scroll down-down-down for my Fillmore review -I'll add my review of 3/03/04 as I'm done
til then- here is Peace's website with photos of assorted Deadnetters and also of tonite's venue:
http://homepage.mac.com/cmcdan/Menu8.html

Still scribbling thoughts on Wednesday night's Ratdog...in the meantime- a nice long review of the Vancouver show can be found here:
http://www.ratdog.org/board/message.php?id=23743


Scroll down for my Tuesday Ratdog review...

Scroll down to find the earlier reviews,
Set 2, 3/2/04 continued:

The Weight was followed by a soft mellow jam...really pretty into Ashes and Glass..the first part of the song played with the usual swingy lyrics...then it slinks into something really smooth, yummy and at times a little spacy too...The squiggy sounds reappear but they sink right into the depths of this jam...it's very nice.... not too much time goes by before Bobby is singing the rest of the song...as the song slows to finish its just a second before the familiar fluid sound of Eyes starts up...the mellow continues. Is this a song for driving or dancing it just keeps moving...folks under the influence are having a good dance to this, I'm head swaying and afraid if i close my eyes, I might just zone out ...just as I close my eyes-and yup, start to zone- Bobby flubs a word- my zoning away is over, ...wake up to find out you are the i of the weirld!.....
...soon the end of the song jams lead us into the stranger territory of soup jazz..its space with a beat and I think we Bay Area folk know what's coming up..It's Zakariah Rose out to sing his Ratdog rap.... Between The Waybacks and Zak's jazzy hiphop,We get our dose of ecletic at these SF shows..."We just Free Stylin, Y'All!"....
...Before starting too far into the next jam, Bobby gives a nod "Zakariah"..then starts into a blueszy kinda honkytonkish Candyman-oh, yes..yum!! I've definately visited another zone or two or three before this one is over...
....Then, I'm so glad Mazzy is near when set closer SUGAR MAGNOLIA comes up!!
And We are cheering!!!! This is really extra exciting because Tree had met Bobstar the night before after the L.A. show and requested Bobby sing Sugar Mags in SF for US! Really- her post from that morning is somewhere if you scrolldown far enough....((((((TREE))))))))
The clapping for an encore is deafening, but at least it's short!
Our guys come back out for a rocking Johnny B. Good!!
....................
So sad when the show ends but we got to remind ourselves that there was another one just the next day! Scott joined the flock at the rail who were hoping to obtain one of the songlists..I smiled when I saw Hippy Bill give Scott the look and then the songlist...
Still not leaving the Fillmore just yet...we had purchased cds of the show in advance (we were to trade in the wristband they gave us for them) and were required to hang out for about 30 minutes post show...Not a problem since neither Scott nor I had work on Wednesday...When cds were ready, the salesgirl cut off the bands and handed us the goods...Really awesome to have them to listen to for the ride home...First thing I did Wednesday morning was to download them into my ipod....
On our way out, we received posters for the night..I have to say they are initally just horrible looking...a big nasty rat face on a dog's body- yick! But by now it's almost growing on me...Almost.

3/2/04 Set 2...
Set break had everyone hugging and chatting- I really enjoyed getting a chance to catch up with friends who don't post online...Made acquaintence with the woman I always see at shows- and then also have seen around my town- turned out she works for BGP and does live just down the hill from me.
Even the setbreak went by too quickly- lights went down for the second set...The fellows returned its gonna be acoustic...the intro jam has some riffs in it that bring my favorite Nicklecreek song(when you come back down-it's the song on my kids/dogs movie) to mind- before I can digest that though, the jam turns into Blackbird...its about as perfect a Blackbird as I can recall Bobdog doing...the vocals and the instrumentals=beautiful...I'm soaking in it right now...
Then Bobby strums us right into Bobby McGee, I'm so enjoying it too- it wasnt too long ago, I remember rallying for Bobby to bring it back- now it's here...a smattering of hoots and howls from the crowd as the instrumental part is perfectly played...Bobby's vocals on this tonight surpass all the Bobby McGees I heard him sing when we were kids in the 70's...loving the extra touches too "La dee dah lah-lah-lah-ha!"
Just when I'm thinking I'm in Heaven- Out comes THE WEIGHT! I can't remember if I've ever seen Dog do this? It's a strong rendition and the band is total sync...a pleasure to listen to-almost left my prized position as rail anchor to go dance with Graceful and Karina- who were DBC afew rows back in the area we call the Sweet Spot for sound... especially yum is when the whole band sings together and a bit in round and then echoing the "Putcher load" parts...


to be continued....

Set One- 3/2/04
All lit up and flashing!!

Yay- guys assembled on stage....
pretty lil jam, notes and layers building up and up and sweeping into something familiar....okay here it is--
Inside youre burning!..........it's of course Feel like a Stranger...crispy and hot! Oh boy!
This is followed by the first Dylan song of the night: She Belongs to me- I get the opening "She's an artist" lip synced across the rail at me by scotto- this is one of the songs he likes to sing at me (so corny-I can't believe I'm blogging that)...it's true, he does give me drums(I collect them) and in fact does salute me when my Berthaday comes (12/31)...Thanks Bobby & Scotto for making this a fun one! Okay that was special...next up, is Ramblin Rose- in no time we are all in sway & dip mode...even in San Francisco on a Tuesday night-folks cheer at the"Just like New York City" line...Bobby slips in and out of a falsetto voice and Jeff gets to display his ragtime expertise on the keys...lotsa fun! Sounds like Loser is up next- well it's not Loser after all ...
What's going on here!? Could it be Senor? Another Dylan song? Yes- SF gets SENOR!! Muchas Garcias Roberto!! This aint no dream no more! Let me pick myself up from the floor! I am deliriously happy to get to hear this one- it has all the elements I like...maybe I was an outlaw cowboy- in another lifetime or maybe because I'm just a lil Senorita at heart- those songs get me everytime! ......
Okay time to get beyond swaying and nodding-definately bouncing time- Loose Lucy was on..Bobby coming on loud and clear! Loving it when the rest of the band adds the background vocals- rounnnd... rounnnnnnnd...rounnnd AND rounnd-yeahyeah! For a "feel good time" is what I kept hearing...
slowing back down-it's poisin peaches...goddess got my number, baby. Bury me standing..back to sway mode..Kenny put down his sax and added lots of fun lil squiggly stuff to the mix.
The next song starts light and soft ..the "Footloose" intro reveals its gonna be "Greatest Story Ever Told" Oh boy! dancing..
Next up- I'm very excited upon hearing familiar startup of West LA Fade Away...I've been hoping to catch this and finally I am! Jeff plays a hunk of keys in there. Its so fun..but already its that time when Bobby stops to tell us "wbbijalb"

Okay, before I even glimpse that Portland Or. setlist, I'm dropping off the first part of my Fillmore review- Here goes!

After a series of tangents- Graceful cameby and picked me up...We flew back over to Trinks house...Trinks lives in the beach town of Pacifica, her house on the hill has huge ocean and nature reserve views...Tuesday was an unusually sunny day on the coast and if we didnt have a line to get into, I wouldve been all for sitting in her yard and taking in the view...Her music room- filled with all sorts of interesting things including an enormous music collection was also cool to check out....
At exactly 4:19pm, the three of us saddled up Trink's car and waited the one minute to be leaving at exactly 4:20! Vrooom! Trink whirled through Pacifica to SF into the Fillmore district so quickly- via HWY 1, never even saw the excessive 19th avenue! The ladies let me out in front of the venue while they parked- Waiting for us in line was Karina and Easywind- I don't know if they had met each other via Deadnet or if this was just a lucky coincidence or what...Ahead of us in line was Vera -Ratdog.Org's Queen of Diamonds and of course, WDP Jay from Co. (Tattoo Allie's brother) was there too! Just seeing them plus all the other familiar faces in line heightened my excitement that much more! Noting members of the crew -Blonde A.J., Chris, HippieBill, etc running past the line gets my heart pounding- its a trip!
Not so long after getting into line Reisha, Gwennie, Binki, Mark & Martha, Sparkita & friend were all there with us. Soon Scotto showed up with a bag of mission district burritos & chips...no sooner gulped down and it was time to get out our tickets and go through security check...Funny how waiting in line goes by so fast (it's a delicious wait-knowing you and your friends are gonna be in heaven, soon) but how security check and ticket scanning seems to take forever...JUST LET ME IN ALREADY! Damn! lol!
Okay, everything's been scanned, stamped and thoroughly felt up- I'm rushing up the stairs, I'm galloping to the rail- The guy yells "NO RUNNING" AT who else but me- like he always does-because I always run (it's the only time I ever run) at the Fillmore..okay, I slow it down to a skip- I am at the rail...Only Sparkita is there...it takes a moment to note that my Deadnetter Goddess friends are all on the Mark side...Some woman I don't know asks me to set up a bar tab for her-seems she's already been drinking too-That's it-bad vibe- I'm off to see what space is available on Mark's side..The Goddesses had save ample space in all the rail sweet spots. I settled in at the end of the rail-always a great place to be..Scott found us and so the party continued...
The Waybacks opened - fun stuff- the guy I had exchanged e-mails with was the guitariest: Steve Coyne, he appeared to be the leader- funny chatter tween songs. Somewhere in the middle of the set he introduced the Bobstar, who then came out to do Cumberland with them- Bobby stumbled on the parts of the song he doesnt usually sing-still a good time and the Waybacks couldnt look happier to have him there..Wish I had a camera just for that...

WOOFERS! Here's Graceful's summary of the Fillmore shows- I'll eventually get my own adventures in here- tgif! though I really wish I could be in Portland..okay here's from Graceful:

"
Ok!!! I am back in O.C. and have to go work my butt off today and won't have much time in here, so I am up early to say HELLO!! And THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! Great great time for these two shows ... the FIllmore is the BEST! DNC practically owned the place both nights - we had the rail, the table, the dance space..... and the bands did not let us down - the WAYBACKS are definitely showing us something new and fresh and fun to dance with - a jazzy, folksie, rock combo with intricate finger work and excellent voices! I don't know the names of the bandmembers yet, but if you get a chance to see these guys - do it.... Bobby is first class to give them such exposure...
Ratdog is a class act now.... they get better every show! I am already sad and in withdrawal over not continuing with the tour...
The Setlists: On 3/2 the only song not done which was on the original list was He's Gone which was going to follow Eyes.... and they added the Johnny B Goode to that setlist for the encore.
On 3/3 they added the second Mathilda Mother and since the WRS went for so long, they didn't do She Says and Liberty. THey also added the Deep End after October Queen and the Brokedown Palace encore was added... The trombone was really sexy - a lot of smooth transitions because of it.... These guys are having the time of their lives and I am completely sold on them right now -If you're reading this folder you are among those of us in the KNOW so I am preaching to the choir.... Loved seeing all the goddesses - missed David G! How could you miss US!! I don't think there is a much greater spectacle than the DNC goddesses on the rail.... sheesh..
KATRINKA - THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!
We got a Sugar Mag and two Corrina's over the past week - and so many other good dancing experiences - as I have said before, this catalogue of music (RH! JG!) is just worlds above most other sounds... Have a great tour everyone going on!"

