ABB/Ratdog @ Darien Lake last night

[Kanada Kev]

FANTASTIC show last night. I'm so glad I went. The music all made up for the fact that i was stuck on the Peace Bridge for a good 1.5hrs trying to get over there. I'm exhausted today.

http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/story/144853.html

A night to remember and savor from RatDog and the Allmans

By Jeff Miers NEWS POP MUSIC CRITIC

Updated: 08/20/07 6:52 AM

It’s such a privilege, sometimes, to go to a show such as Sunday’s and then be able to write about it. Musicians as good as those gathered on stage at Darien Lake for the Rat- Dog/Allmans gig are an absolute pleasure to watch and listen to.

When they take the time to listen to each other, and let the music take an organic form, and live and breathe, the audience member feels like a lucky soul. Sometimes music can transport us to a better place. This night at Darien, with a full house along for the trip, it did that — over and over again.

What does one say about RatDog now? The band, under Bob Weir’s leadership, has become an ensemble on par with the Dead, which gave it birth. Even with guitarist Mark Karan out battling throat cancer, and newcomer Steve Kimock still “the new guy,†RatDog played one of the most moving sets of music it has ever played in our neck of the woods. That’s saying something, if you’ve seen the bands at the Town Ballroom over the last four years.

The band opened with “Here Comes Sunshine,†morphed fearlessly into Bob Dylan’s “Maggie’s Farm,†found a smooth segue into “Loser†and had no trouble finding a sort of psychedelic blues groove for “Money for Gasoline.â€

Things got very interesting during “Loose Lucy,†as Weir made it plain that he’d come to leave some blood on the stage. His singing during this tune was both raucous and invigorated. Strapping on an acoustic for the latter-period Dead tune “Victim or the Crime,†Weir was stunning, his Keith Richardsesque rhythm guitar comping laying the foundation for a transcendent Kimock solo.

This all rolled sweetly into “Half-Step Mississippi Uptown Toodle-oo,†which the band tore into with a ravenous bite. “Samson and Delilah,†from Terrapin Station followed, and it was Reverend Gary Davis taken to the Chicago juke joint on a Saturday night. “Sugaree,†“Dark Star,†“Terrapin Flyer†and “Touch of Grey†— what more could anyone want?

Seeing the Allman Brothers Band after this first performance almost made one feel spoiled. Could it get better? Well, it’s not about better, it’s about different, and the AB Band took the blues all over the map, stopping in India, Africa, Chicago, the Mississippi Delta, and frankly, the moon a few times. It can’t get better than this, in terms of musical interchange in the broad “rock†world.

“Revival†kicked it all off, and was beautifully sung by Gregg Allman, Marc Quinoines and guitarist Warren Haynes. Haynes took the first solo, and it was fantastic, a blend of old blues and some forward-looking cross-genre stuff. Then Derek Trucks played. Words haven’t been invented yet to describe the level that this guy is playing at. Suffice it to say that he’s the greatest living electric guitar player.

The Allmans gave us “Statesboro Blues,†“Midnight Rambler,†“The Sky is Crying,†and a stunning interpretation of the Miles Davis/Joe Zawinul tune “In A Silent Way,†which morphed into “Mountain Jam,†and featured Trucks and Haynes trading choruses with RatDog’s Kimock. Again, one felt privileged to be hearing musical interaction on this level.

Concert Review

The Allman Brothers Band

With Bob Weir and RatDog on Sunday at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

Whoa! In a Silent Way > Mtn Jam!?

faaaaaack, i'd love to hear that!

[Baj]

Thanks Kev! Sounds like it was worth the wait, wish we coulda made it...

[edger]

We almost didn't make it... but I'm sure glad I did! After waiting over an hour and a half (or more... lost track) at the border, we were about four cars away from going through when my car started to smoke, and leak rad fluid. Not good. And the thought of waiting for a tow truck driver, missing the show, and then sitting in that god-awful border line in a tow truck only to return to Canada was NOT appealing. But we waited a long while, let the car cool down, and when driving on the highway with cool air blowing through the engine all was fine. It's not liking the idle mode right at the moment, so off to the shop for me I guess. But at least we made the show!

Definitely one of the best Ratdog shows I've seen. They're hit and miss for me, and last night was definitely a hit. My highlights for that were being welcomed in to Here Comes Sunshine, the Loser (DAMN I love that song!!!)... and the Dark Star>Terrapin jam. So good. I almost wish they had ended the show on that note. Don't get me wrong, I love Touch of Grey, but it seemed a little deflated in comparison to the previous jam.

I had the same sentiments as the reviewer posted above at the end of Ratdog... just feeling real lucky that after all that we still had the Allmans to take in. They were TIGHT and on their a-game. I thought Greg's pipes sounded particularly good last night. And can Warren ever sing. Derek is just getting better and better every time i see him. He's such a treat to watch. Definitely many mind melting moments sans psychedelia (for me).

We unfortunately bowed out a couple of songs early, as we were concerned about the car surviving a stop-and-go, gridlock parking scenario, so opted to beat the traffic out.

But all in all, a great show.

[Kanada Kev]

Glad you made it to the show (and back home again). I was going to take my "old" car to the show and I'm glad I didn't. It would definitely have had a nervous breakdown on the bridge .

Here's another comment on last night from the Hittin' The Note forum:

Last night in Darien was yet another excellent, over the top show. The spirited Revival opener set a good tone, after Ratdog got the HUGE crowd good and warmed up. Derek and Warren conducted a blues guitar clinic on The Sky Is Crying, and the crowd ate it up. Jeff Chimenti from Ratdog turned in one of the best guest performances I've seen on an amazing version of Who's Been Talking, he did a nice little exchange of riffs with Warren and Derek towards the end. This was a ripping version of You Don't Love Me, tight and on point. I'll admit that I was somewhat disappointed in Kimock's performance on Dreams in Bushkill, but he and Derek and Warren really created some special music during Mtn Jam. There is about two minutes of that jam that is just the music of the spheres.

