Westcott Theatre

[goganious]

Set 1:

New Speedway Boogie

Beat it On Down the Line

You Win Again

Memphis Blues

Good mornin little Schoolgirl

Brown Eyed Women

Its all Over Now

Waiting for a Miracle

Hurts Me Too (Lisa-pen brought the house down on this one)

Day Job (!)

Set 2:

In the Midnight Hour

Catfish John

I need a Miracle -->

Gimme some Lovin'

Lonesome and a Long Way from Home -->

Drums/Space

Fire on the Mountain

Throwing Stones

Viola Lee Blues

Encore:

Mission in the Rain (!)

Clearly it was an elective set. This setlist is off the top of my head at 1:30 in the morning, so forgive me if there are errors. I don't often find myself stumped by songs, but I simply do NOT know the name of the one they played after Gimme Some Lovin. Even google did not help me solve the riddle. Haha. I simply have NEVER heard the song before.

I will post a full review tomorrow, when I'm a bit more lucid. Until then, just know...THIS ONE WAS A SCORCHER!

[Guest Lisacat]

Clearly it was an elective set. This setlist is off the top of my head at 1:30 in the morning, so forgive me if there are errors. I don't often find myself stumped by songs, but I simply do NOT know the name of the one they played after Gimme Some Lovin. Even google did not help me solve the riddle. Haha. I simply have NEVER heard the song before.

That would probably be Lonesome and a longway from home (listen to some 76-78 JGB http://www.thejerrysite.com/songs/show/892?page=1 ).

Love the eclectic elective....eclective perhaps?

[gr8fulpair]

Lisa on Hurts Me Too.......................

[Mango]

oh man oh man what a set....lonesome and long way from home and mission in the rain....4 jgb tunes!!! save some for the nokia, assuming(ass) that it will be an eclective.

[chuckvegas]

oh man oh man what a set....lonesome and long way from home and mission in the rain....4 jgb tunes!!! save some for the nokia, assuming(ass) that it will be an eclective.

The Lisapen and what you said...hell, Saturday we get to check out the new improved venue...somehow it just doesn't roll off the tongue quite as easily.

[nwnj steve]

The Lisapen and what you said...hell, Saturday we get to check out the new improved venue...somehow it just doesn't roll off the tongue quite as easily.

I going to best buy tomorrow to buy a new video camera ,wonder if they' ll let me bring it in if i show them my receipt.anyone know if they let recording there?

[goganious]

My Review:

The venue: The Westcott Theatre is an old converted movie theatre in downtown Syracuse. I found it to be a generally spacious venue with good acoustics and friendly "laissez faire" style security. For the first time that I can ever remember at a DSO show, re-entry was allowed. This resulted in pretty much the entire crowd pouring out into the streets at set break, scattering in every different direction toward their cars, friends' cars, apartments, etc...It was clear after set break by the, shall we say, ELEVATED mood of the crowd that the "re-entry allowed" policy had been a rousing success. I can't stress enough what a great crowd was on hand for this show. DSO crowds are always great in their own right, but on this particular night everyone was animated, dancing constantly, and singing along. There were very few people standing still or looking bored. Everyone was having a fantastic time. My only complaint about the venue was that it smelled a bit like old feet/cheese. Granted, its an old movie theatre thats been there for decades, so its entitled to be a bit stinky, but still...little pockets of the venue were intolerable. Like Michael Scott said: "Talk about stank!"...enough about the venue, lets get on with the show!

New Speedway Boogie was the perfect way to kick off the evening. There's something about that instrumental intro that gets everybody moving. The crowd seemed into it right from the start. Nice work on the vocals by Jeff. Right off the bat, Lisa's presence on stage and Barraco's playing have me thinking its got to be an early 70s show. However...I don't recall New Speedway Boogie being the opening number for too many early 70s shows, so I'm a bit confused.

Next up...there's no mistaking the notes/drum beats that signal the start of BIODTL. This one had the place jumping and singing along. High energy both from the band and from the crowd.

You Win Again...I have not personally ever had the chance to hear this song live, so it was a real treat for me. I have always loved the piano work when they get to the "This heart of mine" bit, and Mr. Barraco did not dissapoint. Lots of dancing and oh, did I mention there were hoola hooping girls just about everywhere? Maybe its not surprising to some, but I'm generally used to only seeing the hoopers at outdoor shows. It seems like security doesn't usually let the hoops through the doors. But on this night, they were in abundance, with many of them having strange light-up capabilities. Great atmosphere and rousing start so far.

Suddenly they broke into Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again and it was the first time I thought to myself that perhaps this set was an elective. The song's placement in the setlist did not make sense otherwise. I have to mention two things about this number. The first is that Eaton messed up a verse entirely, Bob Weir style. He started to sing the line about the senator, but then appeared to forget the lyrics. Instead, he just smiled, stepped back, and let Matteson shine for a moment. Then, he stepped back to the mic and started the line again. This time he remembered. This song has many verses, and they're all wordy. So no one could fault Mr Eaton, surely, for forgetting a few words every now and again. The second thing I have to mention about this song is that the drummers NAILED it. Those great rolling fills in the final choruses that sound like thunder rolling out from the stage and across the audience...perfectly played. The drummers were the MVPs if this song, if such an award were to be granted.

