Bob Weir and RatDog | RatDog.Org

After seeing the pretty fine Cleveland show the night before, I was anticipating a lot for this Promowest show, my third in the venue. My expectations were not only fulfilled when Bobby started playing Cadillac, but shot through the roof when I heard that chug chug of Cumberland Blues, and never swayed, not even with the downpour that seemed to go all night long. I loved Bobby with Keller.
With that out of the way, I was more eager than I had ever been at a Dog show, and as soon as I heard Shakedown, I was dancing all night. Three Dylan songs was a step up from no Dylan songs in Cleveland. The best Boss Man I have seen to date, also my third, then there was Crazy Fingers, the first King Bee in ten years, which I didn't even know they played, and a smokin' Might as Well that I have been waiting to see since I first saw the Dead in 2004. The addition of Rob Barraco on Bret's organ was great, although his sound was more muffled than Jeffs.
Jack-A Roe literally made my night for a fifth or sixth time, one of the first live Dead songs I heard. I knew Liberty was coming before it started, and I remembered Bonnaroo when I thought it was coming after She Says. Hell of a He's Gone, with Keller and then Stuff with Keller chanting "Boob Job" like he had done in his set the night before. Then there was St. Stephen>Eleven, the sweetest cherry on top of an already gift wrapped show. Pristine, stellar, immaculate....My sisxth Ratdog show was as good as my first, except Mark Karan wasn't present, which considerably changed things. I liked Steve, and he does an amazing job just joining the boys so quickly, but Mark karan is pure Dog at heart and I missed him. Steve does play a sick lap guitar

honestly, and the people next to me along the wall up front near the stage will agree (couple from cincinatti), this show was HORRIBLE! i'll pre-qualify myself by saying that i've seen the orginigal grateful dead a ton of times....and listed to many ratdog tapes....
and there was absolutely NO energy from bobby during almost the entire show. Bobby's lifeliss renditions of jerry songs was almost a sacrelidge. The weather was miserable, and yet bobby insisted on playing everying thing at 1/4 pace. zzzzzzzzz. Come on! even the st. stephen sucked......hearing bobby singing the jerry lines in st. stephan almost made me hurl my beer. i'm not going to another bobby show.

I saw Cleveland the night before and thought the CBUS show was fantastic! Liked Cleveland"s setlist and all, just thought CBUS had more energy including crowd. Venue was pretty cool too at the LC. Rain actually felt good and spirits seemed high despite some rain. I really liked that venue as a first timer outside. Good energy!

Keller was good and loved the Cumberland Blues when Bob joined him at the end of his set. Ratdog had the place hopping with Shakedown and then, unfortunately it went downhill from there. The rain started and got heavier as the night went on and the show got slower. St. Stephen was acceptable and Big Boss Man was cool but other than that, there was a lack of energy from the stage. I got the feeling they wanted to get it over with so they could get out of the rain and dry off. Oh well, next time...

While the reviews vary, I seem to agree with those who enjoyed Columbus. Saw the show in Cleveland, and much preferred last night. Better set lists, greater energy, and a much better venue, even with the rain. I though the first set was great. Loved the SS, Maggie's, Baby Blue start. BBM, King Bee, Might as Well smoked, especially the closer. No lack of energy there. Always nice to get Jack-a-Roe, really enjoyed Liberty, and thought the St.Steven>William Tell>Eleven ending was nice. Steve was much more involved than in Cleveland. I also thought that the band looked to be having a lot of fun, which is usually a good sign.

All I can say is wow! Kimmock is the man; Mark is missed but Kimmock tore the house down. From the 20 minute Shakedown, to the best Crazy Fingers I have heard since Detroit, 1995, the music truly played the band tonight. Incredible energy throughout the entire show. Nice twist with Borraco during Might As Well. Set 2 - what more can you say - Jack-a - Roe, She Says, Liberty(simply awesome), a crispy He' Gone, and the finale, SS>WTB>The Eleven. On top of all that, a pure and cleansing rain that fell right into the groove. How are you gonna explain that?

Ok so one more thought, I don't know how drunk these guys saying the show sucked were, but they need to realize that Ratdog is not the Grateful Dead, so don't show up expecting Jerry to come onstage and noodle his heart out. I can personally say that the band was having a great time last night, espescially Kenny who looked in much better spirits than in Cleveland. Amazing setlist, full band participation, and also the rain didn't damper a single soul. I saw Bobby getting rained on, and thought he was going to end the first set early like in Cleveland, but no, he continued. Also, there are no qualifications for being a Ratdog/Grateful Dead fan, as this Jonathan character thinks above, we are all there to have a good time, enjoy the vibes, and dig the music. There is no reason to bitch about missing Jerry, rest in peace, because he was never a member of the Dog. This is BobbyWorld, and your either on the bus or off.

good point, john. in my opinion ratdog used to be a better, more energetic band than they are today. if you guys are happy with their lethargic performance, then good for you. bob weir was always a joke to me (and garcia) when they played together anyways. so i guess i'm off the bus, or waiting 'till bob, phil, warren haynes, and kreutzman and/or hart get back together. at least phil still has some fun out there.

