NCAA1981
07-03-2008, 11:53 AM
After Saturday's lackluster showing at Nissan, I was a little apprehensive about what Raleigh might bring, especially with a "backup" saxophonist on hand. But I must say... Raleigh was a complete turnaround from Nissan, and with all due respect to Roi, I haven't seen such an enthusiastic, soulful showing from the horn section since I started seeing the band in 2002. MVP of the night was definately Jeff Coffin: the man can play, and he was gettin' down just as much as Dave during several parts of the show.
Seek Up: A refreshing opener, and got the show off to a nice old-school vibe. Everybody was spot-on, Jeff was nice on his baritone solo, as was Boyd at the end. Really great version... flawless... and the perfect way to open a show. I'll give it 10/10 rating for an opener.
So Damn Lucky: This version had alot more "fire" than the Nissan one. Tim really, really shines on it, and it's pretty clear that Dave likes playing it, too. The crowd seemed lost at first, but once Tim started soloing, everyone was grooving. A very good song for the two-spot. 9/10.
Corn Bread: Not my favorite. Seen it a lot. But, it does bring the energy. Tim had another great solo mid-song, and Dave did the funkiest little dance I've ever seen him do, which is saying a lot. The crowd was roaring laughing. 8/10.
Granny: Totally unexpected, but again an outstanding version. By this point I could tell the band was feeling good, and we were in store for a great time. I like Granny early in the set as opposed to later on, so I really liked this placement. The song's ending scat was fun, as usual. 9/10.
Crush: This is where the show really went into a parallel universe for like the next 6 songs. Of all the Crush's I've heard... and I've heard a lot... this was bar-none the best. Jeff really brings a fresh sound to the band, and it shined on Crush in particular. The jam at the end tore the roof off the pavilion, and when the rest of the band tried to end the song, Carter said "no" and kept playing. It was great. 10/10.
Sledgehammer: I'm not sure why ants.org says it was aborted, because it definately was not. A very clean, perfect version, actually. Dave sounds really great on this one, and the band was crisp and flawless. I'd never liked this song until DMB covered it, but now I'm really digging it. The crowd was all over it as well. 8/10.
#41: Wow. As with Crush, I've heard a lot of #41's, but none can touch this one. Whereas the version from 4/20/02 with the 30-minute Flecktones jam is a bit on the longish side, this one was shorter and kept my attention throughout. Dave hit every single falsetto for once in my life, and the ending jam went Boyd > Tim > Jeff/Rashawn. The Sojourn interpolation seemed to go on for quite awhile, and really got me feeling good and nostalgic. For those who thought that #41 had lost it's edge years ago, you need to download this version and enjoy it. My highlight of the night, easily. 10/10.
PNP>Rapunzel: Totally unexpected midset, especially after the great opening run of songs. I was sure we were due for a shit-song or two. Heard it at Nissan in the encore, but I think I prefer it as it was played in Raleigh in the midset. A really fun version, and we spotted Dave's twins standing on the side of stage-right with Ashley. A fun version as usual, Dave was hitting all the highs, and Jeff wasn't lost at all. 9/10.
Space Between: I guess the band needed a breather, and this gave it to them. Not my top choice for a midset slowdown; I'd much prefer Crash or PM>Satellite. But this version was a little tighter than it was at Nissan, and I actually found myself enjoying it. Plus, a sit-break was due for me. 6/10.
Dancing Nancies: Are you kidding me? Another great song. Boyd went ape as per usual, and the crowd was clearly appreciating the old-school vibe that was about to come to a screaching halt. Fun version though, and good placement after TSB. 9/10.
Idea of You: I knew a newbie was coming, and I was glad it wasn't #27 or Eh Hee. I was hoping for Shotgun, but as this was soundchecked in Charlotte I figured we'd get it. This version seemed to have more of an edge to it than others, with Tim really taking more electric fills than usual and Jeff blowing really hard in the chorus and the bridge. Probably the cleanest, sharpest version I've heard from this year. 8/10.