Good Morning Little Schoolgirl...True story: Back when I was "courting" my current girlfriend 5 years ago and wanted to tell her that I had "more than friendly" feelings towards her, I decided to make her a mix-tape. Yeah, I know, I know. I'm a big "High Fidelity" fan, what can I say? Anyway, for whatever reason, I seemed to think it would be a good idea to include this song toward the end of the tape. So you had this whole tape with these sort of subtlely romantic, or pretty folksy type of songs. Then all of a sudden you have Pigpen snarling about wanting to come home with you. Subtle it wasn't. Anyway, we still laugh about it a bit to this day, so to hear this song made us both smile. Particularly Barraco's rap about "I want to drive my car through your carwash baby" and all that. Really good stuff. Have I mentioned that I'm incredibly glad that Barraco is in this band yet?

At about this point in the show, a very obviously stoned-on-acid kid with a stick of burning incense in his teeth walked up to the stage and handed Lisa what looked to me like a tiny Buddha statue. She smiled, examined it carefully, accepted the gift, and proceeded to hold it in her left hand for the entirety of the first set. Just thought it was worth noting.

Brown Eyed Women was well played and everyone enjoyed singing along. Great soaring leads by Jeff and tight playing by the band. Following this, we had Its All Over Now and Waiting for a Miracle, neither of which I get to hear that often. Enjoyed them both greatly and thought to myself after Waiting that this was DEFINITELY an elective.

I had already enjoyed the first set so much and had been having such a nice time, but nothing prepared me for what came next: I heard Jeff switch over to that recognizable guitar tone for Hurts Me Too, and the beautiful Lisa Mackey stepped to the microphone. When I tell you people that she killed this song, absolutely DESTROYED it, TORE IT UP, knocked it out of the park...any cliche you want to use, its all true. Sometimes words fail to be adequately descriptive. This is one of those times. There just ARE NOT words to describe the way Lisa sang this song. If you've heard the sports expression "leaving it all out on the field", thats exactly what happened here. She seemed to pour every once of herself and her soul into each lyric, and came again and again to high wailing peaks and eyes-closed full-throated belting of heartfelt blues expressions. The crowd was transfixed and in disbelief of this powerhouse performance. Everyone around me was nudging their friends and saying things like "Damn that girl can sing!" and "Quite a set of pipes!". People couldn't believe it. It was quite a moment in time. I felt I could have gone home right after this and been happy.

I had never heard Day Job before. I'm 24 became a Deadhead about 7 years ago. I had READ about Day Job, and I had noticed that whenever "Least favorite Dead song" lists were made, Day Job always seemed to be on it. I recall reading stories of people heading for the exits when they would play this as an encore. At any rate, I never felt compelled to check it out, so last night was literally the FIRST time I had ever heard it. I have to tell you...it was pretty good. I enjoyed it. It was really well played and very danceable. I found myself thinking "Did Deadheads just not like this song because it made them feel bad about leaving their day jobs behind to go on tour? Was it Jerry-inflicted guilt and self-doubt regarding temporary lack of employment? All in all, a great first set.

As I mentioned, at this point, everyone in the theatre (at least thats how it seemed to me) poured out into the streets and scurried to their smoke/drink/takeadeepbreath spots. The band came back on exactly 30 minutes later.

A nice start with Midnight Hour. Tightly played. I always enjoy the call and response part: "Gonna wait" "WAIT!" "wait" "WAIT!" "wait til the Midnight Hour." Well played, well sung.

A funny thing happened right before Catfish John. Barraco had been toying around on his organ playing the circus song. You know the one:

So anyway, he had been playing this theme on his organ a bit, sort of messing around. Catfish John started up and was played in a beautiful, mellow, reggae style. Great bass line and a funky Wah Wah style effect on the guitar. I had heard the bluegrass renditions of this song before, but never a version like this. It was wonderful. Great harmonies on the chorus. Barraco launched into a ripping solo, during which he slipped in a line from the circus song he had been toying with before, which brought smiles and genuine laughter from Rob E, Rob B and Jeff. A cool moment.

I need a Miracle and Gimme Some Lovin' was a great up tempo combination and the crowd was really into it at this point. Great interplay on this song between Matteson and Barraco. Gimme Some Lovin' is another song I have never before had the pleasure of hearing live, and I really enjoyed it.