I was not at this show but wanted to coment on some of the feedback set forth. I went to Lincoln RI this tour but had to miss most everything else. I have seen a lot of GD and the various artisitc arrangements as well as Ratdog. I have probably seen Ratdog the most of all the groups that formed post Jerry. I think people easily forget the mishaps and equipment snafoos that the Gratefule Dead experinced over the years. They were famous for mediocrity as well as excellence. When they were off they could bomb, when they were on they smoked. Many bands are like that. Ratdog, I imagine, is like that, too. Furthermore, his friend and guitarist has a lump in his throut that the docs are quite concerned about. Keep in mind that there is someone filling in and that perhaps the dynamic that Bob and the others have grown accustomed to has changed. This happens to bands all the time. Things change and new poeple come on. I think Ratdog has given me many stellar performances over the years. I am sure that ,like the GD, Bob will continue to find that energy we all seek. It may be from time to time, but when its good its always really great. So, take the good with the bad and hold on to what you've got. "I don't know who's backs that strong, but maybe find out before too long__"

Nice show. Recall that Jerry and Phil and the drummers wanted Weir out of the band as early as 1968 but didn;t have the ("Mickey") Hart. But I think that Jerry came around to appreciate Bobby, particulalry when Bobby took some of the vocals load off Jer. Anyway, while Jerry was in a dazed drug funk, from about 1985-1995, the Grateful Dead was Bob's & Phil's and Billy's band, Jerry was lucky to remain in it. Just watch the Vault videos from 1990 and 1991. Jerry is pathetic. Compare to 1968-74 Jerry, and any complaints about Weir fall on, literally, deaf ears.

Actually, I thought he played his heart out for the crowd in C-Bus because we hung in there in the rain.

And by the way, St. Stephen has been played "slow" since its reintroduction to the Dead's repetoire in 1976. Jonathan maybe has not listened to much post-1969 GD.

Rock on.

Proud to be a Union Man!

The cincinnati crew LOVED the show Jonathan. You got the cincinnati crew mixed up with somewhere else. And if Bob was a joke to Jerry he wouldn't have giged with him for all those years. Think about it and loosen up a little...

Hi, I had a thoughly enjoyable time at Ratdog's Cleveland show.
I heard the sound check, met folks from Mich,Pa,Buffalo NY,Vermont, even two dreadlocks from Amsterdam Holland. I think Bob Weir has grown into a fine guitarist and band leader. Sharing the spotlight with Keller shows his generosity. Seeing the pics from the Columbus show gave me a thrill. Hey, I don't know where you live, but my herb plants need rain, so I'm happy to know the fans in Columbus got to Samba in the rain. The setlists from both the Cleve,& Columbus shows were fine. As Bobby has said"I like playing GD songs, I mean I was there for their birth." Nobody else can play GD songs better than Weir. I thank Jah Bobby has kept this dead thing alive, Can't wait for next year!

It was a great scene,crowd and venue. I was diggin' the rain I just wish they would have made us GROOVE more. Also seemed like when they were on the verge of unleashing something wild they pulled back. I wanted something with a bit more of a snarl. Poor Bobby was struggling vocally (understandably so) but being the die-hard he is he kept going. The "Black Muddy River" he sang sounded so much like Jerry it was scary.

What a great show !!! I knew it was gonna be magical when Bobby and Keller kicked off a fine "Cumberland Blues". From then on I was dancing all night !!! Thanks so much to the lovely blonde up front who kept "twirling" for me. Keep up the great stuff Bobby !!!

I love the people that rank on Bobby . . . I just say - Jerry sure did like him and he did pick him to sing with him for all those years and will defer to Jerry's opinion vs. the close minded folks that live in the past. Phil did the occasional off note bass thump when Bobby started "Looks like Rain" but that's another story.

I have seen Ratdog a few times and this show was right up there with the best. The energy on Crazy fingers still gives me the chills when i think about it. Having lived through the Other Ones, the Dead, and Phil and Friends, I prefer Ratdog to bring me back to the day . . ahhh

Did anyone else beside the guy from St Louis see Bobby whack himself in the head with his guitar as he left the stage with Keller?

First of all, let me say that Ratdog is the best Grateful Dead cover band in the world, bar none. This was my third Dog show and to me Bobby and the boys cooked up a fine stew of material. I particularly liked Big Boss Man, Maggie's Farm, St. Stephen, and the rather haunting encore of Black Muddy River. I am certain that Jerry was watching and smiling on the rain soaked crowd. Great way to spend my 51st birthday!!

