Furthur / The Dead / The Other Ones | OtherOnes.Net

A tough time getting into the show, while standing out in--you guessed it--an appropriate Albany night full of cold, rain, and snow. I was nervous I would miss the opener, but luckily for me the band started just a little late, with the perfect song for the thousands of fans who'd just endured a miserable entrance into the Knick--err, Pepsi--Arena. Yup: Cold Rain and Snow it was. A solid Estimated Prophet followed, then the Crazy Fingers. Personally, I didn't notice Jerry's voice, though I hear that apparently they played a recording of him. A rockin' (and pretty long) Good Lovin' wound its way into The Eleven, which downshifted into an interesting version of Little Red Rooster. I had to hit the bathroom and returned just in time for what was my personal highlight of the first set: Casey Jones. The crowd loved it (of course) and it was VERY well done, full of energy and well-sung. During the break, Robert Hunter sped through a bunch of tunes, including New Speedway, Deal, and Loser.
The second set began with a rollicking Scarlet Begonias that had the crowd DANCING! This was the highlight of the show for many (and but one of mine). It evolved into Fire On the Mountain--the "spoken" version with Mickey doing the speaking. It seemed a lot closer to the traditional Fire to me than other Mickey-sung versions I'd heard and I was pretty happy with it. Uncle John's came next, and while I think it was good, it didn't seem to have as much energy as the Scarlet>Fire (a tough act to live up to, I know). Next was a nice job by Bobby on Lost Sailor--a song that I think is difficult to pull off live. It flowed into Saint of Circumstance, which was probably the highlight of the night for me (up to that point). The place was jumping by the end. The drums segment was next, and my friends in seats behind the stage said that was a highlight for them, as they watched Mickey and Billy go at it for awhile. The band returned and Terrapin followed. Phil sang and did the best job I've ever heard him do with Terrapin. He had trouble getting one of the verses started, but for the most part he sang sure and certain, and the crowd pushed him along, helping out with the vocals, especially with the climactic "TERRAPIN!" Following this cathartic release, the band slowed into a jam that was quickly recognizeable as Stella Blue. It took me a couple of minutes to realize that this was no longer just an intro into the song, but was an instrumental version. To me this was an appropriate way to do it, but I know a lot of people thought it was too mellow to end the set that way. It was quite pretty, with Jeff Chimenti doing a good job keeping the sharp notes fairly subdued but still quite audible. After Phil came out for his "donor rap," the band joined him and played--what else?--One More Saturday Night. A solid, if uninspired version left people upbeat once again as we all began the exodus back into the cold, rain and snow of Albany....
As is often the case with these types of shows, people had different opinions on different songs. But everyone agreed that the Casey Jones was incredible, the Scarlet>Fire was excellent and that Phil did a GREAT job with Terrapin (I myself saw him more or less mangle it at Gathering of the Vibes this summer). Some folks really liked the Good Lovin' as well, and quite a few thought highly of the Lost Sailor/Saint pairing....
Once again there was a nice vibe in downtown Albany (despite the weather) and the local hotel bar had quite a scene after the show. When the bar closed, folks retired everywhere. A bellhop told us the next day that there were people in sleeping bags in the hallways and stairwells. He said they didn't kick people out; shrugging, he explained "it was COLD out." Good to see the Albany hospitality is still strong. Even better, it's nice to see The Other Ones put on a great show in my old hometown....

I went to the Alpine Valley shows this past summer, so I knew to expect one heck of a good show. Nothing could have prepared me for the show Saturday night (One More Saturday Night!!). It blew me and my friends away. The drums made me feel like I was in a jungle, there are no words to describe Terrapin, and the instrumental Stella Blue brought me to tears. Nights like saturday night make me want to quit my job and go on tour.

