LETTER FROM BOB WEIR

Dear Friend:


I'm writing to ask you to help support an important organization, the Global Security Institute, in its efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons. http://www.gsinstitute.org/ Also, I'm inviting you to share in an exciting evening:the theatrical premiere of the movie FESTIVAL EXPRESS in San Francisco on July 12th. http://www.festivalexpress.com/


I have two beautiful daughters and I look into the pools of wonder in their eyes and don't want them to ever witness a mushroom cloud. But, the danger still hangs over our heads.


Nuclear weapons are a history of stupidity: over $5 Trillion dollars already spent, over $100 Million spent now per day, missile defenses no better than duck and cover but much more expensive. Can you imagine that there are thousands of pounds of inadequately safeguarded nuclear materials in the US and Russia, that we still have thousands of weapons on hair trigger alert poised to rocket us all into oblivion, just like the Cold War never ended. The idea that several nations, less than ten, can have them, threaten to use them and then tell everyone else they cannot have nuclear weapons, is a global apartheid that is unsustainable. The public denial and silence regarding this extraordinary threat looks like a sleep walk into Armageddon. We must work together to get rid of them all.


Can you imagine that Bush had the "nuclear football" with him when he met the Pope recently? http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=523524§ion=news


We can help. The Global Security Institute (GSI) is serious and effective in working toward to the elimination of this ultimate evil, nuclear weapons. And, indeed, under current policies we are in a race against time. I strongly support their efforts and urge you to do so as well. Their web site, http://www.gsinstitute.org/ is filled with useful, relevant and inspiring information.


FESTIVAL EXPRESS is a rousing record of a little-known but monumental moment in rock n' roll history, starring such music legends as Janis Joplin, The Band, and the Grateful Dead. Set in 1970 - and consisting largely of footage that hasn't been seen anywhere since - it chronicles the eponymous event, which followed on the heels of Woodstock. 


The premiere is being held for an exclusive audience, and will be followed by an after party at the Great American Music Hall, with a live perfomance by the Waybacks. We've been given 50 tickets for the event and we decided to help GSI and its work. So, we're offering them to friends who purchase them on eBay where the minimum price is $150. Oh yes, a substantial portion of the cost is a tax deductible donation. The proceeds will go to GSI to help get rid of nukes. 


If you cannot attend but want to help GSI, please go to http://www.gsinstitute.org/gsi/donate.html
We must save our forests, we must save our hearts, we must save our country, but, if nukes go off, there will be nothing left to save. So, I am encouraging your help.


Sincerely,
Bob Weir


P.S. FESTIVAL EXPRESS will be in theaters starting July 23rd. Check http://www.festivalexpress.com/ for local theaters.

Dontcha just hate it when real life gets in the way of the cyber thing?

One thing I dont hate is that
I GOT AN INVITATION TO THIS!!!:
"A private premiere of Festival Express is scheduled for Monday July 12th.
This is a closed screening with celebrities, the Dead, musicians, etc… with an after party at Great American Music Hall.

The public Premiere will be in San Francisco, July 23rd
NY & LA on July 30th
and a national rollout in August and September.
Detailed schedule of showings to be posted soon.

There will be a private screening of the movie in San Francisco on July 12th, with an after-party at the Great American Music Hall."

wooooohoooooooo!

Happy July!!
I've been awol for week or so- there's been all kinds of workers painting and patching up the house as its on the market-then thereve been keyboard problems AND a big ugly cut on my right hand that had to be tightly stitched...toss in that kids are home and none of it is conducive to keeping a firm eye out for Bobformation...Or for major reviewing, I will say Bobby was in fine form at the 2 Dead shows I went to here in California last weekend.
Found a link for those of you who get how to download stuff:
http://www.sharingthegroove.org/msgboard/showthread.php?s=850108f5c2146e8ba377beab76267890&threadid=77347&highlight=hagar

Phone just rang- More people coming to view the house (the dog is gonna have a nervous breakdown any minute from spazzing out everytime the doorbell rings)

ARGH!!!
Not.just.a.broken.keyboard...but...7.stitches.in.my.right.hand.from.mishandling.
glass!
But,.Heres.Beth`s.review.of.The.Dead.in.Colorado..which..was,,posted..on..DNC..today~
Castle, I think you gave me good setlist luck on Saturday night, cuz we got 6 Bobby originals -- that's as many as he played at the previous four shows combined. But I stand by my suggestion that his tunes are not this band's strong suit.

I liked the band better this time than I have in the last few years, and I thought it was much improved over NYE. The core four sounded great; they were turned up loud, and I had no trouble hearing Bobby over Jimmy and Warren. I thought Jimmy was much more subued than he's been in the past, which imho is a good thing. The setlist flowed better than the shows I saw last year, and the jamming was generally more succinct. Phil mostly let the music proceed without talking into the mic (with a few exceptions), and I thought Phil's and Mickey's vocals were just fine for the tunes they sang. Billy and Mickey at the Rocks are always a treat, and I loved hearing Jeff as the only keyboard player.

