Reviews
Alright, well I guess the best way would be to go song by song. Set I:
HC Sunshine: Great opener. The sound mix wasn't fantastic in the beginning, and it was pretty tough to hear Rob singing, but this got everyone going early. -->
Only the Strange Remain: I never heard this song before, and I wasn't really crazy about Mickey's singing, but it has a nice driving beat. -->
Drumz/Space: Damn, this was an early drumz! Like almost everyone, I'm not a big fan of Drumz/Space, but this one didn't last too long, and it stayed interesting -->
Hog For You Baby: My boy said they played this at the Spectrum show, and it was the first time they've played it since '68. Well, they should have pulled it out before then! The harmonies sound even better than Phil & Friends, especially with Susan Tedeschi. This one got EVERYONE rockin', just in time for -->
China Cat: Damn. Bobby was tinkering with it, and I could just barely tell it was coming. But when they broke into it, no one was prepared. By the way, did I mention the light show on this tour is absolutely NUTS?? Maybe it was the chocolate shroomies... =)
The Eleven-->
Unbroken Chain
Robert Hunter: I don't know what everyone else thought of him, but I thought it was an alright act for the set break. I think we can all agree that after listening to the first set of the Other Ones, Robert Hunter isn't much on the guitar. But what can you do? He's a great lyricist, and from Section C, Row A, Seat 8, Robert Hunter looks and sounds a lot like Jerry when you're trippin'. Add a setlist that included Loser, Promontory Rider and Wharf Rat, and it's a winner. Just when I was at my most confused (had to keep repeating, "I'm at Mellon Arena, the Other Ones show, seeing Robert Hunter..."), he brought it all back in by saying, "We all miss him, don't we?" Whoooooa, yes we do.
Anyway, on to Set II:
Mason's Children: I really don't remember it too well. Hahaha. -->
Dire Wolf: Excellent version, letter-perfect. Rob's voice isn't Jerry's, but it works really well. -->
Bird Song: Blew most of us wide open. The jams at this show got reeeeeeeeally intense and very chaotic, which I think the addition of Bobby has a lot to do with. -->
He's Gone: Calmed everyone back down. Slow, deliberate, with Bobby out front on a lone spot. Very moving. -->
Mr. Charlie: Song of the night for me, just because it's one of my favorites, and I've never heard it live, not from Phil & Friends or Dark Star Orchestra. When I heard the riff developing, I started to wonder who was going to replace Pigpen on the vocals. Well, Susan just KILLED it. She was GREAT. -->
Throwing Stones: Building, building, building.... BOOM! That funk break towards the end had the whole Mellon Arena bouncing. -->
Not Fade Away: Great, if standard, capper.
Encore // Stella Blue (inst.): Absolutely gorgeous, very slow. Almost brought me to tears. -->
Box of Rain: I'm not a big fan of this song as an encore, just because it doesn't have a lot of punch at the end. But it was played very well, and sung pretty well by Phil.
The band is starting to come together really well. I'd heard from people that Bobby and Phil were constantly trying to push the limits, and that the newer members were struggling a little. I didn't get that feeling from the Mellon Arena show. Everyone seemed to be working pretty cohesively. Like I said, the jams were very intense at times, and the light show was probably the best I've seen so far. CAN'T WAIT FOR THE SPRING TOUR!!! PLEASE!!!
Mr. Charlie, Pittsburgh, PA
The Other Ones may not be The Grateful Dead, but damn they come close. I caught the DC show a few weeks ago, and while it was a much more energetic show than Pittsburgh, the latter was musically astounding. Jimmy Herring finally let loose and added firey leads, and the band as a whole seems to be getting more comfortable together.
The opening jam was bluesy, and sort of hinted at It's All Over Now, but Here Comes Shineshine was a welcome opener. I am not the biggest Only The Strange Remain fan, but Mickey was goin nuts and Phil's low creepy voice made the song a fun one.
