Bob Weir and RatDog | RatDog.Org

you have good shows, great shows, and the occational clunker. This show was the epitamy of the boring, lackluster, lets take the night off, and uninspired concert that makes ya look even more forward to the next show. the accoustic part of the second set was like hearing paint dry, and milestones terrapin predictable and dull, and overrall this will most certainly go down as the worst of this short 7 show tour, I promise you that. But a great night out at the Beacon. but there is something ratdoggish about the general admission shows that ya miss here.

I just got back from the show and I have to say they rocked tonight, very cool. Sunshine was really good. Easy Answers I could have done without, actually I can always do without that. Big River was solid. Jeff played a nice solo during She Belong's to Me and they jammed it out well. MarK played really well on Dire Wolf. I was not a fan of Odessa. The Dark Star Jam was great, not mellow but nice and loud giving it the justice it needs sometimes as a really great song to play with a little spunk! Let it Grow sounded great. Bobby McGee - Mark played a nice solo but the tempo was really slow in general. I really didn't like Fever. Hell in a Buckey sounded great.
They put a new spin in on the end of first Terrapin Jam which sounded good. Knockin' was kind of boring. The rest of the Terrapin suite was awesome to my ears. Bob - you and your band sounded great tonight, the last time I saw you was on Tuesday at the Grand Ballroom. You rocked it ourt tonight and it sounded great.

One man's sand is another man's gold and I personally felt that I hit the mine right tonight. I'm not exactly sure what more can be expected of this band but to each their own, I was hopping madly in my aisle seat and thankful it wasnt the clusterf**k that Philly turned out to be near the front of the stage in the aisle.

A really well-sung and well-played HC Sunshine segued into a show-stopping version of Easy Answers. Really...:-wink...if you weren't there hope you hear it on cd...:-smile. And I'll admit that the rest of the set didn't quite live up to the opener in some ways, the 2nd set more than made up for it. BMcGee was a cool opener, Chimenti totally tore up Fever & El Paso featured an inspired solo from Mark on the acoustic. And the rest of the set was pure gold, starting with the totally raucous Bucket to the sinewy Milestones to one of the deepest Terrapin's I've ever had the privilege to witness and feel live, guest Tom Pope on drums adding inmeasurably(sic) to the bottom. Stuff was Jay and Tom going at each other with a fury and glee in their faces and then watching Kenny's grooving to Jeff's playing during Stuff when the rest of the band sans Bobby joined in was worth the price of admission itself, these guys were having fun with it all and it showed. Knockin was long and passionate and I'll opine that Bobby is singing at his finest in a long long time, he's simply not fumbling with it at all and attacking it with a vim and vigor that definitely belies the fact that he's an old geezer, lol! The Terrapin reprise was as well-jammed as I could have possibly asked for then to end it with a GDTRFB that had people around me telling me that though they don't particularly care for the song (and neither do I for that matter), that this version merited the praise that it deserved. And the Touch encore just seemed right.

Personally, I'm afraid that I just got my show of this Beacon run and if that is true, it's still ALL GOOD...:-big grin

Peace,
Alex

I have not seen the Dead or Bobby since probably 1990. The show tonight was completely epic! I am so impressed with Bobby and Ratdog, these guys were totally rippin'. Some the songs, like GDTRFB, were as good as the dead could've played them. These musicians are extremely talented and Bobby's voice is as good as ever. The ticket price was more than fair. I have to say I was blown away by how well these guys played.

This show was by far the worst of the Beacon shows I have been to in the past few years. Right off the bat there was a buzzkill with Easy Answers, I think that is the one song that I do not like. First set was lackluster. Second set was decent. Enjoyed the At a Siding and Terrapin which were really good but otherwise not a very outstanding show. Also liked the Fever and Hell in a Bucket. GSTRFB was also a good one. I guees I am expecting too much as I have seen some great shows at Beacon and this was not one of the best.