Hello,
You've already seen the setlist, and you are asking yourself was it really that good? Let's start with the scene first. The weather was terrible; it had snowed the night before and was snowing again, and they were predicting an icestorm for later that night. Needless to say, the scene was a mess. I don't think anyone was prepared for a sub 20-degree winter night. Everything outside was pretty mellow, and I think the weather held some folks at home.
The show opened quite fittingly with a Cold Rain and Snow. Both Phil and Bobby came out very energetically. Both guys were pumping their guitars and egging the rest of the band on. We were in the upper level, and the sound was great. A second-song Estimated Prophet followed and started slow but finished very well. Jimmy Herring did a good job with a Jerry-like wah pedal sound but got a little lost in the solos. Bob's energy really came out at the end. A nice Crazy Fingers followed. Phil really carried it with the bass line, and Jerry's voice was missed. The jam out of Crazy Fingers built up to a nice Good Lovin'. A first set Good Lovin'!!! They were teasing a riff that sounded familiar throughout the song, but that I couldn't place until they ended up in The Eleven. Wow. Mr. Weir has come to play tonight. Hold on to your Birkenstocks, gang. The band carried huge energy through the set. LRR followed with some nice keyboard and organ work. Casey Jones finished the first set with a bang, getting faster and faster until the train flew right off the tracks.
It was a treat to see Robert Hunter. You could imagine Jerry and him sitting around with acoustic guitars, putting the finishing touches on songs. My highlights were Deal and Loser.
Second set started after 10pm, and boys started jamming with what sounded like a Jack Straw riff but became a little bouncier. Scarlet poked her head out from around the corner, and we were on. Would it be a Scarlet tease, or would we get the full Fire treatment too? An energetic Scarlet finish turned into a jam, and Mickey started grabbing for his vocal mic. We knew Fire was getting closer. It was weird hearing Mickey sing, I'll admit that. But, it wasn't too bad; there was a minimum of singing and a good amount of playing. The keyboards were turned up a notch, and Phil was just egging Billy and Mickey on. Things quieted down a bit after Fire with a very sweet Uncle John's band. Nice harmonies, and everyone seemed on time with their vocals. The jam out of UJB was interesting and jazzy and sounded like something only heard on the early 80's tapes. Was it a Lost Sailor? YES YES YES. My friend Tony called it on Friday. Scarlet>Fire>UJB>Sailor>St. of Circumstance. Sweet precious heaven. All of us in section 210 were singing and dancing our hearts out. Very nice, boys. Drums came next, and was very tight... into space.... that sounded a lot like TERRAPIN. What a Terrapin. Phil sang it well, and Herring played well on a very difficult song. The song ended HUGE and powerful; it was a thing of beauty. All you could do was to hold your fists in the air and smile. As the song drifted off you could hear a nice easy jam starting up, kinda spacey, but tight and it ended up in Stella Blue. I'm not sure if that's where they were planning on taking it, as Bob and Phil had some mid-jam discussion, but here we were nonetheless. Personally, I was bracing myself for hearing someone other than Jerry sing it, and I was not disappointed. They played an instrumental Stella. I'm getting goosebumps again thinking about it. Very special. Thanks for that. As the last notes of Stella drifted off, the band left the stage and we could see Phil and Billy and the keyboardists all hugging each other off-stage. It looked like they enjoyed it as much as we did.
Encore was a predictable Saturday Night, but they rocked the hell out of it. Phil had a huge goofy smile on his face; they looked like they were having a great time. We know we did. What a show. Can't wait to get a copy of it on tape or CD. Thanks for coming out on tour.

History has taught us that the Albany shows are usually benchmark shows for the tour at hand. The guys love it here (who knows why). The Knickerbocker Arena (old school in respect for the "Dozin At" discs) crowd was in for a special night. The buzz on the street was awesome. As the crowd gathered to await entry, the cold rain turned over to huge wet snowflakes.... The Other Ones must have been out there with us becuase the opening was dead-balls-on accurate. On a side note, kudos to the security who learned to just let the crowd be. The first set crept along at a moderate pace, meandering through Estimated Prophet and Crazy Fingers. For a moment I thought it was gonna be a snail's pace show, but then the energy kicked in and they never looked back. Good Lovin was upbeat and balls-on; it also is a tune where Jerry's voice isn't missed. They finished the set strong, plowing through The Eleven, Rooster, and Casey Jones. Hunter jammed a bit to an uninterested crowd. The Other Ones took a long time coming back out. People in the top rows called for them by banging on the aluminum walls. The echo was awesome. The vibe built. And built. And built. The second set was epic. The playlist speaks for itself, highlights being a brief bit of Drums that sounded like jungle music (pretty sick the way they laid a bass line down over the drums) and of course Terrapin was a blast. One More Saturday Night for the encore was predictable for anyone with a clue what day it was, and I wish they had gone another, less generic direction but, all considered, the 2nd set was one to tell the kids about and made the kids crow on their way out. Fantastic energy in the air.

