Reviews
After seeing TOO at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, my expectations were lowered. The Schott. show was a disappointment. There were many miscues and communication was poor. Often when the chorus came around, it was not clear who would take the vocals, so another round of jamming would go on. Sometimes the show faltered almost to a stop. Bob looked ill at times, he coughed and had trouble with the vocals. It was a sad shadow of the great 98 tour. Perhaps it's true what they say about the Midwest being cursed to receive only patched-together setlists, while the coasts get the killer shows.
So, I came into Blossom expecting another spotty show. First of all, my compliments to the venue. The staff was mellow. The parking lots were wooded with picnic tables under the trees. Shakedown Street commerce was unhassled. There was relatively less body searching and cameras were permitted. Down front, where I was sitting, they were pretty lax about dancing in the aisles.
ekoostik hookah opened with a lively jam-oriented set. They showed why they are an enduring and popular band. Ziggy Marley's set built on the good vibes that hookah started and by the end of the set, there was a large dancing happy crowd waiting for TOO.
The show opener was a delight, a few bars of Sugar Magnolia and straight into Sunshine Daydream. That got the crowd up and dancing. The band looked much more relaxed; they seemed to be having a good time. A lively Sugaree built on a long and soaring Steve Kimock solo that had the crowd roaring. The Midwestern curse was being banished. Around me people were commenting to each other, ''They're really on, tonight!''
There were no really dragging moments. When Bob started up School Girl, I expected the momentum to lag, but it sailed along with plenty of energy. Rapidly followed by an engaging Playin' In the Band that led into Scarlet/Fire. The Scarlet/Fire in Columbus had been an embarrassment, and I expected the same. Wrong.
Mickey took his first verse and pointed at Steve to Solo. Steve played 16 bars and looked up at Mickey, who was drumming away and ignoring him. So Steve soloed a little more and looked back up at Mickey. Still no eye contact. Soloed more. No dice. Bruce is looking at Mickey now. Finally Mickey takes another verse and points his baton at Steve. Steve laughs and starts soloing again. Same routine. Mickey won't look at Steve and Steve has to keep soloing. I loved it, Steve's solos, just build and build, always adding something new. Finally Mickey takes the verse and then he points his baton at Steve again. Steve cracks up and points at Bruce, but Bruce has quit playing and is just laughing, so Steve has to solo. Mickey is just laughing and playing. Bruce picks up the set list and waves it at Mickey. I love it - Mickey's forcing the band to do something different than the same old Scarlet/Fire. It worked too, it was fresh and fun.
What can you say about the Rhythm Devils except what everybody says: ''It's great to see Billy and Mickey together and they are great!''
Personally, I was happy there was no space after the Drumz and Bruce launched right into Long Tall Cool One. He exhorted Alphonso to really stretch out on the bass and we were treated to some great jazzy improvisations that played well as counterpoint to Bruce's jazzy concert grand. I love it when the song goes somewhere it's never been before.
The Columbus acoustic set had really dragged with FOTD almost collapsing. The Blossom acoustic set was a real highlight of the show. It started with an acoustic Terrapin! It was perfect. Mark's acoustic soloing continued through out the song and sounded just gorgeous! Bruce and Bob traded verses with (almost) no mess-ups. This was the one of the best versions of Terrapin I've ever heard. It was perfect as an acoustic, that song has been changed for me forever.
Uncle John's Band was just joyous. Everything I ever loved about that song came alive with the acoustic guitar and right on vocals. Sometimes, things just work.
Banyan Tree was moody, but not draggy and slipped into Playin again. The crowd was tight with the band by now. The communication was there and everyone was dancing. The China/Rider had lots of energy. Mark showing lots of great chops and leadership with his all song long soloing. I Know You Rider was glorious! Critical mass had been reached and the crowd just bubbled with joy, belting out the chorus with the band. This is what we came for.
Even the encore was a delight. With a lively Good Lovin' to keeps the boys and girls dancing.
Thank you for renewing my faith. Thank you for letting me dip my cup in the well of Grateful Dead bliss one more time. I've learned my lesson: when the boys tour, you have to see multiple shows. And then, like those happy few in Northern Ohio, just maybe, you'll get lucky.