Folks I hope we're not fogetting the below average beacon run from last year. it was only one year ago! and the Thursday show from last year was the best one. so hopefully its not downhill from here again. but i had a blast last night. didn't get to show until easy answers which i don't care for that much anyway. Big River was sweet. My first Dire Wolf so awesome! love when bob sings jerry tunes. odessa/dark star = bathroom break and beer($7.50) (and a double jack and ginger $16.00). Let it grow always sick. anyway remember they did did weather report suite>let it grow to end the first set first night last year? where's my suite? haha Big River, Dire Wolf, Let it Grow...i'm happy. walked right down to the orchestra from upper balcony during intermission. let's do this. At their last show in newark i was partying too much at the break i missed bobby mcgee so i finally got to see that last night. love it. and maybe my highlight of the night is El Paso. You don't get much more Bobby than that! Love the song. love hearing bob sing it. crowd was real pumped during this one singing along. you really remember why you're there during songs like that haha. Hell in a Bucket, which i would think is a set closer, was sick as always. another great bobby tune. "Well i was drinkin last night with a biker" so sick. Terrapin was surprise to me for the first night of the run, and hey. I'm not complainin! crowd was into it i was into it it was awesome. stuff is stuff. soulful knockin. at a siding terrapin flyer cool. Goin down the road had the place rockin! great set closer. I love a touch of grey so i was happy. but i know a lot of people don't and you can tell it from the crowd. not that into it. but i was. so i was happy once again. ha. dropped my friends off at penn station. cruise threw the tunnel listening to the fan rip on girardi, get home to dream about hopefully one day, getting my Bombs Away i've been waiting for (48 shows). see you all tonight.

I've seen Ratdog many times before and often been disappointed, but last night was stellar. Good song selection and the band is comprised of very good musicians, especially Jeff Chimenti, who has a jazzman's feel on the grand piano, but can just as easily swirl it up on the Hammond. Kenny Brooks, the horn player, is equally good on the tenor and baritone sax, and Mark Karan has really come in to his own in trying to fill Jerry's shoes. Bobby stuck to singing in his middle range and stayed away from the screaming that can make you cringe. He played his usual slashing and angular rhythms up in the mix and even took a few leads.

All of the supporting musicians have great chops and many songs had them playing solos in succession. They did an especially good job on Milestones and almost the entire Terrapin Station suite, which they played in two parts. At one point, the band was jamming, and the sound morphed into an extended, lilting reggae jam...very well done.

The 3-4 acoustic songs to open the second set were real sweet, especially 'Me and Bobby McGee' 'Fever,' and 'El Paso."

Lowpoints: Knockin' on Heaven's Door, Drum Solo, and Touch of Grey encore...just my opinion.

I'd would have said 5 stars, if not for the lowpoints...

Started out a little shaky especially Bobby's sound through the first few tunes, but the superhuman crew came through and got the mix right.

It is funny when you see other reviews how people's opinions differ, I thought this was a good show, probably a 7 out of 10.

After the HC Sunshine, Easy Answers and Big River I thought the rest of the set was really good. a little surprised by the Darkstar jam since they had played that in its entirety on Monday night, but it segued nicely into Let it Grow.

Set 2 was definitely the better set, Acoustic tunes were sweet, liked the Fever a lot. Hell in a bucket was tasty, the Terrapin was very traditional, nice Stuff, you gotta love when Tom Pope sits in.

All in all a solid show, the skills of Jeff, Mark and Kenny always impress me.

Thank you for a real good time.

Don't know which show some of the other reviewers were at, but this was an extremely well played and exciting show. Having been with the circus for over 40 years now, I've seen some post Dead, good Bobby and some bad Bobby. This was very, very good.

Terrapin was worth the price of admission alone. I think some people just enjoying saying things suck just to bring everyone down.

Enjoy the rest of the shows! Peace out

Don't know which show some of the other reviewers were at, but this was an extremely well played and exciting show. Having been with the circus for over 40 years now, I've seen some post Dead, good Bobby and some bad Bobby. This was very, very good.

Terrapin was worth the price of admission alone. I think some people just enjoying saying things suck just to bring everyone down.

