8/30/2005 Setlist, Photos, and Reviews

First time I was at the Mann Music Center, and the last.... They wouldn't let them do an encore, I went to start dancing on the sides of the seats and I almost got kicked out, and I came out to the lot where almost everyone had a balloon, it made me disgusted. Bobby put on a good show though.

What a great show. Everybody was cookin' at this one. Hornsby opened up the show nice and hot, got it sizzling real good and handed it over to Bobby and the boys who took it and ran. There was a lot of laid back funky kinda groovy stuff going on with the jams. I haven't seen Ratdog in a while and they have just continued to grow and melt together nicely. It was a great show.

First off Bruce was great. Bobby came out for the encore which was one of the best Jack Straws I've ever heard. Flat out the Noisemakers are smokin hot. After a short break, Stranger kick off what turned out to be a very nice show. Easy Answers was sweet, as well as the Baby Blue, Lucy and acoustic Victim. Bruce came out for Masterpiece, which seemed to kick it up a notch. For me, that's when the show really got hot. Playin was kickin into TNK with what I thought a suprise Half Step > Eyes. Wow. Nice jam w/o Bob > Come Together > Sugar Mag. No encore; 'out of time,' Bob told the crowd. Another day @ the office for The Dog.

A smokin' hot show, as they always seem to be in philly. Highlighted by a dueling sax battle during an epic EYES that tore it up, not to mention a seering hot MISSISSIPPI and a gooey sweet BABY BLUE that were all part of a very intense Ratdoggy evening. The MASTERPIECE with Bruce and Bobby trading vocals was spirited, and the JSTRAW with the Hornsby band and Bobbo was naturally a crowd pleaser for certain. These guys just keep gettin better!!!

A Grand Slam by Bobby and the boys. Just as good if not better than 4.30.05 at the Electric Factory. Bobby sat in near the end of Bruce's set ending with Jack Straw. I knew we were in for a great night. Tomorrow Never Knows and Come Together super for this Beatle fan. Not a bad song in the set as Dog played for 2:15 non-stop.

I'll start by saying the show was great, but I wish it was longer. Hornsby played a good set as well, with the highlights being Jack Straw w/Bobby and Spider Fingers.

RatDog came out strong with a great Stranger opener followed by a powerful Easy Answers. I know I've said this before, but that song just seems to be getting better everytime they play it. Then Baby Blue and Loose Lucy slowed the pace a bit and got things going in the funky direction. The two acoustic songs followed, Victim (which I've not seen in a while) and a quite different arrangement of Masterpiece with Bruce taking a big role.

It was when the guys kicked into Playin' that the set began to really heat up. Right into an excellent version of Tomorrow Never Knows followed by (IMO) one of the best Half Steps I've ever seen RatDog do, with a solo by Mark that was insane. Next came a very pretty Eyes and jam with the extra sax really adding another layer of sound. Came out of the jam into the last two songs which were certainly the highlights of the night. I was blown away by how tight the band was on Come Together (dispite some lyrical mishaps) and Sugar Mags was off the hook, again with Mark doing the damage with his solo at the end. I thought Bobby wasn't going to be able to reel him back in there at one point. And even when they came out for a final bow after that, with Bobby informing the crowd they were out of time, I think we all left satisfied that a great performance had been given and was much appreciated.

What a great Ratdog show. Aside from Bruce jamming, everything just kicked it up a little extra. Boss version of Ratdog. I thought the friend of Kenny Brooks who sat in on sax was awesome. He had to be extra special because Kenny is so neat. But this guy Tim Price set the Mann on its feet. I'd love to hear him with Ratdog more; he really had something special going on. Very cosmic sax player Tim Price is. Bob Weir should have both of them. Wild show fo' sure. Peace out.

Bruce opened to what seemed to be just a couple thousand people. As he and the Noise Makers toiled through their set, the covered seating area of The Mann slowly filled. Bobby joined Bruce for a really nice energized Jack Straw to close out Bruce's set into intermission. The Mann was not nearly filled tonight, and it is evident that Ratdog and Bruce just don't have the following to play amphitheaters.

Ratdog started pretty strongly with a tight, yet very slow, version of Stranger. This "slower" theme seemed to apply to just about every song throughout the set. I love the music, and I liked the setlist, but frankly this show bored me. The highlights were nice but not rip roaring at all. Ratdog's approach and execution of the music really make me pine for Phil Lesh & Friends.

A small but happy crowd greeted Bobby back to town last night with a big welcome. Earlier, Bruce Hornsby played a tight, sharp set that included Night on the Town, Spider Fingers > Tighten Up > Spider Fingers, Jacob's Ladder, an excellent rendition of Comfortably Numb, and with very special guest Bob Weir, a rousing performance of Jack Straw!

RatDog came out swinging with a snaky, trancy Feel Like a Stranger and continued through solid versions of several tunes before really turning it loose with spirited performances of Playin', Tomorrow Never Knows, Mississippi 1/2 Step, and the highlight of the night for me, an Eyes of the World that was just propelled to amazing heights by Kenny and guest saxman Bobby Read. Post Jam came an incredible Come Together--a keeper for sure--and a rock solid Sugar Magnolia, always a big highlight song for me. RatDog just keeps getting better!! Bring on Atlantic City!