8/19/2008 Setlist, Photos, and Reviews

Whoa. That's one good looking setlist! Someone please review!!

This was my first RatDog show and hopefully won't be the last ! The biggest issue of the night was the complete incompetence of the parking staff at SPAC. We missed the first 30 minutes as it took nearly an hour to park! The sound of the band was great and Bob's voice was strong. Great 1-2 punch with the Allman Bros !

What a great show. I've been to several doggie shows now and this is my favorite so far. A lovely unique setlist that amazed everyone I was with. A solid Miracle and Boss Man with a superb Masterpiece. Scarlet had everyone boogeyin' down. This was my mom's first doggie show and she's hooked! Good Times...

AWESOME!! this show was amazing. we brought my son to his first show and he had the best time. i haven't heard might as well in a long time and they rocked it.
thank you bobby for another great time, keep rockin'

nice set list. normally we would have gone to this one. we made a pact after hampton, that if they played maggies that we were not goin to the shows that followed because of distance and expense. we heard it, and we didnt travel to one of my favorite venues in the northeast (SPAC). i could go to hartford tonight. its only 2 1/2 hrs away, but it has gotten almost impossible to convince my usual traveling partners that ratdog read the reviews of sat. nite, and are going to make positive changes in song selectio. i fear i will miss the show (songlist) i have been waiting for, but they rfuse to go. maybe this fall.have a great time tonight guys and dress warmly, it gonna get chilly tonite.

Cream Puff War!!!! This song should not go unnoticed amungst deadheads. The highlight of the show without question. Check it out, it is unbelievable.

What a fabulous show Bobby and the Dog put on. (The Allmans were also on fire with Warren and Derek taking it to another level - probably because Bobby set the bar so high.) I have to agree with Clint: Cream Puff War was the highlight. Great to hear them dust this one off. In fact, the Cream Puff War>Scarlet Begonias>Jam>Sugaree is what it is all about! Still miss Jerry and his lightning bolt blasts through the cosmic fabric that Bobby and the others laid down - but Bobby is doing a fine job carrying the torch. Thanks Bobby!

Still taking in this show......it was possibly one of the best Dog shows I have seen......in great sound range(balcony) the band ripped an amazing STUFF as well as the gems that were inlcuded such as MIGHT AS WELL and CREAM PUFF, I was in shock.......and like said I still am.....wonderful show....can't wait till fall???P.S. SPAC is beautiful and was a beautiful night!!!!

this was my (and my pal's) 1st doggie show, and certainly not my last! a mini-dead fest, bringing me back to days gone by when traveling to shows was the norm. this set list was a keeper....check out the tapes for an awesome performance (which put the ABB set to shame, my opinion!)

sound check KC Moan. 8th row tonite. Bobby sang his lungs out ... last visit to Capital Land Boys had a Stella performance at Palace. MK is back into his Groove. Boys seemed to have allot of fun on stage. Cream Puff War. 1st 45 of GD I owned 2nd time Bobby has played live. post GD. Thanks to Hip Bill for set list. You Dah Man.
As I was talking to limo driver & Yellow shirt at main entrance after Ratdog a Black SUV Navigator type came haulin into venue & Ole Yella Shirt flagged him down. Car stops & pssngr rolls down his tinted window & there is Warren , getting bitched out for for his drivers quick entry. He was runnin late. Gave me a smile & away they went.
Guy had no idea who he was talking to.
RAlberty , Vermont

Me and my son were'nt able to make it as my 22 yr. old boy has a very serious brain tumor and is currently sedated
at Albany Medical Center. I corresponded with MK about his situation and requested A "Two Djinn" via e-mail. I know they did it but how was it? I just ordered it. did anyone hear Bob say "This one's for Tim?" Tim is my very sick dawg and we need good vibes to get him better. I'm very sad but optimistic right now. Help us my Ratdog family?

Blown out of our seats by Cream Puff War - what a treat! ....followed by a very nice Scarlet Begonias. Our first Ratdog show and now we can't wait for the next. Sailor/Saint: at the start of "Two Djinn" Bob did say "this one's for Tim" and we wondered at the time who Tim was. So we were all thinking about him during the song without knowing him - and they played it with plenty of heart. Now know that our thoughts and prayers are with him...and you. Here Comes Sunshine

Great show, after the Dog got rolling, the lawn felt like the GOTV festival once again, like it has been two weeks!! Band energy was high!!! Pace and Tempo were great!! Set list was fantastic, showing the band's diversity and creativity. On the lawn the dancing was intense. This was a lot of fun... Music highlights many, notably Might As Well, Miracle, Masterpiece, Foolish Heart and my favorite Sugaree of the year!!! My sons who have been hitting the festivals (Roo, GOTV, Mountain Jam) are have become regular doggies now... and were by the lawn rail spreading the faith amongst the flock. I first went to GD in 1970 and due to Bobby and Ratdog have reconnected significantly over the past two years, get as much as I can while it is still there. Thanks to Bobby and Phil!!!

