3/30/2008 Setlist, Photos, and Reviews

amazin show!! great uncle johns...stella blue was very blue,man thats one jerry tune bob does nice.the drum thang was crazy!!!!thought i was at a king crimson show for a second there!turn up the sax please ,the guy is blowin his head off but ya cant hear it .just aint right.some classic bobby miscues all in all real cooool!show.feels like the dog might be built to last.

Haven't seen Bobby lay live since '89 back in CA but knew that Ratdog had a solid relationship with each Other. Was NOT let down last night....the music is still in my head as I get ready for work. Mark was on fore all night, Bobby played like a champ even with his "mis-cues"....he's Bobby, we know its gonna happen, right? A very solid show from start to end and now can't wait for Aug. 23rd for the CAmden show. Perfect theatre, perfect band and the best fans, what more could ya want? Thank you (Bobby), for a REAL good time!

awesome show fun truckin opener into a very good loose lucy...an epic ashes and glass and an unexpected samson and dehlilah to close it out awsome

great second set ,first set bob mike to low could barely hear lyrics,corrected for second set and they let loose.nice acoustic open in second into electric finish with samson. great to hear the band in great theatre sounding awesome.

My 10th show and my wife's 2nd . She is finally getting into the grove and starting to enjoy the expereince .What a night to remember .Mississippi Half-Step and Uncle Johns band was awsome and Throwing Stones made my night.The crowd as always was fun and friendly see ya in Camden in Aug!

GREAT SHOWW BOB!!! THANKZZ!! 1978 my very first dead show was JGB at the Tower. always wished jerry would play there more. Even though I was resting my eyes for some of the 2d set , very memorable show !! loose lucy was nice, truckin is a good opener, all in all the first set song selection is great couldn't of done better. throwin stones was right on time with me, givin' the shape of the world today!! anyway I hope you can play there more Bob,I like the small venues!!!! Hats off the crowd. thank you upper darby police for not breaking our balls to much!!LOL

Ok. So this was my 16th Ratdog show. And let me start by saying it's in my top 3, if not No. 1! (other two favs being 3rd night Beacon last year 3-10-07 and Albany last year 11-3-07)
Not much going on before the show but if you got there early enough the sun was out and chillin on the top of the parking garage was sweet. I did get my two newcastles for 5 so i was good.
And me and my friends found the shadiest bar possible with really weird pictures on the walls. The bar was called Cheers. Ha.
Security was clearing the aisles in the orchestra at first but as the show progressed they chilled out and the dancing was worry free.
Truckin was a sweet opener got the crowd into it right off the bat. Loose lucy was great. Thank you for a real good time bobby. Everybody loves that lyric. and Looks like Rain was Phenomenal. One of my favorites and they rocked it. Althea lost sailor were cool. Saint was Rockin. and Ashes and Glass is a real nice Ratdog tune to end the set.
All in all the loose lucy>looks like rain was the best part and a solid set all around.

Tower Theatre I love you. They had waitresses carrying around trays of beers so we didn't have to miss any of the show. Second time i've ever seen that and every venue should do it.

You win again>jack-a-roe>uncle acoustic Amazing! never expected a jack-a-roe that was sweet and me and my uncle. sick bobby tune and he nailed it. then a half-step that came straight out of left field. Across the rio grand-eo! Across the lazy river! so Awesome! one of the dead's greatest masterpieces i think. Uncle johns band always cool. usually more towards end of the set no? best Stuff i've seen. never a big fan of space or stuff but i was front row against the rail by this point with a lovely new lady friend i just met and it was mad loud and rockin. nice job guys. stella blue. i might get crap for this but i never liked this song... until tonight! ha. mainly because i held my new friend tightly in my arms through the whole song and really FELT the song for the first time. ha. anyway. i won't call it Stella Poo anymore. ok? ok. and if this show hadn't blown my mind yet they play my #1 favorite grateful dead song of all time. Throwing Stones! mark Karan. welcome back damnit! you make the band. Kimock you are awesome but mark is Ratdog and he was money all night long. samson and delilah rocked as an encore. i seem to always go to saturday night shows so to see an encore that's not One More Saturday Night is always awesome to me.
This is only one man's experience and opinion but like I said, Top 3 maybe my favorite show out of the 16 I've seen. Mark Welcome back. Bobby you're the man. Ratdog see you this weekend for 3 nights at the beacon. Lovely Laurelle hope we see each other again soon.
Peace and Love

