Slim's is a night club that is dark and mysterious and not the typical place Ratdog finds itself in. In summary, this was a very good show with many highlights when, all of a sudden, out of nowhere it turned monsterous and unforgettable. The show opened, funnily enough, with a Jam complete with a rap from Jay about "smoking that something." Bob made his dramatic initial appearence and moved his way into Feel Like a Stranger and we were off. The songs played next were well-played and tight. The first set closed with a very cool rendition of Cold Rain and Snow with Bob screaming 'Combing back her yellow HAIRS!!!' as if his life depended on it. The second set Masterpiece was forceful with Bob's own verse of "It sure has been a long hard ride" growled powerfully and animalisticly (is that a word?) in a manner only Bob Weir could muster. A great Love Supreme Jam (the second of the show) led into a Truckin that reminded everyone of the recently played Jazz Fest, "Busted... down on Bourbon Street". A pretty Uncle John's Band complete the the ending Jam lead into a nice Rob space. Then things got a little intense. An interesting rendition of Terrapin Station marked the end of the above average Ratdog show and gave birth to the monsterous RatDog show. The Terrapin led into arguably Bob's most consistently well-played song, Sugar Magnolia. This version was fiery and full on. Bob pulled out all the stops and had the place panting for breath as he walked off the stage. When he came back for the encore, the band ripped into Gloria. Who could have expected this Gloria to be as impassioned as it was. Ratdog brought DOWN the house with an intrepid and awe-inspiring version of this historic song. Richmond 85 style. This one was WIDE OPEN with 2 ending jams and closed out the show in unbelievable fashion. Ratdog raged on this night and Bob showed us that he still has a few tricks unplayed and waiting up his sleeve.
Dave Stone, San Francisco, CA
