4/1/2005 Setlist, Photos, and Reviews

I'll start out by saying this was my 10th show and probably one of the worst. Tequila>Iko was pretty cool, but Bury Me was butchered and had ZERO energy. Bucket and Liberty salvaged a pretty bad set.

Elem was pretty good, but Masterpiece was amazing. Highlight of the show. Bird Song was ok, Scarlet was great lots of energy. Sugaree was acceptable, then they went back into Bird Song, Why? The song was over the first time they played it. Very gimmicky and not even executed very well. Lovelight was cool to close and BMR I really enjoyed.

Overall this show was pretty weak, although what do I know?

A pretty fantastic show. The Tequila->Silvio->Aiko business to kick off the night was a blast. When I first heard Tequila being played I thought it would just be a fun tease but when they played it out right, I dancing and laughing my head off. Silvio is a great song that needs to be played more. Bury Me Standing was well done, but didn't get to appreciate it as much as I would normally have because the wife and I moved from the floor--too many wound up oblivous douches--and moved to the balcony during it. This Time Forever was again well done. Shade of Grey really turned into something rocking and gave me a new appreciation for the song. Hell In A Bucket rocked, as usual. She Said may have been the highlight of the 1st Set. It's All Over Now was great to hear and Liberty is always special.
Second set: Bombs Away was well done, but not exactly the kind of tune I wanted to open the set with. The Deep Elem was awesome though. Karan and Weir really tore it up. I was greatly impressed. The Masterpiece that followed had me floating a foot off the floor. One of the best I've seen Bobby pull off. Bird Song led into a great progressive jazz type jam with a lot of great interaction between the players. Scarlet was a blast as was the jam out of it. Lovelight to close the set was a perfect choice and had me dancing like a madman.
Black Muddy River was a surprise for encore, being as it was the first time Ratdog has played it. Bobby really nailed the vibe of the song, despite goofing the lyrics once or twice. I imagine by the end of the tour he'll make it all his own.
All in all. Not the greatest Ratdog show ever, but man oh man it was good.
Also, as a note, Bobby was looking pretty healthy. Seems to dropped the belly he had the last couple years and the beard was trimmed back. Nice to see him looking so spry and with it after all the rumours etc. leading up to this tour.

This was my first Ratdog show. I went with my friend and fellow Dead head chris. When we got there the line in was so long it was about two blocks from the door. We got there with plenty of time, or so we thought. We missed the first two songs and had to wait forever for beer. Security was just ridiculous. Anyway, the show was all good from my standpoint. Scarlet Begonias is my favorite song, so when they played that I was totally excited, only to hear Sugaree next. Wow. The day before the show i found the Grateful Dead's last show. On it is Black Muddy River right before Box of Rain. When Weir started to play Black Muddy River, I was happy and sad at the same time. Happy that they were playing it, yet sad that the day before I had heard it as one of Jerry's last songs. Anyway the show was great and can't wait to see them at Bonnaroo. Peace out.