airtimejunkie Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 Hey now! Here is a quick report of the rehearsal show I attended last night. I apologize for being so short in my remarks but I am currently in school while working and my time is limited at the moment. Left San Leandro at 4:52PM and was parked in Mill Valley around the corner from the theater by 5:48PM. There was PLENTY of parking available at the meters. There is no charge for parking after 6:00PM. I snoozed in my car a bit and listened to the radio until around 7:00PM. At the entrance, a gentleman asked me if I had ID. He then sent me to a woman at a desk who took my ID, found my name on a list, and then crossed it off. Then I was sent to another woman who put a wristband on me. Gee, I sure felt priveledged to be there since tickets are virtually impossible to get there. As I walked through the lobby, I noticed a bar where they were selling some food and alcoholic drinks. As I walked from the lobby into the theater, I noticed that there weren't a whole lot of people there yet, but some hardcore folks (aren't we all!) were sitting up near the stage and claimed their spot. I wasn't too concerned about getting close because sometimes the sound isn't as good right up front, and the atmosphere didn't really warrant the feeling to try and claim a space. There was plenty of room. I opted to lean against the wall next to the soundboard for the rest of the evening. It was amusing listening to people's comments as they entered the theater. Most were surprised at how small the theater actually is, and people sounded very PSYCHED to be there. There were a lot of smiles to be seen. I recognized several people whom I have seen at various Dead related shows. Unfortunately, the boys (and ladies!) didn't come out until about 8:20PM, so if you're going to one of these shows, don't expect it to start at 7:30PM. You'll have to use your own judgement. Once everyone came out onto the stage, the energy in the crowd immediately went up. Since this was a rehearsal, the band tended to pretty much go from one song into the next one, with not much time in between, which was actually nice in my opinion. Here is the setlist: Alabama Getaway Don't Ease Me In Till The Morning Comes Picasso Moon New Potato Caboose Looks Like Rain Welcome to the Dance Dear Mr. Fantasy China Doll New Speedway Boogie West L.A. Fadeaway E: Walkin' Blues Alabama was a great way to begin the set, and it completely caught me off guard. I was digging the sound right away, and Phil's bass was making my feet do interesting things. Don't Ease isn't exactly one of my faves, but it was fun to hear again. Till the Morning Comes was my favorite of the evening. I just love that old Grateful Dead sound, and it was fun to dance to. Picasso Moon was good, but Bobby's voice just isn't what it used to be, at least when he is singing in the upper register, or using falsetto. New Potato Caboose is another old song and fun to hear. Looks Like Rain was another one of the set's highlights. Bobby did an admirable job on this version, and I wish I had a recording of it. The next song, Welcome to the Dance, is one that I have never heard, but it was obvious that the band needs to rehearse this one. I'm not being too hard on the band because, after all, it was a rehearsal. Dear Mr. Fantasy was excellent, and JK's guitar playing really took it to the next level. China Doll was great although I felt it would have been even better if perhaps JK had started off the song by singing just a little bit softer. In the end, though, it was a good version. New Speedway Boogie was another song I wasn't expecting, and I enjoyed it a lot. The crowd really seemed to like West L.A. Fadeaway, and more people seemed to be dancing to it. I left during the encore, Walkin' Blues, to get a head start on heading back to the east bay. When I left, it was about 10:10PM. Before the show, I told myself that I wasn't going to stress about who was singing what song. In the end, it didn't matter to me that much. I still dug the music and enjoyed being there. If you are one of the lucky ones to score a ticket to one of the rehearsal shows, you're guaranteed to have a great time! I'm thankful I got to be there. Just being able to see the band in a venue this size was a treat! I would love to see at least one more before they go out on tour. Perhaps they'll squeeze in a couple of more rehearsal dates. You just need to be extremely lucky to snag a ticket. