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Roadtrip of the Month Hello everyone! Tony Oliveira is responsible for hooking me up with this month's piece. It is a moe. fan's perspective of the West coast Summer Sessions shows. I wanted to present a more balanced view, but the gentleman who was going to submit the companion piece disappeared. This is really too bad, because he had a friend named "Freak Magnet" who sounded like a real story!!
Edited by Rob Turner
by Rob TurnerThe big news is the debut of Phil and Friends on the east coast with my favorite songwriter and performer, the Elvis of the 90s, Bob Dylan!! I will refer to this tour as the Phylan Friends tour from here on out. Please submit your road stories, especially if you are traveling for one or more of these shows.
On a sad note, Jim "Catfish" Hunter passed away. He was a hall of fame pitcher for the New York Yankees and the Kansas City and Oakland A's. He was one of those players you couldn't help but love even when he was crushing your team again and again. Dylan once wrote a tribute to Catfish, and the lyrics of this song appear at the end of this month's piece. A portion of this song appears on disc three of Dylan's "The Bootleg Series: Volumes 1-3."
This is written by Wayne Gucker of Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Day 1 *******
The worst part of the 20 hour drive from our house to Colorado Springs was behind us. My girlfriend Catherine, our buddy Mike and I arrived at the venue early to secure a good place in line. We had never been to Red Rocks before, so we wanted to be sure we were up close for the show. Walking in, I ran into moe. guitarist Al Schnier. Things were looking real good! When the doors opened we grabbed front row seats right between Al and Rob. Front fucking row!! I couldn't believe it. I've only seen this place on the live videos of groups like U2 and the Moody Blues. I'm front row, and I've got an evening of music with moe. and Phil!! You've got to experience this place first hand. The natural beauty and layout of the venue are staggering, to say the least.When I returned to my seat to find Al yakking with Catherine, I knew it was going to be one great night. Fellow moe. fans Alex Rosenfeld and James Dunseth joined us down in the front. We ran into many moe. fans, and the beer was flowing, the kind was wafting, and there was fungal energy in the air!!!
At 5:40pm Al, Gibb Droll, and a dulcimer player whose name escapes me took stage right. Al welcomed the audience to the show, and the trio performed a gorgeous acoustic take of the Hunter/Garcia composition "Gomorrah" from JGB's classic "Cats Under the Stars." We've never seen Gibb, and he is everything good that you've ever read or heard about. Gibb did one more tune solo, then it was time for moe..
moe. played exactly one hour from 5.58-6.58pm. The "Moth">"Head" opening sequence ran 28 minutes. The jam between the two songs contained heavy figures of Pink Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive" and Al's "So Long." I knew they were going to come out strong to start at Red Rocks, and this was the perfect way to do it. "Moth" was plagued by sound problems at the beginning, but by the time the "but, to fly" segment came around, they had cleared them up.
Unfortunately, this would not be the end of the sound problems on this tour.
"Jazz Wank">"Spine Of A Dog">"Buster" was hot, and the crowd sang along with moe. bassist/vocalist Rob Derhak on the "Buster" verses.
String Cheese Incident was good, but not great. Some of their tunes have a similarity to them. They really wear out that galloping ending thing they do so frequently. They're all great musicians *especially the drummer* but they don't do "it" for me the way moe. does. I was, however, digging their slower, spacier stuff.
I can't rave enough about how great Phil Lesh and Friends was. In 22 years of concert going, these two Red Rocks shows, the first night in Eugene, and both Greek shows were the greatest performances I've ever seen. Guitarist Steve Kimock is absolutely unreal, ex-Hornsby drummer John Molo played *way* better than he did on the Other Ones tour, and Phil just radiated joy of life to the max. I'm still blown away just thinking about it. It really made me look back on the 94-95 Dead era and realize that Jerry was holding them back. This was serious I'm-here-to-melt-your-mind-and-remind-you-who-invented-this-stuff magic.
There were many highlights, including a 34 minute "Viola Lee Blues" to open that went places I didn't even know existed. Also the "Alligator">"Bird Song, and Warren Haynes singing Brent Mydland's "Just a Little Light," stood out. The show was dedicated to Dick Latvala.