The next song, which I now see is called Lonesome and a Long Way From Home, was beautifully played. But of particular note to me was what happened AFTER the lyrics were done. The band, which was playing a quiet and consistent and beautiful melody, slowly but with great force seemed to LIFT off the ground and begin to navigate into incredible space. The jam picked up momentum, picked up speed, and picked up strangeness. Red and blue strobing lights began flasing and everyone hammered strange and alien notes out of their instruments at breakneck pace. As someone who always writes setlists down after the fact, I was thinking of how I would annotate this particular jam, as to simply say it was "a jam" would not do it justice. I decided that, if I were to have to name it, I would call it the Spaceship Jam. The combination of lights and sounds and the speed and nature with which they launched the song (and, incidentally, the brains of the audience members) into orbit is what caused me to settle on that name. I found a beautiful flow and perfect logic to the idea of being "lonesome and a long way from home" and then launching into a strange and terrifying psychedelic space. This led to an equally frightening (I can't think of another word that better suits it) drums and space, during which I could see the band huddled by a door near the stage, catching their breath and watching the audience.

When space finally faded into the ether, Fire on the Mountain rose from its ashes. It was an 80s style Fire on the Mountain. No MIDI sounds, but definitely what seemed to me to be latter-era guitar runs and keyboard style. It was going along much the same as many Fire on the Mountains before it, which is to say that while I was enjoying it, it didn't seem to me to be particularly remarkable. Then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, during the instrumental portion before the final verse, things started really heating up. Jeff's fingers started moving effortlessly and it seemed obvious to me that he had stopped playing the song and the song had started playing him. The band seemed to feed off of this and then they too seemed to be no longer in control, but rather passengers on a ride. To quote Jack, "They had IT and everyone KNEW they had it!". The crowd could feel this incredible THING and started roaring. The roar grew and grew and so did this swirling vortex of music and as each grew louder and more intense, it became impossible to know which one was causing the other and yet they both continued to grow! You hear a lot about "Searching for the sound" and when a musician has "it" well for this one moment in time they absolutely had IT and broke through the glass ceiling of normal reality into a truly peak experience and at this point in time I and those around me lost our minds temporarily and everyone's seperateness dissolved into one roaring, peaking mass of sound and joy. I have seen many bands and configurations (including DSO) play Dead music countless times, but I rarely see this type of moment achieved. Its a rare and beautiful and incredibly exciting and invigorating thing and its EXACTLY what these musicians try so hard to achieve night in and night out. The entire show had been wonderful and everybody had enjoyed it, but it was THIS moment that a Deadhead, or any dedicated music fan, lives for. Incredible. So thankful to have witnessed it.

Throwing Stones and Viola Lee Blues were both well played and kept the masses moving. To be honest, after the incredible bliss and expendature of mental and psychic energy I had experienced during the peak of Fire on the Mountain, I found myself almost numb to what was before me on stage. It wasn't that the last few songs didn't sound good, because they did. Its just that the moment during Fire made me feel like "Thats it man! there's nothing else to say! you've absolutely, positively said it! What could be left?! Where could we go from here?!". Nevertheless, the band kept playing on. After a brief technical difficulty temporarily stunted Viola Lee Blues, the band got back on track, picked up steam, and roared to loud, fast, crashing finish, leaving us all sweating and trying to catch our breath.

Mission in The Rain was a beautiful closer. I have never had the fortune of hearing this one live before, and it was gorgeous. A perfect way to send us all home.

All in all, it was a fantastic show. I felt that it maintained a consistent tone throughout. It flowed. What I mean by this is that sometimes when you see an elective set, it may be very well played, but it can be a bit herky jerky. By that I simply mean that the songs may not necessarily flow together or follow any particular theme or tone. There can be a 72 Bertha one moment and a Blow Away the next, and it can be a bit disorienting. While these nights are always still greatly enjoyable, I tend to enjoy a show that "flows" or "fits" more naturally, and tonight flowed and fit beautifully. There were many highlights, from Lisa's stunning vocals on Hurts Me Too to the drummers' drumming on Memphis Blues, to the tremendous peak of Fire on the Mountain, to the spaceship launch after Lonesome and A Long Way From Home, to the beautiful Mission in the Rain closer. The entire band sounded tight throughout the show, and every song was well played with very few errors. The band was in great spirits all night long and genuinely seemed to be having fun up there. This band is as good as I have EVER seen them, if not infinitely better. Upon leaving, we started up the car and heard Europe 72 blasting from our speakers. It was in the middle of an extended, frenzied jam...And I tell you...it sounded EXACTLY like the band we had just been watching moments before. EXACTLY. It was as if the same band was playing on our radio that had just played at the Westcott Theatre. And really, thats the highest compliment I can think of to pay to this band.

[goganious]

I wanted to add a shoutout the sound guys. These are the under appreciated co-creators of the wonderful DSO concert experience. Let them be under appreciate no longer! Fantastic job guys!

oh, and one more thing...there were DEFINITELY at least 2 tapers there last night, so I REALLY hope to see this puppy on Archive.org some time soon.