Another incredible night of Fillmore dog!
It will take awhile to get my head together for putting out all the stories from the last 2 daze but here's DRRandy's take on last night-
"
What a great show- far exceeding my expectations! My first time seeing the "new" Ratdog without Wasserman. It was a very organic smooth band, a tremendous contrast with the last Dead show (of course, that might be expected as that was that configuration's first show and they didn't really rehearse), but right now I prefer Ratdog to the current Dead and P&F. I guess that is large part because I prefer Mark Karan's playing to Hering and Haynes- it serves this music better. My only criticism is that his tone could be sweeter, more Garcia-like...

Great setlist, the best WRS I've seen since 10/18/74, and it was a great first set- a little false-ending on BIg RR was a fun touch. The newer material fit in well (far better that at the 12/30 Dead show), the horns added a lot, the Help/Slipknot was great and it was cool how the Two Djinn segued beautifully into a Franklin's Tower ending-type jam leading inot Franklin's. The "Jam" between Slipknot and Two Djinn was a reggae-style rap by Zacariah Rose which, while not my favorite part of the nite, was sort of fun, and its cool that Bobby is trying to keep up with the relatively new styles of music. Franklin's ended the set on a high note. The Brokedown was a sweet ending. THANKS GUYS !!! "

photos of yesterday's soundcheck at David Gans website- he had a great time last night also!

http://www.fotolog.net/gans_archive/?photo_id=7131163

wow- mazzy has already put his thoughts together- here's his review from Deadnet:

Bob on acoustic with the Waybacks for Cumberland was a treat. They are real good and the fiddle sounded sweet. Bob's playing was real hot on that but he had trouble with the verses he doesn't normally sing.

Overall the Show was Real good. Best I've seen in a while. Very cool that you can listen to the cds on the way home. Everything was well very played and I thought it was a great setlist. Lots of different emotions and peaks and valleys to the music. Huge Stranger opener and a sweet "She Belongs to me". I love their version of Ramble on Rose and Bob took us to the leader of the band allright.((((JERRY!)))) Two Dylan tunes in the first set was cool. "Senor" was real good, Bob on Acoustic and I thought it was Loser at first but then everyone got it at once and a huge roar erupted. Kenny played a real nice solo on Senor and MK was taping into the JGB vibe. I would say it sounded similar the GD arrangement of the "Ballad of a Thin Man." Jeff on Hammond. Weir had the words on paper at his feet but I don't think he could see it very well. Loose Lucy is my delight, she come runnin' and we ball allnight! "Greatest Story" was a real barn burner and that one had our feet movin' , untill there was a minor trainwreck for the segue to West LA. set closer.

Set two: Blackbird, Me and Bobby McGee, The Weight.... surprising to get "the Weight" in that slot but it worked well and the Whole crowd sang along. Epic "Eyes of the World" with a huge BW/KB jam towards the end. I was not into the (c)rapper who did they same rap that he did at Marin Music Festival, but fortunatly that was short lived and the space jam unfolded nicely into.... BLACK PETER!! "Fever roll up to 105".....Bob pulled out his slide and MK really shined. Sugar Mags.... Johnny B. Goode rollicking encore. Short wait for the cd's afterwards and well worth the $25.

:O) What a great show that was last night! As anyone could tell from that sentence- I'm not quite awake yet..I need to go back to bed- had to get kids to school and am surviving now on just a few hours of sleep...

I gave Julie/Graceful Dead (coming north from Los Angeles) directions to my house but forgot that she would need to take hwy 238 from 580 to get to cross the San Mateo Bridge aka hwy 92...she ended up going over the Bay Bridge- landing in SF instead of over here...she went through SF to get to Pacifica, which is where Trinks lives...with time to spare, Julie STILL drove down the Peninsula to pick me up in San Mateo- which means she drove almost completely around the SF Bay yesterday!!! We went back up to Trinks. Trinks has the most amazing views from her home- a deck and yard that looks over a nature reserve AND the big blue Pacific Ocean...it was just beautiful- an unusually sunny day too!
At exactly 4:20, we took off for The Fillmore! Arriving quickly, met up with Karina and Easywind- not so many in line but already so many familiar faces with more showing up every few minutes. Eventually we got hugs from Reisha, Binki, Sparkita, Vera, WDP-Jay, Gwen- I know I'm forgetting a ton of folks, too...About 6ish, Scotto showed up with Mission district burritos for dinner (yum!) not long after the doors opened. Like I always do- I ran up the stairs and like they always do, security screamed "No Running" at me! LOL- everytime I forget!
We were all early enough to take just about any place we desired to be in...I was happy in my new favorite rail spot - the end of the rail on MK's side- the rail being a metal barrier about a yard from the stage. Great angle for Bobby watching! Also, you can see the faces of all the raildogs. ..and I think I knew or at least recognized a good 3/4 of those raildogs, too!

Before The Waybacks came out, I went to the concessions booth to buy the evening's show on cds. It worked that you paid, then obtained a wrist band, came back to the concessions booth after the show to pick up the cds...:o)

At last, the Waybacks, their first songs I guess can be described as folk goes Jammy...Lots of energy- maybe a little frenetic for the mellowish crowd vibe-but then Bobby came out to join them (to everyone's obvious giddy delight!) for Cumblerland!!! Bob had some mess up with one of the lyrics but according to Mazzy, that was the lyric Phil does when the Dead play it..but, it was no big deal- the vibe was great and punched the Waybacks up into that full get out there and folk it up groove, I had been hoping for! Bob retreated backstage after the Cumberland - the next few songs by Waybacks were terrific!! I'm looking forward to seeing them open again tonight!!
A bit of a break, then ...sigh- RATDOG!!!

True WeirFreak -Ratdogirlscout report just in from Tree- who was at the Los Angeles Ratdog show last night!!!


....Everyone I have great news to share - I GOT TO MEET BOBBY LAST NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My friend who I thought we were leaving, she took me to this back elevator and we went upstairs where the party was. We got to speak to Jay for a while who told us he'd get us back to meet Bobby. I also got a smile and a hug from Jeff who said thanks for my energy for the last few shows. Talked to the whole band actually, then Jay took us back to this room where just Bobby and Jay & Mark & some woman were talking - no one else really. So my friend Candy and I got to talk to him for over a half hour. We spoke about kids and music and all the years gone by... melt into a dream. I somehow snagged the setlist after the show and Bobby was nice enough to sign it. He was so cool and gracious, and very beautiful. Very peaceful aura. It was great how the guys in the band were looking out for him. At one point a lot of people came in at once and they made sure Bob was ok with it (which he was). Oh my... I GOT TO HUG BOBBY! I GOT TO HUG BOB WEIR I can DIE a happy woman now!!!!

Ease up Odessa... cause my mind is spinning!!!

((((GRACEFUL)))) THANK YOU for going the EXTRA MILE on the ticket thing. When we left I had no idea we were heading upstairs otherwise I would have grabbed you. Not sure you would have enjoyed it though, it took us a half hour of waiting to meet Bobby, but I enjoyed that half hour as it was since we talked to the band. And they ROCK! Have FUN at the FILLMORE!

when they play Sugar Mags Irenie, I told Bobby that I have 2 special N Cal friends who love him/RD, so to play it with a BANG for you guys. So when he does it, think of me and BOGGIE WOMAN!

The show was HOT! Odessa... smoking. Althea, great. Another dripping Corinna. I was smack dab up front again for set 2 but set 1 was lost in the venue looking for friends, so I just eventually found myself a spot and danced danced danced....

(((BOBBY))) (((JAY))) THANK YOU FOR A NIGHT ILL NEVER FORGET!

Just a few more days till Fillmore Dog!

Here's a nice & new to me site- provides links to Dead related news stories...
http://www.deadworldnews.com/#ratdog

Here's an article from Billboard regarding Bobby's new cd...
I'm looking forward to hearing that 'masters of war'


Weir Looks Back On Solo Retrospective

Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.

Alongside a lengthy tenure with the Grateful Dead, guitarist/singer Bob Weir has consistently embraced opportunities to perform and record as a solo artist and with side projects. That aspect of his career is the basis of "Weir Here: The Best of Bob Weir," a two-disc set due March 23 via the New York-based independent Hybrid Recordings label.

"Virtually everybody in the band has done it from time-to-time. It's good for the Dead for me to do stuff outside," Weir tells Billboard.com. "You're gonna learn stuff that you otherwise wouldn't learn, you're gonna find limitations that you need to work on that you otherwise wouldn't find. You're gonna find strengths, you're gonna find all kinds of stuff that you just otherwise wouldn't find if you stay in one context.

"Plus," he adds, "it's rewarding, it's fun."

The first "Weir Here" disc concentrates on studio work, ranging from his 1972 solo debut, "Ace," to 2000's "Evening Moods," both released on Arista. Much of what is included -- such as "One More Saturday Night" or "Lazy Lightning" -- will be familiar to even the most casual Dead fan. Through such groups as Kingfish, Bobby & the Midnites and the currently thriving Ratdog, Weir has often revisited songs that are Dead staples.

"If I'm playing a song that I've been playing with the Dead for a while, the personnel are different and their approach is different," Weir says. "Especially with Ratdog, where a lot of the guys come from a jazz background and they're gonna take a given tune for a different sort of walk in the woods than I'm used to getting from the guys in the Dead or than I would be from getting guys that come from a rock'n'roll background."

"Feel Like a Stranger" from 1980's "Go to Heaven" represents the Grateful Dead on the studio disc. Also included are previously released recordings with Rob Wasserman and Dan Zanes.

Disc two is devoted to live material with all but one cut stemming from Grateful Dead shows, several of which are previously unreleased. Highlights include a version of "Me & Bobby McGee" from the band's extended March 1972 stand at New York's Academy of Music and "Man Smart, Woman Smarter" captured on July 4, 1989 at Buffalo's Rich Stadium.

The set's finale is a version of Bob Dylan's "Masters of War" recorded at a Ratdog rehearsal shortly after the United States launched its attack on Iraq. " I was pissed off," Weir says flatly. "In some ways, this is better than a live performance. It was done in a studio, with studio sounds available to us, but at the same time it happened with the spontaneity of a live performance. There was no crowd there, but ... it felt good. It felt right."

On Monday, Ratdog kicked off a 28-date North American tour that plays the House of Blues in Las Vegas tonight (Feb. 25). The band's official Web site lists the full itinerary for the tour, which will close April 3 in Waterville, N.H.