I would like to add that anyone that felt that Al and/or moe. had little or no contribution to the west coast Summer Session leg with Phil is mistaken. Al had a major hand in arranging and setting up the musical charts for the Phil shows. He was up early and worked late to make sure everything worked musically during Phil's show. Phil and the various band members (excepting Kimock and Molo) each had musical charts and lyrics with chord changes and such in front of them while they played, as if it was a symphony performance. Al's part in all of this was crucial to the end product, even if he wasn't on stage. None of the improvisations were scripted, of course, that's why they're called improvisations. Al tried to talk Phil into doing the late '70's Dead disco arrangement of Dancin' in the Streets, but Phil wouldn't go for it. Al provided *much* more than straight rhythm guitar on stage. I think he had a sort of Weir role, as "secondary" guitar with the weird underpinning! s that were hallmarks of the Dead sound. He has a distinctive tone and style, and he injects a moe. feel even when removed from the moe. band context. moe. guitarist Chuck Garvey had a similar input when he jammed with Gibb on some of the acoustic interludes. It was a very wonderful thing to witness. As a counterpoint, when Michael Kang from SCI played guitar with Phil, he had very much of a Garcia sound. Kyle Hollingsworth from SCI was incredible on keys with Phil. He covered the sounds of the entire Dead keyboard spectrum, from Ron "Pigpen" McKernan and Tom Constanten to Bruce Hornsby and Vince Welnick. This fantastic playing was an amazing tribute to the musical legacy of the Dead. The Godchaux moments really stand out in my mind, as I feel that no one really covered his style in the Dead after his departure.
(Editor's note - I take particular exception to this last point - check some of Bruce Hornsby's input, particularly in the Spring of 1991 - songs like "Eyes," "Goin' Down," and "Big River," just to name a few)
The Phil and Friends thing as a whole is an amazing tribute to the legacy and catalog of songs of the Dead, Garcia, and all the players involved.
Day 2 *******
Galactic opened, and they are o.k. They're very much a one-trick pony. They don't suck, but you can only milk the same cow for so long.(Editor's Note - The opinions expressed in this month's Road Trip in no way reflect those of the editor of this section...this is a guest writer)
Government Mule is a big favorite of ours, and after seeing them 5 times on this tour, we're even bigger fans. Most complain about them being too loud. Hello!! This is rock and roll, remember? If you dig the old Cream/Mountain three piece sound, then you'll have no problem with the Mule.
They are also masters of economy, and that's not an easy task. The Beatles' "She Said She Said" and Dave Mason's "Sad and Deep As You" were two of the excellent covers we were treated to. The Galactic keyboardist, Rich Vogel sat in on "Sad and Deep As You."
Phil was on fire again, and my friend Alex summed up my road report for everyone. The opening 70 minute non-stop sequence was nothing short of Ambrosia from above.
(Editor's Note - I don't think he's referring to Dan Healy's beautiful daughter)
I really enjoyed the "Playin'">"Round the Wheel">"Uncle John's">"New Potato Caboose"(!!!)>"Tangled Hangers." There was not one down moment, it was just pure electricity. If you had to see one Phil show, this was the one. (The first night in Berkeley came damn close, though.) "The Wheel">"Terrapin">"Playin'" Reprise, all with Al, was great stuff, too. Al handled the lead vocals on the Reprise.
Day 3 *******
Salt Lake City was the only "real" Summer Session show as presented to the west coast. The show was held in a cool little venue in a very strange setting. It was held smack dab in the middle of the downtown Salt Lake City high rise buildings. The venue was very reminiscent of a high school quad area, or a little outdoor theatre where kids do plays. Capacity was around the 1500 mark.(Editor's Note - The show was held at the "Gallivan Center.")
Galactic opened, followed by the Mule, then moe proceeded SCI's closing set. moe. opened with one of the best "32 Things" I've seen. Ripping and on fire, the band was out to crush. "It" was up next, and the whole magilla fell apart. The sound on stage sucked, the sound to the audience sucked, the band members were pissed off, and I don't blame them. They actually abandoned it during the first verse, and it was never completed. Al had a few choice words for the sound system (not the crew), which he later regretted. I Can't blame him, though. This was supposed to be a professional show, not a garage gig. They were also a bit thrown off from their bus breaking down 400 miles out of the city.