My biggest complaint is that I still don't like listening to Warren or Jimmy. Everyone kept telling me how great Warren is, how much he really makes the band, how he brings so much to the music ... so I was completely prepared to share that view. But honestly, I do not dig either of those guitarists. And I know many folks will think I'm crazy for saying this -- indeed, I never thought I would feel this way -- but I'd rather hear Phil sing Terrapin than Warren. Not that Warren did a bad job -- really, he's a perfectly fine guitarist and singer. It's just that he makes everything sound so generic, to my ears anyway. I just don't connect to his playing or his vocals.

But I did enjoy the show -- much more than I expected to -- partly because it was so easy to tune out Warren and Jimmy and just focus on the 5-piece band that held my interest. It was great to dance to those guys again, and I thought there was a great vibe at the show. Finally met LS3 (there were lots of guys in straw cowboy hats, but only one who was also wearing an I Like Bobby sticker!). The weather was perfect, the lights were great, it was a high quality entertainment package. I'd go again, but at this point I wouldn't travel more than an hour from home. Regardless, it was a relief to finally hear the boys again without being disappointed.

Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir to sing National Anthem at Dodge/Save Mart 350


by John Cardinale


SONOMA, Calif. -- Legendary singer/songwriter Bob Weir will sing the national anthem at Infineon Raceway for the Dodge/Save Mart 350 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup event, June 27.


Weir is best known for forming one of the Bay Area’s most legendary musical groups, the Grateful Dead, which also featured the late Jerry Garcia. Weir secured his place in history as co-vocalist and guitarist for the Grateful Dead, with such classics as “Truckin,” “Sugar Magnolia” and “American Beauty.”


The group, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, was formed in 1965 and still tours to this day. Weir, who was born in San Francisco in 1947, also plays with his current band, RatDog. Weir has also performed the national anthem for the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Raiders.


Most recently, Weir released a two-CD retrospective on his legendary career entitled “Weir Here” in March. The package includes 26 songs he has recorded over the past 33 years, both in concert and in the studio.

yes,
still
keyboard
impaired
as
well
as
goin
crazy
packin
up
4the
move
but
here
is
a
review
of
the
dead
at
Bonneroo
last
weekend....
dead review from the roo
Author: mudbather (65.54.98.---)
Date:   06-14-04 19:38

there have been some great reviews of the show already, but here's a little bit of my experience, we saw the show from backstage (very friggin lucky)

first off- we made it to the rear during mule's set- at this time bobby's guitar tech was tuning up his guitars and mickey and billy were hanging out checking out their equipment, jeff was just kind of hanging out. at one point Billy had the guitar tech fix his sunglasses, we had a pretty good laugh watching that one (he finally added some oil to the left hinge, that made billy pretty happy).

we took off after soulshine (which was just scorching, easily warren's best contribution to music ever), and waited through the rain delay before getting back to outr primo location- mickey was close to the stage playing along to winwood's set on a drum pad, winwood was really something, i missed the first part of last year's summer tour- so my first time seeing him in a while... low spark was incredible, we were shocked that warren did not show up for any of this stuff, i guess the clones were in another part of the venue...

then the rain really started up, coming down hard enough to rip the covering of the stage in parts, really terrifying stuff

backstage antics- phil and jill were all over each other like kids on prom night, it was pretty funny. jimmy and warren rapped pretty much the entire time until the okay sign was given, mickey had someone backstage help him put on his gloves, and he also had robbie move a piece of equipment so he could step up on a platform without exerting himself- that was really funny to watch.

there was a setlist in front of each band member, we weren't able to read it clearly until during drums, so here are some thoughts on the set list and other facets of my vantage point:
1. the setlist was played verbatim except for the addition of box of rain
2. there was a definite lovelight tease before help>slip, though the setlist had lovelight after franklin's
3. there was a jackstraw tease in numerous parts of the first set, i thought the one before jed was the biggest, i was wondering if the band was doing this to screw with the audience, or if they remembred they were supposed to play jack straw and just couldn;t remember when (oh yeah, we're supposed to play this first, it's on the sheet)
4. the band seemed somewhat unprepared for bobby mcgee, they almost acted as if bobby wasn't supposed to play it (his guitar tech was surprised for him to play his acoustic guitar two songs in a row)
5. chimenti and herring watch each other most of the time, they kind of look through warren, bobby and phil to direct jams, watch for this this summer- they really play well off of each other, maybe better interplay than anywhere else in the band...
6. during franklin's jimmy mouthed "WOW" to someone off stage, i think it was the first time he noticed the sea (and I mean sea) of people in front of him


lastly,
after lovelight, Bobby and Phil played a game of Paper, Rock, Scissors- phil seemed to win the first game, and after some debate, they played again and again phil won- i am not sure if this was for who would play the first encore or who would make the political speech...
after phil's organ rap (wouldn't it be nice if he said this in other parts of the set... help>slip>donor rap>etc...) bobby talked about Head Count (which he called Move On until he was corrected) and how we should all register to vote and actually vote- while he never said which party to vote for, he did point out that if we took the time to vote we could actually make a change...


