New Brunswick

[BurbDad]

Ok so I am brand new to this board, relatively new to the DSO scene, but, a veteran of well over 100 GD/JGB shows. I have also had the very good fortune of seeing the Zen Tricksters a dozen or so times. First I want to thank the band for a tremendous performance on a very cold bleak and rainy Tuesday. This was my 6th DSO show. 3 with John and 3 with Jeff. You brought much happiness to Central Jersey. The energy and joy from the stage was remarkable. You are truly outstanding stewards of the music. I am posting this review mostly for myself. I just feel that I have to formally express how grateful I am the that this band and scene exists and how happy I am to have found it. I will hopefully be able to share this experience with my sons who are 4 and 7. On to the show. My buddy and I immediately noticed one drum kit so that helped us zero in on the time period. Highlights for me were Jeff's outstanding solos in Here Comes Sunshine, a really fun bouncy up-tempo They Love Each Other, an always fun and campy El Paso, a barn-burner vocal from Lisa on You Ain't Woman Enough which is a song I had never heard before and she killed it, and a rip roaring Let It Grow closer. My only complaint is that set 1 should have been louder. Second set was even better. For one thing it was much louder. Playin opener really built into a trippy jam that blossomed into an outstanding 1/2 Step. I have to interject a story right here. It was my buddy's first DSO show and our first ever show together. I had sent him the setlist from the Boston show and he commented that if they had only played Half Step, it might have been his perfect show. So I said you know what you just did don't you? And he said no, what? You just GUARANTEED that they will play Half Step at our show. I told him there is magic in the music, magic in this scene and magic in this band and you will be rewarded for checking them out and low and behold we got a MONSTER Half Step. Too sweet for words. Karma, kizmit, synchronicity, serendipity, seren-dope-ity, whatever you want to call it - it exists. He's Gone was tasty and I loved how the crowd quietly and gently coaxed the band into the Ooo-ooo nuthin's gonna bring him back chant. That was so cool it gave me chills to see how attentive and engaged and respectful this crowd is. Truckin was it's usual rockin good time but there was an incident toward the back of the lower tier during Wharf Rat. Someone had to be physically removed by security. Fortunately the song won out and brought everyone back into the fold. Loved the rock n roll jams at the end of the show. Birdsong filler was outstanding. So I will finsh by saying thank you for a real good time. I already have New Year's Eve tickets for Montclair and will be going with my wonderful wife. One more piece of cosmic intervention. The New Brunswick tickets were my birthday present from my wife. Her birthday is October 21st. What show did they play you might ask? October 21st 1973. Seriously - you can't make this stuff up. Can't wait for New Year's!

[nwnj steve]

Great write up and yes,this was a truely amazing show,I had a fantastic location for filming last night,can t wait to post,brians lights were simply amazing,it seemed like there was a bunch on the floor behind dino s drum kit and they were pointing upward whichgave the stage a look like at times the sun was setting behind them,fantastic job done by all last night,thank you very much.

[dancin on a pin]

Set List 10/21/73 Omaha Civic Auditorium, Omaha Nebraska

First Set:

Here Comes Sunshine

Beat it on Down the Line

Loser

Black Throated Wind

They Love Each Other

Cumberland Blues

El Paso

You Ain't Woman Enough

WRS Prelude WRS Part 1

Let It Grow

Second Set:

Playing in the Band

Mississippi Half-Step

Big River

Playing in the Band

He's Gone

Truckin'

Wharf Rat

Sugar Magnolia

Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad

One More Saturday Night

Dedication to Tara: Bird Song

Well I had a wonderful show last night. Felt the connection and energy form the stage. Miss that feeling and am glad I got it back. Seems like a long time since the last time. I just haven't been able to do the amount of shows I use to due to obligations. Well highlights for me are tough to pin down. I loved the jams they were psycheldelic and through my dancing I was able to get into a groove that did not stop the entire show. As was mentioned earlier the chants in He's Gone were rythmic and healing. Lisa's vocals were great. Jeff and Rob were playing off of each other in a sympatatico way, (not sure if that's the word I'm thinking of or if it's spelled right.). They were both amazing. Kevin kept dropping bombs that rattled my soul. Rob beautifully pounded the keyboard with amazing finese. Dino never stopped keeping what sometimes seemed a difficult beat to hold. Then the Bird Song which was the most powerful Bird Song I have ever experienced. Rob came out on the drums and drummed his heart out for Tara. Simply spectacular.

See you all tonight, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Sat Nam

[topher44]

Not to be deterred by a cold, steady rain, and a two-hour traffic jam causing me to miss the first five songs, I had a very good time at this show. This was my first time in New Brunswick, and I didn't know what to expect of the theater, or type of crowd, but I am very glad I made the effort to be there.

Upon entering the theater and hearing the last few minutes of a sped-up "TLEO", I knew we were in the midst of a show from 1973. The tempo of 73' TLEO's is un-mistakeable, and I have always preferred these early versions. Lisa really poured her heart and pipes into "You Ain't Woman Enough", and it was a treat to finally hear this song live. "WRS Part One" was given a lush and tender treatment by Eaton, and "Let It Grow" built into a momentous finish, with Jeff and Rob bouncing leads off one another... a powerful ending to the set. I must mention how enjoyable the crowd was at intermission, and really during the whole show. I never ran into any obnoxious drunks, or loud talkers, and mutual respect seemed to be the order of the evening.

Set 2 opened with a "Playin" that took us to some strange and beautiful places, and Jeff's use of the wah-wah and envelope filter brought to mind that 1973 GD sound. The following "Half-Step" saw all bandmates come together and just LEAN into the jams... so fiery and focused, I was truly exhausted by the time it was finished! The crowd did help Jeff out a bit on the "Across the Rio Grand-I-O" coda, and he smiled in appreciation. A version for the ages, and a major highlight of the show for me. "Big River" was also bouncy and fun, with Mr. Barraco dancing on his keys, and Eaton spitting out the verses. "He's Gone" brought out some gorgeous vocal harmonies, and Jeff's solos were full of emotion that had me reeling between feelings of despair and pure joy, sometimes within the same jam. I always enjoy a good "Truckin'", and this one was loud, punchy, and raucous enough to get the crowd cazy... in a good way! The "Wharf Rat" continued in the same vein as "He's Gone", with heartfelt singing by Jeff and great vocal support from the others. Jeff's guitar work was also just so inspired, I found myself welling up at points. "Sugar Mags" whipped us into a hard-rocking frenzy, and it's always fun seeing a majority of the audience singing along to a song they know so well.

"GDTRFB" was also quite the crowd pleaser, and I loved this version... lot's of smiles from the band, too. It never ceases to give me pause hearing "Saturday Night" on a weekday night, but this reading made me forget I had to work the next day! The "Bird Song" tribute to Tara was moving and very well played... as if it was the missing link in an otherwise very well rounded and extremely well played show.

[Herdygerdy]

Welcome aboard BurbDad... glad you and your friend enjoyed yourself! Nothin like a DSO show!