since it looks like someone created this thread, but left no message, i'll start.
3 SETS!!!!
Acoustic sets, looking forward to: On the Road Again, Monkey and the Engineer, Victim (i heard bobby do an acoustic version of this w/Ratdog), Throwin Stones (Jer,Phil,Bob did this in '94 at SF benefit), China Doll for sure, The Race is On.., Run for the Roses, Deep Elem, or how about a Death Dont Have No Mercy or Attics acoustic?
any other thoughts/wishes?

Just got my tix in the mail! Yay!

I ordered my tickets through GD Online Ticketing, not ticketmaster. Just wondering if anyone else who did the same knows when they will be sending them out. TM tickets have already been sent...

should have received your tix by now...
i got mine a while ago.

I have a friend with a Saturday for trade for a Sunday. Any takers?
Email me. Thanks.
thebrewmeister@lycos.com

I have an extra ticket for Sun, Aug. 10th...
my brother had to cancel...
it's in sect ORCH F, row JJ (you'll be sitting next to me!)
email me at sidewalkart@yahoo.com

(I also have a ticket
for Sat, Aug. 9th.)

check out the seating chart at
http://www.tommyhilfigerjonesbeach.com/seating

emotw

THANK YOU EVERYONE, THAT SHOW LAST NIGHT WAS THE EL PRIMO!!!!!

WOW, I WOKE UP THIS AM STILL IN AMAZEMENT!!!

I just have to share some thoughts on last nights show.

Set I Acoustic: UJB, Mts. of the Moon, Blackbird >Me & My Uncle, Roses (Joan), Deal, Brokedown Palace

Set II (Electric): Drums > Self Defense, Mr. Charlie (Joan) > Jam > St. Stephen > (William Tell bridge) > The Eleven (/ Stephen Jams?) > Sugar Magnolia

Set III: Jam > Watchtower > Unbroken Chain > Jam > Morning Dew (Joan) > Other One > Lady with a Fan > Samson> Lovelight
(new Phil tune sung by Joan in this set, I think before Samson?)

Donor Rap -- Graham Lesh

Encore:

U.S. Blues
Touch of Grey
Some notes...

1st set was absolutely perfect... emotional, rocking, sweet, nostalgic, etc.. Etc, etc. just perfect. This was the set for Jerry (jer, jer, blackbird, me & my uncle, jer, jer, jer); get the SB of this show. So many memories of alpine valley and other good times back down the road.

set 2, BEST SET OF MY SUMMER!?!?!? They eased into it, very ERIE light drums with kind of a feedback sound and feel to it... as most of the band came out pretty early during the drums. They were doing amp cycle vibrations and Joan was in a light moan jam. Nicely into a new Mickey tune that was easy and flowing but kind good beat as well. Then the big happened… Mr Charlie was completely off the hook, tight!!! A very nice jam that slightly (I thought) teetered on dark star then dropped into unequivocally the most raging St Stephen/11 combo since the 68-69 era. I think the 11 had a st Stephen jam back into the 11 hook , best I have ever seen out of probably 10 in the last five years. In sec HC in front of the soundboard, I saw a group of 6 out 7 pretty big 40’ish guys throwing folding chairs down to the ground, holding them in the air, standing and on them. The security guard came over and was calmly waving his finger shaking his head at them. Really, off the hook! Sugar Magnolias was very strong and rocking with all out full-tilt boogie Sunshine Daydream to follow! I think Bobby’s voice was sounding better than the beginning of the tour.

Set three started a bit slow. I love watchtower but this arrangement freaks me out. If you have not heard it I noticed it was the same way they did it at another show I saw, either the bonnaroo or pnc. Anyway, bobby puts a stanza pause in between like every 2 lines. First time I just thought he was forgetting lyrics. It has really worked into more of a musical masterpiece than a rocker. Beautiful Jam after a sweet Unbroken Chain. The Dew was perfectly executed by Joan and crew!!! Other one completely raged over the PNC O-1, full Phil intro Jam, milking it, strong! I think this went into a new song here that Joan took, very nice tune. A “tear the roof off” (if there was one) Samson! Lovelight was great, old school jamming et all good 10-12 minutes I guess; sparks were still flying at that show.

Donor rap by Phil’s son about having the greatest dad, FRESH!!! Great double Jerry encore. Raging US Blues > Touch. It brought me back to Bonaroo’s gates as the first chords of the tour struck, with me & 8 good friends skipping in and singing “We will get by….”. A great way to send us off, the way that my summer came in with the boys!

Wheh! I'll see you folks at the beacon in December!!!

peace~out

Steve

ps- go to the bowery on Tues night, Mike Gordon and Warren are supposed to by playing with Medeski, DJ Logic and that Shriek (sp?) dude from the frog brigade I think. Rope a dope release party. $15... See you cats there :^)

I think the Unbroken Chain > Space > Dew > O1 > Terrapin speaks for itself.

WHAT A SHOW!!
In my opinion the second night topped the first.
The second set was a little rough, IMHO. The transition from St. Stephen to the Bridge seemed a little shaky. They just couldn't seem to nail it. Phil was shakin' his head, but even so...it was rockin.

But that 3rd SET! OH MAN. I loved it.

My review of both shows I posted for the Colorado Heads.

I went to NYC for the first time this past weekend to see the Jones
Beach shows, so I thought I would pass on a sort-of review...

JB was my first east coast show, and my host was telling me horror
stories about the venue. The cops are dicks in the lot (no hanging
out by the car, move along, no vending, etc.) Security is out of
control (practically a strip search to get in to the venue.) etc.

When we got into the lot Saturday, there were cops everywhere.
However, they didn't seem to be hassling anyone (though I did see one
dude in cuffs.) Shakedown was huge! All kinds of people selling all
kinds of stuff. Alcohol was allowed in the lot (or overlooked) as
long as it was in a cup - no glass or cans - which were overflowing
the trashcans. Getting into the show was a three-step process: show
your ticket, go through the search (which was minimal), get your
ticket scanned and torn, and you are in.

The venue doesn't sell beer so I was sober for both shows. The beer
I drank in the lot didn't affect me, as I am altitude conditioned -
as are you all. To the shows---

We got in late the first night, so I didn't get to hear Strawberry
Fields or FOTD from the acoustic set. Jimmy was sitting while he
played acoustic, they had a grand piano for Barraco and Chimenti.
Phil played electric bass (or at least it looked like he did).

Lazy River Road was good, not awe inspiring. Candyman was a nice
tune to hear - Jimmy was really good on that one. I liked the
acoustic Stella Blue better than the RR version. Cassidy was really
good - Bobby's voice was solid, and Jimmy ripped again. Birdsong was
just OK.

(OK, as you may have noticed, I am not very descriptive with my
review of songs. I don't have that reviewer's talent yet.)

