Furthur Rehearsal - 5/25/10 - San Rafael

[John A]

After Midnight (JK)

Bertha (JK)

New Speedway Boogie (BW)

Playin' in the Band->

Eyes of the World (PL)

St. Stephen (ALL)->

Jam->

The Eleven (BW)

Unbroken Chain

Dear Mr. Fantasy (JK)

Days Between (BW)->

On The Road Again

Truckin'->

Smokestack Lightnin'->

Truckin'

(Encore:)

Ripple (JK & BW)

There was far more extended jamming than at the rehearsal I saw in Mill Valley over the New Year. Overall the show was hit and miss, with no shortage of high points (e.g. some raging jams led by John, including, After Midnight, Unbroken Chain, and Fantasy) but also some low points (Phil's vocals sounded horrible, even by the standards of a Phil vocal apologist, and Days Between was grueling). The set lasted about 2 hours and 15 min; a pretty damn chunky hunk of continuous music well put together with a few intriguing segues, particularly the transition from Playin into Eyes -- the best Furthur segue I've heard.

I'll try to throw out a few more thoughts about the show in the morning...bed time now.

[Tea]

After Midnight (JK)

Bertha (JK)

New Speedway Boogie (BW)

Playin' in the Band->

Eyes of the World (PL)

St. Stephen (ALL)->

Jam->

The Eleven (BW)

Unbroken Chain

Dear Mr. Fantasy (JK)

Days Between (BW)->

On The Road Again

Truckin'->

Smokestack Lightnin'->

Truckin'

(Encore:)

Ripple (JK & BW)

There was far more extended jamming than at the rehearsal I saw in Mill Valley over the New Year. Overall the show was hit and miss, with no shortage of high points (e.g. some raging jams led by John, including, After Midnight, Unbroken Chain, and Fantasy) but also some low points (Phil's vocals sounded horrible, even by the standards of a Phil vocal apologist, and Days Between was grueling). The set lasted about 2 hours and 15 min; a pretty damn chunky hunk of continuous music well put together with a few intriguing segues, particularly the transition from Playin into Eyes -- the best Furthur segue I've heard.

I'll try to throw out a few more thoughts about the show in the morning...bed time now.

Looks like the choke chain Phil and Bob have on JK got pulled based on the # of important songs he did not do lead vocal on. I still have some interest in what Furthur does but if they want to go 'Furthur' they should let JK loose and not worry about being upstaged. Maybe a pipe dream.......

[chuckvegas]

Eyes of the World (PL)

[Dr. Vapor]

Furthur Featuring Phil Lesh & Bob Weir....that is the name of the band do you not get it ....I prefer Phil to sing "Days Between", that way the CIA can record it and use it to Torchur terrorist prisoners.....Dr. V

[John A]

The vibe to the Palm Ballroom show was quite different from that of the Mill Valley rehearsals. Rather than smack in a sleepy little upscale downtown, the Palm is in an industrial area of San Rafael adjacent to Highway 101. It’s an adjunct to the Seafood Peddler and backs up to a canal. To use the restroom (always a reasonable consideration when the band launches into a Weir led Days Between) one must leave the ballroom, walk down the side of the building into the fish market section of the restaurant, and stroll past the tank of live lobsters. There was a small crowd of ticketless folks out here, and they could listen clearly to the show through the open door. Not something that was tolerated in Mill Valley.

More square than rectangular, the room has serviceable acoustics and a low stage that doesn’t allow for great site lines. Phil’s bass rarely showed much bite, and the vocal mixed left something to be desired, but overall the sounds was just good enough. Russo played with a driving force he didn’t exhibit in the two drummer line up, with plenty of powerful fills. Chementi had a delicate sound to both his keyboard and organ, and while I’m plenty fond of his playing the band continues to force the issue with some of his jams. I guess I consider his work good not great, and while lots of great is rarely a bad thing too much good isn’t always good.

