8/17/2007 Setlist, Photos, and Reviews

What can I say -- The boys were on fire last night from Start to Finish.. That was one awesome show.. All I can say is --- " Thank you for a real good time"...

Excellant show--unbelievable China cat and I know you rider with Derek on fire. Nature provided some fine pyrotechnics.

What a great time, thanks bobby & ratdog. they were tight & full of energy.

Me and my son went he 19 love it was a very good show the boys were on it was a good show all the way around

WONDERFUL - what a night . Nice little light show from mother nature . Topnotch all the way , the electric Ripplkle for an encore hit me the right way , boy o boy It brought a tear to my eyes . I love Bobby and Ratdog , I got tickets to the PNC Arts Center but cant make it due to a business trip to Oregon , that sucks . Anyway the parking lot scene wont be the same anyway after those idiots from Ozzfest fd it up for everybody . 83 arrest and 2 people dead at that show ( RIP ) .

I will say that I jammed on most, but there were a few moments that lagged. Highlight: Ashes & glass. Lowlight: the quinn>foolish>she says-wasn't Ratdog at their best. I just feel fortunate to have heard that version of Ashes & Glass-by far the best I've heard.

Garbage. With Weir's lackluster vocals, they really sound like a B-Grade cover band. Come on, Bobby, sing rather than run through the lyrics. Jerry rolled over in disgust during Help and Franklin's...(just to name 2).

Siiick show. I drove 12 hours from indiana to see this show and everything was perfect from the lightning to the Come Together cover with Keller and Mr. Trucks...Wow, I cant believe that someone would say this show was garbage...it was so good and one of my favorite shows of the year...Thanks to Bobby, Keller,Ratdog, and ABB

What a great night!! I believe you make the show as good as you let it. I met up with a childhood friend I haven't seen in 4+ yrs. You know, work, kids, responsibilities, etc, etc.The set list might not have been the most amazing list put together, but each song on there own was beautiful and rockin'!! Starting out the night with a couple of Cubanos in the parking lot, with some icy cold refreshments....then into the show.My highlights were China-Rider which I haven't heard played in many a year. Quinn the Eskimo was really fun as well as Come Together. But the icing on the cake was Ripple...my friend and I are in our late 40's and haven't seen a show together in over 25 years. We used to listen to Skeltons from the Closet on vinyl on our turntable in the late 70's. So to see Bobby do it brought back soo many wonderful memories!! Thanks again for a great show!!

first time for Keller-what a great first impression...RD rocked and had a nice flowing set...followed by the untouchable ABB...what else could you want??? oh yeah- a refreshing thunderstorm and lightning show!!!! we had it all that night!!! awesome time....Dark Hollow with Keller sticks out for me

returned to the city of my birth(camden) for the show. very nice. ratdog & allman's. really enjoyed when they sat in with each other. so glad i was there.

Wow, really good show, nuthin like dancin in the rain! Set flowed nicely, Keller added bonus. loved "Into the Mystic" with ABB. Thank you again gentelmen!

my first time seeing RD and was def. impressed!! When they broke into China>Rider i was in heaven!! Danced my ass off, even during the breif storm. Thanks guys!!

I think Ace from NYC must have taken the last of the brown acid from Woodstock to call this show garbage(pretty hateful word, my brother). Bobby and the boy's kick out the jams. Trucks playing would have blessed the big heart of our Jerry G. ABB were on their game. Gregs voice was in vintage form. What a wonderful night, with the Lord out doing everyone with his version of a spectacular fireworks display. God Bless, Please Pray for our Troups.

grat show!...wot a chinacat nice,all in all show flowed no real draggy parts when these guys wanna rock they really have another gear left ,somebody tell bobby to smile alittle ........damn ,Derreck is amazin very nice to see sorta a not typical approach to the guitar fit so well in the mix amazin.........allmans were in fine form ,best ive ever heard warren sing really great (into mystic ),well later ...have fun everyone!