The first electric set:

They opened with a nice solid Shakedown. Everyone was boogie-ing.
That led into an excellent New Minglewood (no Joan). They tore that
song up! Crazy Fingers had Joan singing. It was pretty sweet. This
went into Loser, which was nicely done. Tomorrow Never Knows was
good, but I miss Molo doing the drums for that one. Playin' pt. 1
ended the set. They jammed out to end the set.

2nd Electric:

This set opened with Milestones. They did a good job with that, then
went into the 2nd half of Playin' (or reprise, if you will...) That
led into Halfstep, which was solid, but had a couple miscues. Ramble
On Rose was awesome. October Queen was OK. I'm not used to that song
yet. Next came Drumz/Space. Drumz will never be the same for me
after the Kitaro one at RR. This went into a reprise of the last
verse of Birdsong, then a good long jam, into a reprise of the last
verse of Cassidy (at this point I said "What the fuck are they
doing?" I do have to hear the show again to see if they did the last
verses in the acoustic set or not.) This went into a rippin' Sugaree
to end the set.

Phil came out to do his donor rap. By this time it was raining
good. It had rained briefly here and there during the show, but this
was a solid rain. He said something about NY always bring out the
best in the boys and then the usual stuff. The first encore was Sat.
Night - good dancin' there. When the song ended, Bobby went off back
stage. Phil was standing there with an expression like "where did
Bobby go?" Someone went after him, and he came out, with his tech
behind bringing his acoustic guitar. Then they went into a REALLY
sweet Ripple (Joan and Bobby). Combined with the rain, this was
really magical (and remember, I was sober and drug free). Almost
immediately, as we were filing out, the rain stopped. Hmmmmm.

(Side note: We got a ride to the show each day, and took the train
back each night. The train left an hour-and-a-half after the show.
Our stop to get off the train was the Jamaica station in Queens.
This neighborhood is as you would picture a bad New York
neighborhood. Thank God there were cabs there!)

Night 2:

This night I spent more time in the lot. (The first night I spent
before the show looking for Zoners from the Philzone I hadn't met
yet). End of tour Shakedown is quite a site to behold. Anyway, on
to the show.

I made it in for the entire Acoustic set. This acoustic set was
better than Saturday's, by far. Everything was on. Uncle John's,
Mtns. of the Moon, Blackbird>Me & My Uncle were solid. Must Have
Been the Roses - SWEET vocals by Joan. Deal was awesome! And the
Brokedown Palace was just gorgeous.

The first electric set opened with Drumz. It was short, and Mickey
did not play the beam. This went into the new Mickey song Self
Defense (no Space). I actually like this song. This was made for
Mickey (unlike Fire, which fortunalely we didn't get. Also, this was
the only Mickey song of the two nights.) Mr. Charlie was next, and
Joan did a good job with it (again). They jammed into St. Stephen,
which they killed! However, the weak spot of the show came next.
They jammed out of Stephen and tried and tried to get into the
Eleven. Phil visibly showed his disgust on how discombobulated it
was. They did finally get there, and it was just OK - nothing
spectacular. Phil and Friends turn that corner MUCH more crisply.
They brought the Eleven into All That They Are - a Joan song. Does
anyone know if Hunter wrote this? Ending the set was a ripping Sugar
Mag/SSDD

Watchtower opened the final set. A good job by Bobby. That went
into Unbroken Chain, which was good, despite a Phil vocal flub.
Space followed. It was short, and went into an AMAZING Morning Dew.
Joan's voice and this song belong together. My highlight of the
shows. This went into the Other One - good, then into Lady With A
Fan/Terrapin. This was nice. Following was a nice rippin Samson
(not as good as Red Rocks, but good none-the-less. And to end the
set was Lovelight. Joan did come out to the front of the stage, but
she didn't try to make the audience sing. Her bit was short and
sweet.

Phil's son Graham came out to do the donor rap. It was touching -
and Phil gave him a big hug. Then Phil added that there was an
audience member who had had two liver transplants. They then
finished with US Blues and Touch of Grey. A good ending to a good
show. Mickey was introducing the crew as I was walking out.

My first trip to NYC was awesome in so many ways. Good friends, good
shows, meeting new friends. I am VERY glad I went.

I think the vocal miscues you are speaking of is actually how they do the Half Step now, Frankl.
I really really really like it this way!!!!


I can't even tell you the vibes and wonderful time I had all week with:

Fritz & Kate ~ how generous and fun it is to travel with you 2!!!

Fishcane ~ you're one sweet dude ~ thanks for the ride!!!!

Kook & his buds ~ oh please oh please...let him NOT post the pics!!!!

TC & Kitten ~ one solid word LAUGHTER

Huck ~ soooo missing you right now

Mermaid ~(MY NC SISTER ~ why do we see each other in different states and not here!!??

Wally ~ whom I'm still trying to figure out after these coupla year ~ but still love ya!!

SKINS ~ sweet slumber one ~ wishing I could have partied with ya on Sunday also!! Thank you for your generous hospitality ~ you got it goin' on!!

Lites and Robin ~ we must hang more! ~ Panic is coming!!!

Scarlet and Tim ~ what a pleasure ~ thanks for keeping my tired ass company on Sunday sweetie

LT & GT ~ pleasure actually being next to you in the show on Saturday and the nice half-way stopping point for my friends and I!!

Jen, Bret, Schnee ~ always good to hug and see you guys!!!

Burnzy ~ see you at Panic again??????

White Birches ~ YOU my dear, are a sweet, sweet soul ~ thank you for the compliments ~ really hope to boogy by you someday!!!!

Dew and Fred ~ you ran off like you were turning into pumpkins when the music started ~ gotta chat more next time!!!

DAN ~ Thank you for the sweet tix!! Great to see you again since the NYE shows???!!!

Greg and Beth ~ everytime I see you 2 ~ you give the best smiles!!!

Anybody I missed ~ sorry ~ my brain is fried!

I have to say ~ the shows were outta this world but by listing the folks I hung and chatted with makes this scene (music and the Zone) worth not only the price of admission but ingredients to a happy and meaningful life!

You all rock ~
LOVE YA~
Daydream

Beautiful night. Nice cool breeze. I like Jones Beach more and more every time I go. Those who complain about the police and security must be wearing signs that say "Arrest Me" pinned to their backs. No problems at all getting in or out. No problems chilling and eating and drinking.

Didn't go and didn't read the reviews of Saturday night but from what I read later the acoustic set was not as well received as I would have expected. On Sunday it was great in my opinion, the highlight of the show for me. So great to see Uncle John's acoustic. Not my favorite to see electric (mostly because I've seen it so much), so it was great to get it "out of the way" early. But the version was solid with some nice playing by Jimmy. I thought the Deal was excellent very welcome in my book. The set was capped by Brokedown Palace which I think was perfect. Just great. Loved the acoustic set.

