The jams throughout were amazing, especially where Warren's slide came into the picture. Viola Lee Blues was a special highlight. What I give to have seen this live!

An enormous Quintet show. Three separate sandwiches (Dancin’, Dark Star, and Viola Lee), all kinds of songs stretched way out of their usual proportion, and a half-hour four-song encore. It’s a lot. Sure there’s some genre-blending, but there’s also plenty of pure jazz. Johnny Whitecloud’s quirky calypso rhythms never stay in one place for long. There are multiple mid-jam changes in tempo and key, but the musicians stay locked right in. It’s like watching a rollercoaster gracefully whipping and winding through different speeds and directions.

The twin lead guitars featured in The Q will always be the group’s calling card. Sometimes they tangle, sometimes they unwind, sometimes they joyously synchronize for Allman Brothers-esque wailing, sometimes they devolve into a psychedelic meltdown with animated, babbling madness. Interestingly, though Warren and Herring’s styles are very unique, the technology and tones of the guitars themselves will at times remind you of Jerry. In this recording, Herring is playing a Stratocaster, and Warren is playing a Gibson. Herring bends out some licks that instantly invoke ‘72-’73 Garcia, while some of Warren’s buzzing runs call to mind a 1968 Jerry solo. Warren and Herring are not playing copycat; it’s simply the flesh and bones of their instruments producing the same effects that Jerry got out of them during his own days using those same models. This makes Phil Lesh Quintet shows all the more natural and enjoyable. Experimental of, and still respectful to, the Grateful Dead formulas from years past.

The Dark Star is phenomenal. I love the Strawberry Fields > GDTRFB pairing. Hats off to Rob Barraco. Lots to like about this show, the last of the band’s February “Roam the West” tour! Phil Lesh and his Friends leave it all on the stage.

Hard to believe this was 13 years ago. Good gravy. I have never heard anything quite like the Q from 2001. Few bands/musicians have ever hit such peaks, and this is still 36 years after the Acid Tests! Fragments of that trip are spinning off this show like bright sprays of fireworks.

Peace. Long live the Q!

This is a nice clean board of a pull-out-all-the-stops Lesh Quintet show in their early, still-formative period, back when the overall vibe of their efforts was often somewhat more adventurous, with that wild edge, and even more psychedelic at times...than after Spring of '03, I guess. Not that there weren't great Q. shows after that-- there certainly were. But to me, even though they still blew minds later, it seemed like some of (their own) fun and slight looseness was absent in the later years, by comparison. Hey, I only said 'some'!
Being able to hear a lot more stage banter between the guys, a mic/ monitoring quirk fed into the tape, is one of several little perks to this show...among the bigger ones. Without getting into redundancy to the other praise offered below, I'd say as a major Phil Phreak that you better grab this SDBD for the travel collection, at the very least. The only caveat is that, as with the many of the Quintet's earlier shows and the live disc that came with "There & Back Again", the man seemed to have been going through some sort of self-effacing, humble POV when it came to his bass work-- keeping it real low in the mix. This frustrated some of the more ardent worshipers of the brilliant mystic artistry that will pour through our heads at times when those phingers do the walking...up and down them frets! Oh, and ahm, for those of you who seem to especially enjoy brother Haynes leading us into a joyous new space whenever he jams those thrilling intro chords for "Dear Mr. Fantasy" down our eager gullets--you need to stop by Charlotte N.C. on 7-26-02 here, the one taped by Jim Brown, and give your full attention to the first couple tracks in the 2nd set. I mean, you really truly need to. It's just so awesome hearing this band (and previously the Dead, with Garcia singing) play this piece for all it's worth, as (some of you older cats & kittens may know) Steve Winwood spent a little time with the Dead in the late 60's. Anyway, just download this show with no reservations, and be ready for a great ride.

Mr fantasy was the track i rewound and played over and over the day after this show. Great second solo like the last review said. At the show there was talk of a DVD for this 3 night stand...never happened I guess.PLQ 4 Lyfe

What is up with that second solo on Fantasy? Could it be the best Warren solo ever? Holy Guadalcanal Batman. You just have to get your best headphones on, sit back and let it rip. Ok, so it trails off in interest, but I will take those 3 min of pure creativity any day.

What it's even easier to "doze off in the middle of" is a review that has nothing to do with the show and everything to do with egocentric one-upsmanship having a fight over a ten minute guitar solo in a dark alley with the executor of your trust fund...

Boy. You woulda' really hated the 60's. Six hour shows with two hours of experimental feedback, a body painting clinic in the middle of the dance floor and all the Koolaid you wanted. Three days later, "Oh, the shows over? Guess I better quit dancing and go home".