The pre-drums jam with Susan Tedeschi was interesting, and the drums>space was pretty good. I'm a Hog For You was definitely the crowd pleaser of the first set. Susan and Bobby sounded absolutely amazing! The China Cat Sunflower> The Eleven was a great combo into a great Unbroken Chain to close off the first set.
I was extremely disappointed with Hunter's set in DC and wasn't even looking forward to him in Pittsburgh, but I think the reason he sounded bad in DC was that I was so far and the sound was muffled. This time I was close to the stage and he sounded great, and he played great. I forget his exact set but he opened with Wharf Rat which he did well. He talked to the crowd saying "Well, it's been how many years? And we still miss him." And he told us that there was a sticker back stage that says something like "I still miss Jerry." Then he asked the crowd if there were any requests. Of course everyone went nuts screaming their requests, and one fan in the front row was so enthusiastic that he fell over the rail. Hunter played Loose Lucy, Promontory Rider, and Ripple, then closed with his a capella song Boys in The Barroom, which was great.
The band took the stage shortly after Hunter finished and it was pretty clear from the beginning where the jam was going. Mason's Children was well played into a good jam. Dire Wolf actually came out of absolutely nowhere. Rob just started singing it and it was great. Bird Song was great, I just wish they would let Bobby sing it. I like his take on it, but he took over the singing for He's Gone, which was incredible. He changed the phrasings slightly which was interesting, and Susan's singing added so much to this song. The "nothin's gonna bring him back" vocals at the end were beautiful but Bobby didn't go as nuts as he usually does. Susan sang lead on Mr. Charlie and did a great job, this was the second set highlight. She just has a great voice for the blues. Throwing Stones> NFA was alright, at least the crowd remembered how to clap after the band left the stage. (In DC they needed some help from Mickey, and Bobby actually told the crowd to take over!) I can't even describe in words how wonderfully amazing the instrumental Stella Blue is. Jimmy Herring actually makes his guitar sing (not Frampton, but Garcia). The Box of Rain was a good ending, although it lacked punch and left the crowd begging for more.
This band is exactly what Dead fans have been longing for, and finally after more than seven years and more line-ups than an NYPD Blue episode, perfection has been acheived.
Eric Reichbaum, Pittsburgh, PA
As a veteran of many Dead shows, I didn't think these guys in any incarnation could surprise me anymore. Wrong! This was an anything-goes show, more than the set list would indicate. Note only one Bobby-penned song all night! Not that I would have minded more Bobby tunes but they were all clearly having so much fun pulling out rarities that it didn't matter.
Phil was the quarterback calling audibles (at least audible to the other band members) all night long and grinning madly when everything came together. I've never seen him so animated. Bobby played consistently interesting countermelody lines underneath Jimmy all night. The dual keyboard attack was tasteful and hot when necessary, with Jeff getting a few loud cheers for his Brent-like solos on the bluesy material and Rob digging deep for some percussive Hornsby-esque piano.
Mickey hammed it up during his delivery of Only The Strange Remain, and from there on the first set got seriously strange. Drums and Space in the third slot... when did that ever happen before? Seamless transitions from China Cat to The Eleven to a stunning Unbroken Chain that left my mouth hanging open. This was the song that made a Dead fan out of me back in college in the mid-70s before I'd ever seen them live, and it was rendered with precision and passion. Second set started with a jam that I thought was Hell in a Bucket but slammed into the signature riff of Mason's Children instead. The connecting jams were much more in the style of Phil & Friends than the GD and you could never predict where they would land. Nice Bird Song, Phil's voice was right there and the harmonies were sweet. Long "E" jam settled into a moving "He's Gone" with Bobby on lead vocals. They let Susan loose on Mr. Charlie which fit her style well. It was strangely reassuring to hear the familiar set closer of Throwing Stones>NFA. A soaring instrumental Stella eased into a fine Box of Rain with Rob supplying the long-lost Jerry harmony vocals from American Beauty ended a memorable night with my old friends. Nothin' left to do but smile smile smile.