Set II started out great, the drums were fun especially the low, low, low rumble of the big drums. Definitely brought back memories. This was my third Self Defense out of four shows for me this tour but I have to say that the song is growing on me. A lest it's not boring. Mickey’s vocals aren’t that bad considering some of the “vocal adventures” we’ve been on during this tour. Mr. Charlie was perhaps the best electric song of the night for me. Joan was great and it was nice to hear a proper end to the song. Just a great version and nice to see. I liked the next jam. Thought I heard Ain't Superstitious teases by Bob, but instead of blasting into Bob-Blues (I was fearing Rooster here) they found their way into to St. Stephen which was excellent in my opinion (not epic but pretty much flawless). The William Tell bridge was a tad sloppy as was the jam into The Eleven. I was just glad they played the Eleven but it took them forever to get to it. Had they gone into No More Do I or something else I might have left. I was screaming for The Eleven. I needed it and I was sober (save for the few beers I had pre-show and a couple hits) . It wasn't the best Eleven I've heard but it was needed. The new number, All That We Are, didn't do it for me. Not just because it was new to my ears, but I felt it was quite flat for the first several minutes. I thought it brought the energy down a little. I thought the Sugar Magnolia was a little off but good placement.

Set III had its ups and downs for me. It started well. The opening jams had some great up moments. It wasn't a "going nowhere jam". It had some pleasant sounds. The Watchtower was really slowed down and was a success for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Phil botched the opening lyrics of Unbroken Chain but they made up for it with some great jamming in the song. The "space" before Morning Dew left a bit to be desired in my opinion. Joan's warbling over space I can do without. Hate to say it but there's relly no way for me to put it nicely. The guys behind us were making some funny jokes during this. Normally I don't like when people talk during the music but this was pretty fuuny. After a major wail by Joan, one would say. "Oh, that was uncalled for" and another would answer "Don't go there Joanie". I was cracking up. Morning Dew was nice to hear but I have to say that I think Joan takes the slow Jerry stuff down one notch too many. She's great on the more uptempo stuff but I thought The Dew was a bit slow for my taste. Better than the Stella in Chicago, however. The rest of the set I thought was okay but frankly I wouldn't mind if they stopped after a song or two and regrouped. The "flowing jam" set sometimes doesn't work so well and I thought they could have benefited from a break between The Other One and Terrapin. To me, nothing special about Samson and Lovelight but they were well played. We left before the encore so I can't comment on it but it looks fun on paper.

All in all I thought the high points were very high. There were times that I couldn't help but to dance. Some of the jams were awesome and were sustained. Bill and Mickey were on fire for much of the show and there were some great Phil moments. The low points thankfully weren't too low although the new song almost got there at the beginning. Toward the end of the show I found myself wanting to leave. Maybe I wouldn’t have felt that way if I were ripped and it were Saturday, but alas, I had my fill and wanted to get on the road. Not sure what to do if I get a chance to see The Dead again. Four shows this summer was plenty. I think I’ve now seen it all. If they go through with the rumored Yes tour next summer I will definitely skip. I fear that crowd could get ugly (some of the crowd from this summer’s tour was not exactly fetching). The acoustic set was a treat. Would have liked to have seen Deep Elem Blues but maybe next time.

I disagree with you about the potential for the crowd in conjunction with YES. Having seen them many many times over the years and only being 36 years old I am always amongst the youngest in the crowd. Last time I saw them people had wine and cheese in the lot not beer!!
On to the show!

What could be better than to open a show than an acoustic UJB? One of my all time favorite songs and performed beautifully. Mountains of the Moon was performed well, it struck me as odd choice for an acoustic number. Blackbird started out with only Weir and Jimmy, when CSN performs the song, it's truer to the original Beatles arrangement, Weir had some fun with the ending and overall it was well rendered. Me & My Uncle was another acoustic surprise, played true to form and from where I was sitting I could clearly see the song's co-author John Perry Barlow on
stage right enjoying the song with a lovely lady friend perched on his arm. Some of the other VIP revelry going on, on stage right included a member of the Hells Angels ? New York posing for pictures with friends and or family. It Must've Been The Roses was sung by Joan and sounded a lot like Emmy Lou Harris. Give Joan credit, she's found most of her spots, sings beautifully; her versatility now is a welcome addition to the mix. Deal was mostly sung by Weir with some nice harmonies by all three vocalists. Brokedown Palace was one of the best songs played, touching and always heartfelt.

Drums were a perfect start to the 2nd set right after the break. Magically the bathrooms were clear and there was no line for the pretzels. Joan's vocal sound effects were interesting, fit the mood, 20 years ago it would've kept me in my seat, now it's lightly entertaining and at JB you don't miss a second of the show with the video monitors at all the concession stands. Mr. Charlie was a rocker, I'm thinking about digging out my vinyl copy of Europe 72 and playing the original analog for old times sake. Previously I said that Joan's bluesy rendition of Mr. Charlie at SPAC was one of the highlight of that show, with the band playing together live for nearly two months, it's gotten better. What can anyone say about a 2nd set that includes St. Stephen> William Tell and The Eleven? My last St. Stephen in lovely uncongested, low impact policing, Nassau County LonGuyLand was 1/10/79 at the Coliseum, it was nice to hear it back then, it was better to hear it 24 years later. There's no comparing Donna Godchaux and Joan Osborne! Watching Keith Godchaux nod at his piano was no treat. Rob and Jeff play the heck out of their set-up and add so much to show. Jimmy smoked thru the whole suite. At one point when I was looking at the video monitor I thought Weir was playing some lead guitar, only after a few minutes did I
realize the lighting was playing tricks with my eyes, Weir and Jimmy's guitar have similar shapes & finishes and Weir wasn't playing any lead guitar solos. Phil's lead 6 string bass never sounded better.

A comfortable ocean breeze was consistently blowing in from the south shore, the strong breeze makes it difficult to control sound in an open air amphitheatre, I commend the monitor and PA mixing people who did a great job with some pretty difficult acoustics at JB Amphitheatre. This theatre was originally built for summer musical performances of South Pacific and Guys & Dolls. It was often used by Guy Lombardo who would
come to the theatre through Zach's Bay on his boat, which was kept docked at his house, not too far away in Freeport on Woodcleft Canal. When they first started playing Rock and Roll at Jones Beach, the theatre still had the moat between the audience and the stage. The stage moved in an out along a track to and from the audience. It's not the same place with a new top-tier and total seating for 10,000, it's still a great place to see a show in the NY Metro area, maybe the best in
terms of scenery. As for comfort, the aisle widths haven't changed but I noticed that the new seats are narrower; I can only surmise that either
my fanny has gotten bigger over the years or this is another trick the promoter uses to sell more tickets at the cost of comfort to the patrons. The guy to my left with the sharp elbows wouldn't have been poking me in the gut if the seats were left at a reasonable spacing. For those of you reading this and wondering where I'm originally from and you can't tell from my writing style, I'm a native NYer with a sarcastic wit.