[Tea]

My Review:

The venue: The Westcott Theatre is an old converted movie theatre in downtown Syracuse. I found it to be a generally spacious venue with good acoustics and friendly "laissez faire" style security. For the first time that I can ever remember at a DSO show, re-entry was allowed. This resulted in pretty much the entire crowd pouring out into the streets at set break, scattering in every different direction toward their cars, friends' cars, apartments, etc...It was clear after set break by the, shall we say, ELEVATED mood of the crowd that the "re-entry allowed" policy had been a rousing success. I can't stress enough what a great crowd was on hand for this show. DSO crowds are always great in their own right, but on this particular night everyone was animated, dancing constantly, and singing along. There were very few people standing still or looking bored. Everyone was having a fantastic time. My only complaint about the venue was that it smelled a bit like old feet/cheese. Granted, its an old movie theatre thats been there for decades, so its entitled to be a bit stinky, but still...little pockets of the venue were intolerable. Like Michael Scott said: "Talk about stank!"...enough about the venue, lets get on with the show!

New Speedway Boogie was the perfect way to kick off the evening. There's something about that instrumental intro that gets everybody moving. The crowd seemed into it right from the start. Nice work on the vocals by Jeff. Right off the bat, Lisa's presence on stage and Barraco's playing have me thinking its got to be an early 70s show. However...I don't recall New Speedway Boogie being the opening number for too many early 70s shows, so I'm a bit confused.

Next up...there's no mistaking the notes/drum beats that signal the start of BIODTL. This one had the place jumping and singing along. High energy both from the band and from the crowd.

You Win Again...I have not personally ever had the chance to hear this song live, so it was a real treat for me. I have always loved the piano work when they get to the "This heart of mine" bit, and Mr. Barraco did not dissapoint. Lots of dancing and oh, did I mention there were hoola hooping girls just about everywhere? Maybe its not surprising to some, but I'm generally used to only seeing the hoopers at outdoor shows. It seems like security doesn't usually let the hoops through the doors. But on this night, they were in abundance, with many of them having strange light-up capabilities. Great atmosphere and rousing start so far.

Suddenly they broke into Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again and it was the first time I thought to myself that perhaps this set was an elective. The song's placement in the setlist did not make sense otherwise. I have to mention two things about this number. The first is that Eaton messed up a verse entirely, Bob Weir style. He started to sing the line about the senator, but then appeared to forget the lyrics. Instead, he just smiled, stepped back, and let Matteson shine for a moment. Then, he stepped back to the mic and started the line again. This time he remembered. This song has many verses, and they're all wordy. So no one could fault Mr Eaton, surely, for forgetting a few words every now and again. The second thing I have to mention about this song is that the drummers NAILED it. Those great rolling fills in the final choruses that sound like thunder rolling out from the stage and across the audience...perfectly played. The drummers were the MVPs if this song, if such an award were to be granted.

Good Morning Little Schoolgirl...True story: Back when I was "courting" my current girlfriend 5 years ago and wanted to tell her that I had "more than friendly" feelings towards her, I decided to make her a mix-tape. Yeah, I know, I know. I'm a big "High Fidelity" fan, what can I say? Anyway, for whatever reason, I seemed to think it would be a good idea to include this song toward the end of the tape. So you had this whole tape with these sort of subtlely romantic, or pretty folksy type of songs. Then all of a sudden you have Pigpen snarling about wanting to come home with you. Subtle it wasn't. Anyway, we still laugh about it a bit to this day, so to hear this song made us both smile. Particularly Barraco's rap about "I want to drive my car through your carwash baby" and all that. Really good stuff. Have I mentioned that I'm incredibly glad that Barraco is in this band yet?

At about this point in the show, a very obviously stoned-on-acid kid with a stick of burning incense in his teeth walked up to the stage and handed Lisa what looked to me like a tiny Buddha statue. She smiled, examined it carefully, accepted the gift, and proceeded to hold it in her left hand for the entirety of the first set. Just thought it was worth noting.

Brown Eyed Women was well played and everyone enjoyed singing along. Great soaring leads by Jeff and tight playing by the band. Following this, we had Its All Over Now and Waiting for a Miracle, neither of which I get to hear that often. Enjoyed them both greatly and thought to myself after Waiting that this was DEFINITELY an elective.

I had already enjoyed the first set so much and had been having such a nice time, but nothing prepared me for what came next: I heard Jeff switch over to that recognizable guitar tone for Hurts Me Too, and the beautiful Lisa Mackey stepped to the microphone. When I tell you people that she killed this song, absolutely DESTROYED it, TORE IT UP, knocked it out of the park...any cliche you want to use, its all true. Sometimes words fail to be adequately descriptive. This is one of those times. There just ARE NOT words to describe the way Lisa sang this song. If you've heard the sports expression "leaving it all out on the field", thats exactly what happened here. She seemed to pour every once of herself and her soul into each lyric, and came again and again to high wailing peaks and eyes-closed full-throated belting of heartfelt blues expressions. The crowd was transfixed and in disbelief of this powerhouse performance. Everyone around me was nudging their friends and saying things like "Damn that girl can sing!" and "Quite a set of pipes!". People couldn't believe it. It was quite a moment in time. I felt I could have gone home right after this and been happy.

