Phil & Friends Friday, Nov 16, 2018

high phil

who is band?

This is the band Phil should tour with. Bring Grahame- leave the rest at home. This is really good.

When I go see TFB, I leave disappointed and aggravated. I stopped going. Me-stopped going. I'm crushed.

Terrapin Family Band should be what it was originally- for TXR. It's a home dog, not a road dog.

Alex couldn't cut it as the 2nd drummer, nor as the only drummer....and now you hand him a guitar ?!?!?

Just let him stand there and sing. But really, it doesn't matter anymore since I can never go again if he or that hack Ross James (Freak Brother) is in the band.

I am sad.

fwiw 11/16/1978

Cap'n.... Agree TFB is not what we really want to see, especially on the road.  But, when they add in others, and don't let Ross sing much, they are usually a very solid band.  Then, sometimes, like 11/1 with the big 9-piece band, they were killer! That show was surprisingly fantastic.... Denson was ripping all night, of course Jimmy was Jimmy, the whole band gelled and Ross sang very few leads vocals. My point..... Pure TFB is super mediocre (even with A-level player Crosby), but add in others and they & Phil bring things up to a very very solid and often blazing level.

I was shocked by how good Alex was on guitar and vocals at the Cap a couple weeks ago. We were all asking why he was on drums before! 

Anyhow, seeing Phil at the Cap at age 78 with friends and family was yet another truly memorable experience and extremely fun couple days and nights!  We'll take it.

So, how was the show last night??!!

I hear ya,Starkdar. This last Cap run was the first one I missed. If I've seen the TFB 15 times, two of them were pretty good. I saw them in September in Philly 
with that Unbroken Chain/Twiddle thing. Thank God they only played one set- I was actually bored. Add that it was standing-only and my back was killing me, but Phil sounded great. It's just to me, they are just a framework for Phil to do his thing ( and I LOVE his thing ), it's just instead of a firm foundation, it's built on Lincoln Logs.

Went in March to the Cap for Winwood/TFB at the Cap. So excited because I love Winwood and they were supposed to play together for a set. Phil was sick, you could see that he was struggling up there,(I'm guessing the Bobby/Phil solo gigs they did just before did him in) and he still came out, but the Winwood and Phil set was nixed- I get it. Winwood was nothing short of fantastic !!!

When he first trotted Alex out there a couple of years ago, he was just standing behind a percussion kit with a Sierra Nevada in one hand, banging on shit out of time like a kid would in the drum section of a Sam Ash store. Eventually, he was the lone drummer. I guess he was fucking Phil up because low and behold, now they let him up there with a guitar. 3 guitars is too much unless your in Lynyrd Skynyrd,and 4 with JImmy is just ridiculous. He's gotta good enough voice, just let him sing and please stop letting him experiment on instruments until he finds one that works (this isn't 5th grade). How about letting him try playing bass.....oh,wait....LOL

Ross James. Where do I even start with Ross James. His vocals are just absolutely beyond horrendous. The way he approaches the songs he's given is open mic night terrible. At the Winwood show, he takes Like A Rolling Stone (not one my favs) and turns it into a BALLAD !?! It was like getting root canal. I can't invest my time hoping that it'll be a night that he doesn't have a prominent singing role. His lead playing is shoddy at best, too. When Phil brought out Ross in Central Park a few years when he had Warren with him- you could see on Warren's face that he was like," What is he even up here for ??". There was like an invisible line across the stage between the A-listers on the the left and Phil and Ross on the right side. Yes, I was high, but it was there !! 

Phil knows he can't even sell out the Cap without getting a A-lister like Jimmy to fill the ticket void. I thought about going, but traveling 2 and a half hours each way from Philly on a maybe-it-will-be good  possibility is just a little to much for me on a $115 ticket. He added Karl after the tickets went on sale, that would have tipped the scale for me, but the seats I would have wanted would have been gone.

Grahame really has come a long way, though and he's earned the right to be involved in anything Phil wants, but c'mon it's time to change things up with the other cast.

Jason is awesome. I feel sorry for him. Kinda like being an All-American talent on community college sports team.

That's just my two cents. I've never skipped a chance to see Phil ever and the last one killed me. Hopefully, for me, he does a March run with some great players.

Please, Phil, just for the March and Halloween runs at the Cap - pull together some of your old friends for some barn-burners. We will come !!!!

( I just streamed last night and thought it was really good - even with with the false start to "Beat It On Down The Line". I'd rather put up with that,with real players trying run the catalog, with little rehearsal time, than a 'polished' TFB....again, my two cents. Disclaimer: Not trying to put anyone down if they enjoy TFB. That's cool. Same with Dead and Co. Just doesn't do it for me at that price. Now, JRAD for $45- any time, any where. Was at the first show (WOW), seen them 38 times so far and already have tickets for 8 more.)

Peace

Just switch out RMFJ for Stu, and have Ezra or Nathan on drums - problem solved.

Jimmy Herring is B list at best. 

A listers make a living on their own tunes. 

Surfdead- I'd accept that.

Knotesau - I give you that, but what he does with Widespread gives him a couple more points toward his overall grade. (B+ list).

>>>Cap'n.... Agree TFB is not what we really want to see, especially on the road.  But, when they add in others, and don't let Ross sing much, they are usually a very solid band.

yes, they can play music solidly and have it not go to shit. is that the standard now? is just competent musicians? 90% of bands out there are competent musicians.

i dont go see phil to watch him and his band blast off into the "merely competent-o-sphere".

if faces are not being melted than what is the point??? to listen to one or two truly skilled guitarists solo over a merely competent band?

