PHIL AND FRIENDS | 4.18 | HOTLANTA

But even if I can't replicate Wednesday's show in all its 3-D glory, there is still a lot that can be conveyed about this very special night. Phil hadn't played in Atlanta since the last Dead shows at the Omni in '95, and the city's large and devoted Deadhead population was electric with anticipation before the show. Positive reports of shows in Florida and Alabama only heightened the excitement, and I personally couldn't wait to see this miraculous assemblage of talent hit the stage. I was not familiar with keyboard player Rob Barraco or drummer John Molo, but Phil was always my favorite member of the Dead, and Jimmy Herring and Warren Haynes are both on my Top Ten Living Guitarists list.

FIRST SET
The show opened, as many Phil and Friends shows apparently do, with a long, meandering jam that felt like a warmup exercise. Much of it was truly "out" and reminded me of the Aquarium Rescue Unit, which is no surprise given the Jimmy Herring connection. Just when it would start to seem TOO chaotic and formless, the weirdness would be punctuated by moments of inexpressible beauty. I quickly realized that this band is all about dynamics and contrast. Soft/loud, fast/slow, harmonic/dissonant: They are skilled at juxtaposing these elements in unique and interesting ways.

The opening jam had started to get a little tedious when the crowd lit up as the sound of the familiar riff to "China Cat Sunflower" appeared. After a solid version of this tune, sung by Rob Barraco, they surged into a jam I could only describe as Intermediate Dead Territory. The Grateful Dead were always knows for their segues, and over time these segue jams took on a unique flavor of their own, in my opinion. You could take this jam and insert it between almost any two songs and it would sound right at home.

After that, the band plunged into some dark, sinister space before moving into a propulsive jam that could have easily led into "I Know You Rider." They moved away from that, though, and settled into a lovely fugue-like sequence where the players seemed to be playing in rounds, each member one step behind the next. It is a testament to the creativity and listening skills of this band that such an intricate jam could be improvised on the spot.

At this point we came to the first full stop of the evening, followed by an explosive version of "Blue Sky" that was arguably the highlight of the first set. Warren Haynes and Jimmy Herring's familiarity with this Allmans classic clearly helped, but Barraco, who was excellent all night long, also played a compelling solo.

"Lazy River Road" was never one of my favorite Dead songs, and I felt that it broke the momentum of the set. As it dissolved, the band once again hinted at "I Know You Rider," only to bail out into an intense uptempo jam. Jimmy Herring himself seemed to surprised to find himself running through the changes to "Uncle John's Band" at death-defying speed, and the rest of the band gave him looks of admiration before gracefully slowing down into a dark, epic version of that rarest of things: A great, tight song with a great jam attached to it.

Everything worked here, from the tight vocal harmonies to yet ANOTHER "I Know You Rider" tease (a word that was starting to regain its original meaning), which led back into the ending of "Uncle John's Band" before veering off into another journey to Zambiland. I got the distinct impression that Jimmy Herring was earning a lot of respect from those in the audience who weren't aware of how good he really is, but my friend complained that he was "taking up too much of the guitar space" and not leaving enough room for Warren.

Phil sang the next tune, which I believe is called "Rock and Roll Blues." It reminded me of songs like "Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleoo" and "Dupree's Diamond Blues," and to be honest, I always found the "old-timey" part of the Dead catalog hokey and contrived. After the barest hint towards Deal, they wound up the set with "Here Comes Sunshine," one of those old-school rarities that Deadheads count themselves blessed to have seen live. The ending jam completely abandoned the lovely, melodic sound of the song itself, morphing into a fearless psychedelic excursion that ended the set on a good note.

My friend and I both agreed that Warren was too low in the mix in the first set. Not only that, he was too much in the background musically as well. Also, even though there were many great moments in the first set, there were a few times when the jamming appeared to wander aimlessly without reaching a real peak. Even so, these were minor complaints, and I was having a great time. Besides, everybody knows that at Dead shows, the second set was always the meat of the show.

SECOND SET
"If they were really his friends, they would tell him not to sing so much." --Some guy at setbreak

While there are time I can agree with the above wisecrack, I thought that Phil's uniquely sonorous voice sounded great on "Like A Rolling Stone," and Rob Barraco shifted over to organ after concentrating on piano in the first set. Phil was also very much in charge of a rendition of "Friend of the Devil" that featured Jimmy Herring blowing the roof off the place with some nimble bluegrass picking.