Smooth Rider: Didn't see it coming, and when Dave started riffing it I was immediately bummed. But guess what? It was somehow, in a strange way, refreshing. Tim helps this song out in a big way, and Boyd and Dave did a cool little plucking outro that I hadn't heard before. Definately not my top choice of a late-set song, but it was better than OOMH or ODH. 6/10.
Everyday: Now I really, really could do without this. I seem to get it at every show I attend, which just isn't cool seeing as I can't stant the song. It didn't do much for me tonight, either. The rest of the crowd seemed to enjoy it, though. 4/10.
Louisiana Bayou: A 'meh' closer. The ending three song run did nothing to honor the glorious show that came before it. But I was on such a high after Seek Up, #41, Crush, Granny, Rapunzel, and Nancies, that I hardly noticed the suckiness of the closing three songs. Seemed like a good version of Bayou, but I really wasn't paying attention. 6/10.
Gravedigger: I really like it full-band as opposed to Dave solo. The video screens had some really creepy images on them too, which made the effect even more eerie. Very nice rendition, and my first time hearing it full-band. 8/10.
Tripping Billies: My ideal closer! Really ended the show on a high, and left me very satisfied with a great night of DMB. Before the song, Dave asked the crowd to chant "we want Roi" and he coached us as we chanted it for a good two minutes. Meanwhile, a camera man filmed the crowd and some noteable Roi signs. As for Billies, a standard but great version. Boyd and the horns went nuts at the end and gave me chills even on this hot night. Perfect way to end a show. 10/10.
Again, the show was really great save the three-song skid before the encore. And I strangely enjoyed Smooth Rider. The band had energy, Dave was dancing all over the place pretty much all night, and so was Jeff for that matter. I don't mean to disrespect Roi, but Jeff was very refreshing. A truly great musician, and even though he's been with the band for 48 hours, he never seemed lost or out of sorts with what to do. I was extremely impressed. As for soundcheck, the tinkered with Bayou a lot. Then they tinkered with Sugar Will even more, for about 30 minutes. The almost played the song in its entirety twice, but it was aborted near the end both times. It sounded very rusty, which is expected, but the band seemed really intent on getting it right. After a few more soundchecks, I'm sure they'll bust it out.
Overall, we had a really great night in Raleigh, and it put the Nissan show to shame (thankfully). Couldn't really ask for more from the band, other than getting them to fucking play LIOG for me sometime before I die. Still, a 9/10 night for sure. Very jam-heavy.
Seek Up: A refreshing opener, and got the show off to a nice old-school vibe. Everybody was spot-on, Jeff was nice on his baritone solo, as was Boyd at the end. Really great version... flawless... and the perfect way to open a show. I'll give it 10/10 rating for an opener.
So Damn Lucky: This version had alot more "fire" than the Nissan one. Tim really, really shines on it, and it's pretty clear that Dave likes playing it, too. The crowd seemed lost at first, but once Tim started soloing, everyone was grooving. A very good song for the two-spot. 9/10.
Corn Bread: Not my favorite. Seen it a lot. But, it does bring the energy. Tim had another great solo mid-song, and Dave did the funkiest little dance I've ever seen him do, which is saying a lot. The crowd was roaring laughing. 8/10.
Granny: Totally unexpected, but again an outstanding version. By this point I could tell the band was feeling good, and we were in store for a great time. I like Granny early in the set as opposed to later on, so I really liked this placement. The song's ending scat was fun, as usual. 9/10.
Crush: This is where the show really went into a parallel universe for like the next 6 songs. Of all the Crush's I've heard... and I've heard a lot... this was bar-none the best. Jeff really brings a fresh sound to the band, and it shined on Crush in particular. The jam at the end tore the roof off the pavilion, and when the rest of the band tried to end the song, Carter said "no" and kept playing. It was great. 10/10.
Sledgehammer: I'm not sure why ants.org says it was aborted, because it definately was not. A very clean, perfect version, actually. Dave sounds really great on this one, and the band was crisp and flawless. I'd never liked this song until DMB covered it, but now I'm really digging it. The crowd was all over it as well. 8/10.
