8/22/2007 Setlist, Photos, and Reviews

First RATDOG show in many years. Have to stay that they still do not do it for me overall. They had a few tight moments in some tunes but Big RR Blues was about the 100% tight tune. No leadership from Kimock..closest thing to a leader was Chimenti who was really trying. I cetinly still prefer the bands Phil has put together. Wish they would put the DEAD on the road again. I did enjoy it with the knowledge that the Allmans were coming up. Anyway great to see Bobby and a great opening band for the Allmans who blew the roof off the house again for me.

ok show, a little slow. end of summer tour and no us blues to send us on our way? allmans ok, too much guitar solos that all sounded the same, long and boring, left earily. maybe next time.

Probably my 6th Ratdog show of this year, and it ranks up there as one of the best, can't disagree more with GC about the band not being tight, thought they where tight through out, I think for my buck Ratdog should have been headliner for this tour, ABB seems to jam just so generic, and absolutly no crowd participation at all, they are playing it there way and thats it, Ratdog on the other hand can reach higher and higher with the interaction with the crowd.and to say that you would rather see Phils, rambling no vocal concotions. Ratdog is playing all the time together , Phils gets a bunch of guys togetherr every now and then, can't be nearly as tight. Only way I will ever see Phil again is if he is with the Dead. It is all about the DOG.. btw an epic Scarlet last night. Peace!

Sick show! Fourth show this summer. 10th overall. Great time. Dancin around on the muddy lawn. Fantastic cassidy into bird song. and looks like rain into scarlet!>!>?? i mean come on. Awesome!!! can't wait for shows end of october. you don't know what ya got til it's gone people. enjoy it.
thanks Bobby!

Live music is better ! On average my 2 concerts a year have to really count, no regrets about last night at all, and yeah, the scarlet was hot and worked the crowd like old times. My opinion is that comparisons are pointless, and that I am never disappointed in what Bob or Phil play, they are all extraordinary musicians that give me some of what I really miss. Also got a chance to run into a couple old buds from cths...topped off a great time!

Been away from the scene since THE DEAD's first night debacle at PNC some years ago where they were AWFUL.
But Ratdog clearly stole the show last night. Band was tight most of the night and kickin' Big RR Blues and Scarlet were smokin'. Little rain theme on acoustic (Hard Rain and LLR) and a personal fav with Cassidy. Agree with those above, Allman's dueling guitar jams sound all too generic. Will be checking this band out again and has now peaked my interest in the upcoming Phil shows....Thank You for a real good time, Bobby......

Great night.I wonder if you are among the people that COMPLAINED about Jerry's vocals in 1995!I would give just about ANYTHING to have him back.The fact is noone goes on forever.Be grateful for who and what is left.Tha dog is tight,people that know music, know this!!!! If you want the grateful dead visit your cd collection.
The wheel is turning!!!!

Just ok. Didnt have the punch that I expected. Big Railroad Blues was tight and right on the money though. Was hoping Warren would play with them. Completely agree with GC, wish The DEAD would play together agian. ABB was just ok also, though Warren is incredible. Long drum solo for such a short show, would have prefered more tunes.

i have to say compared to the tweeter in camden no comparison as far as the up beat tempo,camden wins but like the dead a different karma going.probably had a lot to do with the rain and parking lot scene. how about bobby getting the word across going to san francisco if i had to crawl,anybody pick up on that?acoustics were good 2 jammin tunes.overall slower show but band sound real good.always fun to have warren and derek out there playing,gives it a much different sound.i was sitting in the 2nd row and all looked well till the fall wavydavy

Haven't seen any "dead relived" bands since Jerry passed. Have to say a Shakedown opener, Birdsong, Cassidy and closed with Ripple, Not bad Bobby!! I was impressed. But it made me miss Garcia even more. The lead guitarist just stares at Weir for guidance, Take it Bro It's yours to jam.

ABB was so-so, as everyone else stated, generic jams, but Warren smokes it everytime, Maybe I'll just check out the Mule from here on in.

THANK YOU BOBBY
KEEP IT UP AND STAY HEALTHY, WE NEED YOU!!
AFTER ALL THE YEARS IT'S STILL THE BEST MUSIC ON EARTH
WHAT A ROCKING ENDING, MY OLD FAV: LOOKS LIKE RAIN, INTO THE BEATLES COME TOGETHER AND NOT FADE AWAY, WOW, THEN RIPPLE!!!!!!!!!!!

