| Author | Message | ||
| kmh364
Senior Member Username: kmh364 Post Number: 1285 Registered: 9-2003 |
I got my birthday wish and caught Phil at the NJ Perf. Arts Center in LOVELY (sic) downtown Newark, NJ this Tuesday night past. While Newark leaves much to be desired (I went to school there and currently work there as well), the traffic was horrible with parking not much better, the venue is gorgeous. It's a brand-new opera house designed for ballets, plays, etc. with symphony orchestras (this is the home of the NJSO), so the acoustics, seating comfort/layout, and the aesthetics are first-class. On to the show: no warm-up...Phil came on before 8:00pm for a 7:30 show. Two long sets, a short break and one encore....I didn't get out of there until Midnight! Lot's of Pig Pen-era ditties like "Cosmic Charlie" and "That's It For The Other One"! Rousing versions of "Sugaree", "Althea" (2nd tune), "Truckin'", "Peggy-O" and the Stone's "Gimme Shelter" were stand-outs. They did a few country-style numbers that I didn't know the name of or I plain didn't know, but they were a good change of pace. It sounded like the Band, with all the multi-instrumental accompaniment going on. Barry Sless was awesome! He sounds more like Jerry than Jimmy Herring. He's great on pedal steel as well...He went to the school of Buddy Cage it appears, LOL! Newbie PLAF member Larry Campbell was great as well...Guitar, Pedal Steel, Mandolin, violin, etc. As Phil put it" If it has strings, he can play it!" He sings well too! I've never been a Chris Robinson or Black Crowes fan, but he aquitted himself well. He did most of the singing (excepting Cosmic and The Other One), and his performance was respectful to Jerry (If you've heard his Zep stuff w/Jimmy Page, you know what I'm talking about, LOL!). The whole band was tight and sounded great. The house was packed, and everyone danced, including the ushers! What a great way to cap off a great birthday! Usually, my B'days s*ck, especially since the BIG 40 loomed, but a great girlfriend and PLAF made this one for the ages! I can't remember a better B'day ever! Do yourself a favor and catch Phil this tour. Ticket prices are reasonable and you more than get your money's worth. This is as close to a Dead 40th Anniversary tour as your likely to get, so enjoy it. My only dissappointment: NO "Unbroken Chain"! Didn't Phil know it was my Birthday? LOL! Highly Recommended! Cheers, Kevin BTW, how many out there remember where you were/what you were doing on 11/22/63? Anybody older than me should know what I am referring to. (Message edited by kmh364 on November 24, 2005) | ||
| flaxattack
Senior Member Username: flaxattack Post Number: 720 Registered: 4-2004 |
i was in 5th grade class and at 2pm they made the announcement my friend and our lives were never the same.,,, i downloaded this show kev was very good | ||
| flaxattack
Senior Member Username: flaxattack Post Number: 721 Registered: 4-2004 |
ps- HAPPY FRKN BIRTHDAY consider the series one my present to ya-lol | ||
| tom_z
Advanced Member Username: tom_z Post Number: 220 Registered: 7-2004 |
Happy belated birthday Kevin! Glad you enjoyed the show. Phil definitely still knows how to throw down - and he puts a pretty good band together. Phil has been playing a couple Ryan Adams tunes - possibly the "country-style" material you heard. Hey Jeff - keep us informed if you happen to run across downloads for the early December shows with Scofield. Couple of weeks until I'll be checking out the other wing of the Dead - An Evening With Bob Weir and Ratdog as it's being billed here. Small venue should provide for a night of hot sweaty dancing here in Sin City. =) Tom | ||
| kmh364
Senior Member Username: kmh364 Post Number: 1288 Registered: 9-2003 |
Thanks for the belated b'day wishes, guys. Being born on THAT day is to anyone near my generation akin to being born on 9/11/01 (or any other infamous day in history)...it's a horrible legacy that you carry for the rest of your life. Mom tells me I was born within a hour or two of the assassination. Seing that Zapruder film clip, the John-John casket salute, and the eternal flame at Arlington Nat'l all over the news year after year on your b'day (as a child particularly) has a profound effect on you. | ||
| kmh364
Senior Member Username: kmh364 Post Number: 1289 Registered: 9-2003 |
FWIW, According to the bootleg on BTREE, this was the setlist from 11/22/05 at the NJPAC: Jam Scarlet Begonias Althea Long Black Veil Tennessee Jed Peggy-O Sugaree Cosmic Charlie Just Another Whistle Stop>Jam Big Railroad Blues Caution Cowboy Movie>Jam Gimme Shelter Cryptical The Other One Truckin' I Know You Rider Encore: Do Right Woman I can't remember for the life of me which tune Phil whipped out the Godfather, but use it he did, albeit for one tune only. His Modulus VI got most of the duty. | ||
| flaxattack
Senior Member Username: flaxattack Post Number: 725 Registered: 4-2004 |
i still feel the godfather(guild hybird) is the best sounding bass i have ever heard. twas a good show kev- i enjoyed listening to it last night... | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 2639 Registered: 5-2002 |
Happy Birthday Kevin! And yes, I too remember the announcement in school. (Message edited by davehouck on November 25, 2005) | ||
| tom_z
Advanced Member Username: tom_z Post Number: 222 Registered: 7-2004 |
Wow - Cowboy Movie!! - One of my favorites from If I Could Only Remember My Name. | ||
| kmh364
Senior Member Username: kmh364 Post Number: 1296 Registered: 9-2003 |
Thanks, Dave. Tom: You mean from David Crosby's solo album? That's one I haven't heard (shame on me)! | ||