They were down, but not out, as they rallied for "Can't Seem to Find." Al's new song, which the band had debuted at Woodstock. All of the anger and frustration was put to good use on the "Brent Black">"Timmy Tucker" set closer. The segue into "Timmy" was seamless, and each tune blazed with a passion and intensity unheard before. When "Brent" got to the bass/percussion section, percussionist Jim Loughlin and drummer Vinnie Amico lit up the night air, and then turned it over to Rob for some raging bass improvisation that included snippets of "Meat." This led into an extended bass intro for "Timmy Tucker." Magic.
Day 4 was a travel day.
Off to Eugene...
Day 5 *******
The Mule led off with an excellent set that included an instrumental jam of Bob Marley's "Lively Up Yourself." Kyle Hollingsworth joined for "Soul Shine" which Warren wrote during his years with the Allman Brothers Band. It was the first of two days in Eugene, and it all came together for moe.. The sound was *excellent*, the boys were rested and relaxed, and if it wasn't for Phil's presence on the bill, no one could've touched them this day. This set will go down as one of the best one set moe. shows of all time.
They were dressed great, they looked happy, and their playing...I'm not sure where it was coming from. It was one of those channeling things. The out of body experience where the music is running you, and you just sit back and let it flow.
A barnstorming "Spaz Medicine" began this day's congregation. During the solo, Rob took off into uncharted territory, leading on bass as Al burned up the fret board. Then, the dang thing segued into "Saint Augustine!" These moments are the reason Catherine and I go see moe. everywhere. "St. Aug" dropped into a spacey (?!) solo, someplace previously unexplored.
These guys were tearing apart and rearranging the Cosmos right in front of me! Were they aware that I was fungal on this night? Probably not, but it sure felt like it!
The tapes will tell the musical side of the story, but the beauty of the venue in its natural setting and the vibe of the crowd just can't be re-created in the living room. The place holds around 4,000, and it is located on the grounds of Oregon U. These are the same grounds that hold Autzen Stadium. It is surrounded by tall pine trees, and a small creek flows through the backstage area. Everybody had to use a little wooden bridge which took you over the creek to enter the show. The stage was covered in a band shell similar to, but smaller than that of the Hollywood Bowl. There were five different kinds of Full Sail beer available. No Bud crap here. Great beer at $2.75 for 20 ounces! Can it get any better?
(Editor's Note - The venue is the Cuthbert Amphitheater)
Another song the band debuted at Woodstock, "The Ghost of Ralph's Mom," then made its west coast debut. If they can get this on radio, it's gonna be HUGE! The new batch of moe. tunes holds some great promise for them as musicians, and the audience as consumers. If you've heard the Woodstock version, it's already a bit more fleshed out with a spacey jam dropped into the middle. Think of The Knack (1st two albums era) meeting up with The Kinks (Arista era; "Destroyer", etc.) in an alley and dipping into the fungi bag. It's moe. for 2000 and beyond, and it cooks, baby!
"Ralph's Mom" really never ended as Rob started to noodle around. That noodling fleshed fully into "Meat", and it's a "Meat" for the ages. They were heading into meltdown mode, and there's no turning back. "Meat" (after quite some time) segued into "Rebubula", another "mind fuck" you ain't heard before. "Rebub" was it's epic, anthemic self. The band went off...Chuck jumped up and down at the end...then it was over...(The crowd's went nuts! It was like whatever big rock moment you've heard before; Cheap Trick at Budokan, Zeppelin at MSG, The Beatles at the Bowl, whatever. Intense, magical, and a whole lotta love being given and taken.)
...and I was there!