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keyboard
still
misbehaving!
another
report
on
yesterdays
bobby
thing!


Posted by Tony Bano (165.125.33.x) at 10:29:26 on June 11, 2004:
(Follow-up to Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: meet bob weir on thursday posted by Tony Bano at 16:58:51 on June 9, 2004)
Well what can I say, IT WAS AWESOME!! Incredibly intimate. There was approximately 40 people in this small studio. We all got very nice laminated badges on a beaded chain to wear while we were in the building and we got to keep them. They are very cool. I lucked out and wound up front row on the aisle right in front of Bobby and right in front of where he played. I was appoximately 9 ft from him the entire time. It was really quite unbelievable. Prior to him coming out they asked us if any of us wanted to ask any questions and they gave you a piece of paper with a number. I got #4. It was set up where the interviewer asked him some questions and then the audience asked a question or 2 and then he would play a song or 2. He played 5 songs all acoustic. His voice sounded great. He did have a few lyrical flubs but he and the audience laughed them off. He was definitely having a good time. They asked us to make some noise for him when he came out and lets just say when this is eventually broadcast it will sound like there's about 100 people in there. I believe I was the loudest and he kinda looked at me a little funny the first time. He had to walk right past me when he was returning to his seat after playing. The front row gave him a standing ovation after each song and as I was clapping I could have reached out and slapped him and I think he was a little blown away by the crowd reaction. I mean I was screaming and clapping like a nut. He then got used to it and he really seemed to relax. He did 5 songs, K.C. Moan, Friend of the Devil, Me and Bobby McGee, Jack Straw and Throwing Stones. After Jack Straw, during the standing O, I was giving him a few ''we're not worthy'' bows ala Wayne's World and he was smiling and gave a few bows back. It was REALLY cool. He did a bunch of bows after Throwing Stones which wapped up the show. The audience got to answer back the ''ashes to ashes all fall down'' during throwin' .

When I got to ask my question about halfway thru the show I said something like: Hi Bob, my name's Tony and my brother Joe says hi, He goes who? and I say my brother Joe says hi. He goes Hi and makes a goofy face and gives a funny wave. That cracked my brother up. Anyway, I go. I'm a huge fan and love Ratdog. I was at Penn's Peak and just thought that that show was awesome. A lot of people wanted me to ask you if Ratdog would do 2 shows there in the fall, and he starts to answer and I keep talking saying preferably on a Friday and Saturday for those of us who are travelling. He kinda laughs at that and say they really had a great time there and loved the venue and that he thinks that will happen. He said they had been discussing it and they felt they should do 2 shows there this coming tour. I said thanks and then asked a followup question regarding the Jay Lane thing. I asked if the Ratdog we saw in the spring was going to be the same ratdog we see in the fall. He said yes that's what we try to do. we've been playing together for awhile and we like it so I would say yes. A little more elaborate than that but that's the gist of it.

After the show we had a meet and greet and he was extremely cool and laid back. My friend and I got a very nice picture with him and I got a nice one of him alone. He was signing anything nd he was just extremely cool. I talked to him a few times and mentioned Ratdog.org. I shook his hand like 4 times. Made a couple jokes at him and he kinda laughed.

It was all good.

jilly
checks
in
at
last!

jillybean - 05:49pm Jun 10, 2004 PDT (#3265 of 3266)
she always liked to sing along

the order went:

interview
K.C. Moan@
Friend of the Devil@

interview
Me and Bobby McGee@

interview
Jack Straw@

interview
Throwing Stones@

it was SUPER COOL!! the studio place was way cool. there was 40-50 people there. dennis mcnally was doing the "fronting" for bobby thing.

we all need to show IDs to get in. then we get laminates like we're real back stage schmoozers or something. i was happy with the laminate. we have to sign to consent to being filmed. the whole thing was filmed for a potential series (or somehting along those lines). then we go into the waiting area. we pass all these little rooms (little broadcasting studios, i think). most have names - i guess they coorespond to the channels on the radio.

anyway - i kinda let time slip by, so i have NO idea how long any of this lasted. we waited for a while and then go into the "venue" - which was kinda like a cross between a little tiny venue and a recording studio. there was a stage with 2 chairs and a table and an acoustic guitar mic set up off to the side.