Great show from Bobby and the boys. Butch trucks sat in on a couple songs, (Jay on keys), overall high energy show pleaseantly surprised after reading reviews of previous shows, sugaree was hot, might as well was rocking and Bobby was singing with alot of energy, he looks great and the voice was on! Way too many cops in the lot, but overall a great night of music. Next stop, Phil in NYC! Being a dead head is NY is great thing.

My first time writing but my 6th RATdog show. 5 Phil shows and many more to come seeing as how they both as great as they were 30 yrs ago. Its tough to have a bad time at any of there concerts. And this show at SPAC was incredible. PLEASE BOBBY KEEP COMING BACK.

I couldn't make it up to SPAC this year, but I downloaded it immediately from "archive"....it blew my mind. They dedicated "Two Djinn"to my buddy, who is recovering in the hospital...it brought tears to my eyes.
Timmy, when you get better, you will lose it when you hear this....Tim Sr. I love you guys....Thank you Mark and the rest of the DOG.

Timmy when your all recovered this set is gonna blow your mind....I'm listening to the set on the computer as i write this with goose bumps all over. I love you guys and i'm thinking about you every minute.........thanks to all the members of Dog for spreading the GOOD VIBES

It is 3:00 and I am still in Boston, MA and I said to myself, “self” what would be a good thing to do tonight? I know how about a road trip to see Bobby and the boys in Saratoga, NY 3+ hours away. So I burned a couple of CD’s and fired up the heavy Chevy and headed out. Not having any tickets or not even sure where to go, I haven’t been there since The Dead played there back in ’88 (I always had someone else drive for reasons we won’t get into now). I walked up to the window bought a ticket for the lawn met some new friends and had the best time at a concert in recent memory. I was so far back that all you could do is “feel” the music. The band was so tight and Bobby was fantastic; it was a great rendition of Scarlet and WOW the what a range Bobby had on Two Djinn it just blew me away.

I’ll see you all in NYC w/Phil
I hope the music never stops

This was me and my friends first Ratdog show and damn did it blow my mind. I always thought Ratdog was just a Dead ripoff but i was sure wrong. Right from the beginning jam it was just like the real dead. I need a miracle was so fun to hear but i think Scarlet and Sugaree topped it.

Wow...been listening to this one on GDRadio and it sounds Excellent!! Scarlet and Two DJinn were absolutely amazing. Bobby sounds wonderful, and I am absolutely frustrated for not having made it to Camden on Saturday night. I hope they sound half as good when I see them in the fall/winter...

I'd been wondering about the recent reviews, having more negatives than usual. Was the dog in trouble? Was I in for a down show after so many upbeats (maybe 25 now) ?
No way. Bobby and the boys rocked this one. And from recent reviews, if there was a hint of a limp, it is gone now too. Nice to hear Might as Well, and the scarlet to sugaree portion was sweet. I might be in the minority for this, but I always like the chuck berry numbers too, great to leave us that way. (and they were only offstage about 30 seconds!) If I had to find a weak link in this show, it was the "stuff" that had each player looking to another for direction. I hope we can all agree that a disjointed "stuff" is an acceptable low point!
As for why some have had less then stellar experiences? I think it is the opening slot. Seeing the Dog before sundown just doesn't seem right. May I suggest you bring your shades and wear them during the show, to add to the nightime ambience.
I too wondered what the dedication to Tim was all about. now I know saint/sailor, and my vibes to your son.

Ratdog & Brothers delivered the goods at SPAC, as usual. On a Beautiful Upstate Day I was psyched for this show and was not disappointed. Opeing Jam into Tommorow was good choice to get us going the playing was tight and the band was locked in. My fav's were the Playing>Big Boss>Playing. Cream Puff and Scarlet were ripping especially during Cream puff good to see all the smiles on stage between all players. It was great to see a show at the SPAC flash me back to the dead 80's, I was lucky enough to have 3rd row center, turn around and see all the happy people with the sun shining on the Tall Pines on the lawn blus skies on the sides and Bobby up close, but not spitting? Where's my spit during Masterpiece, BTW Bobby nailed the lyrics and groove on that one. See I told you it was a good one, the playback on my tapes are awesome thanks Bobby and band for playing!! PS- It got freakin cold after Stuff>Sugaree Danced my ass of to stay warm.The Brothers rocked it out too!
Big Thanks to Dennis McNally, pictures comnig soon.
Peace and Roses - Jeremy see you All's Hallow Eve - Boo.

I really enjoyed listening to this show. The highlights were TNK, Playin', Might As Well, The Winners, Cream Puff War->Scarlet Begonias, and Two Dijnn. Those were all well played. The other ones didn't work for me as much. I hope they start playing Two Dijnn more. It is the best song that Ratdog has written.