9/17/2000 Reviews

September 17 Bryce Jordan Center, State College, PA
Help on the Way > (Bobby and Bruce)
Slipknot! >
Franklin's Tower (Bruce)
Easy Answers
Baba Jingo >
GDTRFB > (Bobby, Bruce, and Mark)
Drumz >
GDTRFB >  (Lyrics sung over jam out of Drumz)
Ramble On Rose (Bruce)
Victim Or the Crime@ (Bobby acoustic, Bruce on accordian, Steve)
Friend of the Devil@ (Bobby and Mark acoustic, Alphonso on standup, Bruce, Steve)
Uncle John's Band@ (Bobby and Mark acoustic then electric)
Preacher in the Ring@ (Alphonso on standup, Mickey on tar, Bruce)
Samson and Delilah
China Cat Sunflower >
I Know You Rider (with Hanson)
E: The Weight (with Hanson)
*-sung over the jam out of Drumz; +-with Hanson

Great show....  Help/Slip/Franklin's was flawless, with Kimock hitting Help/Slip note for note and calling the shots throughout, and both guitarists shining on Franklin's.  Baba Jingo was hot, with Mickey, Kimock, and Bruce especially rolling, then GDTRFB (where Bobby sang one more verse than normal, then Bruce sang Mark's line since Bobby took his, then Mark repeated the same "Water tastes like wine" line with a 'whoops' shrug to Bruce.  Then Bruce called for a drum solo, and as they solo'd, Mickey and Billy said they were doing Drumz now and all the other members just kinda stood there like "what... already?" then Mickey waved goodbye to Bruce, and Bobby just looked spaced, and the 5 front guys took off, laughing in the corner of the stage like "What the hell's goin on" during the whole segment.   Bobby led the charge back with he and Mark Karan both having their guitars on and back in position, but Mickey and Billy weren't done yet so Bobby slinked back off and Karan was laughing his ass off as he left.  Eventually they all came back and began jamming over the Devils' beat, and Bruce and Bobby began singing the GDTRFB lyrics over Alphonso's groove ("Water tastes like wine" again...).  So they rolled on and into a well-jammed Ramble On Rose.  Victim was great, with just Bruce on accordian between Bobby on acoustic and Steve electric.  FOTD, Uncle John's, and Preacher were all nice, and Samson completely tore the place down... Mark had a great groove going the whole song and Kimock led over it to really build the song up.   China's intro had Mark picking up Bobby's rhythm and Bobby playing the lead Karan normally does, and China was rocking, then someone came onstage and lifted the three mics in front of Bruce's piano (which I thought were there for the Melody Makers).  Then Hanson came out.  Bobby was wearing a Hanson shirt but who'd a thunk the three of them would be onstage with these guys.  They sang all the lyrics to Rider, and most lines, including Bobby's and Bruce's in The Weight.  They sounded good though I gotta say that was one of my weirder experiences.  Overall, a great show, though it didn't flow as well as the previous two nights for me.  Help/Slip/Franklin's and Samson were ridiculous.

Ziggy was also great as always.  It's too bad more people aren't inside for his set cuz it's really "there."  They shouldn't be playing to less than half-full places.  The scene outside after the show was very mellow--there was no security, parking attendants, or police in the lot, no traffic (thanks in part to a small crowd), and no raving lunatics (except for this one girl in Bobby's face all night).  Great place for a show... I bet they won Mickey over by giving him the Penn State hockey jersey with "Hart" on the back that he was wearing.

--Dave

* * *

What a great show. Highlights had to be Mickey kicking everyone off the stage so he and Billy could do a little rhythm devils!! Ramble on Rose was a nice sing along. Things really got crazy when Hanson ran on stage. They actually did justice to Rider and the Weight. It was hilarious. Thanks to the Boyz for stoping in my neck of the woods!!
**Be excellent to each other!**

--Seth Rappaport

* * *

Overall a very good show! Only a few miscues from great. Bob is wearing a Hanson t-shirt and Mickey is wearing a Penn State football jersey with Hart on the back!!!

Help>Slipknot is always a favorite opener of mine and it was delivered very well. The volume was a bit low at this point, but the overall performance was pretty good. Lots of visual cues to the changes in the songs. No real unique jams in Slipknot.