Enjoy the rest of the shows! Peace out

A very good show last night. Thought they played much better than Monday night at the Grand. The band maintained their energy through out the night (no doubt assisted by Tom Pope sitting in for a long spell). Dire Wolf and Bobby McGee were a nice treats. Both sets ended strong with Let it Grow and Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad. Big River into She Belongs to Me worked out well. Terrapin was played solid. Mark's solos were more on last night which led to nice transitions between the verses and jams. I was very pleased with Thursday night's show. Thanks Bobby!

If you want a good laugh, read these reviews!!

best show in afew years for me dont no what all the bad reviews are about energy was high over3hrs of great music terrapin is worth price of ticket bobbys voice was strong and showed lots of emotion

I agree with Billy Sunday. I've been on the bus since 1986 and have seen the ups and downs. This was a well played show and well worth the money. Good music, good favors and good times for all!

Enjoy the ride folks>

I already wrote a review but I can't believe that this show is getting a rating in the 7's similar to the Tuesday Grand Ballroom show. This show blew Tuesday away. The sound was much better, the band was tighter and rocked it out. Even the songs I don't like sounded tight. I have seen Ratdog many times and this was one of the best that I have ever seen them. The full Terrapin was oh so sweet as well. This also rocked and sounded better then almost all of the spring dead shows that I saw and I saw 10 of those from the east coast all the way out to denver

So funny how everyone's experience is so different. I think it's great that a lot of folks enjoyed their time at this show. I did not. But some of it had to do with the venue itself. The Beacon has to have the most annoying security of any venue I have ever been to. I will never go back there again. As far as the band is concerned. I can never say anything bad about them, however, I don't feel that this was one of their better nights. They are one of the most consistently hot bands I have ever come across. But they are human and I actually would think they would have more off nights then they do. It's pretty rare that walk out of a show not completely blown away. Anyway, as far as the show itself, I thought it was way too loud, there were quite a few missteps and miscues and I wasn't crazy about the setlist. As for the people who love to take personal shots at the band members themselves, my message to them is grow up and have a look at yourself. If you are that miserable with your own lives that you have take shots at these guys. They bust their asses to show us all a great time. I think we should all be grateful for every note, even if they don't completely stoke every person out every single night. Peace, and long live the dog.

HEY NOW HERE IS THE WAY IT SHOULD BE ,ARE YOU OR OR YOU NOT GRATEFUL TO BE ABLE TO HERE THESE SONG S ?THAT IS OF COURSE WHAT IT HAS ALWAYS HAS BEEN ABOUT ,,IF YOU WANT TO RIGHT A BAD REVIEW... THEN PLEASE DO NOT COME BACK , MY FRIEND CAME UP FROM ROME GEORGIA TO WITNESS ,WHAT SHE THOUGHT WAS GOING TO BE A FREAK SHOW, SHE HAD THE TIME OF HER LIFE ,SHE NEVER SAW GUYS DANCING LIKE WE DO THATS WHAT WE DO DANCE SMILE AND MAKE THAT NEW PERSON FEEL WELCOME, THAT IS WHAT IT IS ABOUT YOU WILL NEVER HERE YOUR FAVORITE SONGS EVERY NIGHT BUT EVERY NIGHT SONG LIST IS BETTER THAN NO SONG AT ALL AS FAR AS THE PHARMIE CROWD SHE WAS NOT IMPRESSED YOU DONT PANIC ON ORGANICS AS FAR AS OTHER PEOPLE SAYING LAWSUITS FOR THE WAY THE TOWER SOUNDED, EAR PLUGS??? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE STAY HOME FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT I LOVE WITH ALL OF MY HEART, THANK YOU FOR MAKING MY FRIENDS FIRST AND SECOND RATDOG SHOW AN AMAZING PART OF HER LIFE . I KNOW ONLY THIS....SO PLEASE PLEASE COME TO THE SHOWS TO BE GRATEFUL CHUCK MANN PS HEY BRIAN I MADE IT I HAVE HOME BASE AND YOU ARE MY BROTHER