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airtimejunkie Posted January 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 Hey now!Here is a quick report of the rehearsal show I attended last night. I apologize for being so short in my remarks but I am currently in school while working and my time is limited at the moment. Left San Leandro at 4:52PM and was parked in Mill Valley around the corner from the theater by 5:48PM. There was PLENTY of parking available at the meters. There is no charge for parking after 6:00PM. I snoozed in my car a bit and listened to the radio until around 7:00PM. At the entrance, a gentleman asked me if I had ID. He then sent me to a woman at a desk who took my ID, found my name on a list, and then crossed it off. Then I was sent to another woman who put a wristband on me. Gee, I sure felt priveledged to be there since tickets are virtually impossible to get there. As I walked through the lobby, I noticed a bar where they were selling some food and alcoholic drinks. As I walked from the lobby into the theater, I noticed that there weren't a whole lot of people there yet, but some hardcore folks (aren't we all!) were sitting up near the stage and claimed their spot. I wasn't too concerned about getting close because sometimes the sound isn't as good right up front, and the atmosphere didn't really warrant the feeling to try and claim a space. There was plenty of room. I opted to lean against the wall next to the soundboard for the rest of the evening. It was amusing listening to people's comments as they entered the theater. Most were surprised at how small the theater actually is, and people sounded very PSYCHED to be there. There were a lot of smiles to be seen. I recognized several people whom I have seen at various Dead related shows. Unfortunately, the boys (and ladies!) didn't come out until about 8:20PM, so if you're going to one of these shows, don't expect it to start at 7:30PM. You'll have to use your own judgement. Once everyone came out onto the stage, the energy in the crowd immediately went up. Since this was a rehearsal, the band tended to pretty much go from one song into the next one, with not much time in between, which was actually nice in my opinion. Here is the setlist: Alabama Getaway Don't Ease Me In Till The Morning Comes Picasso Moon New Potato Caboose Looks Like Rain Welcome to the Dance Dear Mr. Fantasy China Doll New Speedway Boogie West L.A. Fadeaway E: Walkin' Blues Alabama was a great way to begin the set, and it completely caught me off guard. I was digging the sound right away, and Phil's bass was making my feet do interesting things. Don't Ease isn't exactly one of my faves, but it was fun to hear again. Till the Morning Comes was my favorite of the evening. I just love that old Grateful Dead sound, and it was fun to dance to. Picasso Moon was good, but Bobby's voice just isn't what it used to be, at least when he is singing in the upper register, or using falsetto. New Potato Caboose is another old song and fun to hear. Looks Like Rain was another one of the set's highlights. Bobby did an admirable job on this version, and I wish I had a recording of it. The next song, Welcome to the Dance, is one that I have never heard, but it was obvious that the band needs to rehearse this one. I'm not being too hard on the band because, after all, it was a rehearsal. Dear Mr. Fantasy was excellent, and JK's guitar playing really took it to the next level. China Doll was great although I felt it would have been even better if perhaps JK had started off the song by singing just a little bit softer. In the end, though, it was a good version. New Speedway Boogie was another song I wasn't expecting, and I enjoyed it a lot. The crowd really seemed to like West L.A. Fadeaway, and more people seemed to be dancing to it. I left during the encore, Walkin' Blues, to get a head start on heading back to the east bay. When I left, it was about 10:10PM. Before the show, I told myself that I wasn't going to stress about who was singing what song. In the end, it didn't matter to me that much. I still dug the music and enjoyed being there. If you are one of the lucky ones to score a ticket to one of the rehearsal shows, you're guaranteed to have a great time! I'm thankful I got to be there. Just being able to see the band in a venue this size was a treat! I would love to see at least one more before they go out on tour. Perhaps they'll squeeze in a couple of more rehearsal dates. You just need to be extremely lucky to snag a ticket. Kevin 47 views and no comments? Was my review that bad? Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
560sdl Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 47 views and no comments? Was my review that bad? Kevin Well I just read it and thought it was a great review. Thanks for it. Cannot wait till they head East! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sister Bluebird Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 Well I just read it and thought it was a great review. Thanks for it. Cannot wait till they head East! thank you for going into so much detail, kevin. it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest deadheadmike Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 I read it yesterday and thought it was great ... the excitement is building !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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