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The Other Ones | Robert Hunter | Kaiser Auditorium | Oakland, CA | 12.05.02 & 12.06.02
Photos by John Croxton | BudsLounge.com [Check out the Kaiser photo gallery!]
As Robert Hunter pointed out in his set the first night, the Other Ones tour had already wrapped up. “We’re just playing for you guys,” he pointed out, further emphasizing the significance of their two-night hometown run in Oakland. Needless to say, the energy level inside the Kaiser was pretty high, and people were in celebratory mode. (It seemed as if all the Bay Area freaks came out of the woodwork for these shows.) The first night was a solid show with some fine moments, and a good indication of things to come. And sure enough, on Friday the band really blew it out with a truly spectacular show. Even folks I know who weren’t that psyched to see the Other Ones had to admit that the second night of Oakland was smokin’.
THURSDAY | 12.05.02
Set I
Jam >
Aiko Aiko >
The Music Never Stopped >
The Eleven >
Eyes of the World >
Music reprise >
Scarlet Begonias >
Fire on the Mountain
Midnight Hour |
Set II
Strawberry Fields Forever >
Cryptical Envelopment >
All Along the Watchtower >
Drums > Space >
Help on the Way >
Slipknot! >
The Other One >
Slipknot! >
Franklin's Tower |
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Encore: Box of Rain
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Robert Hunter
Mission in the Rain
Lazy River Road
Wind Blows High
Easy Wind >
Mr. Charlie
Standing on the Moon >
Ripple
Boys in the Barroom |
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The first set felt a bit subdued, yet featured great song selections and was a satisfying taste of things to come. After a bit of jamming, the boys opened it up with a rockin’ “Aiko Aiko” – featuring some strong organ work by "newcomer" Jeff Chimenti - followed by a somewhat down-tempo “Music Never Stopped.” Though they could have picked up the pace on this song, it still sounded solid. Then they busted out “The Eleven” right at the beginning of the first set, which at first caught me off-guard, ‘cause I like my “Eleven” well into the second set when things are really rolling. But after a few seconds I couldn’t complain, as they conquered the song’s crazy time signatures with aplomb and really blew it out. “The Eleven” was one of the high points of the whole show.
On the heels of that monster came a lovely “Eyes” that nicely segued back into “Music” (complete with some Bobby rapping/howling, as only Bobby can do) followed by a sweet “Scarlet Fire.” Mickey took the lead vocals on “Fire,” but instead of rapping it he actually sang the lyrics, so I enjoyed this version much more than the “Fire” at this summer’s Alpine shows. The “Midnight Hour” set closer was a good choice, and the boys kicked into higher gear, leaving us even pumped and excited for the second set.
As he had done for the whole tour, Robert Hunter performed between sets, which was a nice interlude. By the end of the first set the Kaiser was packed, and being the clausterphobe that I am I could not deal with the hallway situation. So it was especially good to lay back and enjoy Hunter’s calm presence and his renditions of the songs he helped create. This included “Mission in the Rain,” “Standing on the Moon” and “Ripple” – three of the most beautiful songs ever written – as well as an unexpected “Easy Wind > Mr. Charlie,” which was especially welcome as these are two of the most underplayed Dead tunes, in my book.
Hunter’s tenor voice has not aged one bit, and between numbers he tuned his guitar and talked to the crowd. This man is in the privileged (and strange) position of being both a participant in and spectator of the Grateful Dead, so I enjoyed his wry observations. His comment about playing just for us drew cheers from the crowd, and he finished off his set, as he typically does, with an a cappella number, “The Boys in the Barroom,” with its inquisitive chorus: “Does god look after the boys in the barroom?” After Hunter left the stage I looked around at the crowd, and had the slight revelation that we are all the boys – and girls - in the barroom…
The band picked up the pace in the second set, especially after drums and space. But first they kicked things off with “Strawberry Fields,” an excellent choice of covers that sounded lovely. Yet again they could’ve upped the ante just a bit on this one. I’ve heard Phil & Friends perform some stellar renditions of “Strawberry Fields,” and I think Rob Barracco does a good job on the vocals. Regardless, it was a soothing number and a nice intro into “Cryptical Envelopment.” This gentle portion of “The Other One” suite suits Phil’s vocals well. Not to mention, it assured the crowd that we had the rest of “The Other One” to look forward to. But not before the boys hit us with a fine “Watchtower” into drums/space. It was a little light on the space (which was OK by me), but the rhythms from our friends Bill and Mickey were mesmerizing. Toward the end they wound things down until it was almost completely silent onstage, then the rest of the crew returned with a song progression that almost defies description: “Help/Slip” into “The Other One” into “Slip/Franklin’s.” In case you’re wondering if this was as good as it sounds on paper: it was. Along with “The Eleven,” the second half of the second set was the highlight of the whole show. In fact, that could count as one of the finest Dead moments I’ve ever experienced. The boys are getting creative with their setlists, and as I realized after the Terrapin Station shows, you’d be hard pressed to catch the Dead playing segues like this back in the day.