From the first song, it was apparent the band was in a fat groove, as After Midnight had both a nice soaring jam and some really funky bouncy rhythms. Bertha is always fun and was sufficiently powerful if a bit uneven. But nothing like the powerhouse version from 12/30/09. As pathetic it is to keep score on such matters, I noted that JK already had more lead vocals than the 3 set marathon that was Phil’s 70th (JK only sang lead on Lazy River Road that night). I thought I heard a rumbling of Easy Wind coming up next, but it turned out to be New Speedway. This is by far the best treatment Bobby gives to a Garcia/Hunter number, and Speedway was quite enjoyable.

Then without warning the show abruptly switched into open form, second set mode with a long, intricate Playin’ in the Band. No rehearsal show truncation came into play here, just a well fleshed out version. Playin’ led to a gradual, beautiful, methodical segue into Eyes of the World. It was the kind of melodious interplay that makes this music what it is. But the air quickly deflates from the beach ball when one realizes that Phil will be carrying the song on vocals. Even the staunchest of apologists for Phil’s vocal skills would have been humbled by Phil’s vocal display on this night. Just soul crushingly poor. John got a good jam in, but knowing another verse was upcoming took away any real power he could muster.

After a brief pause, they launched into St Stephen, which again was brought down by the Phil-led “Lady Finger” section. The jam that came out of Stephen was hot and didn’t seem to necessarily be leading into The Eleven, but it eventually did. Unbroken Chain seems to get longer and more introverted every time Furthur tackles it, and this one was no exception. The best part was a JK driven guttural unleashing of very Garciaesque furry for the final post-3rd verse jam. Very hot and intense. After Unbroken wound down to a full stop I craned my neck forward in eager anticipation; the last two times I’d seen Furthur play Unbroken it was followed by Morning Dew and Comes A Time respectively. JK did get a nod in this slot tonight, but it was Dear Mr. Fantasy rather than a ballad. It still proved a fine choice; the final jam was incendiary, JK patiently working with Chimenti’s extended solo before sending the band into full throttle mode for a few choice moments as Jeff and JK were staring each other down.

Surely the ballad slot had now passed, but no. It was time for Bobby to lead a ballad. There’s no possible way to sugar coat my horror in witnessing Bobby make a mockery of the delicate phrasing of a song like Days Between. Gruesome brutality, simple as that, and more than enough to keep me from seeing this act beyond a special scenario like these public rehearsals. There’s no point in saying more about it, other than I used the restroom and otherwise tried not to pay attention. Days launched surprising into On The Road Again. Has Furthur played this before? Bobby was rusty on this version, singing the 2nd verse twice instead of verse 3. At least his second time through verse two he nailed it. Truckin’ was a good way to close, although the addition of Smokestack Lightnin’ in the middle of the Truckin’ jam was no more than a footnote. It was the most truncated, throw away version of this song, or any song really, that one could imagine. Nonetheless, they did peak their way through the Truckin’ crescendo a second time to close, a la a Fall ’77 version (but no, there weren’t any further similarities to a Fall ’77 version other than the jam’s general structure).

After a quick donor rap, Ripple was a great way to close the night, with JK and Bobby trading verses although seeming a bit confused as they were doing so. Nice to see JK more involved here though, as the Ripple at Phil’s 70th was Bobby only.

[Guest Ammagamalin Crew]

Furthur Featuring Phil Lesh & Bob Weir....that is the name of the band do you not get it ....I prefer Phil to sing "Days Between", that way the CIA can record it and use it to Torchur terrorist prisoners.....Dr. V

That's hilarious!

[John A]

BTW, here is the room. It was dressed a bit differently for Furthur.

[acududeman]

The vibe to the Palm Ballroom show was quite different from that of the Mill Valley rehearsals. Rather than smack in a sleepy little upscale downtown, the Palm is in an industrial area of San Rafael adjacent to Highway 101. It’s an adjunct to the Seafood Peddler and backs up to a canal. To use the restroom (always a reasonable consideration when the band launches into a Weir led Days Between) one must leave the ballroom, walk down the side of the building into the fish market section of the restaurant, and stroll past the tank of live lobsters. There was a small crowd of ticketless folks out here, and they could listen clearly to the show through the open door. Not something that was tolerated in Mill Valley.