Here is the "Weir Here" track list:

Disc one (studio recordings):

"Cassidy" (from the 1972 album "Ace")
"Mexicali Blues" (from the 1972 album "Ace")
"Looks Like Rain" (from the 1972 album "Ace")
"Playing in the Band" (from the 1972 album "Ace")
"One More Saturday Night" (from the 1972 album "Ace")
"Lazy Lightning" (from the self-titled 1995 Kingfish album)
"Supplication" (from the self-titled 1995 Kingfish album)
"Feel Like a Stranger" (from the 1980 Grateful Dead album "Go To Heaven")
"Easy to Slip" (from 1978's "Heaven Help the Fool")
"Wrong Way Feeling " (from 1978's "Heaven Help the Fool")
"Shade of Grey" (from 1978's "Heaven Help the Fool")
"I Want To (Fly Away)" (from 1981's "Bobby & the Midnites")
"Easy Answers," (from Rob Wasserman's 1994 album "Trios")
"Two Djin" (from 2000's "Evening Moods")
"Ashes and Glass" (from 2000's "Evening Moods")
"Wabash Cannonball" (Dan Zanes' 2003 album "House Party")

Disc two (live recordings):

"Truckin'" (from 2000's "Ladies and Gentleman... The Grateful Dead: Filmore East New York 1971")
"Estimated Prophet" (previously unreleased Grateful Dead recording from Hamilton, Ontario/March 21, 1990)
"Hell in a Bucket" (previously unreleased Grateful Dead recording from New Jersey's Brendan Byrne Arena/Oct. 12, 1989)
"Me & Bobby McGee" (previously unreleased Grateful Dead recording from New York's Academy of Music/March 23, 1972)
"Man Smart, Woman Smarter" (previously unreleased Grateful Dead recording from Buffalo's Rich Stadium/July 4, 1989)
"Jack Straw" (from 2002's "Steppin' Out With the Grateful Dead: England '72")
"Sugar Magnolia" (from 2000's "Ladies and Gentleman... The Grateful Dead: Filmore East New York 1971")
"Throwing Stones" (from 2003's Grateful Dead home video and CD "View From the Vault Vol. 4")
"The Music Never Stopped" (from the 1997 Grateful Dead compilation "Fallout From the Phil Zone")
"Masters of War" (previously unreleased recording from Ratdog rehearsal/March 19, 2003)

-- Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.

Hmmm, the Grateful Dead are being inducted to the West Coast Blues hall of fame- Here's an excerpt from an article in the Alameda Times this morning:

"Unlike other more-rigid blues award shows, this Bay Area affair takes a very broad approach in recognizing those who have helped perpetuate the art form. Nowhere is that more evident than with the inclusion of rockers Elvis Presley and the Grateful Dead in this year's batch of inductees to the Hall of Fame.
The selection of the Grateful Dead, in particular, has drawn some criticism from blues
purists. But Stewart is passionate that the blues community recognize the Dead.
"The Grateful Dead have done more to keep the blues alive than probably B.B. King," Stewart says in what will surely be taken as a controversial statement. "I think it's important that the public, especially the black community, know how important that the Dead is to blues."
Certainly, the Dead helped introduce a whole new generation to the blues. They would include an old song such as "Turn on Your Love Light" in their sets, which would in turn send their fanatic following scurrying off to learn the origin of that tune. In their search, they would eventually discover the Bobby "Blue" Bland version and -- presto! -- new blues lovers were born.
The Dead also picked many African-American artists to open their shows and, thus, introduced them to a much wider audience. Furthermore, the band has contributed with its wallet, donating thousands of dollars to organizations such as the Bay Area Blues Society.
"We are not trying to make the Dead a blues band," Stewart says. "We are just honoring them for helping to perpetuate the art form."

In addition to receiving the VFTV DVD of the Closing of Winterland, Scotto and I also now receive "San Francisco" magazine which I guess is put out by KQED- hard to believe as it is quite a glossy upscale periodical. Today. the March issue arrived....I started glancing through it- noting that it contains a nice long article on our most recent toy- the ipod...adjacent to the ipod article I spied a nice lil photo (page 44) of Mr Bob Weir! (why is he always following me around?) I hate typing but for you, I shall transcribe:

The Artists Sound Off
What 2 SF artists - one old Lion, one young buck-Think of downloading songs for free.
(photos)<-The Grateful Dead's Bob Weir 56, happy owner of an ipod.
Bob Weir:
It's a moral issue with me. I believe in honoring what I love. So, I'm not going to rip off artists that provide me inspiration. If a guy can't make a decent living making music, he's going to have to go back bagging groceries orworking on that MBA. What does that say for the future of music? If people won't buy it today, it won't be here for tomorrow.

Question: Isnt file sharing a new twist on the Dead's famous practice of allowing fans to tape live shows and swap them?

Bobby: It's way different. To do a show, we don't go into a studio for three months, spend a couple of million bucks, and carefully make an hour's worth of music. Live, it's casually performed for the audience. As Jerry said, once we're done with it, it's theirs.

Question: Would you give away your songs online if you were a young band again?

Bobby: I still think it's shortsighted. If you choose not to make records because you need to make a living and hone your musical expressions, and that living's not available to you because of file sharing, then I don't think [making records] is going to be worth it to anyone.

wOO HOO- First review is in!

From Graceful Dead aka Julie:
Just got home - had a great great great time dancing - got a set list and see that ashes and glass got moved from first set closer to after let it grow.... they added the strange jamming space thing with Jay and Jeff and the wharfrat and they replaced sugar magnolia with Ripple.... and beautifully done!!! I would almost always like a sugar mag, but after that absolutely wonderful cassidy.... whew! Nice change in the setlist, Bobby.... assuming it was his choice - acoustic and gorgeous with the stand-up base!! Robin pulled it out a couple of times - did three acoustic songs with it at the beginning of second set - at least I think he had the big base for all three of the songs...could be wrong. Some difficulties here and there, but for the most part - an excellent courageous set - bobby is using new timing on some of the songs and stretching those howling notes extremely well... thanks for a good time - sorry the HOB isn't a favorite for some, but once the beer spilling was finished even before they started playing, things went very well for Tree and I and several others we hung out with... On to San Diego.... School Girl!!!! What a rockin rendition!! Althea was phenomenal!! And again, that Cassidy! They offered the show on CD right after the show.... amazing world. And yeah, nice call Patrick and thanks for the pics! Already!! but went to look and get a message about Sprint and I can't go there... going to bed - will check in the morning. WOOF WOOF.

Ratdog @ H O B - Anaheim, CA 2.23.2004
Oy! It's been one thing after another around here- Now the kids are sick- coughing stuff- blech!

Ah- but here's tonight's setlist - tour opening setlist!
Hob (that's House Of Blues) in Anaheim The venue is practically in Disneyland (lol, on one of our VFTV, in an Anaheim segment during Minglewood,-instead of "those Texas fillies" Bobby sings "Those Disney Minnies"...:o)

All right- Here's tonight's list!

Set 1 :
Jam
Feel Like A Stranger
Big River
Easy Answers
Tennessee Jed {just flubbed first line....hahaha}{and the second line too}
Odessa
Dark Star{Verse one ONLY}
Jam{Funky}
Schoolgirl
ALTHEA.#1 !!!!!{{ holy shitzkies.!!!}}
END OF SET ONE:-))

SET 2:
EL Paso @
The Winners@
The WEIGHT@
Weather Report Suite[Prelude}@
Let it Grow
Ashes & Glass
piano/drums/kenny on chaos pad{jay asked for the lights to be turned
off} LOL JAY
WHARFRAT
Dark Star {Verse two}
Cassidy

E: Ripple

I thought I had blogged in a few times since the 14th? Hmm?
Probably forgetting to click in- too distracted by thoughts of strategies to get to some of the upcoming dog shows!

First addy, I am posting is where to go to play 'Fantasy setlist " Dave at Ratdog.org has been offering this game for several Bobtours now- It's free and simple- You predict from a list of choices which songs will be played when (better instructions at the site) and when your choices are played- you get points and rankings..Dave keeps up with the stats and posts them - on DNC, some folks are pooling cds to send the winner/highest ranking points...
http://www.ratdog.org/fantasy

The other addy is long, but if you like to keep up to date on when the Bobstar will be on tv- this is the place to go:
http://www.musicstation.com/cgi-bin/rotv/rotv_cgi?search_type=artist_exact&sort_by=artist&type=tv&search=168991

Insomnia doth suck!
However, it doth gave me time to find this useful addy:

http://www.musicstation.com/cgi-bin/rotv/rotv_cgi?search_type=artist_exact&sort_by=artist&type=tv&search=168991

if you can get it in to your browser, it should take you to a site that will give you the latest scheduling of any Bobby Television appearance which would be coming up..
...this week, Bobby will be on TV about 4 or 5 times- reruns of "controversy" and the Ratdog segment of Austin City Limits.

Here's Reisha's review of the Jemimah Puddleduck show at the Fillmore last night-

ok, MY thots ( like anyone REALLY cares?) on last nites gig - :~>) :~>) :~>)!!!! I 1st got turned on to these QUACKS @ the schnoz in bezerkley ( by {{ARROW!!}}) a few yrs ago. fell in love w/ their sound that nite. have 'followed' ( not stalked!) em ever since. played their cd into the ground ( my fave gardening cd, lol! :~>). watched em go thru several keyboardists. they were playin w/ ( im gonna SLAUGTER his name, goddess forgive me) arlen schrimebaum. i REALLY liked him, & have kinda cringed at a coupla the replacements. but this j.t. thomas ( did i get that rite?) character - (played w/ hornsby, rite?) is a good fit. or, maybe ive seen him enuff to finally be comfy w/ his style?
they all looked, & sounded awesome last lite. i think mark was really gettin off on bein on THAT side of the rail - dream come true.
whad'did they play.....( im SO bad at recall - shoulda brought a scribble set) .... uh.... rock your papa - hmm, did they maybe open w/ that? i think they did. wasna so sure that should be the opener, but i went w/ it ( or, i could be mistaken bout the whole thing?) u can stay was EXCELLENT, as was memphis radio - maybe those 2 were together? & i was thirsty & had to pee & started to take care of that, but then they went into the one or the othre, so i aborted mission! & groooved to both, & then i REALLY had to take of biz, so i kinda dinna get.... uh,.....i forget - antoerh song i like alot, & uh... oh! bait the hook was ROCKIN too. molo & gross are prolly my two ( current) faves at what they do, & together, they morph the rythem into this funky beast ( kundalini?) inside of me. (+ theyre both really delightful eye candy, in different ways).& mark has come into his own. confident, talented, adorable..... oh! & who was doin the lite show?!?!?!?!? {{{{KUDOS TO THEM!!!}}}} ttrrrrrrrrrriiippppppyyyyyy stuff, i felt dosed after watchin that for a while!!!! i wandered around a bit, judging sound & crowd - sound was great, crowd was into it. made me happy. my ONLY critique would be to suggest a strong ending to the songs. while *I* like them morphing on into another, as a 'new' band, i think the crowd was a lil confused as to when to clap. but i had a better time than i was expecting, i TOTALLY got what i wanted ( well, close enuff ;~>!) - even down to marks green shoelaces! ;~>

WELL DONE, GUYS!!!!! :~>
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey! Still sore- fell down again off a step in the garage- I'm all off kilter- better get myself into some sort of regime before I become too uncoordinated..Speaking of undertaking a fitness regime- here is the addy to John Perry Barlow's blog-
http://blog.barlowfriendz.net/
seems he's been doing some working out lately- havent finished catching up with his blog but I'll thank him for the inspiration..