I had never heard Day Job before. I'm 24 became a Deadhead about 7 years ago. I had READ about Day Job, and I had noticed that whenever "Least favorite Dead song" lists were made, Day Job always seemed to be on it. I recall reading stories of people heading for the exits when they would play this as an encore. At any rate, I never felt compelled to check it out, so last night was literally the FIRST time I had ever heard it. I have to tell you...it was pretty good. I enjoyed it. It was really well played and very danceable. I found myself thinking "Did Deadheads just not like this song because it made them feel bad about leaving their day jobs behind to go on tour? Was it Jerry-inflicted guilt and self-doubt regarding temporary lack of employment? All in all, a great first set.

As I mentioned, at this point, everyone in the theatre (at least thats how it seemed to me) poured out into the streets and scurried to their smoke/drink/takeadeepbreath spots. The band came back on exactly 30 minutes later.

A nice start with Midnight Hour. Tightly played. I always enjoy the call and response part: "Gonna wait" "WAIT!" "wait" "WAIT!" "wait til the Midnight Hour." Well played, well sung.

A funny thing happened right before Catfish John. Barraco had been toying around on his organ playing the circus song. You know the one:

So anyway, he had been playing this theme on his organ a bit, sort of messing around. Catfish John started up and was played in a beautiful, mellow, reggae style. Great bass line and a funky Wah Wah style effect on the guitar. I had heard the bluegrass renditions of this song before, but never a version like this. It was wonderful. Great harmonies on the chorus. Barraco launched into a ripping solo, during which he slipped in a line from the circus song he had been toying with before, which brought smiles and genuine laughter from Rob E, Rob B and Jeff. A cool moment.

I need a Miracle and Gimme Some Lovin' was a great up tempo combination and the crowd was really into it at this point. Great interplay on this song between Matteson and Barraco. Gimme Some Lovin' is another song I have never before had the pleasure of hearing live, and I really enjoyed it.

The next song, which I now see is called Lonesome and a Long Way From Home, was beautifully played. But of particular note to me was what happened AFTER the lyrics were done. The band, which was playing a quiet and consistent and beautiful melody, slowly but with great force seemed to LIFT off the ground and begin to navigate into incredible space. The jam picked up momentum, picked up speed, and picked up strangeness. Red and blue strobing lights began flasing and everyone hammered strange and alien notes out of their instruments at breakneck pace. As someone who always writes setlists down after the fact, I was thinking of how I would annotate this particular jam, as to simply say it was "a jam" would not do it justice. I decided that, if I were to have to name it, I would call it the Spaceship Jam. The combination of lights and sounds and the speed and nature with which they launched the song (and, incidentally, the brains of the audience members) into orbit is what caused me to settle on that name. I found a beautiful flow and perfect logic to the idea of being "lonesome and a long way from home" and then launching into a strange and terrifying psychedelic space. This led to an equally frightening (I can't think of another word that better suits it) drums and space, during which I could see the band huddled by a door near the stage, catching their breath and watching the audience.

When space finally faded into the ether, Fire on the Mountain rose from its ashes. It was an 80s style Fire on the Mountain. No MIDI sounds, but definitely what seemed to me to be latter-era guitar runs and keyboard style. It was going along much the same as many Fire on the Mountains before it, which is to say that while I was enjoying it, it didn't seem to me to be particularly remarkable. Then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, during the instrumental portion before the final verse, things started really heating up. Jeff's fingers started moving effortlessly and it seemed obvious to me that he had stopped playing the song and the song had started playing him. The band seemed to feed off of this and then they too seemed to be no longer in control, but rather passengers on a ride. To quote Jack, "They had IT and everyone KNEW they had it!". The crowd could feel this incredible THING and started roaring. The roar grew and grew and so did this swirling vortex of music and as each grew louder and more intense, it became impossible to know which one was causing the other and yet they both continued to grow! You hear a lot about "Searching for the sound" and when a musician has "it" well for this one moment in time they absolutely had IT and broke through the glass ceiling of normal reality into a truly peak experience and at this point in time I and those around me lost our minds temporarily and everyone's seperateness dissolved into one roaring, peaking mass of sound and joy. I have seen many bands and configurations (including DSO) play Dead music countless times, but I rarely see this type of moment achieved. Its a rare and beautiful and incredibly exciting and invigorating thing and its EXACTLY what these musicians try so hard to achieve night in and night out. The entire show had been wonderful and everybody had enjoyed it, but it was THIS moment that a Deadhead, or any dedicated music fan, lives for. Incredible. So thankful to have witnessed it.