Phil came up with a goodie, as well. Al was up with him for about 3/4 of the show. Highlights: "Dark Star">Phish's "Wolfman's Brother." Al did *all* the leads on "Wolfman's!" Al also joined the band halfway into "My Favorite Things">"Dark Star" 2nd verse>"Eyes">"GDTRFB)> And We Bid You Goodnight(!!!) On "Goin' Down" Al played the familiar introductory riff and sang the second verse. Phil took the first verse, and Kang handled the third. Such great stuff. I really hope it was professionally recorded.
Day 6 *******
This was the second Eugene show, and the first show of the run that I felt wasn't up to the intensity of the previous show. I don't mean to say that there weren't any raging jams going down, though.Galactic led off and they were followed by SCI.
Phil was more in the "song" mood, rather than the "jam/trip" mood. Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone">"I Know You Rider" was the 37 minute opener. KVWH's "It's Up To You" got a tremendous 20-25 minute reading. "She Said She Said">"Tomorrow Never Knows" was the highlight of the show with Phil on vocals for TMK. The set featured an excellent "Blue Sky," and a "(Turn On Your) Lovelight" that was leaner and meaner than any I've ever heard to close the show.
Worn out, but very happy and satisfied, we head to Berkeley the next day.
Day 7 is another travel day.
Days 8 & 9 *************
We had a great time at the Greek shows, but we found the venue to be a bit uncomfortable. After reading about all the legendary shows there, and hearing the tapes for years, the place was a bit of a letdown. It was way oversold, which was probably the only thing wrong with it. You couldn't even get through the aisles to the restroom if you had to, as no one would get out of your way. The beer garden was at the top of the place where you couldn't even see the stage, and you weren't allowed to take beers back to your seat. At $6 a pop, it was a rude shock following Oregon.(Editor's note - What has happened to this great venue, the sight of some of my favorite Dead experiences? This is very distressing.)
We sat by the soundboard the first night since it was a non-moe. show. We felt the need to conserve energy for the following night. The Mule was on first and they dedicated U2's "One" to Bobby Sheehan from Blues Traveler, who had just passed away. Galactic followed and Al joined them for a 15 minute groove-fest, the best thing they did the whole run. (Editor's Note - bear in mind, this is a moe. fan writing.) Al added his trademark solos, and a funky Shakedown Street-style riff to their song.
Phil's show that night was on a par with the second night at Red Rocks. The opening sequence of "St. Stephen">"The Eleven" jam>"Mountains of the Moon">"All Along the Watchtower" ran 72 minutes without a break! The "Stephen" portion was 32 minutes on its own, and I think the twelve minute "Mountains" blew away any of the Other Ones' renditions. Fine music for the hometown crowd.
Brent Mydland's "Tons of Steel" (sung by Warren Haynes) was greeted with rapturous applause, as was the note perfect "Unbroken Chain." The orchestrated sections were flawless, and the jams were expanded very well. A strong "Cold Rain and Snow" was in the unusual position of closing the show. "In the Midnight Hour" with the Galactic singer was offered up for an encore. (Editor's Note - He is referring to Theryl deClouet, and I couldn't be happier that Phil brought him out! Also, many raved about the version of Kimock's "Kissin' The Boo Boo" at this show.) His voice fit the song to a tee, and it would be the only time of the run a Galactic member joined the Phil crew.
String Cheese opened the second show with arguably their strongest set of the run. The highlight was when Keller Williams joined them for one of his songs. Keller has a record backed by SCI, so I assume this song, jammed out for over twelve minutes, was from that disc.
Before moe. came on, there was an acoustic interlude that featured Gibb Droll, Rob Derhak on electric stand up bass, and Chuck Garvey. Then Rob departed and Chuck played with Gibb, then Chuck left for Gibb to perform solo.
moe. hit the stage at 7.20pm, and those nasty sound problems were back. They opened with "Plane Crash", and the bass was non-existent in the mix. Every time Rob stepped up to the microphone it started to feedback. Finally, his mic went out altogether, and he tried Chuck's for a moment, then went back to his and screamed out the end of the song. After this, the sound problem seemed to be resolved.