Can't wait for August!!!! Loved Loose Lucy!!! Stella Blue was awesome. One of the best RatDog shows I have seen!! This is has been a long strange trip since 1980...and I am still truckin on.....Thanks Bob

GREAT SHOW!GLAD TO HEAR FROM MARK AGAIN.OF COURSE IT WOULDNT BE A DOG SHOW WITHOUT BOB'S MISCUES.TRUCKIN FOR THE OPENER, STEELA BLUE WAS NICE.ASHES AND GLASS WAS SMOKIN.THROWING STONES SAILOR-SAINT ARE MY FAVORITES FROM TONIGHT.KEEP ON TRUCKIN BOBBY!I WILL SEE EVERYONE IN CAMDEN IN AUGUST!

great first set!! bob's mic could have been turned up a little bit, but it seemed like they took care of it as the
show went on. i've been to many "dog" shows, but this was a first for "althea" and "lost sailor" tower theatre was nice,
and had great sound!

Good show all around, real nice vibes from fans and band. Some of my past Ratdog experiences have been a let down, but last nights show was hot. My fav's were the sailor-saint, throwin stones, and half-step, although I thought i heard some of those "miscues." Sometimes wish band would play more upbeat.

Great, great show. We were up on the rail all night. Jay Lane handed me his broken drum stick at the break. Very cool, indeed.

Great opener, Truckin>loose Lucy>looks like rain, Althea...are you kidding me. Love Althea, the song and my dog. Very impressed!!!! Second set kicked it up a notch, for sure.

Bobby built himself a fine thing. I haven't had that much fun at show in a long time...maybe Bonaroo 2002. I was always a Phil fan, Seen the Dog about twenty times. This show made me a Ratdog Fan. Can't wait to see y'all at Penns Landing...Phil.

We had great seats close in on the floor of the Tower, a place I last saw a show in 1988 or so (a drunk and horrible Dylan with G.E. Smith leading the band). Really great place to see a show. One complaint...my ears are still ringing. It was really freakin' loud by the end of the night.

Very, very enjoyable show, full of energy and soul performed by a group that clearly feels like a band and not just a part time collection of side players (no offense to Phil). Way better then when I saw them in November with Kimock in Reading. Without question the best RatDog show I've ever seen, which may not be saying much, but also easily among the top two or three post-Jerry Dead-related shows I've seen, which says a little bit more, but I'm not sure what. Anyway, I think these guys can be a little, um, inconsistent, but on any given night, they can bring their A game, and when they do, as they did last night, it can be really special. Unlike the Phil and the Ratdog shows from November, neither of which provided much energy or the kind of playing that it takes to put me over the edge, this show actually delivered music capable of transporting me into the space that I crave.

First Set was particularly strong, well played and songs thoughtfully selected, and while Ashes and Glass felt superfluous stuck on at the end, it was well played, held my interest and is actually a good new song.

There seemed to be something in the air, with the duel theme of traveling and loving/ screwing appearing through the set. Guess the guys were getting horny and/ or homesick.

Interestingly, some very good looking and well dressed ladies seemed to be walking back stage pre-show, prompting jokes from us that Bobby was having some fun before the show. But as they do, things got even weirder. There was a balcony up in the wings behind stage left occupied by what appeared to be a row of really beautiful women (could these be the same women who were heading back stage?). They were really fun to watch cause they were in full-on Dead-shimmy, whirling dervish mode, but were dressed like they were going to a dance club and not like earth momma hippies. At one point one of them flashed her ta-tas several times. Did not seem like many people noticed, but I sure did. Loose Lucy is my delight, alright!

Second Set: Nice to hear You win Again. Jack-a-Roe was solid. Me and My Uncle started in a really slow tempo then they kicked it up several speeds and it rocked as it should. 1/2 Step was a truly lovely peek filled sing-a-long, with smiles all around. UJB started and ended in fine form, but they attempted an ill-advised transition into a reggae tempo smack dab in the middle. It was a miserable train wreck, bordering on embarrassing. Deduct a point. Could have lived without the Stella at that point in the evening. Deduct another point. Throwing Stones was actually really great to hear, and fully rocked out. It being Sunday the Samson encore was expected but was uplifting and delivered perfectly.

