Pretty good show at Alpine - nice mellow scene out in the lot on a blazing hot day, few if any hassles encountered anywhere. Ziggy's set was great too - nice and LOUD in the pavilion. We enjoyed when little brother Stephen stepped up to the mic and/or played guitar as well.
The Jack Straw opener was nice - always a Weir favorite of mine. Hearing Billy the K pounding it out next to Mickey gave me a great old feeling. Indeed Alphonso sounded a little strange on bass to me all night, as many have stated in earlier reviews. It wasn't that he didn't play WELL, he just didn't seem too sure of where he fit into the whole thing to me. He certainly erred on the side of playing sparsely, which was good I suppose, though there were a couple times I really wished he'd just wig out and let fly with some madness. He was pretty restrained, but had such a big physical presence on stage (VERY tall gangly guy) that he looked primed to take over a few times but never really went for it. The Playing that followed Jack Straw was a sweet early suprise. We'd heard them soundcheck Playin>Wharf Rat>Valley Road, Baba Jingo, so I had a feeling we'd be hearing it, but as song #2? Not likely!!. I'd say it was well done and pretty good and weird, and slid very smoothly into Bird Song, with some definitely loose moments in the meantime and a nice Dark Star flavor here and there, nothing overt, just the mood. I was loving it, and Kimock was really getting us off in this segment, his talent is still ripe and when he decides to cut loose he can really do it. I'd only seen him once with the Other Ones two years ago, after seeing a bunch of Zero shows out west between '91-4, so I was very eager to see how he looked and sounded and fit in with this group. He used to get kind of despondent at those Zero shows - I'm not sure if it was chemically induced or based on personality conflicts within the band or what, but i definitely remember his ability to fade out of the mix just as well as i recall him being able to take the band to great heights. Tonight he did a bit of both, but definitely played his ass off many times, and was the soloist of the night for me. Neither Hornsby nor Karan took too many big breaks, and when they did, nothing too crazy emerged. Baba Jingo had a HURTLING beat that had many of us dancing HARD, though Mickey singing and mugging is still a bit distracting after all those years of his stoic presence behind the kit. My pal Vince kept laughing out loud during this one - I don't think he could believe how much he was enjoying it, at the same time hoping for the next song to come along as soon as possible. Pretty amusing. Stir it Up with Ziggy and co. was a great surprise, and very well played. Absolutely beautiful. I was reminded of some of those great Neville Bros. sit-in's by this one, and thought these guys really nailed it. Weir looked a bit like the conductor during this one, making sure the soundmen had everybody right in the mix. Very cool. Blackbird was nice enough, though I could've thought of any number of Bob originals I'd rather hear. Alphonso played this one very well, smoother maybe than I've ever heard Wasserman pull it off, and they even did a little jam at the end as some of the other guys in the band returned to the stage. Hornsby seemed to really force the beginning of Ripple into the end of this little Bbird jam, sort of awkward anI would've done it during White Wheeled Limo. I'm not a great Hornsby-original fan, though I admire his playing, and so I pretty much phased out during this one. St. Stephen was a good way to crack me out of the spell, and it was pretty well played at that. I'm not sure what they've done with The Eleven, but I was jokingly calling it The Twelve to myself as they shot through it. The lyrics just don't get that cracked odd-time delivery they used to get in the original versions, and it didn't seem like the same song to me. Fun to hear, but weird during the singing, not nearly as festive as it used to be, a bit contrived even, like they wanted to play it but couldn't do it the old way, so they found an easier new way to swing it... hard to complain when you're hearing the Eleven, but it didn't feel like the real deal to me when Bob was singing. Kimock, however, did do something VERY ballsy in this Steven/Eleven segment somewhere, by just walking over and standing right in front of the drummers with his back to the audience, playing these raging riffs and getting really locked in with Bill/Mick, who seemed to be loving it and really played into it with him - it was easily the musical thrill of the night for me, and I cheered for Steve when it settled down and he returned to his normal stage spot. Kickass to see a guy decide to see what he can do with the world's biggest rhythm section. Drums was amazing as well, what I'd been waiting for all night. Everybody was pumped, and the guys were sharp. Mickey backed off while Bill played a full traps-kit jazz solo for a minute and it was a fine fine moment, everyone psyched to have Billy back in place, esp. Mickey. Then they got weird together just like old times and moved through the arsenal of other drums and sound effects surrounding their main kits. I didn't want it to end. It was very abstract and eastern sounding for a while, Billy playing something that sounded awfully sitar-ish, or even like a vibraphone at times, beautifully melodic, while Mickey played huge blasting beats behind it. I would contend that there was no Space at all, just a very short rejoinder while Kreutzman ran off stage to get a towel and take a breath as the guitarists were getting back in place to cue up Banyan Tree, which was good. I don't know the song well, have only heard it performed once or twice, and while I was a bit distracted by the occasional hokeyness of the lyrics, I thought the song had a great vibe to it, very Weir, very dark, somewhat reminiscent of Victim (which I love), and I enjoyed this one, especially because it seemed to be the one song besides