Bob Weir and RatDog | RatDog.Org

This was a day of firsts--the first time RD had appeared at Radio City, and more importantly, the first time my two sons (13 & 15) had ever attended any GD related event. We drove 700+ miles for what would certainly be memorable. During the hours before the show we experienced the kindness, excitement and great food that the Big Apple has to offer.

It was showtime! "Don't tell me this town aint got no heart...." Aptly appropriate (well played too). Help-Slip-She Says was full of enery and that particular quality of sound that is uniquely intangible. The sound effects on Bob's guitar are full of that ethereal chunkiness that is never duplicated anywhere else, and the acoustics at Radio City are perfectly suited to it.

The first movement of Weather Report was well recieved all around. This is a favorite personally, and the multi-climactic Let It Grow punctuated the first part of this set with a strong "Hello, it's good to be back in NY." statement from the crew.

Out came the acoustic guitar and stand up bass and an almost apocalyptic Hard Rain ensued complete with all 754 verses, each more enjoyable and image-conjuring than the next. Simply great....
Next we heard another personal favorite, a beautifully played Lazy River Road, and for being such a quintessential Jerry tune these guys manage to play it in such a way as to evoke all of the emotion I felt as a younger man full of love's longings. Then I took a bathroom break.

Odessa-Book of Rules set us all to a-partyin' again and Cassidy was a very welcome groove full of climaxes. A very jazzy jam followed with certain band members and ended with the addition of the rest, making a beautiful segue into a beautiful Dear Prudence. Then came Two Djinn (what is this song about?) with a cadence in the end that easily gave rise to the Franklin's Tower that neatly completed the earlier Help-Slip and ended this first of two nights in NYC with a stellar performance. Vocals had been very strong and clear all night, and the a cappela Attics (all of the band standing in line across the huge stage) left us feeling warm and very fuzzy. A GREAAAAAT NITE.

The predicted Shakedown Street opened the show with much energy and excitement, followed by an even more powerful Help>Slip. WRS was great, especially with the climatic Let It Grow. Hard Rain was amazing, probably the best version I've heard RD play. LRR was nice, too. Odessa>Book of Rules, Cassidy were all right, but it was Dear Prudence that was the highlight of the set's second half. I did not enjoy Two Djinn--never liked that song, and I have to say Franklin's Tower was less than mediocre. I did not like Bob's new style of vocals on Franklin's at all--it made it hard for the audience to sing along. Attics was nice, but I wanted something to end a big night in NYC besides a slow a capella song. Overall, a good show with some really great songs and some others that I could have done without.