I have never seen ABB live and wow were they greattt!!! BUT I have seen RAT like 8 times and not only was it there finest show ive ever seen it was the highlight of the show they absoluelty stole the lime light GO BOBBBBY KEEEPPP ON PLAYING BRO AND TRUST ME YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE A SOLD OUT SHOW NIGHT IN AND NIGHT OUT!! COME TO FLORIDAAA !!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi, Tommy Mac...No, I didn't take the brown acid...I am not a hater, and hope everyone who goes has a great time...That's what it's all about!
But...Do you really think Weir's vocals sound great? He rambles through the lyrics without any soul or musicality...If he's not going to give it his all, then why bother? Oteil did a much better job with his "Franklin's" verses than Bobby...And yes, Jerry would have loved Derek on China-Rider...He actually brought up the energy level. I have been seeing him since 1977,(and am not one of those who feels I know better because I've seen more shows) and while I don't expect the Grateful Dead, I do think he can raise the bar, and bring it up a notch. I'm just disappointed...(But how GREAT was Warren?!!!)

Not the best Dog show I've seen. ABB rose to the occasion. Ratdog redeemed themselves the next at Bushkill...

Howdy Ace,
No brother, your not a hater. I retract my 'brown acid' comment, please forgive me.
I also saw my first dead show in '77. Friday's show may serve as my last. I've out-grown the whole dead scene. My faith makes it impossible to completely enjoy myself at this kind of event anymore. It saddens me to see so many "young people" caught up in false idolatry; their just a band (not our Savior). I'm blessed to have seen the "best", but I reserve my energy these day's for a greater purpose; to conform myelf to the likeness of Christ. May God Bless You Ace, and your family and friends

I was at this show and bushkill, I totally thought this show was better, the crowd this night was insane in my opinion. Bobby drew me back into Ratdog this night. Having Steve Kimock with him was incredible. The set list may not have been as impressive as bushkill but overall excellent. I have to agree I don't like what bobby does with the lyrics sometimes, but at least he is putting is own twist into it. Next time ratdog is in town I won't even hesitate getting tickets.

Great show, but would have loved to see Mark again on lead (this is only my second RD show) on guitar. SK brought his unique sound and style. Good to see you standing up at this show LOL. Franklin's Tower by Bobby and the ABB was a highlight, and totally unexpected from me (never have seen the ABB do a dead tune), as well as the ABB's version of the Other One during their set. Was that a Franklin's tease I heard by RD?

Ace, you have a good point. Weir's vocals have become atonal and the rhythmic approach (coming in after the beat) is really bizarre and annoying. Just some constructive criticism (Bobby's singing isn't any worse than Phil's, for that matter). The singing isn't what it's about in this music, but still...(try just a little bit harder!)

Tommy Mac, try to approach the scene for what it is: good times, a celebration, letting loose after a week of work. What's unchristian about that? I know, you'll probably have some ancient prohibition from that book of yours.

This show was great. I have been goig to Dead shows since 1972 so I feel I have a pretty good handle on the band. RD was good not great but good,much better than the last few times I saw them. I saw them a few years ago at the Paramount in Asbury NJ and swore I would never see them again, I was in 1st. row and the show sucked. I then began to see Phil Leesh and Friends and found them 100 times better than Rat Dog...still do. Bobby has kind of lost the energy from the old days and just when you think the leads really do sound like Jerry the nosedive you back to reality. The ABB was beyond belief. Also at the Tweeter Venue they asked me to open up a pack of cigarettes when I walked in and took 7 of some very nice doobs. In the hundred of concerts I have been to that has never happened, I was in shock..booo Tweeter Center and I hope the chick who took them has a very bad week. The venue itself is a great place to see a show, first time usually go to PNC north of Tweeter. Would go back in a heartbeat and put doobs in bag. Highlight song of my night..WHIPPING POST it was awsome...Favorite RatDog song....CHINACAT SUNFLOWER despite missing leads.

Gotta agree with Ace, I found myself dozin' quite a few times during the show. Women are Smarter was fun, and felt good to move to, but I was sitting in my seat during the China Rider and just couldn't pick myself up (no brown acid here either). Maybe I'm getting too old, and I've always been more of a Jerry fan, but Bobby just bored me to tears Friday night.