Just back from Mark Karan and Sons of Champlin at the Fillmore...Again, the beautiful Kemmie drove me in as Scott is resting up for tomorrow-today- It's Valentine's Day..and that means it should be a busy crazy day for jewelery sales at the Pawn shop..Mark & Puddleduck played well- loved the Elephant Walk jam in the middle of "Annie Don't Lie"...Met up with Reisha, Mazzy, Val and most of the usual suspects...only hung around for a few S.O.C. songs- then back to the peninsula for us..
The Fillmore is so yummy- can't wait til Mar2!

I received the following article this morning from Miki...I've watched Bill Walton commentary before just for those wonderful Dead references...He is afterall, the Dead's first appointed "Hall of Famer" ...I wonder how he liked that chocolate birthday cake? Forgot to mention the cake story to my friends the other night at the Warfield- guess we'll catch up at the Fillmore....

Anyhoo- here:


Bristol, CT -- In a confidential memo leaked to the press Tuesday
morning, executives at ESPN expressed growing concern about incessant references to legendary counterculture rock band, the Grateful Dead, made by NBA analyst and lifelong "Deadhead," Bill Walton.

"If we could all make an effort to help Bill reduce the number of
references to Grateful Dead lyrics, concerts he's attended, and past and present band members throughout an average broadcast," the memo said, "it would go a long way toward bringing more viewers to Fridays [ESPN's Friday Night NBA coverage]."

"Seriously, I'm not kidding here," the memo continued, "it's got to
stop. Before we all gouge our own eyes out with sporks."

While the memo is believed to have been sent by ESPN executive vice president of programming/production, Mark Shapiro, anti-Walton-Dead-reference sentiment has been growing company-wide since ESPN began cove! ri! ng NBA games this season.

"If he tells me one more time how he did mescaline with Mama Cass and David Crosby backstage at the Greek Theater, Berkeley, '71, I'm gong to smack him," said Walton's broadcast partner, Mike Tirico. "And that's exactly how he always says it, too: 'Greek Theater.Berkeley..seventy-one.,' and then he starts grinning and grooving to some Dead music in his head, going, 'Yeaaaah, man..yeaaaah' like a total stoner."

"The guy's, what, fifty-one?" Tirico added. "Hey Bill, the 'Summer of
Love' ended thirty-three years ago. Time to move on, pal."

Shapiro's memo also indicated that Walton's references to songs,
concerts, people and events from more than three decades ago is not helping ESPN's NBA Friday night ratings.

"We're targeting a younger demographic," Shapiro's memo said, "so if you could all please remind Bill that today's 18- to 24-year-old viewer simply does not care that it's the 13th anniversary of [Grateful Dead ! ke! yboardist] Brent Mydland's death. They don't care who Ron! 'Pigen' McKernan was, and don't understand why Bill is comparing Pigpen's leadership abilities in
the Dead's formative Haight-Ashbury years to Jason Kidd's ability to run the Nets offense."

"No wonder we're losing Friday viewers to 'John Doe.' Why? Because 'John Doe' doesn't have some sad, aging, hippie freakster spewing Robert Hunter lyrics every three seconds."

While ESPN management had been initially lenient with the random Grateful Dead trivia, facts, and anecdotes that Walton began injecting into broadcasts for no apparent reason, insiders believe that it was the recent Bulls-Wizards matchup-which featured Michael Jordan's last appearance in Chicago-that was the last straw for Shapiro.

Toward the end of the game, Walton managed to shoehorn approximately 168 Grateful Dead mentions into a seemingly endless monologue.

"While these great Chicago fans hope to see Michael 'One More
Saturday Night' perhaps in the playoffs, he's beginning to show a ! 'T! ouch of Grey' in his hair, and while I've always believed that Michael must be a 'Friend of the Devil' to have had such a wonderful career, and he still plays with the aggression of a 'Wharf Rat,' his 'Unbroken Chain' of success must come to
an end. But his legacy will 'Not Fade Away' even as he disappears down the 'Golden Road.' For us fans, there's 'nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile.'"

Tape of the broadcast then shows a visibly confused Tirico about to open his mouth to speak, but being immediately cut off by the former UCLA, Portland Trailblazers and Boston Celtics star.

"This is horrrrrible, Mike, just horrrrible," Walton nearly screamed.
"I > fear the NBA will go to 'Hell in a Bucket' without Michael, and the 'Eyes of the World' will be upon the next generation of NBA superstars, and David Stern is clearly saying 'I Need a Miracle' to the Kobes, the Garnetts, the McGradys, even the Lebron Jameses of the world, hoping that MJ's retirement! d! oesn't lead to a serious case of the 'U.S. Blues' for NBA! fans."< BR>
Walton then made a tangental reference to Michael's wife "Althea," and three children-"Bertha," "Casey Jones," and "Tennessee Jed"-all of whom, he claimed, were in the United Center that evening. When Tirico informed Walton that Jordan's wife is, in fact, named Juanita and his children are Jeffrey, Marcus and Jasmine, Walton paused.

"Hey now, Mike," Walton said, "hey now, Aiko Aiko all day, jockomo
feeno na na nay, jockomo feena nay. Hey now--"

It was then that ESPN producers abruptly cut to an emergency
broadcast system test pattern, then back to ESPN studio analysts, David Aldridge and Dr. Jack Ramsey.

"Well, I.." Aldridge said, awkwardly shuffling papers and clearing
his throat.

"Did Bill just say that Michael Jordan's son is named 'Tennessee Jed,'" Ramsey asked.

While Shapiro is clearly concerned about the effect Walton's Grateful Dead over-referencing will have on the success of ESPN's Friday night NBA coverage, he a! dm! itted in a later interview that it could be worse.

"At least he's not mixing in John Wooden stuff, too. I mean, can you imagine if he combined all that Jerry Garcia bullshitt with his incessant Wooden motivational quotes? Christ Almighty."

Shapiro then shuddered

HMMM- Received this in my email- I'm not sure of the original source as it was sent cut & pasted rather than in link- Here goes:


Bristol, CT -- In a confidential memo leaked to the press Tuesday
morning, executives at ESPN expressed growing concern about incessant references to legendary counterculture rock band, the Grateful Dead, made by NBA analyst and lifelong "Deadhead," Bill Walton.

"If we could all make an effort to help Bill reduce the number of
references to Grateful Dead lyrics, concerts he's attended, and past and present band members throughout an average broadcast," the memo said, "it would go a long way toward bringing more viewers to Fridays [ESPN's Friday Night NBA coverage]."

"Seriously, I'm not kidding here," the memo continued, "it's got to
stop. Before we all gouge our own eyes out with sporks."

While the memo is believed to have been sent by ESPN executive vice president of programming/production, Mark Shapiro, anti-Walton-Dead-reference sentiment has been growing company-wide since ESPN began cove! ri! ng NBA games this season.

"If he tells me one more time how he did mescaline with Mama Cass and David Crosby backstage at the Greek Theater, Berkeley, '71, I'm gong to smack him," said Walton's broadcast partner, Mike Tirico. "And that's exactly how he always says it, too: 'Greek Theater.Berkeley..seventy-one.,' and then he starts grinning and grooving to some Dead music in his head, going, 'Yeaaaah, man..yeaaaah' like a total stoner."

"The guy's, what, fifty-one?" Tirico added. "Hey Bill, the 'Summer of
Love' ended thirty-three years ago. Time to move on, pal."

Shapiro's memo also indicated that Walton's references to songs,
concerts, people and events from more than three decades ago is not helping ESPN's NBA Friday night ratings.

"We're targeting a younger demographic," Shapiro's memo said, "so if you could all please remind Bill that today's 18- to 24-year-old viewer simply does not care that it's the 13th anniversary of [Grateful Dead ! ke! yboardist] Brent Mydland's death. They don't care who Ron! 'Pigen' McKernan was, and don't understand why Bill is comparing Pigpen's leadership abilities in
the Dead's formative Haight-Ashbury years to Jason Kidd's ability to run the Nets offense."

"No wonder we're losing Friday viewers to 'John Doe.' Why? Because 'John Doe' doesn't have some sad, aging, hippie freakster spewing Robert Hunter lyrics every three seconds."

While ESPN management had been initially lenient with the random Grateful Dead trivia, facts, and anecdotes that Walton began injecting into broadcasts for no apparent reason, insiders believe that it was the recent Bulls-Wizards matchup-which featured Michael Jordan's last appearance in Chicago-that was the last straw for Shapiro.

Toward the end of the game, Walton managed to shoehorn approximately 168 Grateful Dead mentions into a seemingly endless monologue.

"While these great Chicago fans hope to see Michael 'One More
Saturday Night' perhaps in the playoffs, he's beginning to show a ! 'T! ouch of Grey' in his hair, and while I've always believed that Michael must be a 'Friend of the Devil' to have had such a wonderful career, and he still plays with the aggression of a 'Wharf Rat,' his 'Unbroken Chain' of success must come to
an end. But his legacy will 'Not Fade Away' even as he disappears down the 'Golden Road.' For us fans, there's 'nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile.'"

Tape of the broadcast then shows a visibly confused Tirico about to open his mouth to speak, but being immediately cut off by the former UCLA, Portland Trailblazers and Boston Celtics star.

"This is horrrrrible, Mike, just horrrrible," Walton nearly screamed.
"I > fear the NBA will go to 'Hell in a Bucket' without Michael, and the 'Eyes of the World' will be upon the next generation of NBA superstars, and David Stern is clearly saying 'I Need a Miracle' to the Kobes, the Garnetts, the McGradys, even the Lebron Jameses of the world, hoping that MJ's retirement! d! oesn't lead to a serious case of the 'U.S. Blues' for NBA! fans."< BR>
Walton then made a tangental reference to Michael's wife "Althea," and three children-"Bertha," "Casey Jones," and "Tennessee Jed"-all of whom, he claimed, were in the United Center that evening. When Tirico informed Walton that Jordan's wife is, in fact, named Juanita and his children are Jeffrey, Marcus and Jasmine, Walton paused.