I got a front row seat - all the way on the left (bobby's side) right in front of the guitar mic setup. the interview, george taylor morris, tells us that he's gonna bring out bobby, we should give big cheers and acts if anybody has any questions. my hand shoots up and i get question #1. lucky me.

they talk. i think they started with ((( ray charles ))) and bobby called him a pioneer in improvisational rock.


bobby is wearing a well worn green polo, greenish shorts (in the high tech fabric - although a very nice 5 or 6 inch inseam) and green birks. they talk about lots of stuff we already know about. new tour. new band. new guitar (adopted family story/guitar story).

bobby is kind and gracious. then the interviewer says we can go either 2 ways bobby singing, or questions. and, me, being the fuckhead that i am, only heard "the questions" part - and i was 1/2 way up before i realized i'm a doofus and he should sing. but i was there so i asked.

basically, my question was "in the later brent years you traded vocals with him a lot, is there anybody in particular that you enjoy trading vocals with now" and he gave me the pat answer that he trades with everybody. question #2 gets up. i don't remember it. it was better than mine, though.

then he did KC moan and cassidy.

back to interview. talked about robin. he basically said (and i'm really NOT putting words in his mouth) that the band (ratdog) encouraged him to "fire" rob and get an electric bass player.

then he talked a bit about how they never rehearse how to end songs. he said that they sometimes rehearse how to go from one song into another song and about 1/2 the time they actually do that. but they rarely rehearse how to end the songs (really!).

he did me and bobby mcgee after telling the story and he and janis on the festival express. then he talked more about "of mice and men" and then played jack straw. more talking. somewhere in there was some political talk - but not so political. more a "get out the vote effort" than politics. but he clearly is not happy with the current administration.

then he ended with throwing stones. i was thrilled (a sing-a-long)!

then we waited back in the same area. he had to talk to a reporter first. then he came out and took pictures with anybody who wanted one. then he signed anything that anybody wanted signed. he was quite gracious and kind (i think i already said that).

IT WAS A VERY FUN AFTERNOON!!!!


the dude asks about the new generations of fans and he went off on some tangent about how we're all kindred spirits. it was weird but i do agree that there is a "get it" or "don't get it" quality to the music.

jilly
checks
in
at
last!

jillybean - 05:49pm Jun 10, 2004 PDT (#3265 of 3266)
she always liked to sing along

the order went:

interview
K.C. Moan@
Friend of the Devil@

interview
Me and Bobby McGee@

interview
Jack Straw@

interview
Throwing Stones@

it was SUPER COOL!! the studio place was way cool. there was 40-50 people there. dennis mcnally was doing the "fronting" for bobby thing.

we all need to show IDs to get in. then we get laminates like we're real back stage schmoozers or something. i was happy with the laminate. we have to sign to consent to being filmed. the whole thing was filmed for a potential series (or somehting along those lines). then we go into the waiting area. we pass all these little rooms (little broadcasting studios, i think). most have names - i guess they coorespond to the channels on the radio.

anyway - i kinda let time slip by, so i have NO idea how long any of this lasted. we waited for a while and then go into the "venue" - which was kinda like a cross between a little tiny venue and a recording studio. there was a stage with 2 chairs and a table and an acoustic guitar mic set up off to the side.

I got a front row seat - all the way on the left (bobby's side) right in front of the guitar mic setup. the interview, george taylor morris, tells us that he's gonna bring out bobby, we should give big cheers and acts if anybody has any questions. my hand shoots up and i get question #1. lucky me.

they talk. i think they started with ((( ray charles ))) and bobby called him a pioneer in improvisational rock.


bobby is wearing a well worn green polo, greenish shorts (in the high tech fabric - although a very nice 5 or 6 inch inseam) and green birks. they talk about lots of stuff we already know about. new tour. new band. new guitar (adopted family story/guitar story).

bobby is kind and gracious. then the interviewer says we can go either 2 ways bobby singing, or questions. and, me, being the fuckhead that i am, only heard "the questions" part - and i was 1/2 way up before i realized i'm a doofus and he should sing. but i was there so i asked.

basically, my question was "in the later brent years you traded vocals with him a lot, is there anybody in particular that you enjoy trading vocals with now" and he gave me the pat answer that he trades with everybody. question #2 gets up. i don't remember it. it was better than mine, though.

then he did KC moan and cassidy.

back to interview. talked about robin. he basically said (and i'm really NOT putting words in his mouth) that the band (ratdog) encouraged him to "fire" rob and get an electric bass player.

then he talked a bit about how they never rehearse how to end songs. he said that they sometimes rehearse how to go from one song into another song and about 1/2 the time they actually do that. but they rarely rehearse how to end the songs (really!).

he did me and bobby mcgee after telling the story and he and janis on the festival express. then he talked more about "of mice and men" and then played jack straw. more talking. somewhere in there was some political talk - but not so political. more a "get out the vote effort" than politics. but he clearly is not happy with the current administration.

then he ended with throwing stones. i was thrilled (a sing-a-long)!

then we waited back in the same area. he had to talk to a reporter first. then he came out and took pictures with anybody who wanted one. then he signed anything that anybody wanted signed. he was quite gracious and kind (i think i already said that).

