8/25/2006 Setlist, Photos, and Reviews

Believe it or not, traveled from Minnesota to Baltimore for this great weekend of music. Friday went like this: Flew to Dulles, took the 5A bus from Dulles to Rosslyn. Took the Orange Line Metro from Rosslyn to Metro Center. Transferred to the Red Line from Metro Center to Union Station. Jumped on a very busy MARC train from Union Station to Baltimore's Camden Station. But it was all worth it, and my girlfriend didn't kill me for it. She got to see a few monuments on the way back.

Friday night's show was a blast! Bob needed a little help on the Casey Jones lyrics from the crowd, but it still sounded good. A lot of good smooth jams with a very nice Big Boss Man. Bob played this classic really well to the crowd's delight. Easy to Slip>Supplication was really good as well. 1st Set highlight: Lost Sailor>Saint of Circumstance. The intimate venue went nuts for this duo. There was that anticipation as well that Saint would follow Lost Sailor, but you didn't know for sure if it would follow like previous Dead shows. Awesome set closer!

Second set was the best of the weekend in my book. Looks Like Rain, Corrina was great, Tuesday Blues, and a great rendition of West L.A. Fadeaway. Ashes and Glass is becoming a new favorite as well. The Beatles' Come Together was a lot of fun, and I hope it stays in the mix. Set closer was Good Lovin', and it was the highlight of the weekend. I really thought he threw it down hard, and he closed it out with those great high notes as he pulls away from the mic. It was like a 1980s version of the song. Johnny B. Goode was a great sendoff into the muggy evening. Saturday night was great as well, but I would give Friday night a notch higher.

I have to add that we were disappointed with the venue. If you stand on the main floor in front of the stage, then you can see the band, but the sound isn't real good. If you go to the left bar under the balcony, then the sound sucks. My girlfriend described it as hearing him at the end of a long tunnel, but he is standing 20 feet away. We preferred the balcony where the sound was great, and you got occasional views of the band. The railing on the top floor is prime real estate. Come early, and bring your bodyguards as tempers would flair from time to time. We stuck to our Minnesota nice attitude, so the crowd was great overall! Great mix of ages, and for every idiot there were five people around you to laugh about it. The chance to see Ratdog in a new city was awesome and I would do it again.

Hope to see some of you east coast folks on the Chicago, Milwaukee, St.Paul run.