Finally, a word about Mark Karan. Not sure if I was just not clued into him before he got sick, but he is a very soulful player who knows the music and how its played. Several of his solos where truly wailing and fully psychedelic in their impact, worthy of bringing the crowd to a very high place and earning him well deserved ovations. Could it be staring down the grim reaper has given him "access" to a little something extra, or is it just me projecting? Is there a difference?

awesome show a couple mistakes by bob weir but played his heart out . i was lovin both 1st and 2nd set none stop bad ass songs. keep on truckin bobby see you in augest with the allman brothers.

Will Weir ever change his shirt and pants on this tour?Check out previous show pictures from this tour.

This was about Ratdog show number 35 and certainly in the top three along with the Saturday show at the Beacon in 2006, and the second night at Penns Peak in 2006.

let me say Truckin was a great opener and gave me hope for an inspirational show, but the rest of the show bored me, as bobbie has done so the last three times I saw him. I only came to see him because everybody, and I mean everybody said I missed the best Ratdog show last August with the Allman's in Camden. I figured I'd give him another chance. Never again. I liked the grooves of Mark Karen and the band, but Bobbie is no front man. And I have used part of his name as a password in most musical sites due to my admiration for his body of work. Phil's shows are far superior to any Ratdog show I ever saw. I wish it weren't so! But it is!

Killer setlist, great show all around. Second set was all that, even drum solo was cool. Can't wait for camden.

What? No Dylan cover?
One could have put this show in the realm of legendary. Kickin' Ashes & Glass; M&M Uncle>Jam>1/2 step. The ubiquitous Sunday Sampson & Delilah rocked as the encore.

Wonderful show. Great venue with clean sound and just enough room to move.

Truckin' was a solid opener, but I thought the Loose Lucy was weak. Bobby was having mucho equipment problems and the song was pretty much performed by the crowd. LLR was a great one, and Mark Karan really found his groove here and did not let up all night. Lost Sailor/Saint and Ashes and Glass were all very well done.

You win again was decent, but the Jack-a-Roe and Me and My Uncle really rocked. I always thought of me and My Uncle as kind of a filler tune, but it was exceptional. The UJB and Throwin Stones made me think it was 1990 all over again. Great show and I would gladly go back to The Tower again.

GK

Went to the show with typical low expectations. Figured I would be greeted with another of Bob's lame setlists and his usual equipment problems. Was very pleasantly surprised. Started out by getting lucky and scoring a 7th row seat for face value !!

As for the music, I thought the first set was great (except for Loose Lucy which wasn't a favorite of mine even when JG sang it). Really enjoyed Lost Sailor and Saint of Circumstance - both of which were usually bathroom break songs for me back in the day (along with Wang Dang Doodle and Walking Blues LOL).

Second set was solid, although I didn't care much for the reggae 1/2 step or the rap Uncle John's Band arrangements. Throwing Stones was excellent.

I was watching the afore-mentioned backstage hotties dance all night. (Couldn't help it - they were in my line of sight from the left orchestra. LOL) They were entertainment in their own right.

Was quite pleased by the lack of gestapo tactics by Upper Darby's finest, and amazed by the total lack of security in the venue. I could have walked in with a six pack of beer - no one even looked at me, nevermind searched me.

Looking forward to the show in August at the Tweeter (or whatever its called this week).

Great show in a fantastic venue. The first set was really good, especially the electric LLR, the first I have ever seen. Althea, and Sailor->Saint were a treat as always, with MK tearing it up big time! Ashes was particularly good this night.

Second set opens with You Win Again. I love this tune, and Bob's arrangement of it. The Jack-a Roe that followed had some real nice acoustic pickin! I was hoping Bob was gonna finally give me a Big Iron, and for the first few seconds of Me and My Uncle, I thought I was finally going to get my wish, but I ended up standing with teeth clenched through yet another MAMU. Fortunately the Mississippi Half Step that followed more than made up for the disappointment. I really enjoyed the reggae breakdown in UJB, which seems to fit this tune much better than Jack Straw. Jay really shook the house during Stuff. The Stella Blue that followed was beautiful, and the Throwing Stones was epic!! Once again, I was hoping that there would be a segue into Lovelight, but then I saw Bob take his axe off, and I knew I would have to wait again for the tunes I long for so much, and NEVER get. Just a great reason to hit more shows!
For the encore, however, we were treated to a fantastic Samson that made this night complete, and sent us out the door on a good note! Thanks for playing the Tower guys, but please don't turn the cold shoulder to the Electric Factory. I hope I get to see another dog show there soon. Fall? Allman-Dog is next