Franklin's was stellar!!!! They took this song to the top and shoved it down your throat. Kimock went crazy on this tune to the roar of the crowd and a big smile from Bob. At this point the energy was sky high. The volume was raised to a nice and loud level from here on out.

Easy Answers - Boom! the roof caved in! Bob tried to resurrect the horrid Easy Answers (not currently listed on the set list above because it was so forgettable I suppose). This song must go. It just does not flow well, although Bruce seemed to catch a nice groove for 30 seconds during the jam portion.

Baba Jingo - I like this song and it was delivered well.

GDTRFB started well and got everyone dancin. Nobody knew who was going to take the lead during the solos so it kind of stalled, but not too badly. Bruce tried to take control of the musical meandering by forcing Billy and Mickey to take a drum solo so the others could re-group and figure out how to get back into the swing of the song. Billy looked at Bruce and said NO. But Bruce persisted and forced everyone to stop. Mickey looked at Bruce like "you little Devil." I think they tease each other a lot on this tour! Mickey responded by waving Bruce off the stage, repeatedly saying Bye, Bye, Bye to Bruce. He decided to take an early turn on Drums. The band tried to come back on stage (you could see them talking to each other on the side plotting their return) and get back into the song. Everyone put their instruments on to start, but Billy and Mickey ignored them and went back to the Beast to play some serious drums. The band dropped their instruments again and headed to the sidelines. Billy and Mickey would not have it!!!!!

Drumz - well played as usual with some very interesting sounds!!!

GDTRFB (Hanson was NOT here for this despite the setlist above). The reprise of this song was a haunting chant by Bob and then Bruce, driven by Mickey's eerie drum tones. Very interesting and cool I thought. Bruce sings "Drink muddy water and sleep in a hollow log, don't want to be treated this ol way" as an additional verse.

Ramble On Rose - well played, but a slow tempo. Bruce sang this tune very well (I am not a huge fan of his singing). The jam never went anywhere, but the song was still very good.

Victim - well played and sung. Acoustic sets are not my thing in the middle of a rock and roll concert, however. The energy sags.

FOTD - very well played with everyone but the drummers.

UJB - got everyone back into gear. The only thing lacking was the jam at the end. No one took charge and it meandered a bit, but the overall song was very cool! Any sing-a-long is cool when the crowd gets into it!!!!

Preacher - very nice song by Bruce. Well played.

Samson and Delilah. Holy cow!!!!!!! The volume went from loud to full ear bleeding and the boys took this song to another solar system. Full tingles and the hair sticking up on the back of your neck crazy. I am still in awe of this song today. It surpassed the best versions I ever saw by the Dead (40+ shows). Bob's vocals were very crisp too. When he shouted the words, he really hit them tight. The words "attack", and "back" were like one of Mickey's super drums hitting you so hard you could almost be knocked over!! WWWWWWWWWWoooooooooooooooooooooWWWWWWWWWWW!! I just cannot believe this one!! It must be on the CD they are making, it must!!!

China - well played and volume still very loud.

Rider - Hanson comes out (I like Hanson) and the crowd roars. They take the opening verse and harmonize very well. I cannot remember their names, but the middle aged Hanson took the "sun gonna shine verse" and the middle and oldest ones shared the "headlight" verse. They screamed to the fullest their little lings could belt out too! very cool indeed. This was a really nice treat and the song was very well sung. The jamming was there, but it took a back seat to the vocals this time. Hanson brings back the verse Bruce sang earlier "drink muddy water and sleep in a hollow log" as another added verse to the song. Very cool.

The Weight - stellar. With the added harmonies it really shined. Another CD cut in my mind.

As I said, overall it was a very good show. Franklin's and Samson were the ones that returned the crowd to the glory days. Just seeing that these guys can take the songs that far makes me want to see them over and over again. They can only get better too. I imagine seeing most of a show at the level of those two songs in the short future if they stay together and keep playing. Wow, did I really hear that Samson????