"Hey now, Mike," Walton said, "hey now, Aiko Aiko all day, jockomo
feeno na na nay, jockomo feena nay. Hey now--"

It was then that ESPN producers abruptly cut to an emergency
broadcast system test pattern, then back to ESPN studio analysts, David Aldridge and Dr. Jack Ramsey.

"Well, I.." Aldridge said, awkwardly shuffling papers and clearing
his throat.

"Did Bill just say that Michael Jordan's son is named 'Tennessee Jed,'" Ramsey asked.

While Shapiro is clearly concerned about the effect Walton's Grateful Dead over-referencing will have on the success of ESPN's Friday night NBA coverage, he a! dm! itted in a later interview that it could be worse.

"At least he's not mixing in John Wooden stuff, too. I mean, can you imagine if he combined all that Jerry Garcia bullshitt with his incessant Wooden motivational quotes? Christ Almighty."

Shapiro then shuddered

This would be interesting to see/hear! well, maybe? It's a Bobby cover band!
http://WEBSPAWNER.COM/USERS/WILMUTT/

And here one last one from Blair ( note:I do not agree with the comparison to the schweppes or cough drop guys, hmmpf!)
Not only was drums super short, it had NO trance-y, quiet, spacy part. I had really been looking forward to that, too. Mickey didn't stay out there long at all...a first! Or maybe Bob came out too early...always a possibility.

Does anyone else think Bob is starting to look like the Schweppes guy? And is it just the first step toward looking like the Smith Brothers (of cherry cough drop fame)? Or is ZZ Top going to be his ultimate goal? (I hope not, because knowing Bob, he'll get his beard caught in the guitar as he tries to spin it! Hey, we kid him because we love him, Irenie!)

Forgot to mention that the person behind me in line, who I was chatting with, was stopped for havinga counterfeit ticket he'd bought on ebay! Yikes! Nice guy from New York; was very excited to be goin' to the show. He did manage to get in--at the break, due to the good graces of someone from GDTS. But it certainly gives one pause about buying tix on ebay....

BTW, I was in the sixth row of the loge (three above the aisle) a little on the Warren side (did anyone mention that Jimmy has moved all the way across the stage and is now next to Jeff?) and i thought the sound was FANTASTIC from the get-go; really good. Lights were nice and un-busy, too.

Need to also remark that I thought the "Throwing Stones" was really well done. Never a favorite of mine, but I hadn't heard it in a couple of years live and they played the hell out of it--the big triumphal jam was as good as it can be, with Jimmy and Warren wailing away. And though "Around and Around" has been known to sop me dead in my tracks, this one fairly kicked serious ass! Truly!

Encore was a treat--I love what Warren does with "Madman" (I kept hoping Elton would come out and sing a verse...he woulda dug it, too) and then the "Iko" and "NFA" were like icing on the cake. "Iko," in particular, had some really exciting leads in there by both Jimmy and Warren.

I went out into the cool night air with a smile on my face, Plucked the parking ticket off my car (no parking midnight until 6...didn't see the sign, got in the car at 12:11...rats...35 bucks!) and drove back to Oakland listening to the "Dark Star"> "Eyes" from the semi-recent '73 Dicks Picks...perfect!

I will definitely go see this band again. How about a nice run at the Greek?

I also enjoyed the harmonies on "inspiration," etc; nice touch. And I know I'm probably in the minority on this one, but I actually like "Self Defense" and liked it in that #2 slot. Nice little blast of Santanaesque stuff; always a good solo or two in there. (If Mickey had never written "Baba Jingo" you wouldn't be thinking about "self defense's" similarity to that tune. But SD actually has a melody and Mickey actually "sings" said melody decently.)

I'm not usually a big fan of Weir singing Jerry tunes, but thought he did a great job on both "Althea" (a definite highlight of the night) and "West L.A.," which was mostly really good (until Bob tried to do a fancy-Dan ending he couldn't pull off--one of the few actual miscures of the night. One of the others was, unfortunately, on the aforementioned "Stella," where Jimmy got COMPLETELY and UTTERLY lost on the solo--never seen him mess up that bad before. Maybe the tapes will reveal that I'm wrong about that one, but I don't think so.)

"Unbroken Chain" was a real treat. Phil sang it really well, great jam, etc. Really dug "Built to Last," too, with Warren giving that song plenty of heft...thought of Jerry when WH was singing the line about "one more star sinks in the past...."

Didn't know "All That We Are" but liked it. Something in the chorus really sounded like a '60s band to me (I remember thinking of Quicksilver or even Big Brother); not sure why. "Just A Little Light" is always hot...

Appreciated getting the 'Lost Sailor"/"Saint" and though they were having to work pretty hard to keep the "Sailor" together, they did ultimately, and the "saint" was a nice solid, rockin' payoff.

Drums seemed really short to me, but I could be wrong. There was a nice period when Phil and Billy were playing alone; very cool. "Space" was not super-spacy or long. Haven't read earlier reports, so forgive any redundancy on info like this: The jam before "Friend of the Devil" started out with Bob alone onstage with his acoustic guitar. Thgen he was joined by Warren for a short jam, then Jeff, then Phil, then the drummers, and that's when "Friend" emerged.

Kudos to Jeff, by the way, who brought a bit of jazz to nearly every solo he played

Blair Jackson's comments :
Mornin' all...
Had a great time last night seein' the new, and I must say, much improved lineup. I was one of those people who dug Joan's singing and liked what she brought to Garcia's songs, but I found that her NOT being there was fine; much less distracting, of course. Totally changes the vibe of the band, but in a good way, I think. Warren has the gravitas this band NEEDS, and, of course, the vocal prowess to pull off a "Stella" or--oh joy, joy, joy!--"Terrapin" (thanks for lettin' that one go, Phil!)

Wasn't until that "terrapin" that Warren totally cut loose, IMO. It's not that he seemed uncomfortable earlier; he was juck pickin' his spots, listening more. Jimmy seemed to be playing even MORE than usual, if that's possible, and louder, up until then, but the clash of three guitars I was expecting didn't really materialize. Bobby stayed out of Jimmy's and Warren's way quite effectively--I really dug the tone he had playing a telecaster most of the night...

Wooo!
I'm recovering from my night out... Sleep deprivation along with a tumble (I'm such a klutz!) I took on the street behind the Warfield has made me sore and lazy today...

Took the 5:04pm train (just down the hill from my house) up to San Francisco- arriving at station at exactly 5:42pm...Scott arrived about a moment later and off to Market street we sped. The neighborhood around the Warfield is a blend of theaters and peep shows. Even with "The Lion King" playing across the street from the Dead, we were still able to get a spot in the parking garage behind the Warfield. Scott had brought super burritos from the Mission for us..we caught up on our day and munched those burritos before leaving the car. As usual when the Dead play there, the sidewalks were filled with all sorts of deadheads, dogs, ticket scalpers and a limited number of peddlers. More than the average amount of kids holding up variations of signs looking for a miracle...There were absolutely NO tickets left. We ran right into Reisha - who had been in line all day, and she told us that all the Deadnetters in need, had been able to find tickets through the day! As predicted, the box office did release a very small wave of tickets sometime during the afternoon and our buddies had been waiting in that line there since very early in the morning . Later on, we learned that one of our friends had unfortunately purchased a bogus ticket from someone on the street and ended up having to leave :O(
The scene in line was basic chaos, though the doors were noted to have been opened at 7:00, we didnt enter the building until 8pm...the delay due to the abundance of bogus tickets- the staff was being extra vigilant in checking everyone's tix.
Finally, inside, connected with many friends, bought a diet cola and found the way up to our seats in the balcony. Imagine the surpise to find myself seated behind the famous GDTS Goddess, Ruby...Especially since we didnt make the cut with our mail order tickets this time around...We got our tickets from a friend, who had bought them from Ticket master in case she couldnt get in on mail order- she got her mail order floor- and gave us her balcony tix which landed us in a very nice part of the balcony- right by Ruby oooo the synchronicity of it all!
The show was fun! Of course!!! Our guy looked well from afar, all seemed happy. It was all enjoyable not quite on par with the smooth NYE show, but after all it was the first show of this configuration of players and the Warrenheads said that Warren had just flown in from Florida (Gov.Mule on tour?) and it was fun! I have already forgotten the order of all the songs but it was somewhere in the middle of MAMU that I first got lost enjoying myself in the Bobby moment. All I need is one Bobby moment..There were Brent tunes sung by Warren (wonderful voice for those)and also 'Madman across the water" which was unexpected (I've only been to/heard a few Phil shows) though it is known to be part of his repetoire. There were many highlights in this show for me..
Must attend to some things round here tonight- but hang around- I'll go try to dig Blair's review out of Deadnet and post it here...

Okay, well I love my Ratdog shows being only Ratdog, However-
this morning, I noticed in the Pinky (it's the Chronicle's entertainment guide) that Ratdog Fillmore shows will have opening musicians that go by the name of "The Waybacks"...I was disappointed and dubious..but then - thanks to Dave Rosenberg's Ratdog.org site, I was able to follow a link to The Waybacks website and am quite excited to see at first glance that they seem to be kinda folky and I've been on a real roll with folk music lately- My new family slideshow movie is set to a Nickel Creek song "When you come back down"...
Great choice (if there must be an opening act) !!!!!!!!
http://www.waybacks.com/index.html

Funny how things turn out...
Original plan was to see who could be rounded up to help answer phones for kpfa...Then there was the possibility of fumbling up to the Avalon to catch MK and Molo opening up for The David Nelson band...none of it came together...but I am listening to PigPen doing the Good Lovin thing off of KPFA as I'm blogging- final hour of the marathon..I pledged online a few hours ago..I will be very excited when my pledge gift arrives (Hard to believe I had managed to put off getting a copy of "The Illustrated Trip"til now, eh?)
After fiddling around on my homepages , I tried to watch Lord of the rings with my family but it just wasnt working for me...So, I retired to my room and began the remote roulette...I don't usually watch Country Music Television, but they were talking about murders..I pushed my Info button and discovered the show entitled "Controversy: Murder They Wrote-2004" was "A look at country songs about murder, includes interviews with Joan Baez, BOB WEIR, etc" How lucky was that? Bobby was among many folks (Tanya Tucker, Willie Nelson, Porter Wagoner) interviewed. Bobby's comments were about "Folsom Prison Blues" and "Goodbye Earl" ...
This is the second time Ive stumbled on Bobby on CMT. The other show is "Elvis" which shows up semi regularly on CMT. I'm not sure what the difference is between country and Folk.. I like em both.