HAD A LOT OF FUN, NAPPED DURING THE ABB

THANK YOU BOBBY
KEEP IT UP AND STAY HEALTHY, WE NEED YOU!!
AFTER ALL THE YEARS IT'S STILL THE BEST MUSIC ON EARTH
WHAT A ROCKING ENDING, MY OLD FAV: LOOKS LIKE RAIN, INTO THE BEATLES COME TOGETHER AND NOT FADE AWAY, WOW, THEN RIPPLE!!!!!!!!!!!

HAD A LOT OF FUN, NAPPED DURING THE ABB

THANK YOU BOBBY
KEEP IT UP AND STAY HEALTHY, WE NEED YOU!!
AFTER ALL THE YEARS IT'S STILL THE BEST MUSIC ON EARTH
WHAT A ROCKING ENDING, MY OLD FAV: LOOKS LIKE RAIN, INTO THE BEATLES COME TOGETHER AND NOT FADE AWAY, WOW, THEN RIPPLE!!!!!!!!!!!

HAD A LOT OF FUN, NAPPED DURING THE ABB

First of all, ABB should be opening for RatDog !!! Great Show! Who said there was no drinking aloud in the parking lot! LOL.. Great show Bobby.

as a 46 year old(going on 21) and with 200+ gd and jerry shows under my belt, i've realized that we'll never have what we once had however, i look forward to whatever we do get because without it i'd be lost loved the hard rain and the ripple last night , but do agree it was a little lame maybe it was because they weree the "warm up band" looking forward to the phil shows, and the opportunity to hear less filler (if you know what i mean) loved the crowd and look forward to seeing you all in the near future

Summertime done come and gone my oh my.

So the two month RD touring w/o MK is at a end. There was some grate stuff in there. IMO this show was the best RD preformance in the run with ABB, with Camden a close second. The boys were going full tilt for this one. Highlights being BRB, Hard Rain, LLR and Scarlet. Nice sit in by Warren as well.

As a side note, I thought the ABB shows were better than some of the bashing they are receiving here. These guys play well together and the jams are often times off the hook. I would suggest if you don't want to see a "jam band" then don't come to an ABB show.

Take care and see all you doggies in the fall.

this was a great show. ratdog and allmans on the same night. remember when gd and abb played hartford back in the day. who cares who opened or closed. no one has mentioned derek or greg-excellent. i think that "the weight" was unbelieveable...how about jessica? i have seen both bands for almost forty years, yes iloved the grateful dead, but these bands are also beyond description. and, how about "all along the watchtower. don't be critical, listen to the music play.

OMG...loved this show...they should have been the headline. I was there for them. ABB was the same, thank God for Warren Haines. A little soulshine would have been nice. But Ratdog was awsome...Haven't stopped listening to the cd since I left the show. See you in Oct.!!
PS: To GC/Erik don't know what you've got until it's gone!

Real good Ratdog set at PNC. The venue also surprised the hell outta me.

Hardly any state troopers visible in the lots or police in any kinds of numbers. The entry seach was completely minimal, no wristband needed for buying a drink, they gave me the top to the water bottle when I asked and we pretty much danced in the aisle all nite.

Imo, and my friends as well, the Ratdog set was hotter than ABB's. Upbeat tunes that they hit the cruise-button and jammed the hell outta them. Cassidy, BigRXR Blues, Come Together, Scarlet, NFA were all excellent. Plus, I came away thinking that Derek Trucks is a fantastic guitar player and that Warren Haynes has no signature sound of his own. Warren can sure play, he just doesn't sound like anything distinctive.

All Along The Watchtower had all the ingredients for an EPIC tune. There were four guitar players on stage, you'd a think that somebody could've made the wind friggin' HOWL!

That song always cries out for a big step up in the last third of the tune, come on, somebody should've let loose. It was a big disappointment.

i thot the show was a little slow myself. it was well played as they consistently do. such an excellent group. but it seemed like bobby was holding things back with several slow songs after the opening shakedown>minglewood.

i caught the san francisco verse - he sang it at red rocks. i don't like it or care for his tone, particularly at red rocks.

bird song was good but not as good as it can be. i wonder if there isn't some strain between bobby and the band. i noticed he was the only one not wearing a jersey when they sang for the baseball game recently. what's that about?

hard rain could have more punch - it's a song i love to hear jay pound out like the surf and i thot he and the band were unable to move forward because of the pace bobby set with senor>cassidy>bird song and big railroad before it.

i would have liked more solos. that would have given the band space to help bobby pick up the pace.