IT WAS A VERY FUN AFTERNOON!!!!


the dude asks about the new generations of fans and he went off on some tangent about how we're all kindred spirits. it was weird but i do agree that there is a "get it" or "don't get it" quality to the music.

Apparently when it rains, it pours! Jilly just got a ticket to this:

From Deadnet events hotline-
WILL YOU BE IN THE D.C. AREA ON THURS?????


We have 15 seats for a free and intimate performance/interview session
with Bob Weir at XM. The format is like Inside the Actors Studio.
Here are the details:

Bob Weir @ XM
Date: Thursday, June 10, 2004
Time: 3 p.m.
Taping lasts 90 minutes followed by a "meet and greet"
Place: 1500 Eckington Place, NW
Washington, DC 2002

RSVP: events@xmradio.com

Sorry to be off Blog for so long!
Until today there hasnt been much Bobby activity to tell...Guess he's actually relaxing for a change! Resting up for Summer fun! We've been busy packing up our house and getting ready to sell it...Cant wait to move to the new place but that won't be happening til after Shoreline Dead...
Finally a Bobby event tomorrow! Word is that Senor Bob will be calling in to Al Franken's radio show- Of course, it's happening while I'm at my last day of teaching for this year..
Info such as weir and when can be found here:
http://www.super62.com/main.html

Okay- back to my packing - Hopefully someone will take notes on the Franken thing for us!

Namaste!

Hey Now, It's a busy time for Scott & myself as we are bidding on a new house...when things settle down, I'll eventually put some type of report up- not that there is much to add to all these detailed reviews!
Here's Matty's review of 5/22/04

_matty - 11:26pm May 23, 2004 PDT (#2588 of 2639)
Lenny Bruce is not afraid.......

Sorry I missed ya at Slim's Paul. I never got to move around too much once I found my spot.

I got there about 5 minutes before the show started and made my way up to the front w/o much trouble. I found katrinka, kemmy, irenie and scott right away and the party ensued from there. By 9PM it was getting REALLY crowded behind us, but up front it was not bad at all. It was SO crowded in the middle that I guess people must have been thinking "wow, if it's this crowded here it must be way worse up front". Not so. We all had enough room to move and everyone up front was respectful. And to make things even better there was a nice breeze blowing on us all night which made things 100x better. Oh, and the music. I almost forgot.

I'm not going to get into the fine details, but let me start by saying it's the best show I've seen so far this year. The music was strong from start to finish with very few exceptions. The first 2 sets featured several of the best Bay Area musicians going back 40+ years. Nick Gravenites was a lot of fun, the classic blues sound he has perfected is a mainstay in American culture. Seeing David Nelson and Peter Rowan on the same stage was worth the price of admission in itself. The one lull in the five and a half hour show came at the beginning of the 3rd set, but it was fleeting and once Bobby took the stage everything took off. Masterpiece was great. Desolation Row was fun to hear. I was hoping to hear some Hornsby-style Accordian playing from Pete Sears during Desolation but it didn't seem like his mic was working. The Sat Night was awesome w/Bobby and Warren exchanging some incredible solos throughout. I have to say, those 2 play well together. That was one of the highlights of the evening for me. Even the final jam was fun featuring the 3rd Bobby appearance of the evening for The Weight.

The one person I can think of right away who probably should have been there is Grace Slick. I'm sure Spencer would have requested White Rabbit though and apparently she has vowed to never sing that song again. Bummer. I would add Paul Kantner to the list as well, but then we would have run the risk of getting to hear "We built this city" which would have tainted the whole evening.

I had a great evening from start to finish. But then again, I was with friends, we were w/in 10' of the stage, plus we had fresh air and enough room to breathe it. I guess for someone half way back, where it was hot and all you could smell all night was the b.o. of the 5 people squashed up against you, the experience may have been a little less enjoyable. I couldn't read the entire room capacity # on the sign, but I know the first # is a 4. I think it may have said 406. It felt like there was upwards of 500 people in there though. I have a feeling that people who showed up w/o a ticket and had $40 were allowed inside seeing as how it was a benefit. One of the ushers said it was the most crowded she has ever seen it in there. So, in other words the show was a major success. Woohoo!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
_matty - 11:38pm May 23, 2004 PDT (#2589 of 2639)
Lenny Bruce is not afraid.......

Of course no show would be complete w/o at least one freak trying to ruin it for everyone. This particular lady had some real hard energy. Kind of like a mean drunk, but she wasn't drunk at all.
She was just plain crazy. She managed to bad vibe everyone w/in 10' of her before she got herself kicked out of our space. Geez, what is it with people like that. It seems like there's always one at every show, and they always seem end up near me or one of my friends. Crazy lady got in front of katrinka at one point and was making a nuisance of herself. I was seconds away from grabbing her and taking her elsewhere but fortunately she moved and spared me the unpleasantness.