Robert Lipetz
After seeing the last five shows starting with Columbus, I'd have to say our boys seem to be on a holding pattern. At least since Alpine, which was everything any legendary Alpine show should be.
By the way, if mine is the first review, was I the only person to make it out of Cuyahoga Falls without going to jail?
Columbus songs repeated at (I almost said Richfield) Blossom: Scarlet>Fire, China Rider. These are two rather heavyweight entries to be performing a week later within a 1.5 to 2 hour drive. Picky Deadheads certainly were disappointed last night.
Highlights: SUGAREE! Kimock as he should always be. Throwing down. Halfway through the Fire that I've never heard a good comment about, and don't really disagree with the comments either, Kimock again stepped up after Bruce FORCED Karan to produce a stronger solo (not bashing Karan, just relating what obviously happened from a 5th row vantage point), and turned the heat up even further, marking his solo with a Weir-patented kick and a Pete Townshend-styled exaggerated final strum.
Acoustic Lady with a Fan was perhaps the final highlight, save for Kimock's twisted noodlings during Banyan Tree.
Ziggy was again fantastic, was bummed about not hearing Small Axe, but I wouldn't blame someone for shelving a song for a night or two. Love that Uncle Sam song. The little kids came out again like at Pine Knob.
Harsh scene, about to get harsher. Not that it matters with tonight's show only 6 or so hours away, but pass the word: Scranton's cops will make DC Cap Centre, USAir, whatever they call it these days, seem like a pleasant scene. Nazi Berlin at its finest.
See y'all in Syacuse.
Frank Hanwell
Last night I drove from Ypsilanti, Mi down to Cuyohoga Falls to see my second and sadly last Furthur 2000 show with the Other Ones and Ziggy Marley. It was a nice warm sunny day and the drive was uneventful and pleasant. I had left work around lunchtime and the drive from door to door was about three hours. Right as I got off Highway 8, I saw a hitchhiker with a sign that said ''Blossom-Other Ones''. I had room so I pulled over and gave my new friend Mike a ride to the show with a quick stop at the drive-thru beer store for a six of Mickey's Bigmouth. Got into the parking lot and checked out the scene for awhile, eventually making my way inside.
I was blessed with second row seats, but off to Bruce's side a bit. The view turned out to be great, but the sound was way to echoey and bassy so I moved closer to the center to dance in the aisle for most of the show.
Local act ekoostik hookah opened the show at around 5:30. There was a very enthusiastic crowd up front who were loving every minute of their short set. I was left feeling that they were not really my cup of tea. They seemed a bit bland to me during this small sampling.
Next up Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers took the stage and played a very nice set of classic reggae including tunes made famous by Ziggy's father like ''Africa Unite'' and ''Jammin''.
The crowd in the pavilion started to build as the starting time for the Other Ones drew nearer and before long the band strode on stage and picked up their instruments. Everyone looked to be in good spirits and they started to noodle around on a jam that eventually led into the end of ''Sugar Magnolia'' and into ''Sunshine Daydream.'' They picked up the song at the ''Sometimes when the cuckoo's crying?'' verse and went from there. This was a surprise opener since they had closed out the last show at Pine Knob with a full ''Sugar Magnolia'', but I think it was the band's way showing the continuity between shows and it worked. Steve Kimock played steel guitar on this tune.
Next up was a slow jamming ''Sugaree'' sung by Bruce who really puts his own spin on this Garcia/Hunter tune. Both Karan and Kimock had some great soloing here.
The next song was an unexpected ''Good Morning Little Schoolgirl'' which was surprisingly hot I thought. This was the fast version that the Dead played a few times in the later years and Bobby really growled out the lyrics and even did some vocal ad-libbing at the end.