Ah, a few more daze until Bobness with The Dead at the Warfield!
We've got seats in the balcony- splendid! I'm saving my strength for The Fillmore rail next month..Last Valentine's day, The Warfield was superpacked. The line wrapped all the way around the block-and it's a pretty long block. Since I won't be able to join the Deadnetters in doing line duty- I'm quite relieved to have seats-the floor is open space with some tables (most better floortables are reserved for VIPs)..It can be difficult to navigate and just way too crazy.

My son's new teacher is a deadhead-how about that?!
We got to talking and he said he has been looking everywhere for Dead tickets...Mr B. is one of 5 teachers at that school who are Deadheads, that I know of! Last December, I saw the 1st grade teacher and his wife then saw the 3rd grade teacher and her daughter at the SEVA benefit...The PE teacher used to do the Grateful Dead tours..Suzy, the kindergarten teacher has a picture of herself with our Bobstar (from the 80's) ..and Scott's cousin Andrew- (he was in the luxury suite with us on NYE in exchange for some kidsitting) works at the same school with all these charactors...he doesnt teach but works in the after school homework club.
This is so Bay Area!

Today is the best day I've had in a couple of weeks!
The learning different child was accepted back to his old school..the work will be difficult but the community of friends he had made there will see him through. I have read where our Bobstar had also struggled through school because of his own dyslexia. Having a brain that works in it's own unique way is said to make for an extra dose of creativity...
Meanwhile back in the cyber weir freak world, I have now received word (2nd time this week)that there just might be a UKDog in 2004..The dates are slightly different from the first round of rumors-and source unrevealed but even without confirmation from TPTB, I google trailed the source of the first rumor and found that such a person does exist and indeed is/has been involved in booking bands- including Ratdog. ...Of course, nothing is very certain until Bobdog puts the info out (and sometimes even then...)
at any rate, that anything is there to ponder, makes me happy!

LOL- How funny is this- another Ratdog blogger! Well sort of!
here

Superbowl and the Bobstar! Someone at DNC linked this article-

http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/football/article/0,1406,KNS_321_2623953,00.html

Well, this is an exciting development in the Warfield Dead show (one week away!) Phil Lesh's organization Unbroken Chain has released a bunch of tickets to eBay to auction off . The profits will be donated to helping schools..For a pair of Lower Loge (excellent seats) I might have to get in on the action..There are also the much sought after GA(floor)tickets available...
Check it all out @
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/unbrokenchainfoundation

OOPs!
While daydreaming about future Bobstar sightings, I forgot to mention in my prior post there's MK on Feb 13th @ the Fillmore with Jemimah Puddleduck! Opening for Sons of Champlin <- now that ought to be one awesomely sensational night!

Well, now it seems the eurotrader deal about Sept UK Bobdog is not a definate go. Management wouldnt confirm it ...But, still I'm hopeful...and it's still just January.
In the meanwhile, much to look forward to:
Dead to the World marathon (have I put up the url yet? It will be broadcasting online) on Feb 7th...If I can find a buddy to go with I hope to volunteer to answer pledge calls- I went with Gwen, Arrow, Evad and a few other Deadnetters to do that a few years ago. It was GREAT fun! Wavy Gravy was hanging out with us for a few minutes. Havent gotten it together to answer phones since, but have enjoyed listening- DG even answered my request that he dig up "Goodnight Irene" which I think was played NYE (my birthday) in 1982...
Then , on the 9th, there is the newest Dead at The Warfield ! I'm immensely grateful to Gwen for thinking of us. I'm hearing that only 1/4 of GDTSTOO orders were able to be filled. However, for the super serious ticket seeker there look to be a plethora of tickets available via EBay at double/triple prices...If a person feels lucky, a solution would be to be the first in line at the Warfield box office on the 9th. According to local lore and Legendary Rob, there is some funny little law (attributed to Bill Graham) that SF venues hold back selling a teeny percentage of tickets til the day of the show...I mightve passed on doing this or believing it but last year(Valentines Day Dead), the fellows in line with us did exactly that and ended up with prized floor tickets...
After the 9th, unless fate surpises us, we will have a few weeks and then the very very very long awaited set of Ratdog Fillmore shows! YAHOO!

Yes, things are looking better!
Scotto and I are Warfield bound and we owe it all to ((((Gwennie))). Gwennie was the 2nd Deadnetter we met- on New Year's @ the Kaiser, I think it was 1999...Locally, Gwennie is known for gifting concertgoers with buttons. I was priviledged to be shown the design for The Winter Jam and its terrifically appropo!

And to make an irenie even glowier, is that rumors of a late summer/early Fall Bobdog UK tour are starting up on the Eurotraders board...I'm not sure I know the Eurotrader who had brought it to the board but the Eurotraders that I know I met, seem to know the fellow and that's enough to get me wondering how I'm gonna work out an overseas tour during late September (Bobtember!)
Eurotraders are located @
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eurotraders/messages

I think this guy has been to Dead shows...
Thanks, Maz for the link!

http://www.theonion.com/4004/news2.html

Still dealing with a bit of a situation with one of the kinder...But, everything ought to be resolved by tomorrow afternoon ..or maybe not! The end of the world is not here yet but when one of my children is down, it affects me in the deepest darkest ways. Learning differences/Dyslexia ((Bobby)) may make for an extremely creative thinking and productive adult but from my front row observance/participation here in the "Mom" role, it doesnt make for an easy childhood at all.

Thank Dog there is music to help lighten things up!!

Meanwhile, though- the ticketmaster side of the Warfield Dead saga has ended... 9:30-ish AM on Sunday, Scotto was told to get up and get down to Tower Records his mission was to obtain those tix (which went on sale at 10AM)! While he did that, I was manning both the computer and the telephone...And I was sucessfully on line -tickets about to be purchased but I hesitated to jump in- instead, I asked the Ticketmaster lady to see where the seats were- in that very instant-my almost seats disappeared off the screen- The show had SOLD OUT right then and there at 10:01 Am...OUCH!!!!!!!!!!
Scotto arrived at Tower with moments to spare-fourth in line! Bonding with everyone in line and most assuredly telling everyone about our UK adventure...Only the first guy in line was able to purchase tickets at all...not a very sunny Sunday at all!
But, things quickly improved when a fellow Deadnetter who probably would prefer not to have his/her name mentioned, offered up a possible set of spares to us! Amazing! Wonderful! Terrific!!!
Wow!!!

Just a quick url to drop off-
http://www.fingerlakes1.com/addedstories/20031029105419.php

I was hoping to have a happy ending to coordinate with the tale of my mail ordering for Dead tickets for the upcoming Winter Jam but sadly, my money order was returned- we are embarassingly enough "the unchosen"...I checked-double checked-triple checked and beyond to be sure every detail was per GDTSTOO standards...It all looked fine - okay so, I didnt state a preference for floor or balcony- we were willing to take anything- was that the fatal flaw or were we just unlucky? I had the whole saga- how I decorated at least 12 envelopes, how we got the wrong kind of money order and had to exchange it then get the desired type...how we had the middle schooler tear her backpack apart in search of a 3x5 index card....

It's hard not to feel rejected...all my local Deadnet friends seem to get not just GDTS tickets- but really nice seats. Aw, well then again, they've been mail ordering forever and certainly deserve such for their loyalty there...

Here in the Bay Area lots of long time heads we knew-know, get tickets in mode that could be thought of as a spin on the parlour game called "6 degrees of Kevin Bacon" -Here it would be called "6 degrees of the Grateful Dead" ...Til lately, we were players...It goes like this- the longer one has been living in the area, the more likely it is that one will have some connection to someone who is in the Dead or associated with them...Example- A collector of old pocket watches comes into the shop where Scotto works, Scott developes an acquaintence with the collector-the collector turns out to be a powerbroker for a company that works with the Grateful Dead. He/She can get us tix/passes to just about any Dead show- just ring him/her up! He or she is only 2 degrees away from the grateful dead...One pal was always able to get tickets via his chiropractor-the chiropractor was also the chiropractor to a member of the band. Someone else was friendly with someone related to Bill Graham. A Rabbi we know somehow grew up knowing someone 1 degree away from the Dead and we see him in the good seats at most shows(when the show doesnt fall on Shabbat that is) and so it goes/went...
Meanwhile, our "friend" has moved on and others with connections are wary to trouble their people as this is going to be a rare and crazy night- the first hometown glimpse of Warren Haynes (another wonderful singer) as a member of the Dead...
Meanwhile, our next step in the quest for Dead Tix is to try Ticketmaster. One possible plan is to go down the hill and be the first one in line at the Tower Record TM outlet...or try online or via telephone...or try all 3 methods...if we end up with extras- we will make a few other unconnected folks really happy!
And if we don't get tickets thru today's efforts, it might work the other way round!
And if we can't find tickets- we will survive- Two nights of RatDog at the Fillmore is coming up next- and I could never stand to miss that!!!

Life as always is good except -Argh- family issues have taken over this week but hopefully everything will be back under control by tomorrow and I can swing back into my happy cyber weirld!

For the first time, Scott and I are trying GDTSTOO mail order for the Warfield Dead show...More details on that when I get back online...Tomorrow for sure!

wHOA! cRAZY HERE!!

Finally finished and posted my slideshow movie of the UK tour!

It's here:
http://homepage.mac.com/irenie2/RDUKTOUR/PhotoAlbum13.html
uh, wait- that's not it! But I think you can click on the link to get to it from there? Well, I'll figure it all out...

Kids are home in honor/celebration of {{{Dr MLK jr}}} and so my time online is limited (everyone wants to fiddle with new applications)...
Now gotta go get a envelope and decorate it! Tomorrow is gdtstoo mail order day for The Weirfield Show!!

WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Announcing "The Second Annual Winter Jam"
with The Dead: Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann,
Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, with Jeff Chementi, Warren
Haynes and Jimmy Herring.

Monday, February 9 at the Warfield Theater,
San Francisco, CA.
Doors open at 6:30 PM. Show time is 7:30 PM.

Mail order tickets are available at $54.00 per
ticket for both general admission on the floor
and balcony seating. Please specify.

Hey!
Hearing about a few more Bobdog dates coming up!
Excited to hear that Robin & Teresa may be coming over for The Fillmore shows!!
The following sounds like a commercial but I just can't keep it to myself!!
The latest distraction for me is having updated my Mac to OSX and also adding in the iLife 2004 apps..It's sooooo awesome! All my Eurodog & Marin Music Fest & NYE photos (THERE ARE HUNDREDS & HUNDREDS- this app can store up to 8,000 photos!!) only took about a minute for all to pop up. It's so freaking easy to enhance, edit,crop, retouch AND blow up & minimize each photograph- I may be here for the entire 3 day weekend!! Seriously. There's a whole new life or two for each picture- I've blown (LOL) Bobby up and cropped out the excess stuff and turned him into a sepia dream out of a photo taken from 100 feet away. I realize folks have been able to do this stuff via photoshop apps but I barely have time to blog let alone learn photoshop- the new ilife photo app is quick and easy! I need to find out what I need to do to put pictures up here on the blog so you can see what I'm talking about..I'll see if I have any room left at the Mac.com homepages and post a few.