Throwing Stones and Viola Lee Blues were both well played and kept the masses moving. To be honest, after the incredible bliss and expendature of mental and psychic energy I had experienced during the peak of Fire on the Mountain, I found myself almost numb to what was before me on stage. It wasn't that the last few songs didn't sound good, because they did. Its just that the moment during Fire made me feel like "Thats it man! there's nothing else to say! you've absolutely, positively said it! What could be left?! Where could we go from here?!". Nevertheless, the band kept playing on. After a brief technical difficulty temporarily stunted Viola Lee Blues, the band got back on track, picked up steam, and roared to loud, fast, crashing finish, leaving us all sweating and trying to catch our breath.

Mission in The Rain was a beautiful closer. I have never had the fortune of hearing this one live before, and it was gorgeous. A perfect way to send us all home.

All in all, it was a fantastic show. I felt that it maintained a consistent tone throughout. It flowed. What I mean by this is that sometimes when you see an elective set, it may be very well played, but it can be a bit herky jerky. By that I simply mean that the songs may not necessarily flow together or follow any particular theme or tone. There can be a 72 Bertha one moment and a Blow Away the next, and it can be a bit disorienting. While these nights are always still greatly enjoyable, I tend to enjoy a show that "flows" or "fits" more naturally, and tonight flowed and fit beautifully. There were many highlights, from Lisa's stunning vocals on Hurts Me Too to the drummers' drumming on Memphis Blues, to the tremendous peak of Fire on the Mountain, to the spaceship launch after Lonesome and A Long Way From Home, to the beautiful Mission in the Rain closer. The entire band sounded tight throughout the show, and every song was well played with very few errors. The band was in great spirits all night long and genuinely seemed to be having fun up there. This band is as good as I have EVER seen them, if not infinitely better. Upon leaving, we started up the car and heard Europe 72 blasting from our speakers. It was in the middle of an extended, frenzied jam...And I tell you...it sounded EXACTLY like the band we had just been watching moments before. EXACTLY. It was as if the same band was playing on our radio that had just played at the Westcott Theatre. And really, thats the highest compliment I can think of to pay to this band.

What an epic review of a great show! I especially liked your interpretation of the 'Fire Effect.' I have seen this same blastoff into interstellar madness a few times in 2010. I am struck by your ability to recall important nuances and express them so completely. Thanks again for the thouroughness - it helped me 'be there.'.

[Blindman]

Hmmmm....

Between the Catfish, Lonesome and Mission, this is somewhat uncharted for an elective (at least in my brain). Between this and the 69's, can't wait for Thanksgiving.

Tour more out West.

[goganious]

Hmmmm....

Between the Catfish, Lonesome and Mission, this is somewhat uncharted for an elective (at least in my brain). Between this and the 69's, can't wait for Thanksgiving.

Tour more out West.

Just out of curiosity, what makes you say its "uncharted"? I was under the impression that DSO's elective sets often featured between 1 and 3 JGB songs. Is this not the case? Or is it the songs SPECIFICALLY that they don't play often?

[chuckvegas]

Just out of curiosity, what makes you say its "uncharted"? I was under the impression that DSO's elective sets often featured between 1 and 3 JGB songs. Is this not the case? Or is it the songs SPECIFICALLY that they don't play often?

The latter. All three together is an awesome assemblage of Jerryness. Originals are where it is at, and to have been present for that setlist was a blessing for you all.

[sonomajon]

The latter. All three together is an awesome assemblage of Jerryness. Originals are where it is at, and to have been present for that setlist was a blessing for you all.

I guess I'll have to wait till the next west coast swing for an original/eclective...it's okay cause I'm looking forward to seeing the band with JM for the first time!

[Muddy Waters]

Originals are where it is at, and to have been present for that setlist was a blessing for you all.

Disagree as to originals -v- recreated shows.....

It's like ice cream all good..but by far my greatest experiences with DSO have been at recreations...and my very good but not great experiences have been at Originals..

Having said that..I do believe that I am in the minority now in that opinion..

3 to 5 years ago I believe my opinion represented the Majority..but believe the tide has turned....

The downside to originals is you do not get the added show bonus of free fare on the Time Machine...

I like to Travel when I see DSO....rather travel on a Journey through the Past at DSO show as opposed to being in the present...Call me nostalgic...

Of course time travel might be more difficult for the Yutes....No social networking back in 1976....They could get confused (lol)

[chuckvegas]

I do remember one social networking medium of the '70s. Ma Bell managed it pretty well, as I recall.

And to me, every song is a little Zen koan of a way-back machine. I take your point well, and it is indeed like ice cream - except it is hard to get a bellyfull of this!

As for the Yutes - good one! Teach them well...

[rowe]

Yes, I remember one classic moment in Albany (Lyceum 72 recreation) during the pindrop section of Morning Dew (after 2 hour first set and 25 minutes of Truckin'>OtherOne). A younger patron screamed out at the top of his lungs, "Play HELL IN A BUCKET!!!" I turn and think ...dude, it's 1972! ...so while some of us are channeling another era..... I smiled to myself. Patience..patience. It's all good.