I may be the only one writing a review like this, but I had a less than favorable experience. My seats were under the balcony and the crowd noise back there overwhelms the music. The 4 young ladies behind us did not shut up the entire first set. The people next to me passed us at some time during each song to go and buy more beer and use the restroom. I had a beer spilled on my coat. It is really hard to focus on the music (One in ten thousand that comes for the show) in these kinds of conditions. I have been seeing the Dead since the early 70's and have seen Ratdog at many venues over the years. This experience was a disappointment.

killer show amazing loose lucy the best version of throwing stones i have ever heard, along with a beautiful jack-a-roe defintly glad i got my tickets in advance. thank you bobby.

I went with very low expectations. The last 3 times I saw RatDog (Reading, Poconos and Stroudsburg) the tempo of songs were slowed down too much, but worse Bob's vocals were so low and muddy in the mix that he couldn't be heard--the constant crowd talking doesn't help either. This was another repeat. I did enjoy the light show. I've been going to see Bob for 37 years, and this was probably the last time.

Joan - FWIW, I will not sit under the loge or in the loge at the Tower. The sound underneath is always horrible, and the loge is always 120 degrees. I'd rather hang out in the bar across the street.

Jim - I keep saying the same thing to myself, but for some reason (probably because I have nothing better to do LOL) I keep buying tickets. The solution for low volume in the mix is to sit up close. I have gotten to the point where if I can't get good seats to a show, I sit it out. The sound was great in the seventh row. If anything, it was too loud for these old ears.

one of the GREAT rat dog shows. mark was on fire. smoking show through and through.

Great show. Very well played. sound was also good. my 37th RD show, but my 1st time seeing Bobby @ the Tower. I prefer the Tower over the Electric Factory anyday! Thanx for the Lost Sailor>Saint and the Samson!!!!!!! What happen to Welcome to the World????

Great night out with the boys! I have to say I thought the second set was awesome. LL Rain was a hilight for me in the first, as was Lucy. Thought they could have closed the first set on a better note, but it was good nonetheless. Second set suprised me with a great acoustic Jack-A-Row. They kinda fell into Half Step, but eventually made it one of the most rockin ive seen. All night long Jay was on fire. I noticed it right from the beginning. I don't know what he was on that night but he was totally on fire - fillers left and right and beating the hell outa the skins. I def saw him break at least 2 sticks and saw another slip out and go flying because he was wailing so hard. Wish the "stuff" made the ill drum solo distinction because it was amazing.
Throwing Stones and Samson as the encore just was icing on the cake for me. Good to hear Bobby on Samson bring back the old.."ggood God talk to me now!"
Good night - look forward to seein the boys again soon.
Peace

Tow of the strongest set lists I have seen. Killer Truckin' so early in the first set, LLR and Althea combo. MHS, UJB, and Throwing Stones were awesome.
Been going to shows since 1970. Jerry's passing really felt like the end of something that was never going to EVER come back. Saw the Dead wave the flag tour in Camden in 2005 with Warren Haynes and Jimmy Herring. I'll admit I teared up a bit that night when they did Eyes of the World. The long strange trip was not over. Thought no show could touch that until this show in the Beacon. Sixth row, being served beer, lots of dancing...
Bobby may have have had a couple of senior moments, but I take my hat off to that man for putting together an extremely strong band that GETS IT. They have an
incredible catalogue of songs to use, and they have managed to be representationally faithful to the GD.
Thanks, Bobby... Jerry would be real proud of you guys!

I already gave a review. I said this show was amazing. But after going to all three Beacon shows. I have to revise my review of the Tower.

This show was IMMACULATE!!!!! PHENOMENAL!!!!!

The best I've seen out of 20 shows.

First Dead concert was 1978, countless shows since. This is the first time I've ever written a review, but I had to because the show was unbelievable. Tickets on the 8th row didn't hurt. Sometimes recent shows have lacked energy and flow, but this started strong and continued throughout. Great song choices, throwing stones was phenomenal and close with Samson and Delilah was a real treat.

This was my first Ratdog show on the east coast..or any type of Grateful dead related show.
The Tower has a great sound system but did not show it in the first set.
I was very pleased to hear lost sailor/saint wow.
The audience was great too except the idiot with the Big mouth who kept yelling Garcias name.
Im looking forward in seeing Rat dog again in november when they return to the Tower.