Phil Lesh & Friends, House of Blues, Atlantic City, NJ 12/8/05
Simply an incredible show! Here's all the highlights of my day.
I would be going to the show with one of my best friends and a former bandmate George. I got up there a little early because I wanted to hang out, listen to some music, and have dinner before the show. His family are super nice people. Almost like a second family to me. So many great experiences I've shared with them over the years.
Anyway, I had gotten there right at 4. I had George pop in the 1st night of the Tower Crowes show from instant live. We got to shoot the shit and play catch up of what's been going on. He put it on pause for a bit and played me some stuff off his computer. He made me want to dig up a John Menzel CD I have (a mutual friend of ours and a very talented musician). I got to borrow David Bowie's "Man Who Sold The World" as well as the "Hindu Love Gods" CD. Sometimes I think him and I are the only 2 people who know how great this CD is. The group is basically REM without Michael Stipe but Warren Zevon instead. They cover old blues standards as well as an off the hook cover of Prince's "Rasberry Beret"! Definately a CD to check out.
We went back to listening to the Crowes. George fixed me up some leftover spaghetti and veal parm which was excellent. By that time Birdman and his Mom were home. After dinner we sat around some more listening to the tunes and chatting. The pipe was passed around. I don't indulge but by the end I swear I had a contact high. I was trying to convince them all to see a Crowes show with me next year. We'll see.
Time was flying by fast. It was time to head out to the show. We would be getting there after the 7 doors open time. We got there around 7:15. George was saying this looked pretty surreal, the heads taking over the casino! We got up to the HOB and the line wasn't long at all to get in. It took a bit gettin searched though, like a head would bring in a weapon. I was quite surprised to pretty much walk up near the stage. I figure we were maybe 5 - 6 people deep. We were pretty much in between Chris & Phil sight wise.
The wait didn't seem that long and before we knew it the show was on. As I heard the opening notes I'm thinking "cool" and sure enough they kick into "Truckin'". They had the heads dancing from the start. Had a nice segue into "Bertha" which had me getting down. It was getting a little crowded up front, but I still had room to move. "FOTD" was close to the album version. I had gotten used to the slower Dead versions over the years. Very nice indeed. The next song "No More Do I" I wasn't familiar with at all. Phil sang lead on this one. I liked it a lot. At this point I should note I read a lot of negative reviews on Phil's singing. Frankly, I enjoyed it. Maybe he doesn't quite have the range, but his voice fits nice in the songs he sings. The jam lead into a Dylan song "Senor". My first time hearing this as well and I really enjoyed it. A very sweet "Althea" was next. Larry Campbell's fiddle playing really added to it. Next up was a surprise, a nice cover of the Byrds "Eight Miles High". I was digging this a lot! Afterwards was the break. What a nice 1st set!
George wanted to stretch his legs so we moved to the back. Got us some beverages, non-alcoholic believe it or not. George ran into his friend Valdo. I met him once before at an awesome Halloween party at his house years ago. At the time I didn't know he was George's friend too. Found out later at the party. I walked into there only knowing one person who I had met a few days before. Wound up being one of the best parties I've ever been at. So I had to remind him of that. We were trying to find a spot for the 2nd set. The funniest part of the night was a little circle had formed trying to keep people out of a puddle of puke on the floor! The group's vigilence paid off when the staff finally sprinkled some lemony smelling sawdust looking stuff on it. A few people did walk thru it after that, but they finally swept it all up. After what felt like the longest intermission break ever, it was on to set 2.
Phil stepped up to the mic and kicked it all off with "Box Of Rain". The jam afterwards lead to some familiar bass riffs and we were into "Lovelight". Had us all grooving on that one. Chris really stood out on this one. I've read heads ragging on him 'coz he uses a teleprompter, but give the guy a break! So do the others on stage as well! His voice was clear and strong throughout the night. I did wear my Philly Black Crowes shirt too just to mess with these negative heads. I actually got quite a few compliments on it. Maybe it was for the pot leaves and nekkid chick on it!
They did a nice hopping number right in the middle of "Lovelight" too, "Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms". Had us all dancing up a storm. The segue back into "Lovelight" was off the hook! Next up was a jam. a head next to me kept calling for "St. Stephen" and sure enough, there it was. This 2nd set couldn't be stopped! Next up was a surprise, the very sweet "Rosemary". I always dug this short and sweet song from the "Skeletons In The Closet" set. A head next to me was keeping a running set list. I had a hard time convincing him that's what it was, but then he agreed.