The 3rd set was great from the moment the band hit stage until the last notes of the Touch of Grey encore. Taking a page out of Dylan's
continuous reinterpretation of his own songs, Weir set a different time to All Along the Watchtower. It didn't work quite as well as the Jimi version, it sounded good nevertheless. Unbroken Chain had a rough start. I'm not sure if it was Phil forgetting the words or his microphone not being turned-on to the PA inbetween communicating to the sound people and other ear-bud possessing band members. Musically the song was performed flawlessly. How beautiful is that? Joan did a respectful of Jerry's version, beautiful rendering of Morning Dew. Watching her lean back from the mic and modulating her voice for just the right effects
had a certain reverence in its appearance. Terrapin was on on on. Samson & Delilah, another expected song, always played for Weir's Sunday
"spiritual derivation" and Lovelight while always a pleasure to hear was better when it was a post Pigpen novelty (The Oops show in Amsterdam or
New Years Eve w/ Etta James in 1982-3, or even better when Pig did it ie., 2/13/70). Joan did her best to get the song into the stratosphere.
She took her wireless mic, went across the stage to be as close to the audience as possible and sang her heart out.

At the break between the end of the third set and before the encores, Phil's son came out to talk about becoming an organ donor. I give him lots of credit, even though his words got a little mixed-up in the order of his delivery, it was sincere and I don't know too many people at 16 years old who could get up in front of 10,000 people and have the presence of mind to deliver a coherent message. Phil then reinforced the message and acknowledged of a member of the audience who received 2 Liver transplants. With the all the band returned to the stage, Weir walked up his mic, thinking it wasn't live to the PA and said, "two Liver transplants???", to which Phil pointed out at the audience indicating Weir's private communication was shared with everyone in the amphitheatre. I come back to one previous suggestion and add a new one along the same line. Please get teleprompters, they'll help the band in
remembering where they are in a song and remember the lyrics, (Weir almost started The Other One with the second verse) and my second suggestion is to have better control over the on/off of the live mics to the PA. There were several other times where inadvertent communications went out on the PA when they were clearly meant for the other band members or sound & lighting staff.

After the last encore, Micky Hart invited the mixing and road crew on the stage for a much appreciated thank you from the band and the
audience and an acknowledgement for all of their hard work. Good show guys. Thank you!

All in all, I think the band has come closer to getting that feeling that it hasn't had in a long time. For anyone going to see the 3 west coast shows next month, I hope they don't the lose the momentum after five plus weeks away from the stage. Enjoy yourselves!

Me & My Uncle was written by John Phillips.

John Philips, John Philips Souza, John Perry Barlow, same thing.

Glad this board is finally back up. I've been holding this back for days now. I've said it before, Phil Lesh is one of the greatest bass players of all time. Stylistically, no one touches him. He is a master. Unfortunately the same can not be said for his singing (except for the no one touching him part). 8.10 Jones Beach was cruising along very nicely, good vocals all around, even allowing for Phil's flub of the first line of Unbroken Chain. Then the Terrapin. UGGH! You hear those first notes and it's like warm sunshine being poured over you, you wonder who's going to sing, Bobby? Joan? Rob? And then like a kick in the guts, it's Phil. I felt the energy sucked out of the pople in my section like nitrous from a $10 balloon. This song was the dead's masterpiece, their "stairway to heaven" if you must, a sweeping epic. It was once a real treat to hear it. Now, I pray they don't play it. Not because I don't like it anymore but because Phil butchers it so badly. Phil, you are not a singer, not even a mediocre singer. You are terrible. I can handle you singing your tunes. You wrote them and wrote them to suit your vocal "style". Terrapin is out of your league. Please let me enjoy this song again. Play that bass but leave the mic alone. Thanks for understanding!

>>Terrapin is out of your league. Please let me enjoy this song again. Play that bass but leave the mic alone. Thanks for understanding!

I couldn't agre with you more. It was painful. I love Phil and admire him to no end that he keeps touing and singing and I love him on his own songs, but Terrapin was awkward at best. I keep hearing people talk about how bad Dylan's singing is on the Phil Zone and it just makes me wonder what they are listening to. Dylan's voice has got some issues for sure, but man...

P.S. I always cringe right before "Ladyfinger dipped in moonlight" part of St. Stephen because I know what's coming....

Here is my adventure tale/review of the jones beach shows. Wake up Saturday morning, after being unable to sleep due to unconstrained excitement. 9:45 a.m depart my home and head toward Taconic parkway. Having experienced the nightmare of Long Island traffic too many times, I decided at least get on the island before it got too messy. Uneventful ride down, stumbling around hicksville looking for my hotel. found it and checked in early. enjoyed a few pipefulls in the new surroundings and at 2:00 head to the show. RAIN!! pouring rain. take the wantagh south and arrive in the parking lot, as the rain recedes. Two dozen cars scattered around in the main lot. Park my dented KIA in a sopt, and low and behold, Shakedown street forms right to the rear of my car. I enjopy several cold ones in a cup, and witness little or no harrassment by cops. I walked around, and being that this was my first time going to a show solo, i enjoyed the fact to do what I wanted to do without worrying about others. talked to some friendly heads [and some young, wiseass Phish fans who responded rudely to a question i had posed] Had a few too many beers in the parking lot and headed in to the show. Skipped through with my stash and walked inside. I had seat first row center in the tier, directly behind the tapers section. Toked up with some older heads next to me as the first strains of strawberry fields broke through. NICE OPENER. Sweet and soft, this led into a nice little acoustic jam before heading into a solid, but run-of-the mill FOTD. I heard from some heads in the lot the next day that they missed the two openers, and i felt bad. The rest of the acoustic set was superb, including the finely sung Stella (although i will always prefer the majestic instrumental version from Albany during the fall tour) Set break was nice. I milled around the brick courtyard of the venue and then timed it perfectly to return for the beginning of Shakedown. Whoa!! Loose and funky, it got my dance shoes on. The inner jams were interesting before settling down for a MInglewood, which kept the energy level up. As the rain returned they brought up 'Crazy Fingers' that , while nicely sung by Joan, made me prefer Rob's singing this tune. The Tommorrow Never Knows was also competently played, and the kick in to playing was on. WHAT A JAM. They explored new nooks and crannies on this old war horse, and let me now note that the majic of this show occurrred in the jams that were interwoven between the songs. Much like Dicks Picks 6 (10/14/83) it was the space between the songs that brought out the heart of the show.
After two great sets, the third set came blistering in with an amazing jam that flowed back into the playing theme. Phil then led them into a nice Milestones that never quite gelled completely, before returning to a Playing reprise. A nice, well delivered Half Step was up next, which included nice harmonies on the "Rio Grandeeo" section on the outro. Nice stuff that had me smiling. The Ramble on Rose was a little stiff in the intro, but picked up speed after Bobby pointed at the crowd during the "new york city" line.
... next up 'October Queen', which was well played, however I do not think it necessarily fits the style for this band. It works well for Ratdog becaus eof their more slimmed down sound, but this band is too beefy for this type of song, and although it was played well, it did drain some of the energy out of the set. The mood was recovered with a nice jam into Drumz and Space that were what we all expect from these two. out of space came a Bridsong reprise, with Phil giving tribute to Jerry with the" in HIM sang" ad-lib. NICE TOUCH PHIL after more jamming it then dissolved into a Cassidy Reprise, which then jammed into a nice Sugaree.
The only thing with this Sugaree however, occurred at the end. IT was obvious that the boys wanted to continue jamming along, and with Joan having her back to them as she stood near the edge of the stage she couldn't see what they were doing. She came back into the lines too quickly, thus derailing the song for about fifteen seconds (which isnt too bad considering it sounded like the whole song was about to blow up) they quickly finished sugaree and I could see Phil walking up to Joan on the side of the stage with his arms in the air, telling her probably to pay more attention to the band behind her instead of the audience in front of her. A touching donor rap followed by the expected Saturday Night encore. I remeber telling the guy next to me that if they played it, it was exit time for me. I stuck around, however, for the Ripple encore, which displayed the boys tired by this point. Bob fucked the lyrics up, but the ending "la-la-de-das" were enough to put a smile on my face.
nice show. the sound and venue were great. drove back to the hotel in a virtual hurricane, and passed out watching SportsCenter and spilled my beer all over me. i was contently dreaming about waking up and seeing what tommorirow would bring...
and that story will come soon

