Bob Weir and RatDog | RatDog.Org

What a show! First thing I want to say is what a great venue for the Dog. There wasn't a bad seat in the house and the acoustics were amazing. They jump right into a Here Comes Sunshine which is tight musically and the vocals are right on. The energy gets turned up with a fun Mama Tried which is rollicking sing along at all the right times. A good rendering of She Belongs To Me into Crazy Fingers. I had never seen The Dog do a Crazy Fingers but Kimnock took it to a whole different level during his jams. Bobby comes back and says "look at me" with a funky Take Me To The River". My other favorite point of the 1st set was during a rocking Let It Grow when Kimnock was off on his own lead jamming and Bobby keeps looking at him trying to somehow weave him back into the song .kimnock keeps playing and smoothly weaves his lead back into the song and Bobby gives a surprised smile and a nod...very cool. I am short on time but will summarize the 2nd set as epic. City Girls and El Paso both good. Fire erupted as Bobby got a hold of Masterpiece and continued through powerful versions of Cold Rain and The Other One. The bass was shaking bodies throughout the song. Standing On The Moon, not a fovorite song of mine was played amazing and the jams during it were monster. St, William Tell, 11.........worth the price of admission. And to send me packing to a Sampson.......are you kidding me??!!!! Thank you Ratdog for letting me shake my bones! Peace!

Ditto to Scott's review. One deep at the stage to Weir and Kimock's right. What a view. Folks, download this CD. It is worth it for the clarity alone. Astonishing!!!

The Carolinas' run of shows presented us with great music, great people and great times. Living near charlotte and getting to see the band at home is always a treat, and I was able to bring along 3 friends who had never seen the Dog and one who had never been to a concert of any kind whatsoever.
Joining us was my 16 year old Ratdog veteran son. In the absence of what I would consider a sterling setlist ( only my opinion but I have been to a few of these and know what I like to hear ) a good time was had by all and the following day found my voicemail packed with comments like, "Man, that wasn't a concert it was a freakin' experience." and " Wow, the music was so dynamic and there was so much going on musically." Or, "Man I'm 44 years old and how the Hell did I miss the GD back in the olden days?" I don't care about musical taste or background, one simply cannot attend a Ratdog concert without coming away without significant impressions of the music and the scene. The music has always been paramount as far as I'm concerned but there is also the scene, the parking lot, the folks, the venue etc....

Myrtle Beach was a great time as well. This night found me alone with 2000 or so friends I had not yet met. Fell in with the front row crowd and met some very nice folks who were like-minded and friendly. Had dinner in the HOB restaurant with some of them and really enjoyed the company. Later that night a great show kicked off and went on well past midnight. A better setlist than the night before and then it was off to Raleigh.

This show was electrified from the very first note. A gorgeous Sunshine was followed up by a well executed Mama Tried and the Dylan classic She Belongs to me. This one has a similar intro to the intro for Queen Jane and I thought thats what we were going to get. The Crazy FIngers soared to new heights with Kimock taking liberties with his scales and mixing things up nicely. This guy grows on you. This was one of many high points of the outstanding first set, a first set that literally would not quit. Stagger Lee and WRS 1 and 2 were the other high points. Shucks, the whole first set was an epic and the Dog were taking the venue by storm.

Second set cannot be expressed in words. It is like trying to explain to someone who has never tasted salt what salt tastes like. It was a very salty set. 11/11 brought us the Eleven and during SOTM I could feel the presence of Garcia smiling on us all. It was pure inspiration. Looking forward to Spring Tour '08. Get well MK and get back on the stage.

Unbelievable...Words cannot describe what happened last night...

Yes, a stone cold groove!
Hope to see you in Spring 08
Thanks Dog!!!

sculptural, dynamic, nuanced...absolutely stunning.

a complexity of one long note, spirit, and intensity that is RatDog...beyond words...

Very Very nice. My first Stagger lee and Cold Rain Snow. A wonderful Other one. My Wife's first show and she loved it too. Thanks Dog!

You know, this was only the second time I'd ever seen Ratdog, the first being at the Fillmore in the months following Jerry's death. I've seen my fair share of dead shows and the post-mortem stuff with the rest of the band and a few Phil thingies. My last one was in 2004 shortly before moving away from Calif. i didn't know if I'd ever see another show at that time.