Next up the band eased into a version of ''Playing in the Band'' that was nicely jammed out. Bruce had some cool playing on this one. ''Playin''' led into ''Scarlet Begonias'' sung by Bruce which took a while to get into the groove, but Kimock really saved the day with some ferocious soloing. The band wound down the ending coda and eventually stopped cold in time for Bruce to grunt, ''HUH!'' before launching into ''Fire on the Mountain''. Again this one started a little shaky with some vocal miscues, but the guitar players stepped up and delivered some playing that made this one of the hottest ''Fires'' I have ever heard. Both Kimock and Karan were awesome on this song while playing to together and separately. Near the end, Mickey signaled for Bruce to take a solo and Bruce responded by taking the most far out piano solo of the night. Very discordant and strange, but cool. Mickey loved it and as the band slammed back into the next verse and chorus Mickey was literally glowing and jumping up and down as he sang and pointed at Bruce. As soon as the song ended, everyone but the drummers left the stage for ''Drums'' which was very long and cool with lots of Gyuto Monks sampling and some clowning by Billy. I was totally in the ''zone'' by the time the Rythym Devils were done and the rest of the band came back.
After a little bit of spacey jamming, Bruce led the band into a jazzy version of his tune, ''Long Tall Cool One.'' This is a good song, but it didn't afford that much room for jamming. That might be because the band is still kind of unfamiliar with it though. Bruce did give space for Billy to take a nice drum solo and for Kimock to play a little meltdown on guitar.
Next Bobby and Mark strapped on their acoustic and Alphonso picked up his acoustic stand-up bass and they started playing the intro to ''Lady with a Fan,'' the first part of Terrapin Station. Bruce soon joined them on accordian and I couldn't believe we were seeing an acoustic ''Lady with a Fan.'' Bobby's acoustic guitar worked really shined here as he and Bruce traded off verses. Instead of going into the main part of Terrapin Station, the band segued into a nice bright version on ''Uncle John's Band'' with Bobby and Mark remaining on their acoustics. This has always been one of my favorite songs and this was a nice arrangement of the song with some nice acoustic licks by Mark. I was still hoping for them to complete ''Terrapin,'' but they jammed around a lot eventually ending up playing a loose, but cool version of ''Banyan Tree''. This was my first time seeing this song live and I liked it. I really like the Hunter lyrics and Steve did some crazy soloing here.
''Banyan Tree'' led into a nice ''Playin' in the Band reprise'' which was played very tightly to perfection. ''Playin''' came to a end and Bobby started playing his little lead soloing on ''China Cat Sunflower'' which caused the crowd to go nuts. Bobby really nailed the singing and guitar playing on this one and again Mark and Steve really shined on guitars. The jam into ''I Know You Rider'' was very intense with all three guitarists adding a lot. ''I Know You Rider'' was a great way to end the set. Bobby took really got the crowd going with his ''Sun is going to shine'' verse and Bruce took the ''I wish I was a headlight'' verse with great results. Steve and Bruce also had great solo breaks here. All to soon, the song ended and the band left the stage. They quickly returned for a nice ''Good Lovin' '' complete with Bruce playing organ and Bobby ad-libbing a little rap at the end. Mark was playing some nice ''La Bamba'' licks during the whole song.
The crowd was tired and happy by the end of the show. The show was looser and not as intense as Monday's Pine Knob show, but it still surpassed my expectations by far. I really wish I had the time and money to follow these guys farther along the tour. The shows are great, the playing is inventive and the vibes are good. I really hope this band stays together and becomes a functioning band rather than just a once-a-year tour. They have so much talent and they will only improve with more experience playing together. They have talked about new material, a live album, more tours and even a studio album so hopefully we haven't heard the last of the Other Ones.
Jeremy Baldwin
This was the first show that I have seen of TOO. I must say that they absolutely blew my socks off. I was completely floored by the immense power Bob, Bill, Mickey, Steve, Mark, Bruce, and Alphonso had coming forth from the timbers at Blossom.
It was truly a pleasure to see Mick and Bill together again pounding out the hypnotic sounds. I hope that Bill got plenty of R&R this past 5 years chilly chillin'!
The crowd at Blossom was very kind and seemed to help everyone party down. What a good vibe.
I am so tempted to head out to Scranton right after I finish this up and get down some more. It felt good to hear some good old Dead songs and some of their other stuff, like Long Tall Cool One, and Banyan Tree. Other than that I think it was all Dead tunes.