It is good to know that some of you are are getting the chance to see the Mighty Little Toaster play his guitars. Been on the Kimock Bus for almost 15 years myself. Steve sitting in with the Dog ALMOST got me on the road again. Check out some of his stuff from 1998-2001.

I hope that this motivates him out of his recent solitary funk enough to get a band of his own going again.

Glad that you guys are enjoying it, "While We Wait".

Great show, great venue, interesting weather. Very enjoyable...never had such a good time.

If you don't like Bobby just stay home on the couch. It isn't the Dead, but it always brings me back!

It being summer...I took off my shirt!

Dog rocks!

DogGoneIt , The Wheel, WV

I wasn't at this show but enough is enough, I have to add my 2 cents. First off the set sounded super bombbastic bubble plastic...lol... I mean that in the best of ways. Now dude if you claim to be an old school heaad, you can't take the dead with or without bob, HE CAME WITH THE PACKAGE... Now as far as Dog is concerned, they are an evolving band just as the dead were.... Remember the days of disco dead and such????? Yeah, I thought so.... We are here for the love of the music, an escape from a crazy world where we can find peace. A safe heaven of sorts if I must.. Dog is definitly setteling into a Jazz/Rock sorta of fusion right now and to me it is just another gift to enjoy and cherish. Jerry is not bobby and Bobby is not Phil. I love phil just the same and if you are trying to say that Phil hasn't evolved the music in his or his bands own direction than you are tone deaf and are missing the whole picture. Everybody complaining when we are part of one of the most beautiful parts of History. In a world so crazy and full of war hate and greed, we found a way to spend alot of time with good people listening to good music and spreading alot of good vibes. The music is alive and will change just as any other living being.. Okay, enough of my ranting here.. I hope yas get the picture... Wake Up To Find Out That You Are The Eyes Of The World>>>>>>>>>>

For what it is worth...I have seen RatDog many times over the years, primarily in the Hampton Beach Casino in New Hampshire, and I just do not get the bashing of the shows that seems to be creeping into the reviews lately.

Maybe its my age, I am 50 and I have been going to Dead and dead related shows for over 30 years, but every single note this band keeps playing is a gift. Cherish it or you will lose it forever. Do you think Bobby needs to do this for ANY manner of financial gain? He could walk away today and live happily ever after and we would lose the only real connection to our (hopefully) beloved Grateful Dead that is left.

Keep the vibe positive folks and it will keep the vibe going..

I agree with Jack. The Columbus show was awesome! My third show in a row and I was not disappointed. Danced and sang with bobby in the rain and loved every minute of it. The Black Muddy River Encore brought tears to my eyes. Definitely one for Jerry. Thanks Bobby for a great run. We "Older Heads appreciate what Bobby is doing for us. He isnt goin to be around for every you know. Enjoy the darn music because he wont be around for ever. Best Wishes for the rest of the tour!

I have to agree with both John and Jack, this is coming from a guy who has seen the Gratful Dead and every other incarnation that they have come up with. We all have to remember the Grateful Dead is gone, but the music lives, I see the same critical reviews of the dog and Phil that I used to see back with the Grateful dead, I to infact would listen more back then to where they would screw up then to enjoy it. Then suddenly it was GONE!..Now when I go to see Ratdog I really could care less what song I hear, I cherish every note and absorb the positive vibe, it's time for us to stop THROWING STONES. enjoy it. There is nothing greater...and remember the music played the band. The Grateful Dead where the sum of all parts...it wasn't the Jerry Dead, it was Graeful Dead. can't wait for the next show...see you guy sat the Vibes. peace

This is my first time posting and I'm not here to bash anyone...I was told that "darkstar" who played in springfield on the 18th would be a better show because they are the closest thing to the "dead" out there...I chose ratdog because without Bob, there'd be no "dead"...that being said....I'm glad I went. I admit, there were things that sucked...The rain...well, it wouldn't have been that bad but my girlfriend is in a wheelchair and has an electronic breathing device....the fact that there was no shelter for her kinda sucked and my arms hurt bad from holding the tarp over her head...I blame the venue...certainly not the "dog". I heard some incredibly wonderful music..."Baby Blue" sounded magnificant. I do like maggies farm better as a 2 step...but I welcome their interpratations of any music...My only real complaint probably went un-noticed by the boys in the band. The kick drum was way too booming loud. I think that's what made it hard for some of us to groove to. The boys hit so many beats with the various instruments and they were playing so well, but with that drum pounding and echoing like it was, it was hard to take in all the other sounds like they were meant to be taken in. I think the sound man fell asleep. Anyway, I bought the CD and it sounds fine so my guess is it sounded fine in other areas (i sat in the handicapped section) and it most definately sounded fine through the monitors on stage...Did anyone catch the dubbing of Jerry's voice during the "bridge" in "st stephen"? It's not on the recording (soundboard) but it was there at the show...the last couple words of each line was jerry's voice...no doubt in my mind. Liberty was hot especially at the end..Bob sang his heart out on that one. Btw...anyone live near Dayton...I'm in a band called Terrapin Moon...come see us...we'll help you get your "dead" fix until Bobby comes back. ..Keep on Dancing!!!