Just when I was starting to grumble about Warren's lack of involvement, my prayers were answered when he took the lead on a smoking hot, extra funky version of "Shakedown Street" that really woke the crowd up. Warren's wailing slide leads blended perfectly with Jimmy's tight, funky rhythm licks in a display of true teamwork, and Warren's gritty vocals sounded great, especially on the vocal jam that ended the song.

I could scarcely believe my good fortune when my ears detected the opening strains of "Cryptical Envelopment," and I got my hopes up for a full-length version of "The Other One." They stayed away from the better-known, hard-driving jam that the song is best known for, however, and simply jammed on the serenely beautiful "Cryptical" theme for a while. The Beatles' "She Said, She Said" gave Warren another chance to flex his vocal muscle, but it was only a prelude to the big finish.

On this night, "St. Stephen" showed why it is perhaps the most beloved of all Dead songs. A Warren Haynes favorite, it rocked so hard it took my breath away. The vocals were particularly tight, and the intricate transitions were all right on the money. The jam in the middle was utterly fantastic, with Jimmy and Warren's guitars joining forces to blast open the gates of heaven, emerging into a wondrously euphoric jam. At one point, they once again teased "I Know You Rider," but by this point I realized that this band is too unpredictable to even try to guess where they're going next, you just hang on for the ride. "I'm not falling for THAT one again!," I said to myself, and sure enough they returned to "St. Stephen" with phenomenal tightness.

The jam that followed was downright funky, and I thought I heard The Meters' "Love Slip Upon Ya" at one point. A Phil and Friends show is like a vigorous game of Where's Waldo for tease-spotters like myself. Then came something I had waited years for, a raging version of "The Eleven" that blew the minds of many people who weren't familiar with this complex, driving Dead tune. Phil really stepped out on this one, playing a righteous solo before leading the band through an awe-inspiring tension/release exercise that helped me understand why Jimmy Herring calls this band "Phil's University." After building up to a frenzy, the band went into a seemingly bottomless free fall that reminded me of the best David Bowie jams. After the jam peaked, the crowd gave the band a rousing ovation as they gently landed the mothership.

The second set closed with with a version of "The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion)" that was all about Warren Haynes, Rock Star. My friend and I, both of us big Warren fans, finally got our Warren fix, and then some. His soulful vocals and fiery solo really brought the song to life, and I felt blessed to have seen so many treasured-but-obscure Dead songs. "Cryptical," "St. Stephen/The Eleven," and "Golden Road" in the same set??? Sheer madness, I tell you! And the main event, at least for me, was yet to come...

MEETING OF THE MINDS
When Phil came out for the encore, he appeared genuinely stunned by the crowd's enthusiasm, which had indeed been at a fever pitch from "Shakedown Street" on. "Wow, Hotlanta, you really outdid yourselves tonight," he said before being buried under another avalanche of noise. As always, Phil expressed his gratitude for the liver transplant that saved his life, and urged the crowd to become organ and blood donors. Then he said they wanted to bring out a special guest...

Have you ever watched one of your fondest wishes come true right in front of your eyes? Then you know how I felt when Col. Bruce Hampton walked on stage. The hometown crowd gave the man Phil introduced as "the Prince of Strangeness" a warm welcome, serenading him with calls of "BRUUUUUCE!"

Then the band kicked into "Lovelight," and the Atlanta Civic Center went "buck wild" and "off the hook," as the youngsters like to say nowadays. Bruce's rich, powerful voice and vocal adlibs melded perfectly with the band's groove. After a bizarre sequence in which the happy, bouncy Lovelight jam disintegrated into primal chaos, Phil showed the sense of timing and style that makes him so special by reintroducing the Lovelight bass line.

After Warren let out a few delighted squeals on guitar, The Colonel took charge again, whipping the crowd into a frenzy with shouts of "A little bit higher!" The band and audience must not have been listening carefully, because the jam got a LOT higher! :) Once the band and audience had reached an acceptable peak, Bruce stopped in mid verse and calmly walked off the stage, leaving the band to finish a remarkable night with a brilliant and powerful closing jam.

In my opinion Phil Lesh and Bruce Hampton, however different they may be, represent that spontaneous creative spirit that drives the best improvisational music. All I can say is that I feel honored and privileged to have been there at this historic meeting of the minds. For that matter, whatever criticisms I may have had of the first set, the entire second set was magnificent and a must-have for the serious collector. Phil and Friends, thank you so very much for blessing us with your presence, and don't be such strangers! Please come back soon, we'll leave the Lovelight on for you!

Rob Johnson
JamBase Atlanta Correspondent
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