Sorry to keep this off topic, but the above comments bother me.

I remember back in the day when we used to have to goad Phil into singing even one song during a run of shows.

We followed his quintet around a little last year and I was pleasantly surprised by the vocals all the way around. I was happy to see him step up to the mic and belt 'em out. Phil has perfect pitch. But his range is low. His style may be a bit stilted, but he's been improving on that, too, imo.

I try and go into a show with no expectations. And I think a big part of the bands success hinges on the premise that anything could happen. Admonishing the master shows a lack of understanding, appreciation or respect for what the band does best, imo.

lw

He didn't "flub" the first line in Unbroken, his mike went out..even saw Bobby motion to the crew and signal for them to turn it up.

If it were up to me Phil would sing all the Jerry tunes..it's the spirit, wisdom and love in his voice that does it for me. After all these years the words to Terrapin mean a great deal to me, I'd rather hear them belted out by a wise old soul like Phil more so than anyone else. Jerry's voice wasn't my favorite because it was "the best in rock" or even because he ALWAYS hit that killer note(we all know he didn't)...it was the my favorite because of the feeling that he put behind it..

I think the same thing applies to Phil..it saddens that anyone could attend a great show like 8/10 and come away with a negative comment about a man that we are damn lucky to still have around. I'll stick to the beautiful memories of..



-the perfect feeling of chocolates starting to do their job in unison with Phil strumming the opening notes to Mountains of the Moon

-the joy of stomping down to Sugar Mags knowing that we've got another full set looming large

-groovin' dead center just off the floor enjoying what had to be the best sound of the summer..the boys sparking a slow Watchtower as a (((cosmic breeze))) blew through my hair

-THE UNBROKEN JAM

-the nasty Phil Bomb in Lovelight


I would also like to say that Bobby nailed the Ripple 8/9...it was like he was on a mission after blowing the one they did in Philly. Perhaps he had a little help



Again, the sound was great..the screens were SICK..that black and white tunnel thing they had going during space was wild as could be. Great time jamming with everyone but I'm so glad to say that it's time to REV THE MUTHA FUCKIN RACE CAR AND GET DOWN TO THE BEST BAND IN THE LAND AT THE WARFIELD

Thanks above for the history of JB theater. If there was a moat, then perhaps some of the floor seats are new? In any event, we discovered at Neil Young that low in the first riser section is the place to be, from where you can look directly to the stage over the heads of the floor people. You're not that far away, the sound is better there, and you can gaze out over the water and watch the moon rise. It did get a little windblown during the second set but that's the price you pay at JB, and if anything it added an occasional 'surround-sound' effect.

Missed the boat in Camden or they've improved considerably, because I loved this show. Probably the former since we spent a lot of time in the lobby in Camden, hitting the bathrooms and bars -- not the way to enjoy a show. Without a prime location there, the sound sucks, and though we did sneak down for parts of the second set, I still wasn't impressed. Also probably has to do with a fierce loyalty to Phil & Friends. After seeing this show, and hearing some discs, I'm resigned to admit if this is the future I can happily live with it. Still would be nice, however, to see the boys get together now and again, bringing Warren and Molo back into the fold to make great music and a little money.

Sunday night the Dead were exceptional. There was hardly a clunky jam or transition to be found. It's cliché, but "this show had flow." Killer; no filler. Basically two electric second sets. The acoustic part was a huge treat and blew away Shoreline last fall. Jimmy Herring is sensational. I loved watching him seated stage-right bending his acoustic axe. With the Fender, he's all over the place. At times he's Jerry; at times he's completely different, like in the Samson solos where he's reinterpreted the speed riffs in a whole new groove. To the kindred soul above who doesn't like Phil, with most Terrapins (you don't expect them all to sound like 2/26/77 do you?), the magic is found in the jam. Out of Lady with a Fan, Jimmy took it beyond Garcia with lilting flurries and playing the type of which we've never heard. I will definitely be ordering this show to hear it again, and to have the acoustic set for posterity (best since 12/31/80.)

Bobby was on fire. I'll give him some credit. I almost like his acoustic playing better. No buzzing tone. But he played "inventive" fills all night and sang great. Joan Osborne, what can you say? She has integrated fully. The slinky strut around stage in Lovelight, rapping like Pig used to do (without ordering anyone to dance), was a highlight. You can't criticize her because she adds so much. And it may add years to their lives, too, dancing in front of them like that.

I know some have said, and will say, there wasn't anything huge. No massive Dark Star or major bustout for the New York crowd on the last night of the tour. All I'll say is that it was extremely well-played and a unique night with the acoustic and two second sets.

Notes on the acoustic...

UJB- Polished. Better than Bridge.
Mountains of Moon- Good choice. Loved how they lost their way in space before "20 degrees of solitude" verse. Planned? Heavy jam out of it, Jimmy wailing.
Blackbird- Simply beautiful, no one else needed. Could barely see Jeff, dressed in black in the back, but you could hear him.
Roses and Deal- Sweet Joan on the former and "minor" whipout with Deal.
Palace- Touching. They had time for more, but it had to end there.

And the electric...

D/S- Nice opener.
Angel- Good. Then Mickey was done singing. Hot Jimmy.
Mr. Charlie- Nailed it. Along with the new one, the only "first set" material, yet surrounded by jams and teases (Rooster, Star)
Stephen- Powerful as always. Crowd loved it. Long exit jam with Jimmy repeatedly teasing 11 riffs, to the point I thought it wouldn't be played...
11- But they did, and uplifting it was.
Sugar Mags- To close the first set ??!!

