Reviews
What a show! The boys did a great job rounding out their midwest/eastern U.S. fall tour. The music was crisp, and the jams rocked. They just seemed to become tighter as the show progressed.
First of all, Bill and Mickey are excellent together. The many years they've spent together has really payed off. The "Drums" in Chicago on Monday was some of the best I've ever heard. The Rhythm Devils moved through an astonishing array of beats and rhythms.
The opening of the second set was stellar. The jam was very tasteful as it lead into space, and St. Stephen was, as always a crowd favorite. The second set was finished out in great fashion with and I Know You Rider stemming from a brilliat Terrapin Station.
The highlight of the show for me was Touch of Grey. This was placed as the last song of the first set. It brought the crowd alive once more as it followed a series of well-played tunes, including Friend of the Devil. I will get by... I will survive... what a great song for this tour. The only downside, for me anyway, was the length of time that Robert Hunter played between sets. His takes on a number of songs were appreciated, but he played for nearly an hour.
This was the first dead show I've ever been to, as I was born in the late 1980's, and I didn't even know of the Grateful Dead until 1998. From what I've heard, the core members are as good as ever. I hope the guys continue on the road and have many tours to come. This was one of the greatest experiences of my life and I enjoyed every minute of it.. especially the circus, which is always in town!
Thanks Bob, Phil, Mickey, and Billy!
Ian Carlson, Manitowoc, WI
I had a good time. I was on my feet boogying most of the show.
The sound gear managed to overcome the usually terible acoustics of the Allstate (formerly the Rosemont Horizon). Not fabulous, but pretty good, but comparable to other real theatres I've seen them in, maybe even better.
I thought the song selection was outstanding. Brown-Eyed Women rocked and sang; Jimmy has some particularly sweet lines on this that actually are more melodic that what I've heard Jerry do (sacrilege, I know... I still miss Jerry, though). Bertha was great, except halfway through the jam, Jimmy tried to elongate the verse while most or all of the rest of the band went to the chorus. (I think.) But they recovered and kept rocking on and it was good. Touch of Grey was cool; Bob and the new singer couldn't quite figure out who was singing which verse when, but it was still good. St. Stephen, Truckin, the ending of Unbroken Chain was extended into an absolutely beautiful jam, some of the prettiest playing I've heard anywhere, ever.
Robert Hunter did not impress me, though I liked his take on Ripple.
I'd definitely do it again. In fact I'd drive to a neighboring state to catch more shows. Wish I did that this time. Interestingly enough, a very young crowd, possibly selected by the fact that this was on a Monday night.
Bob Niederman, Chicago, IL
The Other Ones played the Allstate Arena on a cold and snowy Monday(!) night in Chicago and, despite the decidedly unusual wintertime vibe for a "Dead" show, thoroughly rocked out. The numbers weren't the most danceable or conducive to boogying, but the jams were as inspired and the interplay between the boys was as intricate as any Grateful Dead performance I ever witnessed. The first set had a pretty cool Golden Road and a furious Baba Jingo, but for me the highlight was a Friend of the Devil that had a weird groove and finished with an amazing breakdown that fell utterly off the map. The set closer was Touch of Grey, never one of my personal favorites but it was so enthusiastic and such a crowd pleaser that I was swept up. Watching the guys swap off singing verses while Bobby led the band was really neat.
The second set started with a super groove jam of unknown origin that had me beaming. An epic Unbroken Chain epitomized all that I love about these guys, as big, big buildups were used repeatedly throughout the song to make musical points, and as always Phil's singing was sweet and sentimental. Drums/space seemed to come early, but was tightly done, and it never got boring. Some more great free-form jam and a solid St. Stephen rounded out the night. The Truckin' encore was a blast.
A couple of my friends were a little disappointed with the song selection, but not me. It was just so great to be together again with the band, hearing them jam, and any true head would feel the same way. Thanks guys!