--Hawk

* * *

Sunday's show at PSU was wonderful. It was my first show of this edition of Furthur, and I was blessed with seats in the second row on the floor...dead-center. They opened with a strong Help>Slip, with Bobby and Bruce trading off verses. Slip went right into a energetic Franklin's Tower sung by Bruce. I have only seen Hornsby twice, the first time was at 1998 Show at Star Lake, and then again last night. I cannot say enough about his piano playing, or his singing, he just adds so much to the band. Mickey then played Baba Jingo, it is nice to hear Mickey sing. Jingo went right into GDTRFB, which went into a nice Drumz...it was great to hear Mickey and Billy drumming away together....Bruce went into a marvelous Ramble on Rose, like only Bruce can do... I absolutely love his voice, and coupled with his exquisite piano playing, he is just a pleasure to listen to. Victim followed, then a nicely played Friend of the Devil was to follow. Uncle John's Band made an appearance, and then we got to hear another Bruce tune... Preacher in the Ring, again Bruce failed to disappoint. A strong Samson was next, and what happened next was a total shock to everyone in the BJC.... I said to my cousin who was sitting next to me..."Is that who I think it is?".... He said I believe it is... what the heck? HANSON, was up on stage singing Rider.. I couldn't help but laugh, I glanced at Billy, and he was just shaking his head with a little grin on his face.. it was almost like he was saying, "I go away for 5 years, and come back to this...HANSON!!" It was very amusing. The encore was in my humble opinion one of the highlights of the evening... The Weight is just a great song, this was another song on my "wish list". Overall I had a really good time on Sunday night, I thought the band played, and sang well, and I think they are having fun. There def. is a difference without Phil up there dropping his "Bombs" but overall I would give the PSU a solid 9 out of 10.

--Aaron M. Vedock

* * *

Went to the Penn State show last night. Good vibes all around. They started out with a 25 minute jam.... Help on the Way...Slipknot!....Franklin's Tower. Awesome right out of the gates! A nice start to Baba Jingo almost a Santana like intro.... not quite though. But very cool. Good version of Going Down the Road... into a great drumz. It didn't seem like the boys were ready for drumz. Mickey had to wave bye bye to the boys to get them off stage. Billy K actually soloed for a short time while Mickey was moving to some drums in the back.  While Mickey was walking, he gave the floor to Billy who ripped the place up. At this moment it really felt like a Dead show. Bobby and the boys came back on stage and started to sing Going Down the Road with the drums jam.... It was a very slow version with a much different feel than how they had started like 30 minutes before. Then they did a fun version of Ramble On Rose. Bruce brought out his accordian, Bobby was on acoustic and Steve on electric...everyone else left the stage. They did a cool version of Victim Or the Crime. Bobby was awesome on this one! When the boys returned, they did acoustic versions of Friend of the Devil and Uncle John's Band. Bruce did Preacher in the Ring. Kinda funny moment, it got quiet and most people sat around us.... someone near us let out a big yawn.... need I say more? They went into a very loud and good version of Samson & Delilah... one of the best moments of the night. It rocked and everyone was singing along.... "tear this whole building down".... awesome! A pretty good version of China Cat but its just not the same without Jerry. Of course they went right into I Know You Rider. Then came the big surprise of the night. Just as they were hitting the first few notes of Rider, Bruce motioned to someone back stage and they propped up 3 mics in front of his piano. Then walks out the 3 Hanson brothers.... who the hell invited them I thought? The 3 of them sang most of the lyrics and believe it or not they were pretty good. The whole place went nuts. I know its hard to imagine but the place was rocking with the 3 of them out in front of the boys... pretty weird huh? They did a good job and I think the fans appreciated it. TOO came out for an encore with Hanson and did The Band's tune The Weight. It was fun... everyone was singing along. The only bummer of the night was that they ended the show about 10:30. They came on about 8:15 so it was a decently long show but I could have gone another hour easy. I think everyone else would have loved at least 30 more minutes......

Overall a good show....lots of fun...and even picked up some Dick's Picks on my way out.... Hopefully TOO will be on the road again in about 6 months....pretty please guys!
Peace

--WM

* * *

First, Ziggy played a great set, just fantastic grooves and dancin'. Lights down time for the show.

The opening Help>Slip>Franklin's was really well played, everybody was into it and the sound was full. Both Karan and Kimock had an excellent lead during Franklins. Set the stage for a all-time show.

