Wow, no reviews for this show yet? Also took a few days to post on archive...surprising, since it was probably the second best show of the tour after MSG, in my opinion anyway. Drove down from Syracuse, and rolled into town around 4:30. Managed to get a spot in the parking lot right behind the venue - no real Shakedown to speak of, so the 'action' was on the boardwalk. We went to Rainforest Cafe, lol, and got in line before 7. Much better venue experience after the Oncenter - they got us all in to our seats on time despite being nearly twice as large a venue. We had floor seats about 20 rows back, but sadly had to hit the hallways/doorways for the second set due to my wife's continuing problems with the (cigarette) smoking. I'm afraid she's done with indoor Furthur shows...
Anyway, after a somewhat uneven performance at Syracuse (again, IMO), they burst out of the gates with a strong, surprising Mason's opener. I saw the first Furthur version of this song at my first show on another boardwalk an hour up the coast, plus another 4 in between, and I'm happy to say it's come a long way since then. The tempo change to Cassidy was a little awkward, but the energy picked right back up again, and continued with another surprise, Just A Little Light, followed by a rollicking Big RR. The energy slowed down a little with Cold Rain (memories of Syracuse?), although we all had a great time singing the unison part. Then it was time for Bobby to throw the set off-kilter with a poorly-placed and lackluster Throwing Stones. I used to dislike this song in the last 80s, because it was all too common and heralded the end of the show, but nowadays I long for the old, drawn-out, climactic versions - the current versions never seem to go anywhere in my opinion, even though the lyrics make more sense than ever. My first Welcome to the Dance had me guessing for a few minutes, but it was a pretty decent Phil offering, followed, unfortunately, by another lackluster version of a high-energy 80s Bobby tune. No offense, Bob, but if you can't deliver it with gusto, save it for another night. So in my opinion, the first 4 songs of the set were in a different category from the second half. Oh well, on to the second half.
As I mentioned, we had to relocate to the hallway, and ended up seeing most of the second set from the doorway to the handicapped section, directly sidestage on Jon's side (formerly Phil-side). The sound and view were pretty good, and lots of room to dance, with venue staff and even police letting us do as we pleased. One cop was clearly very focused on what the band was doing, and I can't say I blame him. Although the VLB "club sandwich" is getting a little worn, I love me a good Bertha and really dig Caution (proof that Bobby can still rock hard when he wants to). Then of course it was time for the old tried-and-true HSF, which is my wife's favorite, so I was glad they pulled it out. The energy level was solid throughout the 2nd set, but the Born Cross-eyed was kind of oddly placed, and not the tightest version I've seen. A meandery jam followed that sounded like it would drift into a Saturday night Stella, but instead became Mountain Song. Given our smoking-refugee theme over the last two days, the "just wanna breathe" chorus took on added significance. Then came the long awaited Dew, a song they wisely keep in low rotation, followed by yet another China-less Rider (don't think I've seen them paired since the Mann in 2010).
Although I love OMSN, and don't mind hearing it played even when I know it's coming, we were pretty worn out after three shows in three days, and wanted to beat the traffic rush out of town, so we chose to leave during the opening notes (my decision). Naturally that meant that we missed yet another double encore in as many days, Ripple no less, but we were pretty happy to be on the road back north. After two days of 5 hour drives, the last 2 hours seemed unexpectedly difficult, and I was thrilled to get a parking spot right in front of the house.
After 15 shows in 2010, I wrapped up 2011 with an even 11. In hindsight, I can make the same observation (almost) everyone else seems to make: the band gets tighter/smoother/better with each pass, and on a good night the music really is playing the band seemingly effortlessly. There are rumors of Phil "retiring" after next year, in which case I hope I get to catch as many shows as possible. Luckily they seem to play some of the best ones in the NYC and Philly area, so I might skip the long drives next time and keep it local. More money for tickets that way!
Joe Midtown, NYC