Watchtower- New arrangement threw me but grew to love it. Strong Bobby vocals. "The wind began to howl." Nice contrast to the powered Dylan version I saw the night before with members of Petty's band. [Didn't stay for Petty. Couldn't go to Dead because was down at the shore, but to those blasting Dylan here, sorry you don't get it. He's an acceptable substitute. Don't dwell on the singing (you already know the words, right?) Listen to the band and the harmonica.]
UBC- Elegant transition into it. A very nice transition. Wound it down to total silence.
Space and Dew- Joan chant. Then, an over the top Dew.
O.O.- After all these years it's not something I die to hear, but fine. Wasn't tripping, or drinking for that matter since no alcohol was served, just outdoor California kind, good company and that view of the moon over the water.
Terrapin and Samson- See above. Loved them both, but do me one favor, please: speed Terrapin up a bit. Like Wharf Rat it should be played faster.
Lovelight- Immediate. Bang!, right into it. Joan's mike walk. Great fun for all, onstage and off.
U.S. and Touch- Gotta confess, parts were heard in the lot. It's not beyond our scope to be outta there before the last note, even at shows like this. Heck, I've even left during drums (and been burned.) But it doesn't mean you don't go back...

How about the cosmic charlie firstset tease. it was beautiful, and so is this band!!!!!!!!!!!!
I want them to play Brother Esau because "i am shadow boxing the epocolipse and wandering the land."

Phil DID flub the opening of Unbroken Chain (opened withthe verse "november & more........) I was third row center and he was definitely confused. Didn't bother me, the musical performance shined!!!!!!!!!!!

Right on Keith..I was kinda gone and just flowing with the music until I was "woken" up by the opening words and a bit of grumbling from my neighbors..when I looked up and focused on the stage I couldn't hear anything, saw Weir motion to the side of the stage at this point.

yes, the musical performance did shine all over us indeed

>>He didn't "flub" the first line in Unbroken, his mike went out..

It sounded like a flub to me but what do I know?

>>it saddens that anyone could attend a great show like 8/10 and come away with a negative comment about a man that we are damn lucky to still have around. I'll stick to the beautiful memories of..

I've been happily listening to Phil singing for years. I like it sometimes. He did a great job on thr Broken Arrow I saw this summer. I was just agreeing with the guy who made the comment about Terrapin at Jones Beach because my friend and I both had the same reaction. It wasn't just Phil. The song just didn't do it for me. I'm not saying it's bad or that others shouldn't like it. I guess I'm saying I'm not into the Dead so much any more. I was frankly a little surprised to find myself not enjoying Terrapin Station, one of my favorite songs of all time on a beautiful night.

a perfect night man..

I keep going back to the welcome little breeze that would seemingly blow through right on cue

"Do me one favor, please: speed Terrapin up a bit. Like Wharf Rat it should be played faster."

I wish they would do it ("it" being the Inspiration portion) the way Phil and Friends does it: Full Tilt Boogie. I think that rearrangement was a stroke of genius on Phil's part.

By J C (Gratefuldad) on Wednesday, August 27, 2003 - 12:34 pm: Edit Post
I know it's a little late for a review of the August 10th show, but I wanted to share my thoughts. This is my third friggin' try, so here goes:
The day itself was forecast with dire predictions but turned out to be clear and sunny. I was anxious all day expecting a biblical deluge but by tailgate time everything was peachy. The cops were being mellow as long as beers were in cups. I did observe some begging but in fairness to the Phish people this had been going on at Dead shows before their arrival so I can't completely blame them. I think what may be put-offish about some of these trust fund moochers is an apparent attitude that they're just killing time at the dead shows until Phish starts up again. Mike Gordon's backsage antics may hint at this kind of narcissism. I'm not sure what really happened that night but if you were to replace the words 'Mike Gordon' with 'Catholic Priest' I doubt you would see a mad rush of Phish fans lining up in support. I mean, the guy is a hippie, right? And hippies can't be bad, right? (Charles Manson). Anyhow, they didn't ruin my head so much as the loose dogs I witnessed and one of my all time pet peeves: people dragging infants to rock concerts. This isn't Prospect park or Clearwater Revival, folks. Small children should be left at home. I saw a couple pulling a their sunburned daughter around in a wagon while looking for their miracles! What will be a miracle is if this girl reaches puberty. I left mine home...not fair to expose such young children to rock concert decibel music or the drug use and subsequent behaviors shows often produce (refer back to the Mike Gordon incident).
Besides that my friend Tom and I had a good time and most people were pretty cool. Going in the frisking was tight and my airplane bottles were confiscated but at least I got in (sobering up in the middle opf a show can be a bummer). This was the first time I sat in the "new" upper section and the view was killer! On the right the waves of the Atlantic broke on the shore and on the left was Zachs bay and it's surrounding lush, marsh lands complete with winding estuaries and hungry egrets. The first set started while it was light. Whisps of clouds ribboned by and eventually revealed an almost full moon. The band opened with Uncle John's - now I gotta admit this was one of those songs that used to drive me crazy. It seemed like every GD show I went to they played Uncle Johns Band. I had been out of the fold for a while following the big man's passing...Phils band had sucked me back in and my head came back around. Hearing that song after such a long time and in such a beautiful environment almost made me want to cry. Joan stood out during Roses and it was cool to hear Mountains of the Moon. By the time they came out for the second set it was dark enough to see the video screens and the moon was glowing bright. This set really rocked. Joan gave me goosebumps during Mr. Charlie. I got flashes of a feeling that Jerry used to give me...when he was 'on', his guitar playing was so emotionally pure and masterful that everyone else seemed to be supporting him. Don't get me wrong - there were some moments that seemed a little uncomfortable during instrumental jams a la Donna Jean when Joan, having nothing to do, would dance in place a bit and then leave stage, but she is a super addition. (She also stood out on AM Dew later on.) The jamming was tight - I've heard people refer to the 11 intro as 'electrifying'-although from time to time they kinded dounded like the Allmans. By the third set I was wipped so to me it did not have had the juice of the middle one (I've seen some criticism of Terrapin). I actually enjoyed the set as by that time I was just happy to be in the house but I think the standout was the second set. One notable of the show was Phil's flub (or mic error) during Unbroken Chain (a song I love on Mars Hotel)...he made kind of a funny face like, "Woops! Nuthin' i can do about it now but try and sing the next verse..." As far as his voice issues go (and Bobby's ego) I kind of look at it like endearing idiosyncrasies...hey! they're only human. Anyhow, the US Blues/Touch encore seemed appropriate. Overall, two thumbs up! Leaving the show, I was impressed with how little litter there seemed to be compared to shows of long ago (Giants stadium...ugh!) This was a plus and kudos to people on that. The music was great and I must say it's nice to be back in the scene. I'm looking forward to my next show. The Angels/Gordon flap was a blemish on an otherwise lovely evening. I wonder if the Dead may want to reasses the realtionship they have with certain people. That's it for me...stay safe and see you on the road! - gratefuldad

--The Angels/Gordon flap was a blemish on an otherwise lovely evening. I wonder if the Dead may want to reasses the realtionship they have with certain people. --

Like who, Mike Gordon?