#41: Wow. As with Crush, I've heard a lot of #41's, but none can touch this one. Whereas the version from 4/20/02 with the 30-minute Flecktones jam is a bit on the longish side, this one was shorter and kept my attention throughout. Dave hit every single falsetto for once in my life, and the ending jam went Boyd > Tim > Jeff/Rashawn. The Sojourn interpolation seemed to go on for quite awhile, and really got me feeling good and nostalgic. For those who thought that #41 had lost it's edge years ago, you need to download this version and enjoy it. My highlight of the night, easily. 10/10.
PNP>Rapunzel: Totally unexpected midset, especially after the great opening run of songs. I was sure we were due for a shit-song or two. Heard it at Nissan in the encore, but I think I prefer it as it was played in Raleigh in the midset. A really fun version, and we spotted Dave's twins standing on the side of stage-right with Ashley. A fun version as usual, Dave was hitting all the highs, and Jeff wasn't lost at all. 9/10.
Space Between: I guess the band needed a breather, and this gave it to them. Not my top choice for a midset slowdown; I'd much prefer Crash or PM>Satellite. But this version was a little tighter than it was at Nissan, and I actually found myself enjoying it. Plus, a sit-break was due for me. 6/10.
Dancing Nancies: Are you kidding me? Another great song. Boyd went ape as per usual, and the crowd was clearly appreciating the old-school vibe that was about to come to a screaching halt. Fun version though, and good placement after TSB. 9/10.
Idea of You: I knew a newbie was coming, and I was glad it wasn't #27 or Eh Hee. I was hoping for Shotgun, but as this was soundchecked in Charlotte I figured we'd get it. This version seemed to have more of an edge to it than others, with Tim really taking more electric fills than usual and Jeff blowing really hard in the chorus and the bridge. Probably the cleanest, sharpest version I've heard from this year. 8/10.
Smooth Rider: Didn't see it coming, and when Dave started riffing it I was immediately bummed. But guess what? It was somehow, in a strange way, refreshing. Tim helps this song out in a big way, and Boyd and Dave did a cool little plucking outro that I hadn't heard before. Definately not my top choice of a late-set song, but it was better than OOMH or ODH. 6/10.
Everyday: Now I really, really could do without this. I seem to get it at every show I attend, which just isn't cool seeing as I can't stant the song. It didn't do much for me tonight, either. The rest of the crowd seemed to enjoy it, though. 4/10.
Louisiana Bayou: A 'meh' closer. The ending three song run did nothing to honor the glorious show that came before it. But I was on such a high after Seek Up, #41, Crush, Granny, Rapunzel, and Nancies, that I hardly noticed the suckiness of the closing three songs. Seemed like a good version of Bayou, but I really wasn't paying attention. 6/10.
Gravedigger: I really like it full-band as opposed to Dave solo. The video screens had some really creepy images on them too, which made the effect even more eerie. Very nice rendition, and my first time hearing it full-band. 8/10.
Tripping Billies: My ideal closer! Really ended the show on a high, and left me very satisfied with a great night of DMB. Before the song, Dave asked the crowd to chant "we want Roi" and he coached us as we chanted it for a good two minutes. Meanwhile, a camera man filmed the crowd and some noteable Roi signs. As for Billies, a standard but great version. Boyd and the horns went nuts at the end and gave me chills even on this hot night. Perfect way to end a show. 10/10.
Again, the show was really great save the three-song skid before the encore. And I strangely enjoyed Smooth Rider. The band had energy, Dave was dancing all over the place pretty much all night, and so was Jeff for that matter. I don't mean to disrespect Roi, but Jeff was very refreshing. A truly great musician, and even though he's been with the band for 48 hours, he never seemed lost or out of sorts with what to do. I was extremely impressed. As for soundcheck, the tinkered with Bayou a lot. Then they tinkered with Sugar Will even more, for about 30 minutes. The almost played the song in its entirety twice, but it was aborted near the end both times. It sounded very rusty, which is expected, but the band seemed really intent on getting it right. After a few more soundchecks, I'm sure they'll bust it out.
Overall, we had a really great night in Raleigh, and it put the Nissan show to shame (thankfully). Couldn't really ask for more from the band, other than getting them to fucking play LIOG for me sometime before I die. Still, a 9/10 night for sure. Very jam-heavy.