Stuff was a highlight with derek trucks and oteil burbridge. i need to listen to it again to recall as it's always innovative and different. i thot it interesting that derek trucks only played with the boyz.

Warren was a welcome addition on "Come Together" and "Not Fade Away" :-)

The Allman's were absolutely amazing in general. i understand what people are saying about the fact they play in a more standard manner than ratdog but they do kick ass and Greg Allman played and sang extremely well, as did Warren Haynes. I liked his version of "The Weight". i thot the drum solo was superlative and also loved "All Along The Watchtower" with Ratdog. Jeff pulled out the stops on the organ and sounded fantastic, as did the rest when they played with abb. Bobby only got one verse - he looked a little cheesed.

Gotta say, no matter what the tempo, the tightness, the song selection, etc. It's still the best and the closest ya gonna get to the good ol' Dead shows. It's their music played by ACE himself. Time marches on and so do we. It's great to hear and see Bobby and how he sounds and interprets this great music today... How can you beat hearing Come Together and then Ripple in the same show! Hey it's 2007 and he's still doin' it - "weir" lucky for that. Besides it gives me the opportunity to get my entire family in one spot at one time, kids from 9 to 33, what's better than that?
See ya at Westbury in the fall.

With the 30th anniversary of my 1st GD show coming up on Labor Day, there was no way I was going to miss a show in my hometown.

As awlays, GDTS comes through big for good seats, and we really enjoyed both ends of the show. Would have been interesting to have seen Greg come out and play with Ratdog, but none the less, Warren is right at home no matter he sits in with.

My personal highlight was LLR, I thought Bob was spot-on and Kimock blended in well there, although his guitar should have been turned WAY UP IMO.

Outdoor concerts (especial at the Arts Center) beat the shit out of a dump like the Electric Factory anyday.

PG is from Hazlet, not Holmdel.
Great show!! Shakedown was a nice start to the night, and Ripple was a treat. See you soon Bobby. Thanks

ive seen the dog about 25 times now 3 of which were this summer it was not the hottest tour theyve ever done but with MK missing a large part of the group is gone. Kimock is great guitarist but if anyone read his interview on dead.net they would see he had no time to practice before this tour and has not felt comfortable but hes tryin so ill giv him props. however it was a great show and definatly the best big rr blues ive ever heard. and mattc you obviously dont know anything about music if you think warren haynes doesnt have his own sound, hes one of the best guitar players ever to live and has mastered slide guitar. he can play the most rippin solos but also the most groovin melodies. you couldnt have listened to his guitar too much if you think he has an unoriginal sound...he is my favorite guitar player ever well aside from jerry that is. jut get in the groove and let the good times roll and ill see you all at the halloween shows

What a great show. just got the CDs and they reinforce how good this show really was. if you are uncertain about picking out a set from a dog show, highly recommend this one. thanks gin for the ticket!!! let the good times roll. can't wait to try and catch them in the fall. Bless you bobby for keep coming back and making us happy. see you dogheads at the next show or maybe at phil and firends...

As tk dog says above .. this is a really fine show to order ... better than the Bushkill show.. though both nights Ratdog was tight & satisfied. Ratdog's sax man added some deft touches which stretched the vibe and sounds and gave a jazzy flavor to the Ratdog show. There is no point in comparing the RAW rock N roll energy the Allman Brothers bring to maestro Bobby's presentation of a refined, long set of Grateful Dead & Bobby classics... throw in a little Dylan (Hard Rain & Senor) and some Beatles (Come Together) and you get a fine first part of a excellant double show night. Listening to this Ratdog show on CD brings on fond memories of Gerry & Brent ..
Again, Kudos to Bobby's use of the sax and synth to re-create some of the most Grateful Dead sounding tunes heard anywhere in quite a while.

I'm sending this show to my Mom, and I ordered a copy of the official cds. It is awesome!! They open with a killer Shakedown into Minglewood. The Senor is played beautifully. The do a jazzy Bird Song that goes right into Big R.R. Blues. The acoustic portion of the show is fantastic! These are stellar versions of A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall and Looks Like Rain. Scarlet is great as always. Come Together is such a cool tune and they play it very well. Warren really makes a nice contribution here and on Not Fade Away. NFA is Rockin' as it should be but also soulful and jammed out and exploratory. No one is rushin' it here. They all take their time and come out with some powerful results. The Ripple was so sweet and wonderful to hear. I'm glad this song is being played more often these days. Thank you boys. Well done. Hope you all enjoy!!