Sparky, Batavia, IL
This was the boys' last stop before heading west and my last show as it was a lot of us from the midwest and east coast... "Going back home thats what I'm going to do." So we knew it was going to rock. They did not disappoint. Opened with Golden Road and the energy level skyrocketed and never came down. Black-Throated Wind with bobby on acoustic. He was acoustic on a few songs in the first set... very nice. There were two types of shows on this tour: the pretty kind and the kind that they kick your ass. This was the kick your ass kind. I'm 33--I dance fast and I couldn't keep up with the boys at times. How do they play that fast? I thought some thought went into tonight's song selection. Beside my earlier quote which was relevant I also thought that encoring Truckin was perfect. It kinda coincided with the tour's name and like I said this was the end for alot of us. The second set SMOKED. I think they would have played China Cat. I was in the fifth row jumping and dancing and caught a glimpse of Bobby checking the stage clock coming out of Terrapin, and I think time may have been a factor. Jimmy rocked, Bobby jammed and grooved (as always), Chimenti and Boracco played as well as any other keys guys I've ever heard who've played with the guys, Billy andMickey sound like they always do--PERFECT!--and Phil... well he just dropped bombs one after another. Head rattling chest thumping bombs! I can't wait for Summer.
Dennis Urchick, Portage, IN
My first Other Ones show, as I went into hibernation after the loss of Jerry. After some spectacular Dead concert experiences, about 43 in all, I could not bear to see them without Jerry. Well, as they say, time heals all wounds and it was time to see the boys in action again. I must say that I went into the Chicago show with somewhat tempered expectations, but after hearing the show from Alpine (my old Dead stomping ground), I was hopeful for some magic, and I was not disappointed.
Set One:
GRTUD: Wow, what a set opener. Not sure if they have opened with this but really opened things up with a bang and hopeful for a special first set.
BTW: Interesting transition into this one, Bobby's vocals were a bit low in the beginning but they got that sorted out... Nice sound.
Baba Jingo: Beer time, so I missed the middle, but it sounded rocking and inspired.... Did not hear Mickey sing.
Brown-Eyed Women: One of my favorites but a bit teary missing Jerry... so emotional for me.... Bobby on acoustic was great.
FOTD: The acoustic is nice... a little slow tempo... but nice sound and
Bertha: Wow... three Jerry tunes in a row, really missing him now. Upbeat and bringing some life back to set one.
Standing on the Moon: A treat since I never saw the Dead do SOTM.... Bobby was inspired... very moving.
Jam: (easy guys....first set still)
Touch of Grey: Can't help but think that five Jerry tunes in a row is a mini tribute to Jerry as his last show was at Soldier Field. Rob forgetting lyrics was a reminder of Jerry... must have planned that... and offered some humorous moments. The small stadium echoed with others who did not forget the words. Started out a little tame and loose but ended very tight and inspirational.
Set Two:
Jam: Sweet opening and we were going crazy calling the song here.... I think I called ChinaCat/Rider as they had been hinting all around it in set one. Then it was obvious that it was more upbeat... so I kept calling Cumberland or Me and My Uncle... fooled again.
Sittin On Top of the World: WOW... I have never seen this one before, and if I am not mistaken, the Dead only played this one a few times too.
Born Cross-Eyed > Drums > Space: Awesome.
Unbroken Chain: Another treat as I had only seen this one once before. Phil sounded good.
St. Stephen: Okay I called the Other One but Phil was just playing with me, and they surprised me with this one. Very nice treat. Hope they don't overplay it though.... Keep it special.
Terrapin Station: Another of my favorites and had me remembering my last show at this arena (Rosemont Horizon then) when I was 8th row for my first Terrapin. There will never be another Terrapin like that one.... This one lacked the explosion that makes it so powerful
I Know You Rider: Finally the teasing is over... the boys came through with my Rider. Torn up again thinking about "missing you when you are gone."
E: Truckin: Well this is in the category with US Blues and a few others that disappoint me as encores but please the majority. It was done very well, but I would have preferred a FadeAway/Aiko combo to end the night.
