Bob Weir and RatDog | RatDog.Org

Holy toledo, It's been a while since I partook of Ratdog or associated shows. This one blew me away. I haven't had that much fun since Hampton Roads in '85. Bob and the guys were on 'cept for the end of the first set---after that is was nuttin' but smiles. Hats off to the Roseland, I hate that place but last nite was extraordinary!!!! Thanx for keepin' this ole hippie groovin'! P.S. Whats with all the balding heads in the audience----we must be aging! PEACE

It's always great to see Ratdog at the Roseland, and tonight was no exception. Although not the tightest/strongest performance I've seen, it was a very good show and I'm always impressed by the variety of the setlists put together - a little bit from all of Bob's tenure over the years.

First set highlights were a well done Supplication (I'd like to see more full-on Lazy Lightning>Supplication pairings, as Supplication by itself is always a little random), Big Boss Man and Cold Rain and Snow were rockin', and Weather Report Suite is always sweet. It's so awesome to hear this piece in it's entirety, rather than just Let It Grow. Very well jammed at the end, although Bob seemed to have some frustrations with Mark segueing back into a jam at the end, as Weir shook his head and was mouthing "NO!" towards the end. A little bit rough towards the end, but overall a solid 1st set.

2nd set opened with a fine Blackbird, and the boys seemed back on track after the break. Bob has really developed this tune well over the years and good to hear it stretch out a bit. Victim was well done, but then the Miracle>New Speedway>Other One to follow was totally hot, very rockin' and lots of good jams. Stuff is always entertaining - it's like let's see what the kids will do when dad's gone. Jay jumped over on the organ, and one of the roadies jumped on the drums for a good jam with everybody but Bob gettin' funky. Bob comes back and into a really great Black Peter with Bob going off on the "come around..." refrain at the end - he must have screamed it at least 15 times. After a brief segue back into Cassidy, the GDTRFB to end was over the top, and the crowd went beserk. The boys came back and delivered a sweet a capella Attics - amazing that the room was able to go from frenzy to silent within a few minutes.

WOW! Amazing show to be at here folks. I'm still waiting for the cds to arrive in the mail, but if it sounds as good on the disks as it did live, I am in for a real treat. I've seen the band over 20 times over the years, and this was definitely one of the best.

The crowd was in great spirits as the show was about to begin. The launched into a nice jam and drove into a Dead-Brent era like Cassidy; really nice to see this as an opener, which drifted into one of my all time favorite Weir tunes, "Easy to Slip." Aside from the obnoxious hippie chicks distracting me from the song here looking for pipes and playing with their hair, it was spectacular. The Supplication was next and was much appreciated. The Big Boss Man was a lot of fun with a lot of singing along, but the real highpoint was the Cold Rain and Snow. This one sent the crowd into fever pitch with great playing and singing by all. The Weather Report Suite was beautifully played and the Let it Grow; well, outstanding as always.

The second half acoustic numbers were real nice, but the real highpoint of this show is the Miracle>New Speedway(which I called for-Thanks guys)>Other One was one of the best 3 song combos I've ever seen Ratdog do. Raging and tearing up on the Other One. The jam was nicely served up by the band with Bobby coming back for Black Peter, which while the vocals seemed soft here was nicely done, but the Goin down the Road, had everyone in a frenzy. True musical power on this one. While I was hoping for a Friday night sendoff on a high rocking note, they chose for a gentle a capella Attics. Beautifully done guys, but, in all honesty, a little guitar on this one would not be all bad. It seems a bit long for a capella is all. Aside from that, for those of us who made it to this one, I don't think anyone left disappointed. Looking forward to your next Portland visit boys. Thanks for this one!!

Don't need to add much to the above comments. This was such a great show, I'm SO glad I was there. A five-star affair, probably my favorite Ratdog show ever (along with perhaps 7/22 the Recker Theater in Towson). Bob's guitar was turned up nice and loud for a change, and he was doing great stuff all night. So fun to watch up close. He was in fine, fine voice, hitting "I Need a Miracle" like it was 1987 instead of 2007 (and I never thought I'd see him sing that one again, it's been many years since I've caught it). One great thing is that this show featured so many classic BOB songs. Jerry tunes, unlike last year here, were pretty sparse; but they sure did shine. Cold Rain was super hot (hearing Bob sing Jerry's register on the chorus was a thrill) and as stated above he just wouldn't quit on Black Peter; he was belting the "come and see"s from deep within the diaphragm, it was amazing. But the two highlights had to be Supplication WITH the Lazy Lightning reprise (!!!!!) and Weather Report. I've been waiting my Dead career to hear the vocal finale of Supplication, and it didn't disappoint; I couldn't believe I was seeing it. And Weather Report was just beautiful; the instrumental intro, which Bob waited till the Cold Rain cheers died down to begin, was all but tear-invoking. And not sure if I've ever enjoyed Bob's rhythm guitar on Let It Grow as much as I did tonight; the band miscommunication late in the jam were merely fun to watch, they didn't diminish the power of the performance. And I hadn't seen The Other One for years & years either--there was some great avante garde sax thrown in during the jam, and Bobby signaled the band to go around a 2nd time on the final "C'mon Around" sequence--guess he didn't want it to end either : ) The Cassidy finale to close was a perfect completion of tonight's ceremony, but no, they're still not done, we get a red-hot Goin Down the Road, too! The band members looked pleased with themselves leaving the stage. And then the a capella Attics......just lovely. Not a bum note from anyone, Bob & co. really stayed focused to make sure it was perfect. Lovely night. We love you, Bob. And the band clearly loves being in Ratdog--hope this lineup keeps going & going.....

Had to mention one more item......as the "went up to her room" line unfolded in Cold Rain, I asked myself, will he sing "sang a faithful tune" or "sang a "fatal tune"? It's Bob, of COURSE he's going to sing the darker "fatal tune." Well, I was half right. He sang "met her fatal doom." LOL

Loved hearing Me & My Uncle after a long, long time, too--especially acoustic. The Blackbird was beautiful, too, wonderful jam and really nice ending.

This show was better than I ever expected and probably the best post-Jerry GD concert I've attended.

Bob and band have the inspiration and certainly the audience left the Roseland in much better spirits than they got their with. With Miracle, Cassidy, New Speedway, Other One and Black Peter....all played well, how could one be disappointed? The acoustic numbers (Blackbird, Me & My Uncle, Victim) were an unexpected treat.

The first set was a bit slow at points and the combination of long pieces Weather Report Suite and Let It Grow is probably something Bob wouldn't have attempted or gotten away with with the GD....

But the point is that as an evening of uplifting music that went beyond the b.s. of our times, it succeeded. Bob and band can, if this show is any indication, bring it all back home.