Greetings Paul,
Please know that I meant no condemnation in my response to Ace, I was merely expressing my opinion. I get the the dead scene, I've caught 90% of the shows in Philly from '77 thru '95. I love the positive energy of dead fans, their the best. I love the music. But a lot of bad times take place at these events as well, and I'm pretty sure that you know this to be true. UnChristian is your word, the words I used were(outgrown and idolatry). If you would read "that book" that you appear to have a certain distain for, you would know the answer to your question. My challenge to you is to find me one "ancient prohibition" that has not greatly benefited all mankind. That book saves lives and it can save yours. Even if you think my faith is wrong, you should non the less respect my right to have my own belief system. By the way, Jerry G. performed many a song based on "that book" In His too breif lifetime, so did the dead. God Bless You Paul (great name).

Great Venue - Have to get there earlier to avoid 209 traffic. What a treat to see some Dead into the Allmans. Not that ratdog is the dead or even ABB is really the Allmans of old. I truly miss Jerry and Dickie, but I could'nt be happier that these guys are keeping the vibe and music alive. That's what's important. Enjoy it, it will never be the way it was. I say the show rocked from start to finish.

I know I'm opening up myself to a whole can of worms being thrown at me but i think that all three shows from this weekend were epic. God rest his soul, Jerry's gone. But the music never stopped and hopefully it never will. We can all reminisce about the good ole days but the solid truth is where else would I rather be? Bad traffic, great parking lot, uninspired, killer set list; it's all arbitrary. If I was an eagle I'd dress like a duck. I simply enjoyed everything about this show. Was that Dennis McNally I saw down in front?

This was by far one of the best Ratdog shows I have seen. It was old time with members of each band sharing the stage with each other. What is really refreshing is to see aband like Allman Bro.s with virtually no ego amoung their members. They each gave plenty of space for each member to shine. The Franklins with Bobby was a nice treat.
Come on, Come Together>China>Ryder to Ripple. And yes God did throw some Lightning Bolts early to light the way.
You Know, at this stage of the trip I would be so happy just to hear the boys play anything at all.
Keep the music alive!!!!!!
Peace and be well

Tommy, I'm wary of religion as a gay man. There's usually a pitch to save my soul. If you're an open-minded Christian, I mean no disrespect. Ain't no time to hate. God (or Goddess) bless.

Paul, Anyone who claims Christ as their Lord and treats you with anything short of love, will themselves' have to answer for their hatred. "The pitch" (with pure motive) is an act of love, please be open to that. We don't have to agree with each other, but we must. must, must, love one another. Thanks for sharing your heart. Barely time to wait.
PS My wife and I love your little town, what a treasure.

Bobby and the boyz were on. Kimock is unreal. he gots the vibe!!! It took till Master of War & Me & My Uncle than the show got realy moving. What a big Jam after Help Slip, Great Job!! Ratdog is so much fun. I will always go see them. Been seeing Bobby solo. 1st show in Durango CO in 1989. Jerry would have been proud.
Keep on groving.

Bakerchase Chery Hill NJ

I got down into the parking lot fairly early. My wife and I were right across from the venue. Met some firends of ours that we've met a few times at RatDog shows, and my brother, his girlfriend, and a friend all showed a little later,as well as a fun,older Deadhead couple she knows. I certainly respect any old-time Head who doesn't dig RatDog or whatever, everyone has there own perspective. I saw my first Dead show 9/13/93 at the Spectrum, and have been going ever since. I think you get the music or you don't. I don't care if you've seen 500 shows, or if it's your second show. If you're there, you're obviously there for a reason. RatDog is my favorite band going these days, and Camden was a good reason why.
They started with nice control on the opening jam that telegraphed the opening song Women Are Smarter, which was provided with a solid rhythm by Bobby and the rest of the band, and allowed Steve Kimock to solo off sweetly. Strong start. Good Mornin' Lil' Schoolgirl is a song that I could do without for a good, long time but the band powered through this. I thought Bobby's vocals were great at this point, I don't really understand the earlier complaints in these reviews. Guess that's why everyone is different. Althea brought a nice ovation from the crowd and when Steve Kimock got going towards the end of this well-performed tune RatDog took it over-the-top nicely. Bobby then took the band into what was the best Ashes and Glass that I've heard live. Kimock was great on the jam, and we were very happy where we were sitting.
Bobby then picked up his acoustic and RatDog produced a pretty sinister backing to Masters of War. Steve Kimock's guitar was weird sounding, very cool. After that, Me and My Uncle was a great sing a-long!
Quinn the Eskimo kept that cowd singing, Foolish Heart was very impressively arranged, really giving that late 80's-early 90's Dead vibe. That segued to She Says, which was greatly aided by the lightning storm that started. Help on the Way>Slipknot! blasted off and Kimock once again shone during the solo and later in Slipknot!. This gave way to the Jam, which I thought was a bit underwhelming given how well they jammed to this point. Come Together was a step in the right direction and was snaky yet powerful. I thought the China>Rider that closed was probably the best of all! I loved Jeff's organ sound, and Derek Trucks guest appearance was fantastic! A tight powerful performance by RatDog and probably my favorite RatDog show since 8/30/05 at least. Steve Kimock was a great addition to the band, unfortunately it is a short-term one. The older Deadhead couple we went with had seen The Other ones and Phil and Friends, but never RatDog. They loved it, and can't wait for the next show. I hope MK gets well soon and the band gets back truckin' on!