[Muddy Waters]

Ah.... the old land line...

Just canceled mine a few months ago and I was born during the Cuban Missile Crisis!

Time marches on.....I do admit to getting a warm fuzzy feeling watching Mad Men...

The calm before the storm if you will in the 60's...and I know I have jumped the shark on this thread but Christina Hendricks..If anyone has seen a better looking woman than this..let me know..Yikes..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jnrnAfoYMA

[Muddy Waters]

A younger patron screamed out at the top of his lungs, "Play HELL IN A BUCKET!!!" I turn and think ...dude, it's 1972! ...so while some of us are channeling another era..... I smiled to myself.

2 minutes in the penalty box for a Time Sequence Anomaly!!!!!!!!!

Dude you are NOT at Alpine Valley!!!!!!!!!

[tbones]

thats one crazy setlist.....I like....

[Dstone5553]

Disagree as to originals -v- recreated shows.....

It's like ice cream all good..but by far my greatest experiences with DSO have been at recreations...

It's been talked about and talked about but half of the reason I like originals better is because the folks on stage creating this stuff like it better, and you can FEEL it.

The other half is because, for me, those shows are just more exciting.

[Rbarracoph]

It's been talked about and talked about but half of the reason I like originals better is because the folks on stage creating this stuff like it better, and you can FEEL it.

The other half is because, for me, those shows are just more exciting.

Well, that's not exactly true. We love EVERYTHING we do! The original set lists are different because there is no way The Dead could have played some of the set lists we come up with.

Sometimes they work beautifully, other times not, which is the true nature of this music(IMHO). We do these types of shows because we need to balance the songs we are playing from night to night in order not to repeat too many of them so as to keep it interesting for us and you.

[GermanShepherd]

Once again, my wife and I ended up driving long distances to see DSO play, and once again, we weren't disappointed. I still favor the outside venues, but the standing-room only indoor shows are also very cool, much better than fully-seated theaters. We drove down from about 1-1/2 hours north of Montreal to see this show (a 5-1/2 hour total drive), and arrived right about 8:15pm. By the time we entered the venue, because of the slow entry ticket-takers at will-call and the security pat-down, we joined the crowd after getting our first round of beers for an awesome Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl. The young crowd mixed well with the older folk, and damnit, if I had known it was a re-entry show, I would've gotten there earlier to make some friends. Anyhow, the first set was great for me and the wife, as we both know about every song, except for Hurts Me Too which I've only ever heard Weir sing. If there is any criticism about this song, I would say that Lisa really needs more songs which feature that beautiful voice and shining face - she is wonderful to hear and to watch her groove on stage. Some of the songs in the first set really were a little slow for the college-age majority there. You have to remember, DSO, in these towns, this is your chance to ensure that the GD music is handed down to the next generation by getting them excited to learn more songs and more background on the GD. In my opinion, slower tunes like Its All Over Now, Baby Blue, and Waiting for a Miracle could've been omitted and replaced with more commercial tunes like Truckin or even a really strange Lost Sailor would've been kicking. Waiting for a Miracle could've been replaced with I Need a Miracle instead. Sorry everyone, but I sing enough praises for DSO, and you can take this criticism with a grain of salt (and a slice of lime & shot of tequila if you want.)

Set 2. After intermission and thoroughly saturating myself with draft Arrogant Bastards, I was totally in shock when I heard Catfish John. This is my alarm clock tune every morning that I hear. I know every word, and could hear Jerry and Donna Jean singing that tune, while Jeff and Lisa sang it perfectly alongside them in my head. Then came I Need a Miracle, which was great considering I was thinking about it in the first set as I've already mentioned. Lonesome was a cool tune - I've only heard this on some JGB albums I have and didn't really recognize it at the time. I do appreciate a rare tune. Drums was intense and always is nice to see live. I appreciate it more when I hear Drums/Space on an album or Sirius GD channel. The dude who wrote the great write-up in this forum has an amazing memory recall function. The alcohol usually ruins it for me right about this point in the concert, but I remember singing, or rather yelling the words to Fire on the Mountain, and I do recall the instrumental contribution by Jeff and both Robs to this tune - I just wish I could remember it in the detail the other dude can. Throwing Stones to me is a throwaway song. I don't know what I mean by this, but I will say while I know every word and have read David Dodd's page on this, I still don't rate it in the top echelon of Barlow tunes. This could've been replaced by adding Scarlet Begonias before Fire, as is typical and goes together in every other GD show. But, all was revived with Viola Lee Blues. I love that song for some reason. It is fun and almost childish like. Just a good dancing and singing tune all around. For an encore, as we're standing there with our hoarse voices cheering and yelling as loudly as we can, I'm thinking, this is gonna have to be one hott damn tune to keep these kids enthused enough to wake up tomorrow and get on the net to see the next time DSO is playing. Then they played Mission. Again, I know every word and saw it at my last concert in Burlington, and since then have developed an obsession with it. So for me, it was fantastic. But really, I was hoping for more. Everyone is, by this point, as stoned and drunk as you could get. It's time to really kick it out. I would've preferred a more commercial tune for the encore. My suggestion: Shakedown or maybe even Dancing in the Streets.