More square than rectangular, the room has serviceable acoustics and a low stage that doesn’t allow for great site lines. Phil’s bass rarely showed much bite, and the vocal mixed left something to be desired, but overall the sounds was just good enough. Russo played with a driving force he didn’t exhibit in the two drummer line up, with plenty of powerful fills. Chementi had a delicate sound to both his keyboard and organ, and while I’m plenty fond of his playing the band continues to force the issue with some of his jams. I guess I consider his work good not great, and while lots of great is rarely a bad thing too much good isn’t always good.

From the first song, it was apparent the band was in a fat groove, as After Midnight had both a nice soaring jam and some really funky bouncy rhythms. Bertha is always fun and was sufficiently powerful if a bit uneven. But nothing like the powerhouse version from 12/30/09. As pathetic it is to keep score on such matters, I noted that JK already had more lead vocals than the 3 set marathon that was Phil’s 70th (JK only sang lead on Lazy River Road that night). I thought I heard a rumbling of Easy Wind coming up next, but it turned out to be New Speedway. This is by far the best treatment Bobby gives to a Garcia/Hunter number, and Speedway was quite enjoyable.

Then without warning the show abruptly switched into open form, second set mode with a long, intricate Playin’ in the Band. No rehearsal show truncation came into play here, just a well fleshed out version. Playin’ led to a gradual, beautiful, methodical segue into Eyes of the World. It was the kind of melodious interplay that makes this music what it is. But the air quickly deflates from the beach ball when one realizes that Phil will be carrying the song on vocals. Even the staunchest of apologists for Phil’s vocal skills would have been humbled by Phil’s vocal display on this night. Just soul crushingly poor. John got a good jam in, but knowing another verse was upcoming took away any real power he could muster.

After a brief pause, they launched into St Stephen, which again was brought down by the Phil-led “Lady Finger” section. The jam that came out of Stephen was hot and didn’t seem to necessarily be leading into The Eleven, but it eventually did. Unbroken Chain seems to get longer and more introverted every time Furthur tackles it, and this on was no exception. The best part was a JK driven guttural unleashing of very Garciaesque furry for the final post-3rd verse jam. Very hot and intense. After Unbroken wound down to a full stop I craned my neck forward in eager anticipation; the last two times I’d seen Furthur play Unbroken it was followed by Morning Dew and Comes A Time respectively. JK did get a nod in this slot tonight, but it was Dear Mr. Fantasy rather than a ballad. It still proved a fine choice; the final jam was incendiary, JK patiently working with Chimenti’s extended solo before sending the band into full throttle mode for a few choice moments as Jeff and JK were staring each other down.

Surely the ballad slot had now pasted, but no. It was time for Bobby to lead a ballad. There’s no possible way to sugar coat my horror in witnessing Bobby make a mockery of the delicate phrasing of a song like Days Between. Gruesome brutality, simple as that, and more than enough to keep me from seeing this act beyond a special scenario like these public rehearsals. There’s no point in saying more about it, other than I used the restroom and otherwise tried not to pay attention. Days launched surprising into On The Road Again. Has Furthur played this before? Bobby was rusty on this version, singing the 2nd twice instead of verse 3. At least his second time through verse two he nailed it. Truckin’ was a good way to close, although the addition of Smokestack Lightnin’ in the middle of the Truckin’ jam was no more than a footnote. It was the most truncated, throw away version of this song, or any song really, that one could imagine. Nonetheless, they did peak their way through the Truckin’ crescendo a second time to close, a la a Fall ’77 version (but no, there weren’t any further similarities to a Fall ’77 version other than the jam’s general structure).

After a quick donor rap, Ripple was a great way to close the night, with JK and Bobby trading verses although seeming a bit confused as they were doing so. Nice to see JK more involved here though, as the Ripple at Phil’s 70th was Bobby only.

That's a grate review, John.

You did a very good job of expressing in gory detail the highs and especially the oh-so-very frustrating lows of Furthur in its present form.