The “Box of Rain” encore was uplifting. Although my friend swears that Phil appeared less than excited during this number, from my vantage point on the floor the song sounded pretty solid. But then again, this is the same friend who thought Jimmy Herring was a bit too overpowering, taking center stage too often during the show. Personally I think Jimmy is very subtle and understated, and he knows when to step up and when to lay back. Regardless, the show was a quality one with a few superb musical moments, and it left me confident that the second night would be really killer. Which it was…
FRIDAY | 12.06.02
Set I
Jam >
Good Lovin’ >
Tennessee Jed
Lost Sailor >
Saint of Circumstance
Only the Strange Remain >
Cumberland Blues >
Estimated Prophet >
Casey Jones |
Set II
He's Gone >
Lazy Lightning >
Supplication Jam >
Mountains of the Moon >
Uncle John's Band >
Lady With a Fan >
Dark Star >
Drums > Space >
Terrapin Station >
Dark Star |
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Happy Birthday (sung to Phil's son Graham)
Encore: Touch of Grey
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Robert Hunter
Days Between
Deal
Loser
Cats Under the Stars
Stella Blue
Drunkard's Carol |
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I feel a bit guilty trying to write about Friday night’s performance, because words can’t do justice to the feeling I had both during and after the show, and for several days afterward. “Good Lovin’” kicked things off on the right note, and the band really nailed the honky-tonk rendition of “Tennessee Jed” in all the right places. After this gem came an absolutely gorgeous version of “Lost Sailor,” followed of course by the inspired (and appropriate) “Saint of Circumstance”: “Sure don’t know what I’m goin’ for/But I’m gonna go for it for sure.” The transition between these songs was so seamless that the photographers got to snap away for an extra song, thankfully, over the three song limit; the security guards didn’t realize that “Lost Sailor” and “Saint of Circumstance” were two different songs.
Then the boys busted out “Only the Strange Remain,” the only song over the two-night run that is actually an Other Ones tune. I’ve heard this tune a few times and haven’t quite put my finger on it, but this version was pretty damn rockin’. “Cumberland Blues,” however, was rippin’; very nicely done, that number. Believe it or not, things got even better with a slow and funky “Estimated Prophet,” followed by a “Casey Jones” set closer that had the whole floor shaking, people and all.
Our friend Robert Hunter returned to the stage during set break, and my only complaint was that his set was too short. Maybe he just wanted to kick it backstage, but why should we sit there with the house lights glaring at us when we could be listening to Robert play? Some people I know don’t care for his delivery that much, but as a writer Robert Hunter has always been an inspiration for me, and when he performs a lovely number like “Stella Blue” you can truly feel the emotion in the lyrics. He also did a nice back-to-back pairing of “Deal” and “Loser,” and closed with the very humorous a cappella number “Drunkard’s Carol.” The last line of this song made me take notice: “May Jesus save their drunken souls.” After projecting those words in his youthful voice, Robert graciously departed from the stage. Now I’m not a religious person by any means, but I find some comfort in the fact that, if nothing else, at least Robert Hunter is somewhat concerned for the well-being of our tattered souls.
Speaking of tattered souls… The Other Ones returned to the stage to grace us with a beautiful, weeping “He's Gone.” The emotion in this song was not lost on anyone, band or audience. Then they set out on a “Lazy Lightning > Supplication” that was silky smooth. Even though they might leave room for improvisation, the band’s jamming was tight and polished. The word “noodling” didn’t even cross my mind, really. The band then brought back the mellow vibe with “Mountains of the Moon.” As with “Cryptical,” Phil’s vocals worked well in this song. But then they kicked it back into high gear with a rockin’ “Uncle John's Band” that sounded great all around. You could see the elation in people’s faces during this number, and it was a welcome sight.
And then came another mind-blowing progression to finish off the set: “Lady With a Fan > Dark Star > Drums > Space > Terrapin Station > Dark Star.” Wow. The segues were pretty seamless, once again, the drums were even better on this night, and… well, what else can you say about a setlist like that? If the songs were done with a less-than-top-notch delivery, the results could have been disastrous. But the band really threw it down toward the end of the show, and if I hadn’t been dancing in the zone I might have stood there just shaking my head in (happy) disbelief. Obviously the boys are having fun with the new setlists, and yet they’re not messing around. Clearly they’ve been hard at work rehearsing with the new lineup, and it shows.
Phil took the stage before the encore began. But instead of encouraging us to become organ donors right away, he asked us to sing “Happy Birthday” to his son Graham, who was born at the Kaiser (literally, if I remember correctly) sixteen years ago. It was refreshing to see this warm and funny side of Phil. So when they closed with “Touch of Grey” I wasn’t too miffed. Miffed, that is, because I’ve never been a big fan of this tune, and I always thought it made a better opener than encore. And yet the boys rocked it out so much that my qualm immediately went away, and I joined the rest of the crowd in a dancing frenzy. The “We will survive” chorus sounded anything but clichéd, and this was a great choice to close out a truly excellent show.
I had been looking forward to seeing the Other Ones on New Year’s Eve, and the addition of MMW and Hot Tuna got me even more pumped. But after experiencing these Oakland shows, I’m practically counting down the days. In all honesty, I hope they can keep the momentum they built during the two-night Kaiser run. Friday night’s show was even more smokin’ than the fine Alpine shows this summer, so if they can one-up themselves on NYE, then we’re in for a real treat.
Words by Margaret Pitcher
Photos by John Croxton
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