Blackbird that Alphonso really stood out on. He played amazingly and finally seemed at home with a jam. The Playin Reprise was somewhat expected and you could hear it coming a mile away. It was funny how Karan and Kimock really got it set up, but it was Weir who rearranged their groove a little bit and THEN stepped up to sing it. He's the man up there and he wanted it just right. No complaints from anybody near me. Wharf Rat was real cool - we'd heard it soundchecked and I could tell Hornsby was singing, though I couldn't hear him too well. I was wishing Weir would sing it instead, but Bruce did a nice job, put his own spin on it without botching a very sacred song up at all. He sang in this droney eastern manner that was quite an odd choice for such an American tune, but I thought it came off well, and much of the ensemble jamming during this one was quite exquisite. The Valley Road that they segued into, however, seemed totally forced and was of no value to me at all. They basically kept the Wharf Rat groove in place and Bruce sang the words to his song over that, very slowed down over his original versions (which I recall were pretty rocking the few times the Dead did it). It was a nice attempt at something loose and different, but it didn't really do it for me, and it did come pretty close to sacrilege for a second there as I pondered why they were PLAYING Wharf Rat but SINGING Valley Road. Weird. Not a huge deal, but kind of an energy drop. Given this little gaffe, Touch of Grey was not the song I would've chosen for the set closer, but Weir did a great job with the lyrics, and that circular rhythm of the song and the weird way the lyrics keep swinging back in and out of the song was nice. They played it smoothly for sure. I saw Alphonso rushing for the sheet music as soon as it began, and you could tell he was still getting to know this one. None the less, they all played it nicely, and the two guitarists were cracking me up as they echoed one another with that little melody Brent used to play after ''I will get by.'' It was fun, but not the vicious rocker I think many of us would've preferred. Mickey seemed to really enjoy it and stood up behind his kit with the cheshire cat grin, waving his arms all around and laughing manically - nice to see him so pumped up, though I wasn't sure WE were as excited by the tune as he'd been. None the less we had a big grin on along with him. The Johnny B. Goode encore was similar - not the greatest choice of tune, something longer and more meaningful would've been preferred, esp. for those of us only catching one show on this tour, but as you'd expect, they ripped it up and by the time it was over, nobody seemed any worse for the wear. Karan esp. got a chance to show off on this one a bit - he'd been a bit of a sideman/atmospheric guy all night, and did a good job of that, but he really stepped out and cranked his goldtop Les Paul on this one to great effect. Just after it ended, everybody left the stage but Alphonso, who was fidgeting with all his junk on top of his amp and getting his hat on, and the drum tech's were arranging the kits as if another song might be on the way, but as soon as that hat hit Alph's head, he took one step towards side stage and UP came the lights. Not a real big groan from the crowd, but a little one. Baby Blue or something would've been a nice follower there, but no dice. All in all, it was a great fun time, and I was glad I went. While Alphonso was in and out all night, I was not among those mourning the absence of Phil. He's got his thing going on and clearly needs a break from his old family, which is fair enough - think about all the years he floated through Dead-dome and played out of sheer obligation, and played casually at best during many of those years. Who can blame him for taking a chance to go his own way for a while? For me, seeing Weir and the drummers up there together was plenty great - they had it going on nicely, and were surrounded by a good team of guys to support them. I'm very glad I was there to see and hear it.d too fast. Kimock had us all in a nice place for a minute there, and the second he took a breather, Bruce just jammed the opening chord and line of Ripple into the fray and off they went. Nice enough version, definitely a chestnut of a song, but nothing radical. Karan was laughing at himself as he struggled to remember the words. Had I been bold enough to take a bathroom/beer break (we had great seats in the 20th row center pavilion, and I had no desire to move a single step away from our home base),
Scott Judd
If you get the chance to go see The Other Ones and you're on the fence, please do yourself a favor and GO.
I saw the Alpine Valley show on Friday and was blown away. Believe it or not, they sound better than they did in '98 -- to my ears, MUCH better. Having read the decidedly mixed reviews, my expectations were not very high -- but I was very pleasantly surprised. Phil's personality is definitely missed, and he's certainly a more inventive (and, yes, better) player than Alphonso Johnson. But musically, I think Phil sort of complicates the band -- he was another sound which was fighting to be the ''lead'' voice. Now, this band is definitely Bobby's (say what you will) and they seem much more focused, all on the same page. Mickey and Billy sound great together, and everyone really seems to be having fun. Even Steve Kimock, who has never impressed me as much as he seems to have impressed others, really seems to be into it and is playing very well. He and Karan worked well together Friday night. Maybe we just happened to go on the right night, but I like to think that we caught the tour just as it was heating up. Wish I had more time to write a detailed review, but hopefully you'll all get a chance to go see for yourself. I enjoyed this show more than any other Dead-related show I've seen (or heard on tape/disc) since '95, with the exception of the Warfield Phil & Friends show with Trey and Page.
Jon Murphy