I saw my first Dead show in 76--Boston Music Hall----
All is still flowing like the Great Spirit wishes. The friends I've met along the way will remain in my heart forever.
I drove a while to keep my smile that was left on my face in the Batimore show in March, and it continues on this day. The Cleveland venue was fine, and Columbus even finer.....Bobby and crew never fail to leave me wanting more, unfortunately I must wait until August to join in again...Thanks Weir Doh's...jt

I seen Bobby hit himself in the head also. It looked like he did it on purpose. Like maybe Keller had knocked him out! Great time in the rain

I thought this show was fantastic! We drove up (or down) from Michigan, in the rain, and arrived about an hour or so before Keller began. Ratdog, in my humble opinion, rocked the s*it out of it all that night. I went to numerous Dead shows in the past, and was grately suprised and impressed with the mighty fine job Mr Weir is doing keeping the music alive! Thanks Bob, and everyone in the band! An electric, "Rain"dog night, awash in electric blue. "We're they ever here at all?" See you in August.

Out of 27 Ratdog shows this was the best. The band is ever-evolving and ever-smoking.

To say the band was lethargic is ignorance, which as they say is bliss. Creating a rivalry where none existed is truly pathetic.

Bobby did smack his head and I thought it was intentional. I was in from Long Island to see the show and the tip was well worth it. For an old Dead-head that made the scene just after the 1975 haitus, RD's show was heavenly. Looking at the surrounding set lists leads me to believe that the Dead/Dylan heavy choices, filled with classics, was a gift to the deadicated who were on a "mission in the rain." We weren't bailing, so Bobby and his band were going to play their souls out for us in a show to remember. Just lovely, and a testament to the GD loyalty to its fan base.

Proud to be a union man!

I am not sure about the validity or reasoning for bashing BobWeir, as in some of the posts, but there has always been some weird, small undercurrent of Dead fans who seem to assume to know the band far too intimatley, as in "Jerry and I think", etc. I rember some people doing this back in the Dead days, on tour, like they knew Jerry or Bobby. Come on folks, it is a fortunate occurence that Ratdog (or "raindog", ha ha) is kicking out numerous Dead jams full throttle, in the rain, for hours, for us. As someone else mentioned, treasure this or it'll be gone, and, there 'aint nothing else like it around in the USA. The good vibes, grooving, dancin', trippin', in a peaceful, crazy place with a band that is right there with you and like minded, friendly strangers full of smiles. In this crazy world, Ratdog is a welcome gift as far as I am concerned, and the music, at least to me, is like a sacred treasure, and this show blew me away! I saw the Dead many times, and toured America with them. This seemed as close as I have ever gotten to recapturing the real, electric, all out insane jamming like they used to give us... only Weir never quit. It is with a joyous and grateful heart and head that this 42 year old fan posts this review, as I settle back into family and Americana, in hopes of fanning the flame of gratitude and positive outlook's. Again, see you in August, in Lowell.

Sorry I wasn't at the show but I am sworn off of the LC Pavillion because the acoustics are lousy!!!

Columbus......turned out to be everything we anticipated it to be and more. The moment we heard Kimock was on board helping out the cause we shot north to see what type of energy was brewing.
The weather blew but the boys were on and the crowd fed off of it all night. Bottom line that was the best "Crazy Fingers" I think I've ever heard...period~

Also it was a bonus having Keller around~

Just heard this show played on Sirius Radio's Grateful Dead Channel (channel 32). Sirius played the entire show. All I can say is Incredible!. I missed the into telling me the line up. had to come here to see who else was playing. The addition of Steve Kimock on guitar and Keller Williams just rounds out rat dogs sound. Can't wait till they replay this show on Sirius.

I listened to this show tonight on cd, and thought it was really interesting that it was a blues-themed show. This gave it a great continuity. I loved the segue into King Bee, and Bobby just sang his Heart out during Liberty. A lot of passion to be heard there. Good job Bob!

I was at this show...too bad they didnt flip the stage at the last minute and go indoors!! I have no problem grooving in the rain for awhile...but many people were not prepared for an all out soaking, with no shelters available.

If i only saw Bobby 1 day out the year on a so called "off night " it would still be the best day of the year!! The show in Columbus rocked with a magically formulated set list...from shkdwn to liberty she says to king bee....wow!!!

Might as well do it again.....asap!!!