"Captain America" was second on the list. It's a great new song with the "in the middle" chorus, and I can't really describe it yet since it was the only time I heard it. "Stranger Than Fiction" followed that, then the set closing team up of "Bring It Back Home">"Recreational Chemistry". John Molo joined for the entire "BIBH." The segue came at the small percussion section towards the end during which Rob began the familiar "RC" bass riff. I really like what they've done with the section of "RC" that immediately follows the verses before the jamming solo by Al starts. They've slowed that section down and made it more spacey, which fits the song perfectly. It was a fine show for the Bay Area faithful, sound gaffs notwithstanding.
Phil comes on at 8.48, and Al is onstage the entire set. They open with a 40 minute strong "Dancin' in the Streets">"Cosmic Charlie." Al sang "Dancin'" all on his own, and he and Phil shared co-vocals on "Charlie." "Bird Song" was next and it headed into a heavy "The Other One" jam, but didn't go all of the way there. "The Wheel">"Terrapin" was a welcome repeat from the second night in Denver with Phil urging Al on for more soloing.
It was very interesting to watch from down front how Phil would "conduct" the group. He would cue solos, pull back from solos, cue one person to keep soloing, etc. "Box of Rain" closed the Greek run, which gave way to the County Bowl show in Santa Barbara for the final night of festivities.
Day 10 ********
This was going to be a tough show because it was the last one. At least moe. was to perform at each of the final two shows. We were very satisfied with everything that we'd seen, so it wouldn't be a bittersweet goodbye, but a happy one.The County Bowl was a cool venue with a strange set up. The general admission lawn was in front of the stage rather than at the back of the seats. This was the only one of these shows that had reserved seating. Luckily, we had some great 4th row seats on Chuck's side of the stage. This was also the earliest show of the run. The venue is in the middle of a residential area, and it was Sunday, so the show started promptly at 4 and it concluded by 10.
moe. began this day with "Seat of My Pants," and Al's pedal rig decided to take a dump. When the song reached the solo section, Chuck and the band vamped on a riff until Al was set to blaze on the solo. It was clear sailing from there. "New York City" was next, a great new Derhak tune with lots of potential.
"Time Again," and then "Mexico" followed. "San Ber'dino" was next, and apparently added at the last second onstage as Rob announced, "There's been a change in plans." "Spine of a Dog">"Buster" closed out the show. This was the longest of the 5 moe. sets clocking in around the 72 minute mark. All of the others were right in the one hour range. The "Spine">"Buster" was the only repeat of the run, and a great one at that. Very well done guys!
Mule was in the middle closing with Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer."
(Mule-loving Editor's Note - Mule also performed "Wandering Child" (rumored to be from their forthcoming album) which segued into "Devil Likes It Slow," Elmore James' "It Hurts Me Too" (perhaps appealing to the Deadheads in the audience), "Lay Your Burden Down", Bad Little Doggie (also allegedly on said soon to be released Mule CD) which jammed into "Little Wing," "I Shall Return," And a version of "Mule" that contained Van Morrison's "I've Been Workin'" and an Alan Woody bass solo.
Phil's set was great, but I felt it was like the second night in Eugene with the intensity just a tad bit off. The set opened with a 30 minute full version of "That's It For The Other One," into which "Smokestack Lightin'" was inserted. It could've been extended a lot longer than it was, but I think time was an overriding concern. A raging hot 31 minute "Help">"Slipnot">"Franklin's" ended the show. The "Morning Dew" and "Aiko Aiko" double encore was the perfect run closer.
This run of shows has been one of the most eventful musical moments of our lives. I've never seen such greatness come forth from the stage. It was just the perfect length, and definitely the best vacation we've ever taken.
"Catfish"
Bob Dylan
Copyright 1975 Ram's Horn MusicLazy stadium night
Catfish on the mound.
"Strike three," the umpire said,
Batter have to go back and sit down.
Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.Used to work on Mr. Finley's farm
But the old man wouldn't pay
So he packed his glove and took his arm
An' one day he just ran away.
Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.Come up where the Yankees are,
Dress up in a pinstripe suit,
Smoke a custom-made cigar,
Wear an alligator boot.Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.Carolina born and bred,
Love to hunt the little quail.
Got a hundred-acre spread,
Got some huntin' dogs for sale.Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.
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