship and generosity has no limits.

And gratefully to our selfless host Father Nick who continues to teach and inspire me. I am proud to call you my brother. Keep staying well my friend.

Til Next Time,
Uncle Al

Brackish,
If you read this, please contact Joan Osborne with your address. She wants to return your underwear you threw on stage. Perhaps she is using that as a excuse to contact you?