What came next totally blew my mind! "Strawberry Fields Foever"! I had a feeling they would play some kind of Beatles/Lennon tune being it was 25 years to the day we lost John, but this was totally unexpected. What a great version too!! Can't wait to hear this one! Hope it comes up on Etree soon. Maybe Phil will make this one of his SBD releases too. It definately deserves this. What could follow this? George and I thought for a second the jam would lead into "Fire On The Mountain", but instead "Help On The Way" rolled out! Nice!! From there it was into "Slipknot" and a nice "Franklin's Tower" which had us all dancing up a storm. My feet and legs were screaming for mercy by this point after being on them all night, but the groove couldn't be stopped! What an incredible show! They took a short break and then Phil came out for his little speech about organ donation and the band intros. The encore was a 2nd Beatles song of the night, "Revolution". Chris almost missed the cue but made a last second save. Great set, great show!
Damn, did I have trouble making the long walk back. My legs and feet were that sore. That's a lot of pounds per square inch to be standing on concrete all night long. It was worth it though. Dropped George off and made my way home. Got real sleepy at the end but it made it home no trouble. Now I only wish I had tickets for the other 2 nights. I don't see how they can top this though!
Set 1:
Truckin'>
Bertha
Friend Of The Devil> Jam>
No More Do I> Jam>
Senor
Althea
8 Miles High
Set 2:
Box Of Rain> Jam>
Turn On Your Lovelight>
Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms>
Lovelight, Jam>
St. Stephen
*Rosemary>
Strawberry Fields Forever> Jam>
Help On The Way>
Slipknot!>
Franklin's Tower
E: Donor Rap/Intros
*Revolution
*Last P&F Revolution 11-20-01
*2nd Ever Rosemary
Phil Lesh
Chris Robinson (vocals, guitar)
Larry Campbell (guitar+more)
John Molo (drums)
Mookie Siegel (keys)
Barry Sless (guitar+pedalsteel)
Simply an incredible show! Here's all the highlights of my day.
I would be going to the show with one of my best friends and a former bandmate George. I got up there a little early because I wanted to hang out, listen to some music, and have dinner before the show. His family are super nice people. Almost like a second family to me. So many great experiences I've shared with them over the years.
Anyway, I had gotten there right at 4. I had George pop in the 1st night of the Tower Crowes show from instant live. We got to shoot the shit and play catch up of what's been going on. He put it on pause for a bit and played me some stuff off his computer. He made me want to dig up a John Menzel CD I have (a mutual friend of ours and a very talented musician). I got to borrow David Bowie's "Man Who Sold The World" as well as the "Hindu Love Gods" CD. Sometimes I think him and I are the only 2 people who know how great this CD is. The group is basically REM without Michael Stipe but Warren Zevon instead. They cover old blues standards as well as an off the hook cover of Prince's "Rasberry Beret"! Definately a CD to check out.
We went back to listening to the Crowes. George fixed me up some leftover spaghetti and veal parm which was excellent. By that time Birdman and his Mom were home. After dinner we sat around some more listening to the tunes and chatting. The pipe was passed around. I don't indulge but by the end I swear I had a contact high. I was trying to convince them all to see a Crowes show with me next year. We'll see.
Time was flying by fast. It was time to head out to the show. We would be getting there after the 7 doors open time. We got there around 7:15. George was saying this looked pretty surreal, the heads taking over the casino! We got up to the HOB and the line wasn't long at all to get in. It took a bit gettin searched though, like a head would bring in a weapon. I was quite surprised to pretty much walk up near the stage. I figure we were maybe 5 - 6 people deep. We were pretty much in between Chris & Phil sight wise.