Great show, fellas. 'Til reviewers pay the freight, myself included, play whatever you want.

-CT

you will never forget it. it was amazing. something was in that san fransisco air that night. my god, the memories of the quintet will be with me forever. thankyou phil, jimmy, rob, john and warren. what a fuckin night, man.

sound: good as it gets
show: sick sick sick.

I will let the music speak for itself, pay for this beauty of a show! It is worth it. Phil are you listening?

-Your Pal,
Garret

This is good Phil. Great jazzy, spacey jams. You will not be dissappointed. Top notch sound from the board. Great vocals by Warren. Love the keys, love the jazz bass laid down by Phil. On my way to the previous night, can only hope its half as good.

If you want 3 min. songs DO NOT LISTEN to this. BUT if you like jamming feel free to tune in. THIS IS NOT THE DEAD---This is PHIL--enjoy his versions of the songs he likes to play.You want DEAD go to DEAD section!!!!If you do not want to hear extented jamming,Coldplay and top 40 is on your radio.Feel free to bleed your brain with todays hits and STAY AWAY!!!!!!

Of course, the Grateful Dead will always be my favorite band but I've never really warmed up to Lesh or Weir's post-Dead bands. I've seen PL and Friends a couple of times and thought they were good, but not REALLY good. Unlike this touch heads asshole, I don't give a shit if Warren Haynes or Phil Lesh sing Jerry's songs. The problem I have here is the fact that there's too much jamming on these songs and it's easy to doze off in the middle of these jams. A 25 minute Dancing in the Streets into a 12-minute Scarlet into a 6-minute Dancin'? A 16-minute Dear Mr. Fantasy? A 20-minute Wharf Rat?!?!? They sound great on paper but after a while the urge to doze off becomes overwhelming.
That has never ever happened to me with the Dead, but this is often the case with PL&F.
Now I'm not knocking any of the musicians in this band; it's clear that they are all exceptional and Jimmy Herring is a phenominal jazz guitarist (listen to his knockout solos in Milestones). But it's good to exercise a little restraint once in a while with the occaisional short tune, like the Dead did.

After reading the strong reviews I thought I'd give this a stream. The non Jerry songs are good but as always the Jerry tunes have never sounded soooooo bad. If you're not a "whole show" freak you could download the parts that don't SUCK ASS and have a nice little emergency show to listen to if someday you couldn't find ANY of your Grateful Dead CD's.

This has to be the best Phil And Friends show ever.I have listened to the complete show twice.But now I can't get Discc 2 out of my CD player.The Caution Jam is the most jazzed and jammed version I have ever listened to.Followed by Dr. Mr. Fantasy>Dark Star>TNK>Dark Star. Never heard such a good time in my life before.

This was my second Phil and Friends show, my first being 6-23-2000 at the Concord Pavillion (check that show out).
I was going to S.F. State at the time and went solo to this show. I had to go. The venue was in my opinion filled to capacity. You could barely get around in the Maritime Hall it was so packed.
The performance was really good, with a rare setlist which was well played. Highlights of this show for me include Dupree's, Bertha, Caution Jam, awesome Dear Mr. Fantasy, Tomorrow Never Knows, Wharf Rat, and Viola Lee Blues. The recording of this show is incredible. Brings back some good memories. I did not realize what a gem of a show this was when I was there until I listened to this recording.

Caution Jam->Dear Mr Fantasy is EPIC. Whole show rips. Great show from a now defunct music hall. Ooozes with energy! Early Q!

Oh my god Phil! Caution Jam to open the set and throwing dark star and viola on top of it??????? Ladies and gentleman, this set is a throwback, so put on that tye-dye and enjoy.

too bad the Maritime Hall is no more
logan

This is a really nice sounding recording. I picked this one because I was looking for a SBD recording that had Warren Haynes on it b/c I'm a big fan of Gov't Mule. While I'm a long-time Deadhead, I haven't really delved into the PLB much yet. This is my first foray and I'm liking what I hear so far. I would love it if someone could point me towards any other good SBDs w/ Warren Haynes in the band.

This is the hottest Phil & Friends show I've attended. It's no wonder Phil picked this night of the four to offer up. The jamming throughout is nothing short of amazing.
I'd give this a 6 star rating if I could. Hell, give it a 10!!

Wharfrat-->Viola is one of the best jams Ive ever heard from Phil. You can hear the planning that went into a P&Fs show. This is a must burn for the listed tunes alone. This band is tight and we want to see this configuration again.