Unfortunately the rest of the show played out like a recent Penn State football game. Weir's Easy Answers was really slow, Baba Jingo picked things up a bit. Contrary to the setlist, they didn't transition into GDTRFB, Weir just started it. Here's where the first miscues happened, the band was playing pretty good, but when the song reaches a solo part, no one wanted to step up. Bruce points to Kimock who smiles and points back, this song featured many chorus/verses with no singing or soloing, kinda rough, finally they point to Alphonso, who obliges with a killer bass solo, this raised the ante some and the jams continued, at last Kimock won't lead, Bruce won't lead, so they point to Mickey, sha-bam, Mickey & Billy start doing their thing, Weir & Co. wait on stage for a minute, I think assuming they will quiet back down and return to finish the song, but Mickey waves bye-bye to Bruce and the band leaves the stage. Weir looks puzzlingly at his setlist taped on the floor....

Great drums, what to say, again, great to hear Billy. When drums mellowed down the band came back on (they had attempted to come on earlier again) and basically sang GDTRFB in a slow smokey tone over a Love Supreme underscore, this had potential and was kind of cool, but never really peaked. A lazy but nice Ramble On Rose followed.

The acoustic set was well played, esp FOTD and the UJB was nice, suffered at times from no one willing to solo though. After UJB Weir looked at Billy and Billy mouthed "we already did it!", so this is where they wanted to put drums, so they go directly into Samson (oh yeah, it's Dunday), then a China>Rider to close, as they hit the uptempo Rider groove, a roadie came out and raised three tiny mike stands up in front of Bruce's piano and three bubbly teens come running out clapping their hands and smiling and the crowd roars, it's Hanson to sing Rider. (whatever). As everyone left the stage, Billy was the last, who stood up, pointed towards where the Hanson kids were looked at the audience, smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

Encore was The Weight w/Hanson again. Moments before the last crash of the encore Mickey yanked his earpiece out and walked off, not sure what pissed him off, but he didn't look to happy.

Considering how hot this show started, it was a little tough to watch it never recover.

--Jakes

* * *

Great Show....far tighter than two weeks ago...GO SEE THIS BAND

--Domenickes

* * *

Last night was by far the weakest show including a GD member I have ever seen. Help/Slip/Franklin's was decent. A powerful opener that should have propelled the band to more than what followed. Your setlist is missing Easy Answers, but its just as well, since it wasn't worth remembering. By the end of Baba Jingo, the band had squandered all the energy that Franklin's created, and the show stumbled for the rest of the night.  GDTRFB was energetic, and drumz was fantastic. A well played Ramble brought the energy level up, only to be squandered again with Victim. Yes, as an earlier reviewer noted, "We were the victims of this crime." Uncle John's band was fair, not jammed anywhere near where it is capeable, but still, another increase in energy which was soon to be squandered by ... Bruce's Preacher in the Ring. A beautiful song, and very well played, but also very poorly placed in the set. The band finally reached the energy and intensity they are capable of in Sampson, but China Cat was a disaster from the first note.

I have never left a show early, but when Hanson appeared on stage to sing all of Rider, including the rare Hollow Log verse, as well as Jerry's verse, I became sick to my stomach. They sounded fine, but there are still some pieces of GD music that are sacred to me.

I came to this show with very low expectations, and I still walked away disappointed. If this show was any indication, this band needs Phil Lesh. It was obvious that they were missing the intensity, delicasy, and cohesiveness that only Phil can provide.

I will go to see this band again .... If they happen to be opening for Phil and Friends

--Jason

* * *

What a great show! Great because there was a lot of energy and alot of really brilliant playing. The vibe was very mellow because the place was about 30-40% filled because everyone else was at the Phish show a couple hundred miles away in Merriweather. (I love Phish but I opted to see the Other Ones this time.) There were more empty seats then filled seats but it was nevertheless a wonderful evening. A real gas was at the end when Hanson jumped on stage and sang along with I Know You Rider. It was awesome because the energy was explosive! You might think that Hanson might have ruined the song but NO. These kids have a lot of soulful talent and the band played hard. Don't underestimate these kids! Hanson also sang a verse for The Weight encore and it was glorius.

--smellbutt tasty

* * *

Great show -- blistering Samson (110 GD shows attended i can't recall a more smokin version) -- Franklin's Tower UNREAL -- no complaints here. Thank you for a real good time!

--sjerbobphl