Bill, Pittsburgh, PA
After seven years of not seeing any incantation of the Dead, we cautiously made our way to Mellon Arena, a seven-hour journey from upstate NY. I must say I was apprehensive at best, but this show was worth EVERY MILE we traveled!! The boys did a nice version of Here Comes Sunshine, with more of the old style jam and harmonies than the late Jerry years versions to start off. After some jamming led into The Strange Remain and a FIRST SET Drums>Space that was consistently interesting, a killer Hog for You Baby emerged, which got the crowd going.The vocal blend with Susan T was very good, and the band did a good job on it. Next came China Cat, which led into a personal highlight, The Eleven. GREAT to see Bob and Phil singing this! Unbroken Chain was a mellow set closer, but almost letter perfect, WAY better than the 1995 versions. It was definitely a PHIL Phreaks night!! Robert Hunter did a nice job in between sets, and closed with a cool Ripple into the Boys in the Bar Room. After a short jam to open the second set, Mason's Children roared into life, followed by an excellent Dire Wolf that NOBODY saw coming! Bird Song hit some definite Dark Star spaces, and the a sweet He's Gone held the crowd rapt. While I had heard they played Mr. Charlie somewhere, I was totally unprepared for how WELL it was played and sung, a second set highlight for sure! Throwin Stones>Not Fade Away turned out to be a good choice for the crowd, much of which, like my son, had never seen the pairing. This was a good one, especially with Phil dropping hints of Goin Down the Road into the mix. After some clapping that sounded more heartfelt than mandatory, the biggest suprise came with the instrumental Stella Blue into Box Of Rain. Even though Phil sounded a little tired towards the end,it was a nice touch. Hats off to the band.... Thanks for giving the old songs life again, and keep on JAMMING!
Mike M, Clearwater, FL
This was my second show of the fall tour. Walking in sandles and with a backpack full of needed "supplies," I enter the Mellon Arena in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh, the wind and the rain nipping at the essence of my being. Yet I retain composure. I am going to hear a great show, I hope... No, I know I am because regardless of the set lists I have a deep held respect and love for the music, regardless. After negotiating the always lax concert security I head toward my seat. To make a long story shorter, though not the Greatest Story, I hasten to express how much I love Susan's Voice. Here Comes Sunshine was the opener, a solid song and the vocals seemed stellar. Then Mick went nuts on Only the Strange Remain, but his enthusisium overshadowed the lack of singing talent (who cares... he's a great drummer so drum, Mick, drum). Then Drums and Space which was tooooo short. I love drums, especially when Billy and Mick go crazy. We heard a solid Susan perform Hog for You Baby and then a so-so China Cat without a Know you Rider as a follow; that was a let down. Phil finished the first set with a good Unbroken Chain and then Robert Hunter came out. The greatest songwriter ever for sure, but a great singer/guitarist he is not. But the important thing was that he was there trying to convey the spirit of the Dead and what there music was all about so i enjoyed the break. Mason died on Monday... opened the second set which sounded good as did Dire Wolf (always a fav) and a good Bird Song. He's Gone just did not feel the same (I know no songs do but J's presence was sorely missed especially on this song; it evoked such emotion). Bobby dominated the next two songs, the last of the second set: a typical Throwing Stones>NFA which got the crowd pumping. It was sad that on the fourth of fifth verse that the majority of the crowd totally mis-sung the song. it was almost disgraceful, yet all things change and the Dead is no more so maybe the true heads have memories which suffice. Hearing the first lick of Stella Blue, I nearly dropped a load in my pants, but it was only instrumental which was okay. I loved that Phil finished with Box of Rain, a good song to close the night on. The concert was solid, but they are playing too many songs over and over. How about a Ramble On Rose or an Althea or a nice Walking Blues. BOB is still around!
The Woodman, Rochester, NY