>Like who, Mike Gordon?

Yes...and maybe the Angels as well. I've heard some not so nice stuff about those guys...their presence (in my humble opinion) is incongruous with the peace and love vibe the band has emanated for so many years. I know there is a long standing relation between the two going back to Pigpen and all...I'm just sure there is some kind of old axiom that relates to this situation having to do with the company you keep or something. Were you at the show and if so can you relate to the rest of my comments?

The Angels didn't create a problem at JB and there's no reason that they should be persona non-grata. The "peace and love vibe" is bullshit. The scene is whatever anyone wants it to be. It's idiotic to say who should and shouldn't be allowed to attend the show and or be guests of the band.

Think about the situation. A nine year old child goes missing at 1am. That's every parents nightmare. There was tremendous concern for the child's welfare and angst while she was missing. Regardless of the MC clubs reputation, which really has nothing to do with this situation. Mike Gordon had no rational explanation for taking a child to a place that is off limits to the public. His "artist pictures" reason was lame. Maybe it was bad judgment or outright stupidity or criminal intent, it doesn't really matter. He took a 9 year old child, to a place where they weren't suppose to be and her parents did not know where she was. What more do you need to know? The police issued him a desk appearance ticket, he's lucky to still be alive.

I certainly wouldn't leave any child of mine with that idiot.

OK, so you're pro-angel, good for you. I don't think I said anything idiotic or even vaguely pro Mike Gordon. I said it is my OPINION that the Dead may want to reasses the relationship they have with certain people. This is not dictating who may and may not attend shows ...this is America and as far as I know if you can afford a ticket you can get in. I know first hand that the scariest moments of a parent's life is that frantic few minutes when you think your child may have disappeared. Even if Gordon was just taking art photos he was clearly in the wrong (I had an uncle who was into "art photos" but everyone knew not to let me be alone with him). Now, if we buy the official version that it was a "big misunderstanding" what we have is a situation in which the angels stomped (or worse...the news reports stated they were not so gentle with a private area of his body which sounds like prison justice to me)a person who is basically not guilty of what people are assuming. I find it hard to believe that Gordon wasn't up to something more sinister otherwise he would be pressing assault charges. Without the cooperation of the parents in pressing charges against Gordon he is in fact more apt to only get an appearance ticket and avoid the pedophile label and be free to strike again. My feeling is that however rashomon like this situation is both sides are emitting a foul odor. If the bands' relationship with an outlaw bike gang doesn't bother you, fine...next show they can party backstage with Sammy the Bull and Suge Knight. Maybe it would worry you more if it the band laid their "bullshit" vibe on Dick Cheney.