No complaints here though. Worried about seeing the 4th night in a row, but the boys did not seem tired. The highlights for me: Opening TRTUD, SOTOTW--a treat, nice post-Unbroken Chain jam, finally getting Rider in at the end... great set closer. Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the tour.... We had a treat in Chicago.
Ken Smith, Chicago, IL
This show started a little scary but turned into something special by the second set. The Allstate Arena has never been know for it's acoustics and is always a challenge. The Golden Road opener, while played well, sounded a little muddled which cause everyone in our group to worry about the rest of the show. Working through a nice Black-Throated the boys finally got it dialed in for Mickey's Baba Jingo which while not one of my favorites was well done and got us moving. The second set got some teeth after a sweet Friend of the Devil when they played through a great Bertha. The sound was now right and the Standing on the Moon was played well with Bobby (in my opinion) in good voice. Touch of Grey seemed to have a little problem gettin going but finished strong with the arena becoming a huge sing-along to the chorus. Smiles all around.The second set started hot with a fun jam into Sittin on Top of the World. This set off Born Cross-Eyed which is an extremely hard song to pull off. And it sounded great with Rob adding a great voice into the song. After the drums, Phil belted out Unbroken and once again a tricky song to play live was played remarkably well. St. Steve turned up but merely set the stage for the highlight of the night: Terrapin. Terrapin sounded flawless and got everyone singing loudly by the end.
The Jamming in and around every song in the second set was tight and creative. Jimmy Herring played well but it still came down to two drums, two keyboards, two guitars and one Phil. Phil was on this night and drove home a ripping Rider. The band seemed to be pretty stoked at the end of Rider, for the hugs were flying and the band was smiling big. They were on in the second set like I have not heard in a long time. Truckin to encore with was done slow and simple and turned into a family sing-along againn to send us off with. I was surrounded by a lot of nice people both young and old like myself that all had touble leaving after such a great set.
Rob Hogg, Chicago, IL
This is my first review, but after having seen and experienced everything that I did, I felt compelled to write, so please bare with me. Was fortunate to have two very good friends drive up from Atlanta, GA to catch the Indy/Chicago shows with me. The energy that I felt was lacking at the Indy show was more than made up for at Chicago. Of course it may have just been my frame of mind. Unfortunately we missed the opening two songs, however Baba Jingo provided us with some very nice walk-in music. My girlfriend from Atlanta had said on the way to the show that she really hoped to hear Friend Of The Devil, she was not disappointed. Bertha really got my bones-a-shakin', and Bobby's Standing on the Moon, well, let's just say it touched me in a way I hadn't been touched in a long, long time. Touch of Grey was a nice way to close the first set. Well, my friends were bound and determined to get to the bathroom and get some refreshments at the same time as everybody in the arena. (I usually wait about 20 minutes for the lines to die down.) Against my better judgment we set out to face the lines. Well as soon as we got up there I knew I had made a mistake so I told my friends I would wait for them by the front door while they went to the bathroom. The crowd was really starting to get to me, and then all of the sudden some EMTs came wheeling a gurney through the front doors right past me; they were doing chest compressions on a brother. Then he was gone. This really bothered me, due largely to my mental state at the time. My friends told me to change the channel in my mind, but I just couldn't. Well the rest of the show was smokin', but I just couldn't shake the thought of the man on the gurney and his family. Drums and space were a very spiritual event for me as I prayed for the man and his family through it all. Then came Unbroken Chain and I finally started to feel better. St. Stephen>Terrapin really helped too. I Know You Rider was the begining of my re-entry. But Truckin' just took me straight back out there. Well, I have finally recovered from my long strange trip. I found out later that the man I saw was one Chad Wagner, from near Dekalb. He was 29, and had gone into cardiac arrest. My thoughts are still with him, and I ask all who believe to say a little prayer for his family. Just want to say one more thing, what Mickey said at the end of the show, about taking the spirit of the music and the experience, and do something good with it. Let's ALL try to do something good with it, and try to be a little nicer to each other. I love you all, and God Bless.
Jason Ferguson, Creal Springs, IL