in response to PJ -- I love the beacon, especially since it's been restored but the security is annoying. the guy next to me got half his ticket stub ripped and taken for smoking with the threat of "if we see you smoking agian you will be thrown out", they just ripped it in half and yelled at him. Meanwhile people were smoking everywhere. I guess the sound is different as well. I happened to be in orchestra center this night and it sounded great. I know that if you are left or right in any section or upper balcony that the sound can suck ass. I can't speak for anyone in those sections but I know from experience that the show sound and hence review can be a totally different story. It might be under-volumed, or I couldn't hear xyz instament very well. I understand. I was just rating the music from where I heard it.

I was not at the show!! I find it comical that sooo many people have sooo many different opinons of the same show. Some say worst show in years....some say best show ever,"epic"....I for one have not seen a "EPIC" show on years.
I guess it depends on your drug intake.....I'm a wharf rat and all the shows are great!! They are what you make them.Of course some tunes slow the pace down and others rock out...thats the way it goes. You have your favorite songs and I have mine. It's all Bobby, it' all good!!

To each his own, that's all I know. From electric dixieland to toasting the greatest singer-songwriter of our generation (Dylan), onto an acoustic detour to two of the greatest swooners of our time (Peggy Lee, Kris Kristofferson), followed by some down time with the Birth of a Cool and a rockin' finale via a traditional, folkie jam (GDTRFB) -- and, Jer, we know you're always right beside us (Touch of Grey)all in a night's work and brought to you by ol' Ace, 62 and still racking the sounds and the mileage, god bless him. Keep on keepin' on.
Matthew

Awesome show. Awesome Here Comes Sunshine, Dire Wolf, Let it Grow, Terrapin Suite and GDTRFB not to mention everything else that they played. I have not seen that many shows (5) but this will go down as their best I've ever been to. Great venue and was really blown away that the security/Ratdog were cool enough to let tons of us hang out down around the stage for the second set. Definitely worth the trip from Tampa.

Well I have been a Deadhead since the early 70's and went to a hundred shows up and down the east coast, up until Jerry died. After that I quit going to the live concerts, figuring it wouldnt be the same, and I was mourning for Jerry. But a week before the show, an old High School friend gave me some Dead bootlegs and as I listened to it, I said DAMN WTF was I thinking! So I went online and scored the last ticket to the Beacon, last row, but at least I was in! I can honestly say I was totally blown away by the concert, and way the band still has the ability to carry out the tunes and rip them up! Yeah hearing Dire Wolf again tore my heart out! They played the hell out of Terrapin & Lady w/ Fan, in 2 parts, Dylan song Knocking on Heaven's Door, than back into Terrapin and I really wanted to hear that so it was really great. It gave me goosebumps it was such a fvcking thrill. El Paso, Going Down the road feeling bad ROCKED, and encore Touch of Gray, it was all really sweet and I felt Jerry smiling on. The show was 100% satisfying and rocked my world. I got a ticket for Asbury Park and will be going to as many shows as possible in the future. This show brought me BACK into the Dead/Ratdog/Further scene again, and it gave me such a fvcking thrill to hear these guys and dig them again so much! I loved it! Thanks to the nice guy who offered me a seat in the 10th row, that was really nice!

I have to agree with Billy Sunday and a bunch of the other reviews Tony,Pauly etc.
It was a great show!
Thanks RatDog

I have to say I only catch about one Bobby show a year these days. So I might be less picky. Easy Answer , I agree w/above was a buzz kill until that amazing ending.
( I was too impatiant).
Odessa was a well timed Bathroom break. I know that about a thousand dudes on the line agree.
Second set was one you could have brought your girl to see
Trust me , second sets are always hard to hold their attention.. Me & Bobby/Fever/Knockin worked.
However, I am 45 years old and still hate TOUCH for ruining the scene in the 80's. Unfortunatley I saw it as Dead opener @ Meadowlands last year and last DSO show, so I guess I'm cursed.
Otherwise Fun show, fun crowd