What can be more fun than (as Mia described it) the "shell game" that goes with the first few daze of the announcement of Ratdog tour dates? One day they re listed as playing Ventura and Los Angeles- a few hours later Los Angeles is switched to Hollywood (HOB) and Ventura disappears. Dates get changed and the tour is suddenly all jigjagged...Since it seems I'm just going to the hometown shows it's more amusing than tragic...The bright spot is that the tourdates are being announced in a fairly timely manner compared to some of the past tours.....I wouldve loved to hit that Vegas show though...

I finally upgraded my mac to OSX and am having a bit of a challenge figuring things out. In a few days I will also be adding something called ilife 2004- which is the newest upgrades to some of the applications (I think they are applications- I really don't know what I'm talking about) Anyhow all of this is my explanation (excuse) for not blogging in as often as I can.

I'll try to get back on track here tomorrow- right now must upload some pix (my NYE Pix are on my homepages now)...

I thought it was today but I might be wrong but at any rate wishing a very Happy Berthaday to Mark Karan
and also to Bearlyanne! Goats do rule!!!!!!!

How cute is this?!
Florida Jen posted the link on the Weir page at Deadnet.
It's a site called "Rockin Roadies' and there's Bobby and crew!
Here's the url:
http://www.rockinroadies.com/

New Year's Eve Dead can be listened to at:

http://nugs.net/attics/031231_mp3.asp

I can't even believe The SF Chronicle published this miserable thing on their open forum today!

You may need to skip if incendiary anti Dead articles make your blood pressure shoot up!
Here is the url:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/01/09/EDG9Q45I4F1.DTL

Now, Below is what BlairJackson put up on Deadnet in response. I sure hope it gets published :

"Have no idea if the Chronicle will run my letter, but here was the response I fired off this morning in the heat of passion:

A letter…

What, pray tell, was the Chronicle’s point in running Chris Plunkett’s slam on hometown heroes the Grateful Dead on the Jan. 9 “Opinion” page? Besides the fact that it read like the hysterical ravings of some anti-drug government propaganda film from the late ’60s (or a John Ashcroft missive from ’00s), it was filled with inaccuracies: Garcia’s coma years before his death was not “drug-induced”; it was mostly a result of adult onset diabetes. The Dead’s “dancing bears” logo may have, in fact, at some point been printed on LSD, but so have images of Mikail Gorbachev, Opus the Penguin and dozens of other real and fictional characters. The dancing bears are just that: dancing bears having a good time! Leave ’em alone, you buzz crusher! True, the segment of music known as “space” may be more interesting to some if they are psychedelicized, but the bottom line is it’s just great freeform improvisational music, a chance for the musicians to stretch in interesting directions without the imposition of song form.

As for the rest of the article…well, it is not exactly news that the Dead and Deadheads were perched on the libertine edge when it comes to consciousness altering agents. And the Dead HAVE been bashed through the years about drug use--check the record! Yes, there have been folks, band members even, who carried their drug use too far and died as a result. But the overwhelming majority of people who have followed the Dead through the years have benefited immeasurably from joining on the “long, strange trip,” and from being part of a cultural atmosphere that encourages tolerance, brotherhood, ecstatic communion, spiritual, musical and psychic exploration, and fun with a capital F.

Blair Jackson
Oakland, CA


And I want to share Steve Silberman's great response, too, while we're at it:

Dear Editor:

Thank you for publishing Chris Plunkett's courageous op-ed piece on the Grateful Dead and their immersion in the drug culture. You will probably get hundreds of enraged letters from wild-eyed Dead fans decrying the lack of fact checking or timely relevance in Plunkett's piece, but I say, compared to the threat of reefer madness taking hold among America's youth, who cares about such elitist matters of journalistic "integrity"?
It's high time -- oh, sorry -- for the silent majority to speak out. Surely Plunkett could write similarly timely pieces on how Elvis' gyrating pelvis planted the seeds of the STD epidemic, and how the Beatles' suspiciously girlish "mop-tops" -- to say nothing of acid-addled lyrics like "I Am the Walrus" -- led several generations astray. The jazz "music" of known addicts like Charlie Parker, Billie Holliday, and John Coltrane, and the booze-fueled hallucinations of the Abstract Expressionist painters, are also worthy of Plunkett's wrath. I say it's never too late to save our children.

Steve Silberman
Cole Valley, San Francisco "

Yay! It's Friday!!
Received this news today-
More info when we get back late next week...

Jemimah Puddleduck is going to open for the Sons of Champlin on Friday,
February 13 at 9 pm at THE FILLMORE. Yep- fillmo debut. Spread the word.
www.thefillmore.com

Hey!
I'm listening to Ratdog Radio!
Here's the web addy:
http://www.gdradio.com/ratdogradio/

If you suspect 2 nights at the Fillmore might leave you sore or you just want to be a little decadent, there's the Kabuki Springs & Spa on the corner of Fillmore and Geary Streets in what is known as Japantown...I've been there before for a soak and a massage and it's clean, nice and the staff were very professional.....I'm very tempted to stop in there on my way to do line duty!

www.kabukisprings.com/

two more photosites- not sure if I already put them up?
CJ's site at:
http://live-dead.co.uk/

and Norman Sands' site at:
http://kingidea.com/

my kids are coming home tonight so that's about all the time I've got to blog for this evening!

woof!
New photos on the official site!

http://www.rat-dog.com/photos.html

This morning, Chuck aka Father Time was on KFOG speaking of his NYE experience...Of course he had a great time! Had his friends fly in from Utah to join in the fun. He got to watch the soundcheck, joined Mickey's party which was next door to his dressing room, appreciated the folks from Another Planet who sounded like they were the ones who handled his end of stuff. Said rehearsal didnt quite happen (might explain the deal with the spacecraft's untimely lift off). He didnt say who the kids on stage with him were, but that they were just as nervous as he was! They gave him a basket full of guitar pics, flower petals and I forgot whatelse to fling around. LOL, He said it was the longest he ever had to keep himself together at Dead NYE show...and of course, he's ready to it all again!

This is the url to Julie's(aka Graceful Dead from the Deadnet discussion group) tour memories journal (with photos)..She did the whole facepainting costume thing all over the states...You might recognize her sans paint from being in the photograph with Binki, Bobby and I at the SEVA post show reception.

http://www.gcalabels.com/too/

All this stuff about no Eurodog is upsettling. We look forward to returning and carrying on with all our new buddies.. I like to think Bobby is aware that he's really got a hand in creating what there is of the current Eurohead's scene.
Scott and I went to see Ratdog in 2002 in The Netherlands and Cologne..Plenty more people this year came to see him- imagine if Ratdog werent playing the same nights as The Rolling Stones! If there were tee shirts and what not available that wouldve helped too...Guess we need to be patient after all it's only January...Good time to start stashing the spare change for whatever comes up....
And speaking of what's coming up, there are Ratdog dates going up for more West Coast shows! Two Fillmore shows (HURRAH!) at the beginning of March!!! Dates in Ventura, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. being shown at the official Ratdog website-www.ratdog.com...

I'm still not done with all the stuff I need to do before resuming real life tomorrow...After such a fab Decembweir, there will be a nice quiet January. By February, Dog or Dead dates should continue to pop up...Scott is all set to go after Bobdog for his own birthday fun. And so it goes we blast off into 2004!

No word on Euro or the UK but lots of speculation. I found this online today- it's Kevin Shewan's 2003 UK Ratdog reviews (hope I got the name right!) Nice job! LOL- I saw he found some of my pictures-cool! Anyhoo here's the web addy (since I still havent figured out how to link stuff in here):

http://www.shewan.com/music/dead/ratdogastoria2003.html

I lost my place in the entire NYE review I started a few daze ago.
Let's see..Did I tell ya after I raced down to meet up with The DNCrs and Ratdog.orgers Reisha songled a huge group of folks in Happy Birthday - blush-blush! I hung out til the lights were dimming. Then I charged back up to the suite- grabbed a diet coke and Scott's 21 power Binoculars, settled back in a big leathery chair and turned all my attention to Robert Hunter! He played Ripple- an excellent NYE song and my number one choice for the set. Ripple says it all for how my year went...
Tween the Hunter and Funk Brothers set, Tree and I returned to the floor to find more familiar faces- and there was Shady Backflash! Shady was the first Deadnetter I ever met- He came to town for the Kaiser RAtdog NYE back in 98>99. I didnt know what he looked like-but he needed a place to hang for the night of the 25th- So, WE invited him for dinner, "How will I know who you are?" I enquired as I would be needing to pick him up at SFO..."I'll be the only 6ft guy standing there in a rainbow beanie with a propellar on top" and so it went!

OKay, setbreak over-back in the elevator to the suite.

THe Funk Brothers had us dancing- JOan Osborne came out and did some stuff with them and all too soon it was over...Tree and I ran back down to the floor but it was treacherous to try -even expect to get as far as the soundboard. To hundreds if not thousands of Deadheads, this was the point of the night to get as close in as possible to the stage. Tree and I were almost trapped in the deep middle but along came a blind man-red tipped white cane, and folks were kindly letting him move around-Tree and I lined up behind him and straggled back to the stairway- back up to the suite! The Dead came on and most of us were dancing. I loved being Dead Bobby Center even if it was a long way from the rail. The speakers were aimed right at us- nothing to block any of the view (The Mezzanine level is only suites- a flight of stairs away from everyone below). It was awesome!
Drat! Gotta blog off again!
But I won't forget-don't let me forget to mention the Bill Walton cake thang...lol!

Tonight I'll be getting back to Blog about the rest of the NYE extravallama but right now, I feel a real need to post my friend Reisha's special rant about The Dead. Sort of balances out or adds to Blair's review.Reisha worked for Bill Graham for years and sometimes still wears the blue coat at local shows- Okay, Here goes:

"as to The Boyz......well, boys will be boyz...... they can ( & damnwell DO) do whatever the fuk they want. some of it, i will love. some of it, i will not. & some of it ill have to turn to the folx next to me & scream 'DO THEY have TO DO THAT?!?!?!?!?' same as i ever did. so, no big surprise/change THERE. look at their entire history. t'aint nuthin but what what theyve ALWAYS done. continued. gone on. furthur. morphed, adapted, SURVIVED!!!!!! & folx can just go piss on their OWN damn cheerios if they're resistant to the changes, the evolution that continues. NO, it aint jerry. it aint pig, or brent, or keith. it aint Bill Graham. & weather its grateful, other, too, CRSB, or the dead........the elemental SPIRIT of creation thats unique to this scene, these individuals is still there. maybe a lil older, maybe a lil grittier, greyer, forgetfull-er, but goddamnit!!!!!
  it really irks me, some of the naysayers - kicking & screaming cuz it aint the 60's no more. well, if youre that ridgid & unflexible, that unwilling to consider, for a moment the possibilities......why then, in the fuk are you still trying to identify w/ it all? you missed the bus, get off & give the seat to someone who WANTS the ride?!?!
thats all. ill climb down off my soapbox now. but keep the railing, i mite need to get up there again..... "

Hey there!
My head is still spinning from NYE!
Scott is also still somewhat glazed over. It was just incredible fun.
Be patient with me as I wind down from the last week...
I have many notes of thanks to send out received lots of sweet gifts at the arena as well as from my little students (school resumes on Monday)...but don't let me forget to blog about my entrusting Bill Walton with a huge piece of Chocolate Decadence Birthday cake to pass on to friends behind the laminate curtain....That was crazy!! Need a little more time than I can muster up right now....