But i had as much fun with Bob and his band in Meymandi as just about any show I've seen. It was good all the way to the marrow and probably for the first time ever, not crossing my mind was the thought: "This is good but it's not the Dead."

long live the Dog!

anybody happen to know what was happening at 11:11 during this show? thank u to the couple old time dancing during el paso and thank u dogs for another rockin night - had us truckin in style on the avenue! gimme gimme city girls!!! ah-ooooooooo

First, let me say that I did not attend the show, I'm merely reviewing it from the awesome download. I'd like to thank Bob and everyone for making these shows available. Who ever said the internet didn't have any use?

Second, I'd like to state my POV. I'm a mid-time Deadhead (since the early 80's) who has gradually grown to really love and respect Bob's songwriting, guitar playing and singing. Up until recently I have not been a big follower of RatDog. Like Paul said earlier I had a hang up about it "not being the Dead." But this show alone could make a convert out of me! I am also a big Steve Kimock fan. I've been seeing him for years in his many incarnations and some of my favorite live shows were in barns in Northern Cali listening to him until the dawn (probably much like the early Dead, but I was a mere babe at that time! :-) )

With that said, I think this show ROCKS! The sound is great, the band is hot, the playing is tight, Bobby's vocals are great, and Kimock gets plenty of time to do what he does, in his own style. I think Bobby, RatDog and Kimock fans will all enjoy this show.

For me the highlight is the 20 minute Weather Report Suite. Steve gets to open up the First Part with his slide, then the whole band rocks Let It Grow, with a simply stellar ending. The audience must have been really jazzed by the end of the first set!

Other great moments include a hot Cold Rain, a jamming Other One, and an epic St. Stephen->Eleven. Standing On The Moon is poignant, Masterpiece enthusiastic (even with a little voice break on Bobby's part.) Take Me to the River is funky-get-out-of-yer-seat-and-dance! And Samson is really cool, much more laid back than the Dead's version.

I'd highly recommend this show. I've enjoyed it immensely!

This was a very emotional show--very expressive--very heartfelt. There were several peaks of intensity. Well done!!

I first saw the Dead in 1974. Hundreds of shows later from the East coast to Alaska the boys have soothed my soul. I think the tightest GD show I ever saw was at the old Rochester War Memorial Aud. 11/1977 where we had the only mics in the crowd that I could see. Luckily, Dick's Picks #34 captured the crisp licks from that night and every time I listen to that show I am transformed back to that night (I would highly recomend DP#34). This show at Meymandi was very crisp and tight. Whenever I listen to the CD's...once again I am transformed to that night and my soul is content again...Thanks Ratdog!!!

The reviews have done a good job discussing this show. I've been to five RD shows and this one was the best. The 'Stuff' Jam was the best I've come across; I had one of those moments that only such jams could inspire--like I was in a rainforest and it was raining. Somewhat funny, but I will listen to this jam on its own any day.

The first five songs were incredible. The beginning, with no jam preceding Here Comes Sunshine set the tone for the entire night. Bobby was here, and he was going let the good times roll. Bobby's jamming during Sunshine is some of my favorite stuff he pulls out; this version epitomizes what I'm talking about. For his part, Steve showed us early and often what he was going to bring. Crazy Fingers and WRS have amazing solos from Steve; I have listened to this Crazy Fingers dozens of times and, in my humble and easily disputed opinion, I think it's one of the greatest renditions of any song by Ratdog, ever. The Eleven, at the end, was far and away the best version I know Ratdog to have rendered.

Unfortunately Stagger Lee was a little mucked about, and I can't get into the supplication jam with no lazy lightning, and City Girls is not my favorite (though it has grown on me). But these can hardly be called low points; this show just didn't have low points.

Why do we go to the shows, why do we love Bobby's music? Even though I love the GD and RD it is very hard to explain. Why do we find this music so incredibly inspiring? The short answer is, listen to this show. The long answer is that it's somewhere between 'seasons fade and roses die', 'I'd rather be with you' and 'she's got everything she needs, she's an artist--don't look back.'

Don't look back; don't worry Bob, I won't.