What miserable weather and miserable miserable security. It took a good 30 minutes of scrunching before the thorough search. NO backpacks, NO food--they confiscated my two tangerines!
Inside at last, a beautiful Cold Rain and Snow opener followed by an even better Estimated. Jimmy Herring has Jerry's MIDI action down to a tee, especially noticeable during Estimated and Fire. Rather busy 1st set ending with stellar The Eleven, horribly long and painful Rooster (not my favorite), and rousing Casey Jones which spead up completely out of contol at the end before being abruptly ended. Robert Hunter bounced around the stage for much of the break, before a fine tease (Dark Star perhaps) intro'ing a spectacular Scarlet>Fire. Truly amazing, with the major exception of Mickey singing it; that was absolutely HORRIBLE and almost ruined the entire show! UJB was perfect, followed by Lost Sailor > Saint also near perfect... drums, nice Terrapin, and absolutely perfect instrumental Stella Blue. Phil then requested that everyone become an organ donor, then Saturday Night was a badly disappointing encore perhaps because I was expecting Cosmic Charlie! Just because it was Saturday night does not mean that they can't DROP that song!
Overall, a good solid 9 out of 10 for me! Herring is trulay stellar!

One word... Stellar. I couldn't believe how 'on' the guys were at this show. It'd been almost four years since I'd last seen them with Furthur Festival and I can't get over how phenomenal they performed these sets. The Cold Rain and Snow opener got things off to a great start. The Scarlet>Fire opener of the second set was perfect. The Stella Blue instrumental was great too. One More Saturday Night encore left everyone with a positive, happy-to-be-back vibe. I can't wait for the Hartford show Friday night! Hope to see everyone there.

How do you follow up a first set that began with Cold Rain and Snow (which was very appropriate considering the weather) and included Estimated and Crazy Fingers? Tonight the guys came up with the only logical answer: Start the second set with Scarlet/Fire. The result was a ridiculous show for a town that has so warmly welcomed the Dead so many times. Albany was extremely wet, for it had started to snow and a large amount of water acumulated on the streets when it turned to rain. The hotel and restaurants were nice as we stumbled downtown to find Shakedown Street alive and well even with the weather conditions. It wasn't hard to find our seats (security was leniant) and I fulfilled one of the trip's goals when Bobby and Phil busted out Rooster and Casey Jones. These two songs, which I felt I could easily enjoy away from my seat, gave me the opportunity to wait in line for some overpriced Magic Hat, a beer not available in Syracuse (where I am earning a Master's at the forestry school, ESF). Hunter gave a great set and the Cumberland, Deal>Loser>Deal, Easy Wind were a joy to experience. The show was probably the best one out of the first three, and an extremely bright spot was an oily, moody Stella Blue. The introduction/jam was so long that I got lost in its sway until I realized I hadn't heard any lyrics. I was wondering if the guys had forgotten them but I took comfort in the fact that it was a far more powerful tribute to Jerry without the words. It wouldn't have been the same. It hasn't been the same since he's been gone, but I am sure glad to know we still have something to hold on to, share, and cherish: The Other Ones.

This show was indescribable. I didn't even know what I was experiencing. Heading to Albany from the north, we we encountering a nor'easter head-on. It was only appropriate that the boys cracked out a kick-ass version of Cold Rain and Snow. The most haunting, yet uplifting Estimated into a lilting Crazy Fingers (summing up my love for Phil). Bobby's version of The Eleven pounded into my soul, and my respect for Bill and Mickey flew through the roof (but that was just a taste of what the gods of thunder would bring to us in the second set).
After Hunter played (an awesome Deal>Loser>Deal, by the way), the boys pumped out the most beautiful thing I've ever heard: Scarlet. It seemed as if they couldn't jam any harder, but what was I thinking, they can always jam harder. There was something emerging, it was the bwoump bwoump bwoump, bwom bwomp bwomp bwonanana new newp newp, and I knew at that point I was experiencing something special. They kept that jam going fo so long, brought it to places unknown, and gave it back to Mickey for his characteristic vocals.
Uncle John's Band had everyone on their feet, and the jam out of Uncle John's was so impressive. Then they went to the 80's staple Sailor>Circumstance which gave me a new respect for Bobby's vocal power and his band direction (reminiscent of Samson & Delilah at Champlain Valley Fairgrounds in 2001). Mickey and Bill went ape on Drumz and the band came back to space our faces then sing us the most touching tale, TERRAPIN STATION, in the shadow of the moon, TERRAPIN STATION. Then, in my opinion, the most original and beautiful thing I've ever heard, an instrumental version of Stella Blue. They encored with SATURDAY NIGHT, and I knew that these guys were unbeatable, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart and my dancing soul.
Thanx Bobby, Phil, Mickey, Bill, Rob, Jimmy, and Jeff. It was something special.

