Bob Weir and RatDog | RatDog.Org

great show, you couldn't have scripted a better setlist. Off the charts!

thought playing was to slow, to jazzy

the venue is a little grass amphitheater in the shadow of harrah's hotel. mere feet from the riverboat casino and the missouri river. weather was 80 degrees, low humidity and slight breeze. couldn't have been nicer. reserved section was sold out but plenty of room to move. sound was loud and got louder, not necessarily better. stranger was fine, big river was better. everything is at half speed, but weir was spitting with conviction from the outset. queen jane was even better. rooster was very thorough, as darkness fell ... dark star. kimock had it going on. the little ersatz light show reflecting off the hotel was cute. nice jam, they took their time. odessa seriously ripped. corinna, again, bob was tough as nails, great jams, kimock hitting everything. since time was tight, weir dispensed with the acoustic and it was a rough and tumble schoolgirl. ashes and glass, really good, played the heck out of it. stuff turned into a really snappy jam, better than a couple of songs that they played, with kimock leading the show. they squeezed every last ounce from black peter, with weir pointing his finger and screaming to "go run and see." In the end though, it was still black peter, so you're kind of standing there wondering how excited you're supposed to be. dark star part II was welcome and very well done. china cat was solid, with the little TC keyboard parts, and an appropriately thunderous rider. ripple was a singalong. lots of olders getting ... sniff, sniff, honk ... misty. they hit the stage at 8:30 and weir socked it to em for two and a half hours, spare 10 min. for stuff. his guitar playing and singing were as good as ever, save the obligatory blown lyrics here and there. drumming was solid, bass was good, keyboards excellent. kenny always looks like he's trying to blow his liver out through the end of his horn. kimock, however, makes it a band to see.

I took at 3 day vacation and went to see moe. in KC and then moe. and Ratdog in the Omaha-Council Bluffs area. I always catch Bobby when he comes to St. Louis, but since I was already in the Omaha-Council Bluffs area for moe., it worked out to hang around another day to catch Bobby (it also gave me a chance to check out Omaha's incredible Zoo). The deciding factor to make me stay was that Steve Kimock was playing with him. It's a shame it took a Mark Karan health concern to get him there, but I could not have been happier. Highlights for me were Stranger, Dark Star, Corrina, & China/Rider (and the weather...it was beautiful....I think Omaha was catching a break over the 2 days I was there from their normal heat and humidity this time of year). Everything was really well played, although as the previous reviewer commented, somewhat slow at time. That's just the Dog, though. I swear, everytime I hear Steve Kimock playing Dead tunes, it always evokes memories of Garcia for me, more than anyone else does who has taken a crack at it. I wish he would play with the Ratdog all the time and I would definitely be getting out on the road to see more shows. I downloaded the 7/14/07 show before attending this one, to see what I was in for, and I could not have been happier. The only draw back for me was that I have heard Ratdog do Little Red Rooster nearly every single one of the 20+ shows I have been to and I got yet another one here. Anyway, Rock Star Bobby still has it, and with Kimock, he's even better.

I am originally from MN, but now live in Seattle. On my usual visit home, i was fortunate to make the 5 1/2 drive to Council Bluffs to stay at Harrah's casino. The small venue had plenty of room, and the crowd was kind. I enjoyed the grandness of the hotel looming above us as Bobby and the Dog rocked the night. I can't think of a better vacation! Great show! Thank you...for a real good time!

My first time seeing Ratdog and I was blown away. Tight band and Steve K definetly brought reminiscant vibes of Jerry with his soloing style. Setlist was well chosen and the crowd loved every minute of it. Love seeing guests like KW and SK come out to jam, makes a great show over the top. Can't wait to see them again!

I'm still grinning! Had a great time jamming and loved the Harrahs Casino/Venue. I will for sure travel there again to see a show. Ratdog, Kimock, and Keller... what else more can you ask for? Ok, maybe a 10,000 dollar win on the slots:)

i'm not sure i can describe in words the way i feel about this show. i have not seen a rock and roll concert of this caliber in years, and i see a LOT of shows. the whole scene reminded me of the way g.d. shows were prior to jerry's passing, only on a much smaller scale. the combination of mind-blowing music, kind venue, and enerjetic, enthusiastic crowd made this an unforgettable event. i hope everyone, including the band, had as great a time as i did. i'm ready for a midwestern leg on the fall tour!

Great show! I danced my ass off all night. The venue was nice, one of the best I've been to in a while. Keller's set was really fun and got things off to a good start. I really enjoyed Hepped Up on Goofballs near the end of the set. Rat dog blew me away (as they always seem to do) with the pure feeling behind the jams. Slower, but very expressive. Ashes and Glass was a highlight of the show I think. I hope they come through the midwest again soon!

Great venue in a beautiful setting, band played great and tight, sound was loud, very loud and clear, excellent song list. Boys put everything they had into it and the crowd loved it. Enjoyed Rooster, Stranger and Dark Star very much. Friend of the Devil with Keller was a nice opening.

The experience can't match the Dead old days but it was nice to kind of revisit those times. Regardless, I enjoyed the show much more than I thought I would. Bobby is still the Rock Star!

Dark Star
Council Bluffs

awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!! have been to around 30 dead concerts,( i am originally from st. louis, mo) this was the 4th time to see ratdog, best concert i have seen them do. danced all night. highlight for me was rider, then ripple; my two favorite songs. this was my husband's hometown so i got to meet his old friends.
true, you can't match the old days at the fox in st. louis, but it was great. wish we could have gone on to catch them in colorado!

It's always nice to catch a GD family show in my backyard, as they happenly so rarely in the midwest.
Steve Kimosk added a nice "Jerry" tone to compliment Bobby's playing as I knew it would. (BTW- best wishes to ailing Mark Karan). They played a great mix of material (none of the new originals, unfortunately). Highlights for me were "Big River" and "Black Peter", neither of which I'd ever heard done by RD proper. "Queen Jane" was a nice touch; Bobby played it at the first RD show I ever saw (Mesa, Arizona; 12/02/95.
The entire band ripped it up! Peace.

p.s.

bob sat in w/ keller on : "wake up little suzie" & "friend of the devil"