In the meanwhile, there's a campaign brewing over on the Eurodead boards to guarantee that Ratdog returns to Eurodog this Summer...And HOB in Anaheim (DisneyDog) is happening in February which indicates the possibility of a Bay Area Ratdog coming up (OH PLEASE!!!!!)

ignore the preceeding url-
to see the pix- you must login/register (it's free) here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DeadNetCentral/

sorry for the confusion!

Cool- here is where I was able to post some of my pictures- you will need to register or login into yahoo to view them, though.
http://login.yahoo.com/config/login?.src=gr&.done=http%3a//photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/deadnetcentral/lst%3f.dir=/%26.src=gr%26.view=t&.intl=us&.linkdone=http%3a//photos.groups.yahoo.com/

Blair Jackson has okayed my request to reprint his NYE review(originally posted @ Deadnet) on my iblog -So, here goes!
Blair Jackson-
My .02, FWIW. Had a great ol' time last night. Usual pre-show screw-ups--like trying to not open the lots until 4, despite the fact that folks like me showed up hours before that. So you've got folks driving around aimlessly for hours or (my choice) parking on weird side streets, lining up, then, when they opened the gates for cars (and people) at 3:30 (rather than 4 as they told all the cars they'd turned away)I had to re-park (for 15 bucks!). Line management was shoddy, the entrances inadequate and over-crowded. Not up to old BGP snuff, to be sure.

Once in, though, the vibes were good and surprisingly relaxed considering it was NYE. Helped that it was WAY not full. In fact, it wasn't until around the time the Dead came on that the upper reaches started to be populated at all. Well, the 70 buck ticket price was pretty intimidating to many (including me!). Tickets were much cheaper outside, of course.

Hunter came on a little after seven and played one of the best sets I've seen him do. Opened with a nice "Doin' That Rag," tossed a "Loser" in there, somewhere, and "Might As Well," but the coolest were the three newish songs (all post JG), including a new epic about keys to a room or some such, which had some very cool passages, as well as some odd chordal moments that could use some re-thinking IMO. But Hunter was ON, and the crowd was amazingly attentive for the most part--not always the case with his sets, I'm afraid. A GREAT "Standing on the Moon" was the big late winner...cut the "be with you's" (unfortunately) to charge right into a warm "Ripple." "Boys in the Barroom" is always a rousing good time, 'specially if it's been a good set, and this one was. Kudos to Mr. H. I'd love to see him go into a studio with a full band and record songs like "Keys to the Room" or whatever it's called), the magnificent "Blow Wind Blow" and any other new 'uns he has. Billy on drums. Phil on bass ('cause let's face it, he owes Hunter for delivering so many good lyrics the past few years), Barney Doyle on guitar...Great album there somewhere...

Funk Brothers were awe-inspiring on a certain level, and I basically dug their trip, though frankly, a lot of that material has been so over-played through the years, and because their arrangements are EXACTLY like the hit records, some of it was just like listening to a loud radio or a really good cover band. I liked what Joan added on her couple of tunes and really got off on a handful of favorites ("I'll Be There"! "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"). It was a little long for my tastes. Needless to say, it would've been a bit different if we he's had Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, Junior Walker and all the other "real" singers, rather than the very capable and talented but essentially faceless singers who did front the band. But only a Grinch would diss the Funk Bros. and you'll get no true diss from me. They rock!
Really enjoyed the Dead's first set, which had a disntinctly jammy second set feel for much of it, especially the whole "Westher Report Suite," with the long, long "Let It Grow." But we're jumping the gun..."Good Times" was sweet...but useless, just as it was with the Grateful Dead--a way to ease into the show, but without much to offer. (Did like Joan doing verse two, though) "Jack Straw" got things cooking, as it always does--very nice version. I still have the memory of the wonderful Shoreline "Peggy-O" in my head, and this one didn't kill me the way that one did, but it was still pretty nonetheless. Greg Osby was onstage for much of the night (less in the first set, I think) and he occasionally added some nice sax solos and punctuation. The guy definitely has chops, but IMO he rarely soared. He didn't have the Jerry-like melodic genius or assertive power of a Branford Marsalis, but he picked his spots pretty well. I was sick of saxophone by the middle of the second set, though. There's plenty of noise onstage and noodling without another solo element. Needless to say YMMV. Loved "Rubin and Cherise" (another Shoreline highlight). I am so pro-Joan. If ever a band needed a capable on-key singer, this is the one and she is it--she does justice to the Jerry tunes in ways that Phil and Bob do not. If this was her swan song, I bid her a fond adieu. "Rider" was a nice kick-ass ending to a very strong set.

The midnight moment was a total bomb, a mess-up that must have had Bill Graham spinning in his grave. At about ten til midnight, a huge flying saucer started decending slowly from the ceiling and gliding across the crowd toward the stage. There were a few blips and pops and odd sound effects, but NO music or giant build up, and it's still not exactly clear to me what the point was. It finally ended up hovering over the front lip of the stage, but there was no one onstage, and as I said, no music of any kind. It stayed there a minute, then slowly made its way back up to the rafters without anything having emerged from the spaceship or having any interaction with anyone on the (empty) stage. Bizarre. So there we were at five to midnight with the big visual effect over, still no band onstage. Finally, someone started the countdown (beginning at 8!)there was the big Happy New Year moment, balloons and confetti falling (actually, the one over us wouldn't open at first)..but still the stage was empty! For the second year in a row, we had a music-less New Year's moment! How lame is that?! At last the band came out and whipped out the expected (and greatly appreciated) "Sugar Magnolia"--a full version with SSDD. Excellent! Joan looked fantastic in her slinky black dress and New Year's top hat! Style-y! That was then followed by a typically explosive "Saint Stephen" (complete with "High green chilly winds..." Yay! My first time ever hearing it live...when I started seeing the band in '70, they'd dropped it already). "Born Cross-Eyed" was also cool. I kind of thought the rest of the set would build on this raucous energy, but it quickly turned spacey (neat "Mountains of the Moon" in there somewhere)and it really ended up being a pretty spacey affair for most of the show. Now, normally that would be exactly what I like the most--I'm a jam man through and through--but quite frankly, last night I was in a rockin' mood and the second set didn't satisfy me in that regard. I thought there was an awful lot of what felt like pretty aimless jamming in between fine versions of a whole slew of great songs: "Dark Star" (another complete version), "The Wheel," etc. Can't truly complain about the songlist, I guess...just the pacing of the set which was so drawn-out and lacking in focus--having Greg Osby up there did not help that.

Encore was nice treat--Joan warbling "Must've Been the Roses" and what seemed like it was going to be "Help-Slip-Frank," but there was such a bloody trainwreck as the band attempted to shift gears going back into the last part of "Slipknot," that it crashed to nothing, but the jubilant "Truckin'" emerged--I was happy to be rockin'!

All in all, a fine time...

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!2004!!!!!!!!!
I'm so tired- what a fun couple of nights! Got to bed about 5am...Geez, where to begin??
The show on the 30th was a good one- basic. No openers They came, they played, we danced -essentially a warm up for the high energy fun we were treated to last night.

The day started with birthday calls from my family (still all in Hawaii for another week) and friends. Fiddled around until 4:20pm when our old buddy Ron came by to pick up the kid and I, then off to The Millers. Left the kid with the Millers' boys (they babysat) Ron and I jumped into Dave & Hillary's van from there and on to the Arena. Because, we had our suite, we spent as much time as possible checking out the goods on Shakedown Street. Lots of fun trinkets . Hillary is an artist also-she
has a studio and works in ceramics and watercolors. I believe her website is www.hillarymiller.com.....We enjoyed all the inspirational goodies on view. The Lot venders were starting to roll up their wares and so we four marched to the Arena. Once indoors we took the elevator to the Mezzanine level, had hands and tickets stamped with matching numbers- this makes attempts of "stubbing up" rather futile.
Our suite was exactly across from the stage. In the entrance, there was a big coat closet and a large bathroom. The room was like a living room- two couches, a coffee table a countertop with a sink a fridge and an ice machine. Where a wall would be normally be, there was a bar area with barstools..beyond that were steps that lead down to balcony type of area with two rows of 6 big comfy leathery chairs. Lots of space and leg room. There were 2 TVs, during set breaks, we turned it on to see New Year's breaking in assorted time zones as well as to check the weather as a storm was on the way.Our balcony was separated from our neighbors by walls of plexiglass. Very cool- we could see each other but were unable to hear them unless we swung our heads out off the (low) balcony. Very nice fun people to our left and to our right! Scott and Arrow and Tree were already at home in the suite when we arrived. Scott had arranged for some catering so the fridge was prestocked with waters, beer and sodas. Champagne was on ice in the ice machine. Munchies (chips, salsas,veggies & dip and popcorn) were all around. Later on, right before midnight, Chocolate birthday cake(delicious!) and coffee with cream were delivered. A little later, Tim and Linda treated everyone to a late night supper of
hot dogs, Caesar salad and chips!!!
Next to arrive was Andrew and Rachel, then Moon.

I took a few moments before the show was too begin to go down by the soundboard and wish my friends from Deadnet and Ratdog.org a Happy New Year! I met some folks I've only been familiar with from the internet. It's always great to meet in 3-d when the opportunity arrives. Hopefully, I'm not leaving anyone out but there have been all sorts of substances playing in my system since then but...(((((The Queen of Diamonds, The BQ, StaggerCT, Cheffy, EBeth, Boston Steve, Cali, Mazzy, Gwen, Reisha, GracefulDead, CDawg, DireWolfie, Rose, Katrinka,Twirl Girl, Boots,PEACE!, Shady Backflash, OMigod- so many more folks!!!!)))) I think I'm gonna need to take a nap before I can venture forth with the show..
Be back when I can....Got loads of photographs! One can be seen on the homepage of www.theotherones.net.