So that's my critique. Take it or leave it. I love DSO and can't wait to get back to the States so I can see them on a more regular basis. It was nice to meet Meg and learn a little about the band, too.

[Guest Lisacat]

You have to remember, DSO, in these towns, this is your chance to ensure that the GD music is handed down to the next generation by getting them excited to learn more songs and more background on the GD. In my opinion, slower tunes like Its All Over Now, Baby Blue, and Waiting for a Miracle could've been omitted and replaced with more commercial tunes like Truckin or even a really strange Lost Sailor would've been kicking. Waiting for a Miracle could've been replaced with I Need a Miracle instead.

I would've preferred a more commercial tune for the encore. My suggestion: Shakedown or maybe even Dancing in the Streets.

Those tunes are why this is setlist is so outstanding!!!! I only wish I could have been there for that. Its not often that you have a blend of JGB, pre-70's dead, and classic dead tunes in the same show. You are incredibly lucky to have been there. If they played "more commercial tunes like Truckin or lost sailor" the show would not have been nearly as special....

And by the way, perhaps I could have some help from someone who was there, but I believe (since it came after BE Women and before Waiting for a Miracle) "Its All Over Now" was not Baby Blue but was "I used to love her...but its all over now". Definitely not a slow tune. OH but wait you were there?....

[FunkyBass13]

My Review:

The next song, which I now see is called Lonesome and a Long Way From Home, was beautifully played. But of particular note to me was what happened AFTER the lyrics were done. The band, which was playing a quiet and consistent and beautiful melody, slowly but with great force seemed to LIFT off the ground and begin to navigate into incredible space. The jam picked up momentum, picked up speed, and picked up strangeness. Red and blue strobing lights began flasing and everyone hammered strange and alien notes out of their instruments at breakneck pace. As someone who always writes setlists down after the fact, I was thinking of how I would annotate this particular jam, as to simply say it was "a jam" would not do it justice. I decided that, if I were to have to name it, I would call it the Spaceship Jam. The combination of lights and sounds and the speed and nature with which they launched the song (and, incidentally, the brains of the audience members) into orbit is what caused me to settle on that name. I found a beautiful flow and perfect logic to the idea of being "lonesome and a long way from home" and then launching into a strange and terrifying psychedelic space. This led to an equally frightening (I can't think of another word that better suits it) drums and space, during which I could see the band huddled by a door near the stage, catching their breath and watching the audience.

When space finally faded into the ether, Fire on the Mountain rose from its ashes. It was an 80s style Fire on the Mountain. No MIDI sounds, but definitely what seemed to me to be latter-era guitar runs and keyboard style. It was going along much the same as many Fire on the Mountains before it, which is to say that while I was enjoying it, it didn't seem to me to be particularly remarkable. Then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, during the instrumental portion before the final verse, things started really heating up. Jeff's fingers started moving effortlessly and it seemed obvious to me that he had stopped playing the song and the song had started playing him. The band seemed to feed off of this and then they too seemed to be no longer in control, but rather passengers on a ride. To quote Jack, "They had IT and everyone KNEW they had it!". The crowd could feel this incredible THING and started roaring. The roar grew and grew and so did this swirling vortex of music and as each grew louder and more intense, it became impossible to know which one was causing the other and yet they both continued to grow! You hear a lot about "Searching for the sound" and when a musician has "it" well for this one moment in time they absolutely had IT and broke through the glass ceiling of normal reality into a truly peak experience and at this point in time I and those around me lost our minds temporarily and everyone's seperateness dissolved into one roaring, peaking mass of sound and joy. I have seen many bands and configurations (including DSO) play Dead music countless times, but I rarely see this type of moment achieved. Its a rare and beautiful and incredibly exciting and invigorating thing and its EXACTLY what these musicians try so hard to achieve night in and night out. The entire show had been wonderful and everybody had enjoyed it, but it was THIS moment that a Deadhead, or any dedicated music fan, lives for. Incredible. So thankful to have witnessed it.

And that, my friends, is why you absolutely, positively have to be there every single night!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dstone5553]

Well, that's not exactly true. We love EVERYTHING we do! The original set lists are different because there is no way The Dead could have played some of the set lists we come up with.

Sometimes they work beautifully, other times not, which is the true nature of this music(IMHO). We do these types of shows because we need to balance the songs we are playing from night to night in order not to repeat too many of them so as to keep it interesting for us and you.

I should have said "seem" to like it better.

Because that's what I have felt, but since I'm not in your heads...I can't say with absolute certaintly.

My bad.