| tom_z
Advanced Member Username: tom_z Post Number: 224 Registered: 7-2004 |
Yeah - the Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra - released as a David Crosby solo album. Lots of Bay area musicians, including the Dead, Airplane, David Freiberg, etc. Blows Against the Empire is another - released as a Paul Kantner project, I believe. There are other recordings, some released, some bootlegs, that came out of Wally Heider's studio from that time. | ||
| richbass939
Senior Member Username: richbass939 Post Number: 485 Registered: 11-2004 |
Kevin, happy birthday to you. I remember the teachers all being called to the principal's office, my teacher coming back a couple of minutes later crying, and telling all the kids what happened. I was 8 years old and knew enough to understand it a little bit. Rich P.S. Not to totally hijack the thread, I'm glad the concert was great. | ||
| kmh364
Senior Member Username: kmh364 Post Number: 1297 Registered: 9-2003 |
There's quite a blog about the show on the philzone talksite that is linked in the "Phil In Reading PA" thread, along with pix. Apparently, Phil used the Godfather (called "Big Brown" on philzone) in "Caution", but hat was it. You could definitely hear the difference when he played it...that thing thunders! Thanks for all the b'day wishes everyone...this is the best one I can remember! | ||
| flaxattack
Senior Member Username: flaxattack Post Number: 754 Registered: 4-2004 |
HERES YOUR BDAY PRESENT KEVO phil has released the sdbd as a free download | ||
| kmh364
Senior Member Username: kmh364 Post Number: 1355 Registered: 9-2003 |
Where, pray tell? | ||
| flaxattack
Senior Member Username: flaxattack Post Number: 755 Registered: 4-2004 |
well btree has it- the downlaod was slow like 25kb so i went to the further site and am downloading at 700 kb email me if you need to download further i know what it feels like to have a show released... i am on 7 grateful dead cds-lol | ||
| tom_z
Advanced Member Username: tom_z Post Number: 240 Registered: 7-2004 |
The archive has Phil's official digital soundboard release of this show. Amazing quality. http://www.archive.org/audio/etree-details-db.php?id=31415&from=BA Tom | ||
| kmh364
Senior Member Username: kmh364 Post Number: 1358 Registered: 9-2003 |
Thanks, Tom! That really was a great show, wasn't it? The quality sound is nice bonus! Just no d*mn "Unbroken Chain", waaaaaaah! LOL! | ||
| kmh364
Senior Member Username: kmh364 Post Number: 1372 Registered: 9-2003 |
11/23 at the NJPAC is awesome as well! I think the songlist is even better than the one on my B'day! Shakedown Street Wheels on Fire The Wheel Built to Last No More Do I Lovelight>Rollin' in My Sweet Baby's Arms>Lovelight Sittin' on Top of the World Cats Under the Stars Bird Song You've Got to Hide Your Love Away St. Stephen Eyes of the World Uncle John's Band Going Down the Road Feeling Bad Donor's Rap/Band Intros. Encore: Dark Star http://www.archive.org/audio/etree-details-db.php?id=31314 Enjoy! | ||
| kmh364
Senior Member Username: kmh364 Post Number: 1382 Registered: 9-2003 |
This tour is great! I'm having a grand time reliving past glories by exploring LAMA's recent postings. All those great, obscure 60's Pig-era tunes are just the sh*t! | ||
| tom_z
Advanced Member Username: tom_z Post Number: 242 Registered: 7-2004 |
Kevin - after you've explored this tour, check out some of the stuff from 1999. Phil had a very dynamic lineup back then. There are shows with various combinations of Jorma, Warren, David Nelson, Merl Saunders, Billy Kreutzmann, Kimock, Sless, and more. Many are very crispy soundboards - excellent sound quality. Tom | ||
| kmh364
Senior Member Username: kmh364 Post Number: 1402 Registered: 9-2003 |
Tom: Will do, thanks. I hate to admit that it really took it out of me when Jerry passed, so for years I didn't follow what the rest of the band was doing, and I didn't listen to much Dead. I basically ignored their solo stuff (i.e, Ratdog, PLAF, Drum Planet, etc.), and didn't even bite when "The Other Ones" toured. As a lark, I bought tix to the first "Dead" tour in '03...like it was some fatal accident you couldn't help but look at. Once I saw that the vibe was still there, even without Jerry, it was all good! That was my ticket back to all things Dead, and I've been having a blast re-discovering my past glories ever since. I'm sorry that I ignored those guys for so long as they deserve all the support they can get for all they've given to us over the years, plus I gypped myself out of a lot of great music and fun. I'm definitely trying to make up for it now. FWIW, I had tears in my eyes when I learned of Jerry's death 10 yrs. past. What made it worse was that I hadn't seen the Dead since that infamous tour when Jerry was recovering from his diabetic coma. The last show I saw (at NYC's MSG) was pathetic...Jerry was enormous and lethargic to an extreme and was, to me, just going thru the motions: worst show I was ever at. I had my ex-wife and two friends (another couple) with me, and it was all their first Dead show. I was mortified and embarassed at bringing those newbies to such a poor showing, even though none of them knew the difference. Regardless, it p*ssed me off so bad, I deliberately never saw them again while Jerry was alive. Talk about biting your nose off to spite your face! I always figured there'd be plenty of time to see 'em...and then Jerry went and O/D'ed. I really felt bad about that ill-fated decision, and once Jerry had died, the regret overcame me as I knew there was no way I could make up for that hasty (and stupid) decision. |