We check out at noon – the lobby is a zoo of course – a preppy whitebread woman is bitchin’ up a storm at the indifferent desk clerk – in town for a wedding, she claimed to have called ahead to cancel Friday’s stay – instead, the hotel billed her for Friday then cancelled her Saturday room, then after she had bitched extensively they reinstated her with a room for Sat, but charged her double and it was a smoking room. I’m there merely to check out of our stylin’ room we are fully satisfied with. At this moment I wish I could morph into a stinky wookie, whipping out my triple platinum cards and cellphone. Lugging our stuff thru the basement garage we notice a waterfall cascading from an open valve in a pipe in the ceiling – the puddles of water have gray foam and smell very foul – cool – raw sewage! Meanwhile the nitrous wooks with their balloons are blissfully spashing around and falling down in the open cesspool. Apparently the rain caused a sewer backup and the only way to keep the hotel from actually backing up was to open this valve in the basement garage – man, they’re lucky the health inspectors are off on Sunday! Nice place to pick up Hep C. The weather is actually much improved today – the sun is almost out, you can almost see blue sky every once in a while. Good day for soaking up unseen UV radiation. The lot scene is much mellower, far fewer 5-0 dragnets happening. Its very windy, so I give up on even trying to tape, knowing all to well how crappy it will sound. My seats tonight are further back but centered, sort of next to the board, 4 seats in. Ruby from GDTS TOO is right behind me – gotta be on my best behavior. I tell a friend “I feel like I’m sitting on Santa Claus’ lap”. Someone else says: “At least you’re not taping!” Hoping that GDTS put the same no-show’s next to me as last night, so I’d again have 2 empty seats, but alas, 2 huge, sweaty guys show up just before the acoustic set starts. These guys are LARGE – well endowed, as a female friend puts it, with gnarley, sweaty, “Man-Teets”. Yecch! And they will be taking up more than their share of the seats next to me all night. Bummer. Extreme bummer. I notice the yellow “one show at a time” stickers on their respective man-teets, and that gets me to thinking deviously, very deviously – so much for my vow of being on good behavior! OK, so, as the band is warming up with a nice, acoustic Uncle John’s Band, I whip out my trusty glassie and pack it full of the dankity-est Colorado Medicinal. Then I puff it up Snoop Dogg stylie, lotsa smoke, and promptly offer the sputtering piece to man-teet #1. He is WAY offended, backing off from the smoking crater in disgust and pointing to the yellow sticker on his man-teet. I take a cue from Friday’s upstate NY X-heads and act all blubbery and goofy, leaning over on him and asking dopily “what’s that mean” – all the time exhaling my hit in his face as I talk, just like all my cigarette smoking friends do to me whenever we go out drinking. He backs away even more in disgust “I’m a Wharf Rat” – “what’s that mean” I babble goofily, again exhaling more smoke – “Clean and Sober – We are Clean and Sober” – he says, again with maximum disgust. “Oooohhh –sorryyyy” I say, smiling and laughing and dancing goofily. Man Teet #1 has a short conversation with Man Teet #2 and they promptly leave, never to return. YESSSS!!!!! Mission accomplished! I’ve got their seats for the rest of the night! Hey, I got nothin’ against Wharfratters or overweight people, I just wanted their space – nothing personal, man! And really, if you’re THAT offended by mere ‘erb smoke, how the hell do you ever put up with the hordes of drunken x-heads? Then they play Mountains of the Moon! Had been jonesin’ to see that one for awhile. This is followed by a predicted but still disappointing Blackbird – Bob, save this for Ratdog shows I’m guaranteed to not be at! The rest of the acoustic set is OK, nothing that great – its puzzling to me why they chose to do such routine songs that they have been doing electric – there was really very little difference in hearing them acoustic, but still nice to hear them played to a receptive crowd nonetheless. Deal is certainly much better w/Phil and Joan sharing vocals than Phil singing it alone. As the sun sets it gets REALLY cold and VERY windy – so much for listenable aud tapes of this show – I break down and buy the t-shirt commemorating these shows –feel like such a tool! 2nd set opens unexpectedly with drums – then right into Self Defense, no space or even any kind of transition – they just stop drums, everyone walks out on stage and there’s a minute or 2 of confusion, they start playing the song – LAME LAME LAME! I actually like that song, but the lack of a segue just kills any momentum the show had. Mr Charlie picks things up again, then they go off on quite an exploratory jam after this – kind of the jam they should have done after drums – this melts down into St Stephen – this is fairly well done, the William Tell part much slower and more deliberate than earlier versions. I expect The Eleven out of this, as all the other versions so far have NOT been into The Eleven – they toy with not doing The Eleven but eventually work their way back to it – some nice stuff here – this winds into the newest new song I hadn’t heard yet – as with Self Defense, I actually like it (was afraid it was going to be horrible like Again & Again or R&R Blues – phew!) – then a set-ending Sugar Mag to give me a jump on the bathroom line. Being further back gives you a different perspective on the sound – again I’d say it is MUCH better than last fall. Considering how windy it is, the sound is actually pretty strong and does not “whoosh” as much as I’d expect. The bass is strong, although still not as much low end as in the Healy days, the highs are clear, it is not too muddy, all the instruments can be heard and are balanced, and there is even an element of stereo in the mix. The 2nd set opens unexpectedly with Watchtower – then into Unbroken Chain with no jam, just a stop/start. Phil screws up the first verse of Unbroken – how dare he!!! – actually pretty amusing to hear a rare Phil screwup (I recall the Terrapin at the Vibes last summer) – again an unremarkable version – this leads to Space – well, they gave this at least some thought – separated from Drums – this works pretty well – then into Joan singing Morning Dew – mixed feelings on this one- her version is certainly better than Phil’s, but this is one that should truly be put away in Jerry’s honor. The Other One starts abruptly after the ‘Dew, they deviate into some wild jamming between the verses but rein it back in pretty quickly, then go into Terrapin abruptly again – it’s obvious tonight’s show is very structured, with very little freeform jamming and no transitions – every song abruptly starts and ends. But they are choosing pretty good songs. The only thing about the Terrapin that stands out is that Bobby totally shreds and destroys it thanks to his new Blue Meanie guitar – ouch! Terrapin leads to Samson – well, it is Sunday – this should have been in the middle of Terrapin, especially since they tack on the Lovelight, which feels very tacked-on. Phil’s son does the organ donor speech, which is touching but I kind of feel bad for him, or any kid whose parents are famous for that matter. The double encore is pretty un-inspiring for a mega-tour ender – I am well on the way out by the middle of Touch – I’d never before seen all the vendors lined up and ready to hawk beer, soda, burritos, gooballs to the departing crowd – man, there’s a lot of them! A friend of a friend actually hands me DAT masters of the show, being that I’m the only person they know with the equipment to copy DAT to CD. That’s the first time I’d ever NOT taped the show and went home with a master! Turns out to have been made with Sennheiser’s from the tapers section and sounds absolutely HORRIBLE – so bad I proverbially wouldn’t let my DOG listen to it! I make a quick exit as work beckons in the morning – the ride back made interesting by the intermittent HEAVY downpours (if one of these happened during the show I can’t imagine how the show could continue) and hitting a 2 foot deep puddle at 70 mph – a wave crested over my hood and I had to drive blind while braking and hoping I wasn’t hitting anything – one of those moments when the "angel of tours" is looking out for ya - but made it home eventually. Heard about the Mike Gordon bust the next day – no wonder we’d heard he was there but didn’t play with them – well, if ANYONE doubts Phish sucks by now, they are SURELY living in De Nile! Overall I’d say I liked the Sat show over Sun, even tho Sun looks better on paper. Sat had much more good jamming and transitions. Sun was just “song-song-song” tacked together. Bring on the "Q"!!!!!

I just listened to this show on disc. Did they cut that disc from the same show that you guys went to???????

I listened to a few cuts to start:

Mr. Charlie - Not bad, but 7/8 is much better. Joan is much more inspired since it's her birthday and since it ends the set at Red Rocks, it cranks much more than this version.

AM Dew - Here I am, waiting for Jerry's ringing, hanging entry note, and I get Bobby's anemic chord. Jimmy does not hit the build up to the first riff aggressively. All my buds who were in tears for this must have been in pain.

Samson - A little different, but still Samson, the song I saw 200 times, at least. Jimmy's twanging bridge pickup tone is a little different and the song tempo suits him well, though.

Lovelight - Sorry guys, can't compare to Red Rocks. Not even close. Uninspired and tired at best.

Ok, flame away. I've only listened to the discs and I admit it's a poor way to judge the show and the whole experience. But, disc for disc, there are better ones from this tour.

FLAME ON!

Lando,

Your reasoning is flawed. I'll accept for a moment that no one version of any song from this show is the single best version ever done. However, the show had so MANY great versions of great songs that distinguished it from many other shows on the tour.

First, the acoustic set was really nicely played, and it layed down a perfect vibe for the evening. UJB, Mountains, Roses, Brokedown, Blackbird, Uncle, Deal. Just a nice warm opening; great selection and well played (granted, not crazy versions, but in a stripped down acoustic set, we're focusing a little more on the songs than the jamming).

Then a "first" set with St. Stephen, Eleven, Sugar Mag. How many "first" sets get that trio? And the Stephen>WTB>Eleven clocked in at almost a half hour, and nicely played too. Plus having Drumz done early always gives the show a little more mystery.

Than we get a nice Watchtower, a great UBC (in spite of the lyrical flub), followed by a beautiful Dew into Terrapin, a rocking Other One, a nicely reworked Samson and a fun Lovelight. Even the two-song encore, which included what I normally would consider throw-aways, was played with a little more enthusiasm than we usually get from US Blues and Touch.

So, while there was not a single version that was that song's standout of the tour, there were more great songs, really well done, with fewer (if any) disappointing moments than at any show I was on this tour (unfortunately I only got to five).

Jay -

Since my original post, I've listened to quite a bit more of it and have developed a sense of......respect.....for this show (especially after having read the reviews from Irvine). For example, I saw the UBC at Camden and I think this version is much better.

Your response, above, is well constructed and stated. Better than a lot of point-counter points in the Zone. Good post.

lando, you are sounding like a typical phish kid.

Ouch...

had to throw it in ;^)

anyhoot, might say I that I did bonnaroo, PNC2 and JB2 this summer. After listening to PNC2 comes off as a much better show on tape than any, the energy that JB 2 was just insane. Much more rockin show & familly all around.

The Jones Beach Stars
in the snack bar ceiling
(deserted snack bar, might I add)

On that Night of A Thousand Stars!!!