[Kanada Kev]

Ratdog Setlist:

Jam >

Here Comes Sunshine >

Maggie's Farm >

Loser >

Money For Gasoline >

Loose Lucy

Jack A Roe @ >

Victime Or The Crime @ >

Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo >

Samson And Delilah >

Drums >

Jam >

Sugaree >

Dark Star (verse two) >

At A Siding > Terrapin Flyer

E: Touch Of Grey

ABB Setlist:

Revival

Statesboro Blues

Midnight Rider

Who To Believe

The Sky is Crying

Come and Go Blues

You Don’t Love Me

Who’s Been Talking (with Jeff Chimenti, keyboards)

Every Hungry Woman

Mountain Jam (with Steve Kimock, guitar; Jay Lane, drums)

Encore:

One Way Out

Edited August 21, 2007 by Guest

[edger]

Hmmm...

judging by that it looks like we only really missed the encore. Guess we timed our departure well (i hate leaving early, but it was a wise choice this time)

[captainsunshine]

Loose Lucy???

Dam I missed it! :confused:

[DevO]

I had a great time at the show last night. It was my first time ever seeing Ratdog and they were wayyyy stronger than I had anticipated! The Dark Star > Terrapin was the musical highlight of the whole night for me, and Loose Lucy was a treat to hear. Allmans were kicking ass too. Darien Lake was PACKED.. Not sure how many people the venue holds but I'd guess about 10,000 in attendance. We stayed at the state park and came extremely close to being busted but alls well that ends well.

[afro poppa]

omg what a show this must've been

[bradm]

Two recordings of the Ratdog set have been uploaded to the Live Music Archive:

http://www.archive.org/details/Ratdog2007-08-19.AKG391.16bit.FLAC

http://www.archive.org/details/ratdog2007-08-19.bk4022.acm671.burke.flac16

Aloha,

Brad

[Kanada Kev]

Darien Lake was PACKED.. Not sure how many people the venue holds but I'd guess about 10,000 in attendance.

I think that Darien holds approx. 19,000 if sold out. I was up on the lawn and it was pretty full, but you could move around with ease. I'd say there must have been 15,000-16,000 maybe?

We stayed at the state park and came extremely close to being busted but alls well that ends well.

Wh'appen?

[Hux]

I had a great time at the show last night. It was my first time ever seeing Ratdog and they were wayyyy stronger than I had anticipated! The Dark Star > Terrapin was the musical highlight of the whole night for me, and Loose Lucy was a treat to hear.

Nice to hear you were open-minded and caught a good Bob show!

[DevO]

One of the non-musical highlights was Bob Weir's mustache. It looked like he had two oversized dead grey mice attached under his nostrils!

[timouse]

One of the non-musical highlights was Bob Weir's mustache. It looked like he had two oversized dead grey mice attached under his nostrils!

they weren't dead.

[Kanada Kev]

One of the non-musical highlights was Bob Weir's mustache.

It's a highly efficient Bobby Spit Catcher. Techs were getting tired of spit-covered microphones and the Rail Riders didn't want to always have to wear rain gear up front.

[bradm]

One of the non-musical highlights was Bob Weir's mustache. It looked like he had two oversized dead grey mice attached under his nostrils!

they weren't dead.

I'll bet they wish they were.

Aloha,

Brad

[mark tonin]

I always enjoy catching a show at Darien Lake, and this one was certainly enjoyable. Two shows rolled into one, as each band played a lengthy set. Lots of musical highlights as mentioned in the posts above. Lots of great guitar playing from four extremely talented players over the course of the night. Once again Derek Trucks impressed me in a big way. And once again very good sound, especially for an amphitheatre. For some reason, things seem to sound better at Darien Lake than they do at the Molson Amphitheatre. It was nice to be able to hear the notes that Oteil was playing during his bass solo.

It was also a treat to be able to camp out and party with friends before and after the show. We had a big crew of people camped out at Darien Lake, and although that option is a bit pricey, it is so nice to be able to set up camp, park the car, and then walk to and from the show.

Peace, Mark

[Kanada Kev]

And once again very good sound, especially for an amphitheatre. For some reason, things seem to sound better at Darien Lake than they do at the Molson Amphitheatre.

I agree with you completely! I went from extreme right to extreme left and all over the lawn. It sounded really good everywhere. Some amphitheaters don't pump up the volume on the PA stacks on the fringe of the tent. They really bost the sound nicely (like the Grateful Dead used to do hoisting up PA stacks on forklifts in big stadium shows.)

[The Chameleon]

I liked the show but thought the sound was questionable on the laws. Almost no bass.

It was all worth it for the Terrapin Flyer....you don't hear that everyday.

I bumped into Edger aka Sara too in the lot. Nice to see other Canadian kids there.

[\/\/illy]

I bumped into Edger aka Sara too in the lot. Nice to see other Canadian kids there.

I didn't see you there. Do you have pictures to prove you were actually there?

[DevO]

I didn't see any of you there though I had an eye out for Tonin! The trip was thrown together a little too last minute for me to arrange anything much.

[mark tonin]

Sorry I didn't run into you there KevO. I was fortunate enough to have sweet seats (middle of section 200) so I didn't wander much within the show.

Peace, Mark

[celticwolfsun]

Great show! Wanted to hit up the roller coasters but I too was stuck waiting to cross the peacebridge for about an hour or so...