I liked seeing Ziggy, never seen him before in concert either so it was a double treat last night. I think its great that he is jammin with the Other Ones. Keep up the fine tunes boys. God Bless
(Robo) Greg
Some quick thoughts since I havn't seen any posted yet...
-Sunshine Daydream - nice surprise to open, pretty standard but definitely got the wheels rollin
-Sugaree - sweeeeet! Very nice guitar work from both Karan and Kimock (extremely nice Kimock solo that raised some goosebumps)
-Schoolgirl- nothin special
Playin - right on....tight
>Scarlet - oh yeah, dats da sheeeet
>Fire - Mickey, just give it up dude. The jams are so sweet, but they don't make up for the downer you get when Mickey starts that (c)rap. Momentum seriously declining at this point, at least in the audience. Just kills it man...
>Drums - Billy K! That man is so solid. Molo is such a solid drummer and I thought he really gave the Other Ones the boost they needed in '98, but Billy and Mickey are just right on with one another. Nice work on the mini-Beasts, and all the electronic percussion was sweeeet.
>Long Tall Cool One- one of my least favorite Bruce songs. That man has so many kick ass songs that this group could completely rip apart, I just don't know why he chooses this one. Guess he digs it or somethin ;)
>Terrapin - acoustic! Bruce on the accordian was a nice addition, then moved over to the keys to kick it in. Bruce and Bobby did a nice job tradin off lines.
>UJB - nice and tight. Vocals done pretty well, although Karan seemed to lose it a couple times.
>Banyan Tree - a nice haunting song, played well, but in no way one to get the crowd the energy that it needed at this point. Momentum still seems lost some from the Fire.
>Playin Reprise> extremely nice transition to this, startin to get things rollin again
China>Rider- The Rider redeemed the night. energy flowin.....crowd groovin. ''sun's gonna shiiiiiine''(Bobby) and ''wish I was a headlight'' (Bruce) definitely got me feelin it again.
E. Good Lovin - sent us on our way feelin fiiiine! Nice Bobby falsetto at the end, but seemed to cut it short.
ALL in all a good show, tight, think they are playin well together. Sound was better than 2 years ago IMO, and I probably woulda been gettin down the whole show if not for that damn Fire. If there is one song I wouldn't miss, that would be it. Oh yeah, Kimock is a complete badass.
Chris Nosek
Smokin show! There was no down time, the boys were pumping on all cylinders and nobody was holding back. Sunshine opener-- I knew it was going to be a great night, sweet Sugaree (Bruce rocks), rousing Schoolgirl, rockin' Playin into a sweet Scarlet>Fire. Everybody stop bugging on Mickey singing/rapping. I remember hearing his Fire rap on tape years ago as filler and loved it then and still do. Rhythm devils had me going places I haven't been in quite while, the interplay between Billy and Mickey is truly something special. Long Tall Cool One into an acoustic terrapin, love the song and Bobby and Bruce traded verses nicely. Uncle John's, which is always a treat, into Banyan Tree which seems to be developing into a cool jam. Playin Reprise then China>Rider to close, the place was hopping and a jamming Good Lovin' for the encore. Serious fun! The scene was pretty cool, a bit of hassling from the man, but MUCH better than past shows at Blossom. Definitely moments of greatness, i.e. getting there. Forget about all the knit picky crap being written, TOO is a rocking, transcendental experience that shouldn't be missed.
luc
I was very Happy that the quality of the show was MUCH better than the Col. show! However as has been pointed out I was very disappointed at the setlist. Why much the Midwest be a dumping ground for lame shows? Or as was said to me a ''Constipated Setlist''. The Huuge saving grace was the acoustic Terrapin, this was totally unexpected & was simply marvelous! Also getting a lesser played tune like Banyan Tree was nice. I am beginning to think that I am wasting my cash (at $30 to $40 per show) seeing the boys in the midwest. I will finish by saying that I'm also disheartened that Co. & PA. got wild shows, and the entire mid-west portion of the tour was kinda left out. Hey you guys can go along way towards mending the disappointed fans by having a Free show at my house......... just let me know!
Craig McCudden