It's a real pity to think what could be if certain folks would simply wake the fuck up.

[neutrino]

Furthur Featuring Phil Lesh & Bob Weir....that is the name of the band do you not get it ....I prefer Phil to sing "Days Between", that way the CIA can record it and use it to Torchur terrorist prisoners.....Dr. V

I've said from the very beginning of this venture that i did not dig the way you had PHIL LESH & BOB WEIR in big letter above the others in small caps. I received a number of replies that I was crazy and I should just be "gratefu"l that "our heroes" are actually allowing JK to play with them. Sorry, but I thought that was bullshit then, and time has only increased my opinion on that. Phil's birthday show really killed it for me completely. Three sets and JK sings one song??? There's no way around it--it is the two original GD members with some sidemen. If Phil would get over his ego trip, this band could really "take it furthur". As it is, Furthur is better than any previous version of Phil & friends, but in the end, that is all it is. I'm not saying that I will not go see Furthur again if they are playing close by, but I'd much rather go see DSO.

[comesatime]

Russo played with a driving force he didn

[BigDad]

The vibe to the Palm Ballroom show was quite different from that of the Mill Valley rehearsals....

Awesome review, John! Even though we've never met, I feel we're on the same wavelength after reading it.

FWIW, Furthur had performed "On The Road Again" 3 times before this particular night: 1/3-Mill Valley, 2/5-Miami, 2/17-Buffalo

[Dstone5553]

Looks like the choke chain Phil and Bob have on JK got pulled based on the # of important songs he did not do lead vocal on. I still have some interest in what Furthur does but if they want to go 'Furthur' they should let JK loose and not worry about being upstaged. Maybe a pipe dream.......

???

The rules are set...everyone already knows who sings what.

Nothing got pulled.

[subcooler]

Furthur Featuring Phil Lesh & Bob Weir....that is the name of the band do you not get it ....I prefer Phil to sing "Days Between", that way the CIA can record it and use it to Torchur terrorist prisoners.....Dr. V

Eyes of Phil's World/Phil's Tower could also be used as effective torture devices!

Peace,

Rob

[acududeman]

This makes me happy ... I want to see him do well !!!

I think Russo is a force behind the kit. Very different from Kreutzman and Hart, but a beast in his own right.

[Dstone5553]

The Fantasy was the highlight for me, along with a strong Playin and some nice ending jams to Chain and I can't forget the almost set ending On the Road.

John had a very powerful solo on Fantasy and Chimenti's following solo was quite substantial as well--and then John came on at the end of that organ solo and started to solo on top of it. Their interplay was quite something and was easily the high point of the night as the crowd erupted in appreciation. John made them sound like one instrument on that duel lead. It's one of the best moments I've witnessed with these guys.

I was right in front of JohnA during the first few songs but thought the sound in that place was not as strong as it could be and had to inch my way up closer, where it was less noticeable. I also found that there are actually talkers at these things which is hard to figure, but my guess is that a lot of people get in because of some connections to the band.

I also talked with Bobby as we were walking from our cars to the place and asked him about the country album he talked about doing, to which he smiled and said "I'm gonna get to that" as he went into the back door. His manager was rushing him in the place and didn't seem to like the conversation we were having, so I really couldn't get more than that. It seemed to me like his manager or whatever (guitar tech?) had dealt with this before and that somehow, the comment was seen as a dig on country music...or maybe he was completely serious and I am a fool. Who knows?

[neutrino]

The Fantasy was the highlight for me, along with a strong Playin and some nice ending jams to Chain and I can't forget the almost set ending On the Road.

John had a very powerful solo on Fantasy and Chimenti's following solo was quite substantial as well--and then John came on at the end of that organ solo and started to solo on top of it. Their interplay was quite something and was easily the high point of the night as the crowd erupted in appreciation. John made them sound like one instrument on that duel lead. It's one of the best moments I've witnessed with these guys.

I was right in front of JohnA during the first few songs but thought the sound in that place was not as strong as it could be and had to inch my way up closer, where it was less noticeable. I also found that there are actually talkers at these things which is hard to figure, but my guess is that a lot of people get in because of some connections to the band.

