What a great time that was! This was my four year old son and my first show together, and it couldn't have been a better experience. The day started out like any other day at an outdoor show. We get to The Zoo around 3:30 in the afternoon, the sun is beating down, the heads are hanging out doing what heads do and all in all the scene was small but I really didn't expect too large of a crowd at The Zoo. It was a show for the faithful for sure.
About an hour after we arrived and got our canopy set up to chill in the lot for a while the clouds started rolling in, the breeze came and then the rains beat down. So soon after I got everything set up I had to take it back down again... then it rained and rained and rained some more. Lots of people tried to brave the rains but after a while they slowly started trickling out of the amphitheatre to their cars for some cover. I wasn't about to go in there and get drenched and I wasn't about to have my son out in weather like that so we ended up sitting in the car for a good two hours waiting for it to stop... no big deal.
There were times when I almost turned the ignition and headed for the house because the weather reports were saying it was going to rain continually all night, but we stayed and eventually it stopped. You could begin to see some light through the clouds, and soon after that, people started to mill around again and head back inside. About that time my buddies pulled up and after getting stuck in the mud they parked next to us and we hung out for a while and went inside after Taj's set was over.....
We heard that the curfew for the venue was ten thirty but we hoped since the show was delayed that we would get a break and Bobby would be allowed to play longer, and he did. So we headed inside and found a wide open space to the right just behind the soundboard. Enough room for my kid to run around and play and enough room for us to sprawl out and get ready to jam.... Keller was awesome. It was just my second time seeing him but once again I was impressed with his music. I don't know enough about Keller to review his tunes so I won't even bother. But when he introduced Bobby it was the first time that the crowd got real excited....
They jammed out a Jack Straw acoustically that sounded sweet to my ears.... They sounded good together for sure. Then came On The Road Again which was a real treat.... I don't think that tune gets played very often, but if it does i'm not familiar with how often. It was sweet sounding and i'm glad they busted it out for us.
The evening was real nice. The rains went away, the sun shone for a little while and the die-hards that didn't leave knew they were in for a treat on what was America's 230th birthday.
The "All Star Jam" was amazing. I was commenting to my buddy that they should tour this lineup as Bob & Friends. I would go see a few shows for sure. They jammed and jammed and jammed some more. Very bluesy set. KC Moan, Deep Elem and then a Friend Of The Devil that was sweet sweet sweet. Then they closed the set out with Good Morning Little School Girl, which I could have done without but it was a nice addition to the set....
Bobby Weir, Taj Mahal, Keller Williams, Michael Kang--enough said. Just like the emcee said after the set, "YOU WILL NEVER SEE THESE GUYS PLAY TOGETHER EVER AGAIN AND YOU SAW IT RIGHT HERE!" or something like that.... He must be clairvoyant or something because hey, ya just never know right? It did sound good and it was a nice jam session...I dug the shit out of it.
Ratdog took the stage and got the place going with Golden Road. I thought for sure he was gonna play a "rain song" to get the show going but he refrained and opened with a classic show opener that was perfect for the day. The sound from where I was sitting was crystal clear and I could tell we were in for a good set of music. After GR they busted into Bertha which is always welcomed by me. A little slower than what I am used to but that's alright I shook my bones just the same. The crowd was diggin it and the front part of the place was rockin.
It was pretty much empty behind the soundbaord. I'm sure a lot of people left and didn't come back when it started raining. When I was sitting in my car waiting for it to stop I bet I saw thirty cars leave the lot.... Anyway, Bertha closed out and much to my surprise came Watchtower. I was suprised to see it so early in the set but they jammed the shit out of it and it took it's place in the setlist where it belonged on this night and was a helluva rockin Watchtower. Kang was a nice addition and sounded pretty good on the tune. After Watchtower, Taj Mahal came back out and they rocked out a real bluesy Little Red Rooster, another song that I seem to get at almost every show I go to. But this one was okay 'cause it had the addition of Taj, which was cool. His vocal addition made the tune for me....
A few notes into the next song (Dark Star), I called it and they jammed on that for quite a while with Kang on mando, but Bob never sang any lyrics. It was a purty jam on a purty night with fireworks going off in the background off in the distance.... Now the next tune is one of those that you really want to hear but you always seem to miss... at least for me anyway. Bobby McGee!!! At this point my son had passed out in the chair, and I was ready to change my head a little bit but my buddy had gone down front and I was shit out of luck, I thought. About two minutes later I saw him cruising up the walkway headed in my direction and he came over and handed me his bowl and said, "I figured you were about ready for one of these".... Indeed I was.
I waited a long time to hear that song played live and today was the day and it was perfectly sweet.... Thanks Bob. I need that one real bad. After this was another personal favorite, Me and My Uncle. I always welcome that tune.... It's one of those that no matter how many times I hear I will never get tired of it, and we left his dead ass on the side of the road indeed.... This Uncle was rrrrockin. Next stop Odessa again with Kang on mando. They played it well. It's not one of my favorites of the newer tunes by any means but hey, it was the 4th of July and I was surrounded by like-minded individuals and good friends so I ain't gonna bitch about it.... Ease up Odessa! I just don't care for the lyrics all that much I guess but anyways....
WEST L.A. FADEAWAY!!!!!!!!! Damn I have not caught one of these since Jerry died and I got totally in to it and danced my arse off...little red light on the highway big green light on the speedway little red light on the highway big green light on the speedway HEY HEY HEY ...That was a good time for sure....Then Bob leaves the stage and "Ratdog Unleashed" commensed to jam for a while.. Kenny Jeff Robin Jay and Kang let loose a jam that heightened the energy level in that place a few notches and the heads were bobbin all over the place...Bob comes back for a killer Black Peter...another song I had not heard in some time and it was mighty purty too Bobby went all out on this one and jammed it and sang it to the best of his ability...It was a sing along from where I was sitting and all in all one of the best tunes of the whole night musically.
The set closed with Not Fade Away....pretty typical NFA but still a little special for me...Our love will not fade away and that's some good shit. It's always nice to hear the crowd chant out that tune and Bob fed off of that for a bit and eventually took off his guitar and split to the crowd chanting and clapping just like the good ole days....I knew what the encore would be...it was inevitable but I enjoyed it just the same. It was the 4th and it was a fitting end to a pretty damn good concert. WAVE THAT FLAAAAAG WAVE IT WIIIIIIIDE AND HIIIIIIGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had a great time yesterday. I was inda leery about taking my kid to a show but the scene was perfect for it, the day was nice for the most part, the people were beautiful and the music cleansed my soul and he had a good time. He asked me this morning when he woke up if we were going to another concert today and I told him not today son but we will again real soon....all good things in all god time little man." Thank You for a real good time Bobby and Friends. It was one for the books and a fourth of July I will never forget....See ya Saturday from the front row where I will once again be gettin down to the Ratdog sound!!!!!!!!! RatDog!!!
BENSDAD, Ozark Mountains
