Bob Weir and RatDog | RatDog.Org

Confusingly billed as a Bob Weir show, it became apparent by showtime that this, as assumed, would be a show by the former Grateful Dead guitarist's current combo Ratdog. Not one to play Canada often — Weir has had ongoing problems entering Canada since1977 due to an incident surrounding organic bee pollen — this was only the second Toronto Ratdog show in their eight year career, the last one happening in 1997. It was also their first without original bassist Rob Wassermann, who recently left the band.

Starting shortly after eight to a still near-empty house, the sextet slowly got their bearings with a mellow opening jam before pulling together into sometime Grateful Dead set opener, "Feel Like A Stranger." Fueled by Kenny Brooks' intricate sax work and solid bass-playing by newcomer Robin Sylvester, the band easily segued into the Ratdog original "Easy Answers," one of only two Ratdog songs to be played during the whole show.

By the time the third song rolled around, a wonderful rendition of Bob Dylan's "Queen Jane Approximately" — a song Weir had sung sporadically with the Dead for nearly 10 years — it was clear they were having fun. One of the neat things about getting to see Ratdog play in such a small, intimate setting was the fact that fans could really interact with the band. For those of us who grew up in the '80s seeing Dead shows, envisioning them in a venue that held less than 10,000 is near impossible.

The biggest surprise of the night occured when the band came right out of left-field with two songs from the '60s. Hearing Bob Weir singing a Syd Barrett song was something I never expected, so when they started playing "Matilda Mother," I was speechless. I was even more shocked when drummer Jay Lane broke into the introduction of the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" halfway through. The song became a Dead encore during the '90s, but I had never heard it mid-set before. Upon completion, they headed right back into "Matilda" for its final chorus, before paying homage to the late Johhny Cash with a rollicking R&B take on "Big River," before heading back into the set opener "Feel Like A Stranger" once again. Ending the set strongly with one of the Dead's greatest compositions ever, the flowing "Eyes Of The World," expectations were high for the second set.

The second half opened acoustically, with a great rendition of Paul McCartney's "Blackbird," before we were treated to a Weir-sung rendition of the Dead classic "Friend Of The Devil." It's a little unfortunate that he still can't remember the lyrics to songs he's been playing for more than 30 years, but considering the fact he's played more than 5,000 different songs live in his career, it can be forgiven.

The highlight of the second set happened near its end. Kicking off with the majestic "St. Stephen," one of the best songs in the Dead's vast repertoire, the band took off for higher altitude and really let go. Bob Weir is not a fantastic lead guitarist, but as one of the most underrated rhythm guitarists in rock. His intricate weaving underneath lead axe Mark Karan was amazing, especially when the band turned the corner into the accompanying "The Eleven."

The show's encore of "Touch Of Grey" was bittersweet, but the band, obviously delighted with their own performance and the crowd's reception to it, thanked the near-capacity crowd with a group bow before exiting for the night.

My only complaint: it would have been nice if the group would have played more of their own original material during their set instead of relying on the Dead's vast catalogue.