Again- another Review! This one from Paul:

Paul Wozniak - 04:52pm May 23, 2004 PDT (#2583 of 2585)
I don't know, maybe it was the roses

Spencer Dryden Barn Raiser

The evening kicked off with Nick Gravenites and the original "Animal Mind." Doug Kilmer, Nick's bassist of many years came out of retirement for the benefit. He's been retired for close to 10 years now. The will call line was slow, and the show started early....I walked in on the 3rd song which was Flag (Long Lonesome Road). Next up was a standard Nick blues number, I forget which one....Greg Elmore (QMS) was on Drums. David Freiberg then joined, along with Harvey "The Snake" Mandel, and the band ripped an awesome Pride of Man! Wow! Nick then did a dedication to Spence, and funnily enough played "Funky News", asking Spence not to take it personally, LOL!Let's Get together followed, with Terry Hagerty joining with some sweet riffs. The set closed with Born in Chicago. Great stuff. I was so psyched to see Nick, and he delivered in spades.

DNB was up next. I forget the opener, but John Harding’s Wedding was second. David then did a great version of "Oh The Wind and Rain". Here is where IMO they really took off. Peter Rowan joined for great versions of Panama Red, Lonesome LA Cowboy and Midnight Moonlight. Tremendous. Barry Sless was really "on" all night. I've always loved Rowan, and he fit right in. They squeezed a little bit of Free Mexican Air Force in the middle of Panama Red (another Rowan dope song). It was sweet. Another DNB tune and then Weir joined. After a miscue starting "The Wheel" (DNB does it slightly differently then the Dead), they really grooved on the tune. A rousing Cumberland ended the set. Weir sounded and played great. He sang, instead of talking the verses.

Wavy Gravy mc'd between sets, and did a nice tribute to Spence, who was pretty choked up and gave a short speech.

Next up was Flying Other Brothers. These guys are just plain bad, but money buys you access. Fortunately, Barry Sless and Pete Sears were on stage and made them bearable for the two or three tunes they played before Weir hit the stage. Bobby did great versions of FOTD, Masterpiece and Cassidy (with Sless ripping it up and sounding just like Jerry). Warren then joined and took it up another notch, playing great subtle slide on Desolation Row (an odd choice, IMO). Warren sand a great version of "It Hurts Me Too." We were treated to a rousing Aiko-Aiko, and Warren kicked ass on Sugaree. Definitely his signature Garcia tune. Saturday Night followed, a classic Saturday rocker, they had to play it! Oddly enough, Pete Sears sang Stella, but it was saved by a great pedal steel solo by Barry Sless. The show closed with a ripping GDTRFB. Warren and Bob played very well together, and I now have high hopes for a great summer tour.

Slim's sucks as a venue, but it was a good crowd. Too packed for my tastes, but I saw a lot of people from the old days of Gravenites/Cipolina and GD days of old.

Last night was so much fun!!!!

Here's Dr Randy's detailed review of the evening!

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drrandy - 11:41am May 23, 2004 PDT (#2568 of 2577)

What a great time last nite. I got into SF a bit late, at 9 pm (show started at 8) just as the big KFOG annual KABOOM fireworks show over the Bay was beginning. Even though DNB is my fav band these days, I'm a sucker for fireworks so didn't go in til after the fantastic fireworks finished. Got inside just as Bobby took the stage to join the DNB- they did a sweet Wheel into a rockin' Cumberland to end their set, with Barry on pedal steel.

The Flying Other Brothers played 3 or 4 tunes on their own )with Pete Sears and Barry Sless) before Bobby came out to join them to sing Friend of the Devil, Masterpiece, Cassidy and Desolation Row- all very nice, with Barry on pedal streel, except, I believe, on electric for the Cassidy, which was really fine. Then Warren came out on slide and sang a sizzling Sugaree, followed by them playing Aiko and One More Saturday Nite. Then the Flying OB's lead singer said now we have a specail treat for you to end the set and Pete Sears started to sing Stella Blue. A woman standing near me clse to the stage by Pete loudly said, as he sang the first lines "No, don't do it, No, don't do it, I really mean it, you sound terrible, I've gotta get out of here" which was a little distracting, but I knew what she meant- Stella is the one Jerry song that seems almost sacred to me- I appreciated it when P&F did it instrumentally with Kimock. Pete a has a plain and sincere voice, but he is not a great singer and he voice was wavering and a bit flat, but it wasn't about that- Barry played a nice if unspectaclat first solo on pedal steel, but the whole reason for doing the song was the ending jam which was a prolonged ABSOLUTELY STUNNING duet between Barry on pedal steel and Warren on slide, trading licks and then playing on top of each other- BREATHTKINGLY BEAUTIFUL. It was great to hear how well Barry and Warrwn played with/off of each other, and I imagine I'm not the only one there who was thinking how great it would be to see these two play with the Dead (I don't dislike Jimmy, but since 97 or so I've been hopijng and praying to see Barry Sless playing wiht the band- would love to see David Nelson and Mookie play with them too). After that, they added on a Goin' Down the Road.

