Reviews
After the long trip back from Bethel the night before, it was great to have a shorter (and very traffic friendly for a Sunday in Long Island) drive to Jones today. As with Bethel, this was my first time at this venue, although I had gone to Jones Beach a lot as a kid. Despite the concrete, and an even sunnier day, the ocean breeze made the parking lot heat/sun much more tolerable than Bethel, and the Shakedown was definitely much more in swing - similar to Coney Island the year before. My friends and I took in a most delightful swim, then whiled the afternoon away.
The venue itself is alcohol-free, which probably explains the short bathroom lines, but if you want to drink you'd better do it before you go in. All the same, it was more of a sit-back-relax-and-enjoy show tonight, so we were perfectly cool with the no alcohol vibe. And although the sound quality was hampered a tiny bit by the breeze, with two big screens and a narrow bandshell, there wasn't a bad seat in the house.
Bob took us to Sunday school right from the start, and as with Crazy Fingers the night before, Mr. Fantasy showed up unusually early in the setlist. Then we had a nice string of relative rarities with BTW, Jack-a-Roe, and Tom Thumb's, with the nautically themed Jack-a-Roe turning out to be a breakout (didn't know at the time). Given how much time Phil spends in NYC these days, it would have been cool to hear him sing the original lyrics in the last line of Tom Thumb's, but oh well...Brown-Eyed and Throwing Stones were OK, but the closing Shakedown was completely unexpected and really got everyone on their feet.
I had been hoping for a waterside Sailor/Saint, but instead we got the magnificent WRS instead, followed by a Let It Grow that would have blown the roof off the place had there been one. It was at this point that they started playing on the "plus" level they showed the night before, and you get the feeling they're really taking some songs in particular "furthur". Half-Step was kind of an odd 2nd set segue at first, but fit in perfectly and was also done masterfully. After He's Gone, it sounded like we would get The Other One, then at one point briefly sounded like China Doll, but then it was obvious we were headed for Darkstar, and what a Darkstar. The vocals were just the bookends for a freak-out jam/space segment that had no name, and after they finally came back to the 2nd verse, another juicy jam came to a stop and gave way to a magnificent Unbroken Chain. I think a lot of people were primed for Other One/Wharf Rat, and maybe the Dew -- and I'd wager two of these were hiding under the twin Sharpies in the "official" Furthur setlist -- so it was a little anticlimatic to get the Wheel/Good Lovin' instead. Gotta save some for the rest of the week, obviously, and so we were sent home peacefully with Brokedown Palace.
I'm way too exhausted after driving hundreds of miles in opposite directions for two back-to-back shows, and any hope of doing SPAC at the last minute has left my body. I'll be waiting faithfully at the Vibes for Friday night, along with a lot of other happy people...
Jose, Bayonne NJ
As Furthur return to the east for the sumer tour it is quite evident that this band keeps evolving and gets better and better with each go round. JK is so much more comfortable in his role, and he's the magic add-on that makes this post-Jerry era complete. Once again giving Deadheads that old experience that we lost so long ago. All the members of the band are excellant as well, adding color and textures to go along with Bob and Phil pounding away at it with the intensity they had as young guys.
The highlights for me at this show's first set were: A powerful Black Throated Wind that had Bob delivering very strong vocals, light airy versions of Jack-A-Row and Brown Eyed Women passing through the ocean breezes into the crowd making everyone dance gladly, and to end the set, an early Throwing Stones with new lyrics added that shows the contempt most of us have with our present US Government, into a powerful Shakedown.
Let me add that being 56 now, and seeing so many shows since '73, that I am so glad to not be subjected to drums/space any more. Not that they didn't have their place in time, it's just that I don't use the party materials any more, the music does it for me, not needing them, and I would rather get more tunes during the limited time they are on stage.
The second set rocked from beginning to end. I liked the latter better starting with He's Gone>Dark Star>Unboken>The Wheel>Good Lovin. All of these were played fantasically, and I especially enjoyed Bobby giving us an old-styled Good Lovin where he just let it all out, amazing!
One added note. The lights behind the band are very intense and at times a bit over the top. That much stimulation is more than anyone needs. I'd rather they use this technology more in the fashion that they used it at Radio City, where like many of the other older great rock bands, show slides of the past glory days. It's fun to see into the past and travel through the time as they play.
All-in-all, the show was great and anyone who cannot feel the energy should stop going or see a doctor to see what's wrong with them. Going to the Vibes and Philly, see you there !!
Robert, Bellmore, N.Y.
A definite tale of two sets. My first set was basically ruined by Live Nation double selling seats in Orchestra Section F. I know it wasn't the venue's fault BUT the way they handled the situation (I met at least three other groups and heard of others thru friends in the same predicament) was so unprofessional as to totally ruin the first set for me (Supervisor arrived THREE songs into the set then walked away having done nothing, then when I got him again he tried to move me to a WORSE seat than I originally and when I told him no way THEN he put me in front of the soundboard, during SHAKEDOWN! Thanks for nothing!). It took me until the end of intermission to finally start feeling my mojo.
And so glad I did in time for what was arguably the best part of the show, that being IMHO the Weather Report Suite, fantastic from start to finish. The 1/2 Step got me swaying, the He's Gone was blissfully mournful. They tried their best to go where no man has gone before with Dark Star and though I may not have agreed with the results, I still applaud the effort. At least they tried, my criticism of of the "space" tunes by them last year. They are trying to go Furthur.
Sorry, but the Unbroken Chain sounded short-changed by the end, I was hoping for the "tear the house down" version but this one was far from it. After it, I really didn't appreciate The Wheel but the Good Lovin was pretty cool and a nice way to get us dancing for the end of the show. After attending Bethel the night before and still not feeling Jones Beach after the 1st set debacle I started heading home and heard the Brokedown Palace on the way out.
Ultimately my overall experience was ruined by Live Nation and the incompetence of the venue's staff but, honestly, better this show than Bethel because this show, regardless of my personal experience, felt like it did not rise to the sustained excellence of the previous night's tour-de-force. Regardless, I truly hope that you had a better time at this show than I did as I will freely admit my experience may not be the best one to compare notes to, LOL!
Peace,
Alex
Alex, Sunnyside, Queens, NY