I also talked with Bobby as we were walking from our cars to the place and asked him about the country album he talked about doing, to which he smiled and said "I'm gonna get to that" as he went into the back door. His manager was rushing him in the place and didn't seem to like the conversation we were having, so I really couldn't get more than that. It seemed to me like his manager or whatever (guitar tech?) had dealt with this before and that somehow, the comment was seen as a dig on country music...or maybe he was completely serious and I am a fool. Who knows?

I also have felt that the interchanges between John and Jeff have been some of the finest parts of all the Furthur shows I've seen. The last example I can clearly remember was Jack Straw at one of the New Years's shows at the Civic. Jeff was playing absolutely amazing keys during the final jam. JK was staring over at him across the stage, and at one point he hits a fool pedal and jumps in and explodes with a burst of guitar. It kind of felt to me like he was thinking "NIce job Jeff, but now it's my fucking turn to blow the roof off this place!!" The two of them were indeed like one soloist and the place went completely nuts.

I am still of the opinion that the country album was completely serious on Bob's part. Of course, he may never get around to making it, even if he is wants to, so we may never know the truth.

[John A]

I also found that there are actually talkers at these things which is hard to figure, but my guess is that a lot of people get in because of some connections to the band.

Yeah, the talkers were by me as well. Seems a whole swath of the "sweet spot" was some how the talking section.

I remember the Mill Valley vibe to be totally opposite - just folks drinking in the show.

[redeyedbert]

???

The rules are set...everyone already knows who sings what.

Nothing got pulled.

I thought the rules were changed. No backup singers.

I figured JK would be involved in more harmonies. This isn't true?

[John A]

I thought the rules were changed. No backup singers.

I figured JK would be involved in more harmonies. This isn't true?

There were backup singers. One of the women from the Spring tour, and a man.

Why you would employ a male backup singer and keep JK far from the mic during the likes of Uncle John's is one of the myriad mysteries that is the band Furthur.

[Dstone5553]

I thought the rules were changed. No backup singers.

I figured JK would be involved in more harmonies. This isn't true?

It was funny watching John sing and the forget to sing the chorus to Eyes though.

I'm sure he's not even sure what he's supposed to sing regarding harmonies.

[chuckvegas]

It was funny watching John sing and the forget to sing the chorus to Eyes though.

I'm sure he's not even sure what he's supposed to sing regarding harmonies.

"The less we say about it the better,

Make it up as we go along..."

[comesatime]

I think Russo is a force behind the kit. Very different from Kreutzman and Hart, but a beast in his own right.

Totally agree ... seen a couple videos from Furthur Fest and he sounds great !!!

[ARCH STANTON]

Furthur Featuring Phil Lesh & Bob Weir....that is the name of the band do you not get it ....I prefer Phil to sing "Days Between", that way the CIA can record it and use it to Torchur terrorist prisoners.....Dr. V

LOL! Once the taliban here's about this new form of torture, all thoughts of terrorism will cease to exist.....

[ARCH STANTON]

I've said from the very beginning of this venture that i did not dig the way you had PHIL LESH & BOB WEIR in big letter above the others in small caps. I received a number of replies that I was crazy and I should just be "gratefu"l that "our heroes" are actually allowing JK to play with them. Sorry, but I thought that was bullshit then, and time has only increased my opinion on that. Phil's birthday show really killed it for me completely. Three sets and JK sings one song??? There's no way around it--it is the two original GD members with some sidemen. If Phil would get over his ego trip, this band could really "take it furthur". As it is, Furthur is better than any previous version of Phil & friends, but in the end, that is all it is. I'm not saying that I will not go see Furthur again if they are playing close by, but I'd much rather go see DSO.

+ 1 Phil don't want em to sound like the dead and they don't! What Phil don't get is the fans want it to sound like the dead. JK doesn't realize hes just a pawn, being used to help with ticket sales and inside info on DSO! Thank the Higher Power for DSO!