>>>>>but what he does with Widespread

Almost makes them listenable?

>>>>>i dont go see phil to watch him and his band blast off into the "merely competent-o-sphere".

Lol.

>>> I don't go see Phil to watch him and his band blast off into the "merely competent-o-sphere".

Nailed it. If it was $40 and in my backyard-sure. But at over $100 and five hours in the car for a big maybe....I can't anymore.

It saddens me.

It’s just as the Braphecy foretold.

I'm interested in checking this out... Any idea where?

The best shows for me is with a drummer with "swing", like BK, Molo, Fish, Russo and the like.

Stu knows the material really well and I love that Ol Jer tone.

Really like Elliot's vocals especially with Midnight North.

Particle dude he's interesting.

Anders although I've yet to see a psychedelic note come out of his guitar, still peaks my interest.

Question I have...does Nathan have swing?

>>>>>The best shows for me is with a drummer with "swing", like BK, Molo, Fish, Russo and the like.

This.

.>>>>>does Nathan have swing?

Watched/listened to the Wed. show yesterday. I found it quite enjoyable for the most part. I didn't hear Nathan actually swing, so I don't know if he can, but he's doing quite a bit more than just keeping time - did some nice cymbal work from time to time. Not as well as BK, though - he's the true master of the clanking cymbal, and I mean that in a good way.

Ok, that's cool.

Anywhere besides nugs that I can give it a listen?

I found it here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9CVrB8zNXg

Thanks Surf.

>>> If it was $40 and in my backyard-sure.

i live about an hour from txr and there are plenty of shows under $40 and all the way down to free...the cheap "in your backyard" shows tend to be one set, less jamming, more casual and rarely any special guests...its not even worth it for cheap shows close to home unfortunatley. 

some of the free - $40 stuff in the early days was great tho.

Phil is 78....

His days of coming east this often gotta be comin to a close soon...we ve been blessed, or ill say, ive been blessed, and will continue to see him wherever, whenever, i can

Go to the Show!

/\ /\   Yep!!   Bingo!!  Gig!!

So I'll just chime in here once, because this is all getting old & repetitive...

>>>if faces are not being melted than what is the point<<<

I would counter with, if you can't eat at State Bird Provisions every night what is the point of eating? (I use SBP as an example of a place Daylight has touted; I personally haven't eaten there but I've often heard from multiple people that it is "face melting").

Sometimes/usually isn't it satisfying enough to enjoy a solid to damn good meal for a fair price?

Every show you go to has to be Face Melting or it's not good enough? I get not wanting to travel & spend big bucks on the TFB, but in general with that "face-melting or bust" attitude one will miss a SHITload of great music.

And Daylight, I'm telling you, you've missed a LOT of great music at TxR just this year.

Which brings me to these current Phil shows happening this week in the Little Room. Unfortunately for me life got in the way on Wednesday and I had to eat my ticket for that night's show and was limited to watching some of the stream, but even from that limited forum I really liked what I heard in the way they approached the music. Fortunately last night I made it to the show and it was simply great... maybe even Face Melting!

Anders is playing the best I've heard from him with Phil, because he's playing the least I've heard from him with Phil.

That isn't to say that he isn't playing because he's definitely playing, he's just not OVER-playing; he's been absolutely great in a conversational way with Stu & the band, adding subtle, interesting & weird ideas and solos where they fit into the flow. Stu has lead the way yet he's also been an excellent ensemble player; this group is LISTENING & responding to each other. The drummer is busy but soft and flowing, which keeps the dynamic liquid, just the way I like it, and Particle Dude is just killing it without over-doing it.

Yes they're making mistakes, laying some clams & flubbing some intros' & endings, but they're playing from the hip & heart without much concern for "the walls", and it's Phil Fucking Lesh leading the way so they're stretching it out, going to strange, new & interesting places.

And Phil, even in his later years, is still KILLING IT!!! God Damn he was MELTING MY FACE last night. That guy is an endlessly phenomenal player, he continues to put on great & varied shows in his little room and it's a privilege to continue to have the opportunity to be in the room and hear that legendary player wail.

Also, I am very much enjoying this current one show on/one show off format. I must admit that as an aging person myself multiple night shows wear me OUT. It's very nice to groove, have a day/a night off while looking forward to the next day and then letting it RIP again a night later.

Right now I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow night.

Far out.

Long Live Live Music!!!

Long Live The Grateful Dead!!!!!!

LONG LIVE PHIL LESH!!!!

The Anders/Luther touring band in 2013 was the last great Phil Lesh road show.

While I'm fortunate to be able to say I've seen great Phil Lesh road shows since 2013, I agree that 2013 band and incredibly creative tour was Great!!

Blessed to have an amazing wife who will still drop everything and get me to go see Phil whenever possible!

 Used to love going Friday skipping Saturday going Sunday For the good old grateful dead

and I was 18 in 1970.     And nice post/article heathen.  There can be a hell of a lot of nice clean water in that half full glass.  And phil lesh is cool

>>>Every show you go to has to be Face Melting or it's not good enough?

nope, only dead/jamband stuff. ive heard all these songs hundreds of times, ive done the whole dead show song and dance a hundred times, and if my mind isnt going to be blown id rather spend my time and concert money on other, more innovative music...for instance im really into experimental hip hop...id rather see a band like shabazz palaces or clipping play material from a new album than go see the same stuff ive seen hundreds of times already again. at the end of the day, if there is mind blowing improv, ill take the dead show any day of the week...but if not, im pretty bored with the whole thing. 

^^ Larry yes! This is why I would rather just see Phil just jam and improv. Too much else out there esp if you live where a lot of shows happen.