There was another break, then an "all-star jam" with rotating players with Somebody to Love sung by the woman who organized the ebay auction for Spencer, Like a Rolling Stone sung by the FOB lead singer and David Friedberg, and The Weight. A good time was had by all. I hope the woman who said "I gotta get out of here" stuck around for the Stella jam...

Need a setlist?
setlist.com- I finally found it!

http://setlist.com/ShowPhoto.asp?PhotoID=3100

Another Homepage with Dead photos and memories

http://www.reisbord.com/GratefulDead.htm

The following review is by a couple of Wayback fans, I took this review from the Waybacks forum- a link to the first part (non music) of the review is somewhere below this one..as is/are my report of the show- Here goes:

Clark and Kathy
Date Posted:   May 9, 04 - 11:54 PM

Message:   All the emceeing was done by Wavy Gravy. The music started with a rambling jam by Pete Sears (keyboardist of “Starship“) and Terry Haggerty (Original guitarist of Sons of Champlin) which was a fine accompaniment to the diner people were finishing. At eight the “concert only” ticket holders were admitted and the show began with a set by the Emory Joseph Trio. Emory Joseph is a powerful singer with an infectious good nature. Most of his songs appear to have been his own compositions, but he also did an incredible version of “King of the Road.” That song is so associated with Roger Miller it is hard to make it your own, but he accomplished it. In fact, he was well into the song before I realized that was what he was doing!

The second act was The Flying Other Brothers. They did a solid set, with some excellent lead and pedal steel guitar work, and driving piano leads by Terry Haggerty. I was unfamiliar with most of the tunes, but they could be classified as a grateful deadish rock sound. There must have been some people in the audience suffering from chronic illnesses, because it was during their set that we began to smell the healing aroma of medical marijuana!

It must have been about 10 when the Waybacks took the stage. They opened with “Down from Iona” followed by “Lets Eat.” I can’t be sure, but I suspect many present had not heard them previously. As usual their virtuosity and musicality won the audience over quickly and they completed the set with “Been Around,” “Salt Flat Rhapsody,” “Prairie Doggin’,” and the blacksmith song. There followed a brief intermission to do a raffle, and then the main event began.

The Wabes returned to the stage, joined by Emory Joseph and some of the Other Brothers. Together, they did “Here Comes the Sun” which was a favorite of Dr. Brilliant as a gift for his birthday. It was great, and the entire audience joined in. The Wabes then started to play “Bright Place” a number they often use to close the show. Those who know this piece know it has three parts, each done in an increasing tempo and complexity so that once you reach the climactic section you can hardly believe the number of notes that are being played and the intensity of the rhythm. It is clearly one of their best and most demanding pieces and it was during this number, just as they entered the third section, that Bob Weir joined in playing a solid body Fender. I know that they had rehearsed prior to the gig, because Bob was right with them as the pace got more and more furious. And it sure did!!! the whole audience was energized and at a certain point I think Bob was amazed himself at how hot they had got.

At this point the remainder of the show, which lasted until midnight, was all Dead songs. They were, in order: “The Race is On” “Big Iron” “Cumberland Blues” “Big River” and “Birdsong.” These numbers tended to blend one to the other was a lot of free form jamming. The crowd loved it. At one point James announced “We’re having a great time!” And everyone agreed. I won’t try to describe the music. Hopefully a recording of the night will come available. I know some people were taping. I do want to make notice of Joe’s ourstanding bass work during the session. He played a solid body, electric bass, the first time he had done so in months. And he was all over and ahead of it. He drove the entire jam with precision and invention.

Well, this has gone on much longer than I had expected,(too long to fit on one message!) but it was such a great event and potentially such an important one for the Wabes I just wanted to get as much as I could down on paper before it slipped away.

oh boy! found someone's long review of Seva at the Waybacks website-here's (I hope) a link!
http://pub26.bravenet.com/forum/2209478103/fetch/287918/

Finding the babysitter was key!
Luckily, Andrew (Scott's 21yo cousin) was available! Next task was to figure out how to get into the city with the least amount of hassle..Caltrain doesnt run on the weekends until June..I wasnt sure who all from the Peninsula was going to the Seva thing...With DSO at the Fillmore and Steve Kimock in Santa Cruz (about an hour or 2 away from SF) What few Deadscene people I know from here were scattered about...Folks had already made plans for those 2 other shows before Seva thing was on the radar..even so, Seva did sell out...
Had it figured out that Andrew could drop me off at the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station in Millbrae-which is by SFO and is the closest station to my house....Then, Jase (my adult son) called to say he was dropping by to pick up his mail. Jase lives in SF and offered to drop me off to Scott(working at the shop) in the Mission..
For once I was actually early! I hung out at the Pawn Shop watched Scott whirling around..usually he works the desk when I'm there but Saturday he was busy with sales. The shop was packed with folks looking to buy Mother's Day gifts....Watching the crazy goings on at the shop is a show in itself...

