Furthur / The Dead / The Other Ones | OtherOnes.Net

The show was fantastic. I'd been looking forward to it for weeks and was pumped all day. We new they would start off with a bang, and Good Lovin' was perfect. A fun Tennessee followed, and we were on our way. The band really played well together last night, the best incarnation post-Jerry without a doubt. Lost Sailor was next with St. of Circumstance which both were great. Then it was time to grab a beer during Only the Strange Remain. I applaud Mickey's effort, but it can take some steam out of a set when he gets the mic. However, they picked up where they started with Cumberland Blues, which I had REALLY been hoping to hear. : ) The Estimated was vintage Bob; I felt like it could have been twenty years ago, and it would have sounded the same. CASEY JONES was Screaming by the end... that locomotive was moving! Never have I danced so hard in my life. Hunter was a nice change of pace. Great to see him perform. The second set was very spacey/jazzy. I kept getting completely lost in the jams, darting in and out of one song back into the next with a beautiful UJB tucked perfectly in the middle. And Dark Star, all i can say is NIGHTFALL OF DIAMONDS! What a nice ending. Touch of grey capped things off. Best night I've had since, well, '93. Got em again for New Year's... cant wait!

Well... this was a really interesting show. So many teases all going in different directions and then almost at random descending into some semblance of cohesive structure around minor themes. Sitting after the show talking about the setlist with all sorts of different folks, nobody was exactly sure what the hell had gone on tonight, except that it was 1) pretty mind blowing, and 2) very tight a times. Set list as we saw it:
Set I. Good Lovin' (great but unexpected) > Tennesee Jed (very sweet) > Lost Sailor > St. of Circumstance (Wow), Only the Strange Remain (still hasn't grown on me, but that's cool) > Cumberland (very nice), Estimated (a high point for me personally) > Casey Jones (great set
closer)
Intermission had R. Hunter doing his/Jerry's ballads as follows: Days Between (Man I can't hear this song enough; I think it's the best song that came from the Dead in the 90s), Deal (nice) > Loser (no complaints), Cats Under a ... (I wandered at this point), Stella Blue (while nobody does it like Jerry, it's a treat to see Bob Hunter doing the material he wrote - the man is a true modern day
troubador)
Which leads us to Set II... or where things got really strange....
Set II. He's Gone (fuckin' amazing)> vocal Jam (very sweet and solemn...nice heart in that song) > (Here's where things get weird} Big "Truckin" tease that never went anywhere, into another jam > Lazy Lightning > Supplication > Mountains of the Moon (wow this was sweet and closed the song well) > then outta nowhere Bobby drives the rest of the guys (reluctantly) into Uncle John's band - hey whatever at this point. then from UJB > Lady with a fan (Terrapin 1st movement) into Dark
Star which rocked the house into Drums/Space and then outta that and they teased Wheel for what seemed like eons before ditching it and going back into the 2nd movement of Terrapin (Station) then sliding back into Dark Star to close it all out. My mind is somewhat blown.
Anyhoo...then an encore of "Happy Birthday" for Phil's 16 year old son's birthday today, and then Touch which seemed very fitting for it.
The boys really seem like their wanting to push it all a lot but searching a lot at the same time for more direction. In the chaos of these pretty phenomenal guys, it all seemed to work.

My wife Dessa and I arrived to the show a little early as we wanted to get close and get familiar with our spot before the show. As usual we ran into Pete, a good friend I only seem to see at shows in the Bay area. After Thursday's show I was really wondering how Friday could top it. The opener, Good Lovin' was perfect and unexpected; the Doctor was definitely in. Tennessee Jed followed and was as usual fun to groove with and Jimmy Herring did a good job progressing the jam into a rockin hoedown. Then came the dark distant sound from Bob and Jimmy as the opening of Lost Sailor became evident. The band seemed to recognize the need for a cool down and trance tune. Saint of Circumstance was the obvious follower. The flow wasn't exactly there on Lost Saior or the peak of Saint but I still enjoyed hearing them and overall they were good. Only the Strange Remain was next up. I dig the music of Mickey's songs but am still not used to his singing yet... jury is still out. Cumberland was more then needed. We (the crowd) were more then ready for some southern style Dead to rock out with. The band really seems to get to cut loose on Cumberland as well; Rob, Phil, and Jimmy come through as being very familiar with each other on tunes like Cumberland. I loved the Estimated that came next but I'm not so sure about the timing change of the lyrics. This song flows so well in its Dead form. I felt Bob and Jimmy never really connected on this one either. A lot of jamming but it never hit that climax where all the musicians were together in full force, however it had some very good moments. Casey Jones, what can be said... fun fun fun song. Love the momentum gaining ending they do. Now 2nd set. I have to say the He's Gone was the highlight for both days for me. That song took me home, and I felt Jerry in the heart of many. The Lazy Lightning that followed was a total surprise. I can't begin to say how unpredictable this band can be. I heard teases of Playing, Terrapin, and even Uncle Johns before they busted into Lazy Lightning. What a treat as well; this song rocks as well as grooves, very disco. Mountains came next and once again I was thrown off; the jamming these guys do between tunes is insane. I heard so many teases in transition it had me on the edge of my shoes. Then, boom.... Uncle John's. This song never fails to take everyone on a journey. I swear I have heard this song a hundred times and it never fails to keep me smiling and lose me in its jam before we let the boys know "how does the song go." Terrapin came next which was what I kind of expected. It just seemed like a Terrapin night, not too mention I had my Terps hat on that I randomly borrowed from my best friend before the show. The Dark Star had me wondering if the band even wanted to slow down for Drums and Space. Herring and Rob seemed prime to keep jamming as Phil, Jeff and Bob already exited the stage. The crowed urged them to stay but with big grins they decided it was time for Bill and Mickey to shine, and shine they did. Bill went off on an insane solo as the crowd and Mickey inspired him to keep it going, then Mickey and Bill took it upon themselves to initiate a little quake action. My chest is still vibrating from Mickey pounding the huge skins. The space was short and sweet as the night was moving fast. It was almost midnight as they broke back into Lady with a Fan (Terrapin) as they took the crowd home and then tucked us in nicely with the finishing of Dark Star. This whole show seemed like a journey; each song seemed to take us somewhere without looking back. Which brough the encore of Touch of Grey to be a perfect closer to send us toward BART which was waiting patiently as the show went well past the midnight hour.
The shows are different without Jerry. His magic is definitely missed, however this new lineup has a very special magic of its own. I leave very inspired and satisfied and almost overwhelmed. I compare the intensity of this group to sticking your head out the window of a car driving like 80 mph down the road except instead of wind hitting your face and making it hard to breath it's pure music blowing your mind. Thanks so much. I just ask that you post this for my best friend's girlfriend Sarah, who, during Drums, when asked if she liked it so far, she replied, "perfect.. not just the drums but everything, everything is just so perfect". Yes it was.....