Best show of the tour so far, and that's a lot of shows.
Steve get's stronger with each and every show.
What a BBQ, what a show, what an evening.
Can't wait for the fall tour now.

Loonyj
Detroit Michigan

The sound was terrible. I have attended dozens of Dead shows and several Rat Dog where The sound was always nearly perfect. Bobby could have helped by not performing so many Jerry songs. We endured 2hrs and 20 min of Rat Dog and left 3 songs into the Allman Bros.

I have been to many of dead shows (lost count) and no its not the same as when jerry was there the crowed is not the same to much drink these days!!! but this is as close as its gonna get to the good old days and I realize bobby loves to change things and do things his way he is still doing ok! waren was the highlight of the show for me so I hope they do it again next year.

You should all stop crying how bad the show was and be thankfull for the music i never got to see the grateful dead. Ive seen The other ones, the dead and this was my first ratdog show i had a great time the music was great. Just be thankfull that u got to see jerry I would give anything in the world if I could turn back time.

After hearing this (was recommended), it sounds like the band was rushed through the show a bit. That being said, fine versions of She Said and a very up tempo Help Slip.

A nice one set performance but it really never gets "out there" for the most part. Masters of War really sounded lightweight compared to the Mark Karan versions. Me & My Uncle was way overplayed this summer... Munchmix soundboard sounds really good. If anything, this set proves that the band is no longer in "slow" mode with Kimock. Tempos are fast and energetic.

I just LOVE when Ratdog comes near or in the area and catches the Philly Fever!!!! Great show! Lots of energy in the air. I danced My ass off! Hey Bobby come back to Philly for Your Birthday Party!!!! Love You Guys!!!!!

Loved the show......

Of course you can't please everyone Brian, so Ace is certainly entitled to his opinion.
Then again, I am not very critical, and after seeing my first show at Watkins Glen in 73'....I truly can't say that I have seen a show that I haven't liked! I think it's all in your mindset to a certain degree, although I'll give you music critics the benefit of the doubt when it comes to reviews.
I simply just have a great time when I'm with DeadHeads.....and listening to the music I love. I certainly have no conflict with my faith in Christ and the great music put out by Bobby & RatDog and ABB. Like someone said before me.......were simply called upon to "love one another" simple & pure. Remember the 2 greatest commandments that Christ gave us Tommy Mac......and how He said to hang all others on those two.

Anyway........it was a great show from my perspective, but I drove from Richmond, Va. to see it! I will see them in Nov. at "The Norva" in Norfolk, Va.........one great venue! I love the shows there.....as I get a room across the street at a place called "The Madison" hotel, and simply stroll across the street and step into never-ever land with Bobby for a few hours of musical bliss.....
Martino :)

I missed this show and had 2nd row for the next night and had to pass because of a back injury. It is 3 Days until Nov and as of this date and into the future(Iwill miss Reading) I have missed over 10 shows including some Phil Dates because of my Back. I am sure if I was able to make to a show it would help my depression and pain. Sadly a doctor won't see me. "Look for My Dying From Pain" Video Blog coming soon to you Tube and spread the word, I need some Vibes.... Maybe I will Capture some Doctors Attention...