Shop closed about 5pm- scott changed his clothes and off we went to O'Farrell street - lots of parking available..Just as we got out of the car- Katrinka, Loie & Graceful Dead(all Deadnetters) were walking up the street. We walked together to the GAMH...The ladies had been to see Kimock the previous nights at GAMH and knew which door to stand in front of...We were the 2nd group in line..Enjoyed watching familiar faces and greeting friends as they marched toward the line....About 6 20 ish, the doors opened..Our dinner tickets got checked, our hands stamped and we were each given a Reserved seating card to hold our choice of table space...Well being among the first to be let in, we selected a table in the front row (of course!) a little on the right of Dead Bobby Center. On our immediate left, was Dr Brilliant's table (He the Macher of the evening-a board member and a founder of Seva)...
EasyWind with a friend and Karina (Deadnet) sat at the table with us. I was/am sorry that Linda & Tim didnt make it. They had called to let us know earlier, they had easily found a couple to buy their dinner tickets as the event had sold out.
Dinner and appetizers were immediately available..and the cocktail waitresses were prompt in taking orders..Wine, water, beer and soft drinks were complimentary (part of dinner) until 8pm when the doors opened up to the non dinner crowd. Scott and I drink one drink at a time, diet coke for me and water and beer for him. I hate to be the party police but a lot of folks took advantage of the "free" drinks and loaded up on the booze- ordering multiple beer/cups of wine at a time. A woman at a nearby table was hoarding at least 6 full glasses of wine, which did not serve her well later on in the evening(If you already read some of the last couple of daze of blog you already know what happened) ...
I'm eating lite these daze, so finished dinner early and went to see how the silent auction was going- it was located up stairs, the place was filling up and the stairs were full of people, I was walking up behind a tiny woman with really red hair, when she took a step, people parted like royalty was coming through,definately the person to be following! after overhearing people say "Bonnie!" a few times, I realized that the red hair, with the wide white streak was (duh!) Bonnie Raitt!
There were fun things at the auction...posters, photos,handbills,prints, some artwork, some vacation packets, surprisingly, there was a year membership to the prestigious Presidio Golf Club! But the least expensive item, was the folk forest smoker guy I made and donated for the occasion..went over to make sure he had all his pieces together and take a last look...I know he got at least one bid, and thats pleasing because even the minimum bid will help 2 people overcome blindness thanks to The Seva foundation!!
I will wait on the musical evaluation of the night for someone better versed in describing music comes along with a review (Mazzy?) Bobby was fantastic! I love the Waybacks and they looked just as stoked to be there as they looked in March at the Fillmore..They really locked in well with the Bobstar too!
Interesting song selections- the railroad & folk tunes we don't see Bobby do so often, had me glowing! But the other song selections seemed to be almost aimed right as Scott's heart...All week he had been sort of touching on Sunday being his first Motherless Mother's Day..And after all day/week of helping folks pick out gifts for their moms, he really couldnt avoid thinking of her...and I gave him a little hug and squeeze during (a very excellent version) Birdsong "Sleep in the stars" and also through Cassidy...To really cap off the personalized set, the encore was "Like A Rolling Stone!" Of all Dylan songs- We got the one with a Pawn shop reference...I can't remember when the last time if ever I've heard Bobby do that one-well, they traded off on the verses so it really wasnt
100% Bobby but still a nice surprise...
Had a few fun moments..no Bobby moment, but it was fantasical enough just sitting maybe 4ft in front of him while he was on stage..ringside primo seats...Got to chitchat with the singing AJ, as he was checking the plugs & wires for Bobby's equipment. He always looks so intent on what he is doing when he is working that I don't think I've had any interaction with him in all my years (oy! years!) of Ratdogging around...so it was nice to hear his voice, see him smile and score a little hug too...wish I hadnt asked about Europe though :o( ...He was bummed that it doesnt seem to be coming off and informed me that he had heard that the eurotraders offered to help launch the band off over there...well, before I could get too into it with him, he had stuff to go do...
But speaking of Europe... Dave B and Laurie- taper vets of the two Eurodog excursions were spotted in the house! Nice to chat with them..Dave said his favorite UK Show was Manchester...
More later...

Blogspot has just relaunched all the settings here so, bear with me if the blog looks different...
Tiny Dancer just posted this Rdog date on deadnet-
www.harvestfest.com