This was the most amazing show of my life. Opener with Phil on the mic for Cold Rain and Snow, into a super energetic Estimated Prophet. Good Lovin came next, which was mind boggling; the floor shook from dancing. The second set even topped the 1st. Opening with Scarlet>Fire, along with a stunning Lost sailor>Saint of circumstance... then the magical Terrapin. The arena roared as Bob scorched through One Saturday Night for the encore. They couldn't have played a better show. Enjoy the rest of the tour!

Great show! Good job with the Fractal/Liquid Light show, and the sound quality was as good as it gets in this venue (with the possible exception of previous Dead shows with surrond sound).
The band was very tight with a rehearsed quality sound that the Dead had not had previously. Although the fans all miss Jerry to death, the band payed a great tribute to him with the instrumental version of Stella Blue. Unbelieveable full instrumental version that had you hearing Jerry singing to you in your head...
This is the new Dead. It is doubtful that any fans will be disappointed.

The Other Ones are incredible. As always, they make any song they play beautiful. An overwhelming amount of talent musically and great lights and visual effects. The keyboards were ripping, and the drums were awesome... guitar and vocals were excelent. I think they defenitely made up for their losses. I've seen many Dead shows and they didn't skimp on any of the aspects that were present when they were The Dead. Truly a grateful experience.

The snow outside could only mean one thing... Cold Rain and Snow opener. Sure enough, that kicked off the night. First set highlights included a rocking Good Lovin'. The surprise The Eleven threw all of us for a loop. What a great song. The first set closed with a great Casey Jones. At the end, it sped up to incredible proportions. Seeing Robert Hunter perform was fun. A lot more fun then trying to get to the bathroom. Hunter was fantastic. They came back on and played a short little jam. What would come next? Uncle John's Band? The Wheel? Nope. Scarlet Begonias, one of my favorite Grateful Dead songs. Mickey took over on vocals for Fire on the Mountains. Uncle John's Band was great. I love Drums. Two people just banging and forming incredible rhythms and doing what they love. Terrapin Station came out of Space. It was one of the show highlights for me. Then, they played a memorable instrumental version of Stella Blue. An excellent tribute to Jerry. One More Saturday Night was the encore. Of course! It's Saturday! What a great show. The music lives on.

An excellent show in my opinion. The song selection was fantastic... every song was a classic. Each member played outstanding I thought. The combination of Rob and Jeff on keyboards is phenomenal; those two really get into it and seem to enjoy themselves. Phil and Bobby looked good as well, with some fine Bobby singing on songs such as Saint, Rooster, and Good Lovin. The energy level and atmosphere at the venue were high and charged. I thought the security was much more lenient than the last time I went to Pepsi Arena; it was easy to hop the wall and gain a safe place on the floor to watch. All in all this was just what I needed at this point in the year. I can't wait to see them again.

Let me start by saying I was a little nervous heading to the show at the Pepsi Arena. I honestly didn't know what to expect from the band, the fans, the arena security, etc.... I had seen the killer set lists from the prior Other Ones shows & thought wow... could it be this good again (without Captain Trips)? My last Grateful Dead experience was in Albany in 1994. I vowed that it would be my last, due to the irrate non-Dead Heads that where their just to cop drugs & ruin the (at the time) fragile existence that was the Grateful Dead scene.
As soon as we arrived in Albany and entered the parking garage the energy hit me. The same energy that I used to feel back in the day. I was overwhelmed with intense positive energy. So we headed on out into the cold rain & snow to witness The Other Ones. Security was tight and getting in took over an hour. Unfortunatley we missed the opener, a fitting Cold Rain & Snow, followed by Estimated Prophet, & Crazy Fingers. When I first walked in and heard the band jammin' Good Lovin' I knew we (Deadheads) were in for a very special night! Anyhow next was "The Eleven," a great old tune that I thought I'd never see live followed by Little Red Rooster, followed by an incredibly high energy Casey Jones, which kicked everyones ass to close set one. Robert Hunter came out and did a set of good 'ol Grateful Dead (Jerry) favorites. Then 2nd set began with a blistering Scarlet>Fire (w/ Mickey on vocals... kinda neat) followed by a slow but effective Uncle Johns Band... and then one of my favorite Bobby combos--Lost Sailor > St.of Circumstance (KILLER,KILLER,KILLER)... followed by a great Drums, a short Space, into Lady with a fan > Terrapin Station sung by Phil (who did a fine job... Jerry would've been proud) then a beautiful Stella Blue (instrumental) which brought a tear to my eye & a lump to my throat. The band left the stage. The energy was even higher than it was when I entered the arena. Then the band came back out to jam a predictable "One More Saturday Night"!
Overall it was an incredible night for me. I thought the band sounded great & looked great! However, Jerry is definitely missed! I'm heading to New Jersey tomorrow night, then Hartford, and then Madison Square Garden next week.... I cant wait! I want to thank Grateful Dead Productions for sending me great seats for Albany and the other shows I mentioned.
"Singing, Thank You....for a real good time"