The wait didn't seem that long and before we knew it the show was on. As I heard the opening notes I'm thinking "cool" and sure enough they kick into "Truckin'". They had the heads dancing from the start. Had a nice segue into "Bertha" which had me getting down. It was getting a little crowded up front, but I still had room to move. "FOTD" was close to the album version. I had gotten used to the slower Dead versions over the years. Very nice indeed. The next song "No More Do I" I wasn't familiar with at all. Phil sang lead on this one. I liked it a lot. At this point I should note I read a lot of negative reviews on Phil's singing. Frankly, I enjoyed it. Maybe he doesn't quite have the range, but his voice fits nice in the songs he sings. The jam lead into a Dylan song "Senor". My first time hearing this as well and I really enjoyed it. A very sweet "Althea" was next. Larry Campbell's fiddle playing really added to it. Next up was a surprise, a nice cover of the Byrds "Eight Miles High". I was digging this a lot! Afterwards was the break. What a nice 1st set!
George wanted to stretch his legs so we moved to the back. Got us some beverages, non-alcoholic believe it or not. George ran into his friend Valdo. I met him once before at an awesome Halloween party at his house years ago. At the time I didn't know he was George's friend too. Found out later at the party. I walked into there only knowing one person who I had met a few days before. Wound up being one of the best parties I've ever been at. So I had to remind him of that. We were trying to find a spot for the 2nd set. The funniest part of the night was a little circle had formed trying to keep people out of a puddle of puke on the floor! The group's vigilence paid off when the staff finally sprinkled some lemony smelling sawdust looking stuff on it. A few people did walk thru it after that, but they finally swept it all up. After what felt like the longest intermission break ever, it was on to set 2.
Phil stepped up to the mic and kicked it all off with "Box Of Rain". The jam afterwards lead to some familiar bass riffs and we were into "Lovelight". Had us all grooving on that one. Chris really stood out on this one. I've read heads ragging on him 'coz he uses a teleprompter, but give the guy a break! So do the others on stage as well! His voice was clear and strong throughout the night. I did wear my Philly Black Crowes shirt too just to mess with these negative heads. I actually got quite a few compliments on it. Maybe it was for the pot leaves and nekkid chick on it!
They did a nice hopping number right in the middle of "Lovelight" too, "Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms". Had us all dancing up a storm. The segue back into "Lovelight" was off the hook! Next up was a jam. a head next to me kept calling for "St. Stephen" and sure enough, there it was. This 2nd set couldn't be stopped! Next up was a surprise, the very sweet "Rosemary". I always dug this short and sweet song from the "Skeletons In The Closet" set. A head next to me was keeping a running set list. I had a hard time convincing him that's what it was, but then he agreed.
What came next totally blew my mind! "Strawberry Fields Foever"! I had a feeling they would play some kind of Beatles/Lennon tune being it was 25 years to the day we lost John, but this was totally unexpected. What a great version too!! Can't wait to hear this one! Hope it comes up on Etree soon. Maybe Phil will make this one of his SBD releases too. It definately deserves this. What could follow this? George and I thought for a second the jam would lead into "Fire On The Mountain", but instead "Help On The Way" rolled out! Nice!! From there it was into "Slipknot" and a nice "Franklin's Tower" which had us all dancing up a storm. My feet and legs were screaming for mercy by this point after being on them all night, but the groove couldn't be stopped! What an incredible show! They took a short break and then Phil came out for his little speech about organ donation and the band intros. The encore was a 2nd Beatles song of the night, "Revolution". Chris almost missed the cue but made a last second save. Great set, great show!
Damn, did I have trouble making the long walk back. My legs and feet were that sore. That's a lot of pounds per square inch to be standing on concrete all night long. It was worth it though. Dropped George off and made my way home. Got real sleepy at the end but it made it home no trouble. Now I only wish I had tickets for the other 2 nights. I don't see how they can top this though!
Set 1:
Truckin'>
Bertha
Friend Of The Devil> Jam>
No More Do I> Jam>
Senor
Althea
8 Miles High
Set 2:
Box Of Rain> Jam>
Turn On Your Lovelight>
Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms>
Lovelight, Jam>
St. Stephen
*Rosemary>
Strawberry Fields Forever> Jam>
Help On The Way>
Slipknot!>
Franklin's Tower
E: Donor Rap/Intros
*Revolution
*Last P&F Revolution 11-20-01
*2nd Ever Rosemary
Phil Lesh
Chris Robinson (vocals, guitar)
Larry Campbell (guitar+more)
John Molo (drums)
Mookie Siegel (keys)
Barry Sless (guitar+pedalsteel)