Hey Now !!! The boys are back !!!
On the drive up to Albany on good ol' Interstate 87, my wife and I were saying that this is Cold Rain and Snow night, and we were not disappointed as they opened the show with it. Good opener, got people rockin. Then a first set Estimated was sweet with Bobby screaming away at the end of that number. Crazy Fingers was just as sweet. I did not hear the Jerry voice that was rumored to be playing, but Rob did a great job on that one. The Good Lovin > The Eleven was my first set highlight. Good version of The Eleven, upbeat and all Bobby. Casey Jones just ROCKED. As the band played on the tempo kept getting faster and faster building to a nice final, "and you know that notion, just crossed my mind."
Scarlet > Fire second set opener got the people going. I don't mind the Mickey rap version; I kinda think it's cool to see. Uncle John's had some high energy and all the band harmonized really well. The rest of the set was my show highlight, Lost Sailor > Saint of Cicumstance was NAILED!! The band was on!!! Drums/Space was great.... I recall turning to my wife and saying, "and I thought I was never gonna see another Drums/Space." Terrapin was powerful, building up to the epic "and the whistle is screamin... TERRAPIN"... one word: killer. The instrumental Stella Blue was truly one for their fallen brother, and it sent chills up and down my spine.
Yes, the encore was very predictable, but hey it's Bob Weir up there, and they rocked it!!! A great pickup after a very soulful Stella.
All I can say is, I can't wait till Hartford!! Peace

Quick Review of Albany TOO... Incredible! It was very emotional for me to begin with seeing a show at the Knick. I went to college in Albany and was just finishing up as the Knick was finished being built. I saw every Dead show ever played there. I would go back with my friends for each run and it would serve as a reunion of sorts for all of us. Anyway, the drive up was nasty, and by the time we got there the weather was classic Albany... windy, gray and snowy! Others have already reviewed song by song so I will just make some more general comments. I couldn't have asked for a better setlist. The Good Lovin' was hot, as was Casey Jones (I believe the last time this was played by the Dead was at the Knick in 92?). Rooster was fun and it was nice to hear Crazy Fingers again (no Jerry sampling from what I heard). Bobby did a wonderful job on Sailor>Saint, and anyone who thinks his voice is shot should get a copy of this show and listen to this stellar version. This would have been the highlight of the evening if not for the instrumental Stella, which was absolutely perfect. I cannot even express how emotional it was for me and about 15,000 other people. When it first started, I was praying that Phil would not sing it and as much as I love Bobby's voice, this is not a song for anyone but Jerry to sing (sorry Warren freaks). Stella was absolutely mesmerizing and I am so glad that it closed the set because nothing could come after it without some time for everyone to collect their thoughts.
Some other thoughts: I thought Jimmy did an excellent job. He seems to have a nice mix with Bobby's sound and I think he is handling being in the "hot seat" like a pro. To my ears, all the boys played very well. Phil's bass was pounding through my body, Bobby was throwing around his crazy chords all over the place, and the power of the rhythm devils brought everything home for me. I really only had two criticisms of the whole show. First, Phil singing CR&S. Look, I definitely lean towards the RatDog/Bobby side of the musical spectrum, and I am really not a fan of Phil singing anything but "his" tunes. Having said that, I thought he did a nice job on Terrapin, but his voice just does not work for me on uptempo rocker type of tunes, especially the way he changes the phrasing of the song. I mean everyone knew they were going to open with CR&S due to the weather, we hear the opening chords and everyone is dancing and pumped and then Phil walks to the mic and croaks out "Well I maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaried me a wiiiiiiiife." Maybe I'm exagerating a bit, but you get the point! My only other criticism was the rearrangement of Estimated. Bobby pausing between each line... no need to mess with this one... it just slowed everything down. Beyond those two minor points, this was my favorite post-Jerry show. If these guys tour a couple of times a year, it is scary how good these guys could become. They're so freakin' good already! Meanwhile, I still have 4 more shows to look forward to on this tour and I can't wait. See you all Wednesday at the Meadowlands!