It has now been ten years since this show, and I still listen to it and can be transported back to this magical night. Since I was born in ‘91 and was unable to see Jerry, I loved the Dead and listened to old shows a lot, but my focus was more on Phish...until this show.

Wow. I mean, it’s hard to describe the energy here in mere words. Any true Deadhead understands what I mean. It was my birthday and my first show, and the venue was small & packed, but it made it so much more personal. The first set was high energy and somewhat limited “exploration,” much like a lot of the Dead’s shows. It’s neither better nor worse, just different.

Like a lot of others have already said here, the second set is beyond worthy of a listen. Even if you weren’t there, you can’t mistake the energy here that those who never got to see Jerry could only dream of. The After Midnight starts it off just right. The Cryptical>Wharf Rat>Other One can transport me to that special place any day no matter what. The crowd signing on Wharf Rat, and the shared feeling amongst everyone in that room that the music had never stopped, is a memory that I will cherish forever. I recall the lights being turned on during We Bid You Goodnight and some tearful eyes in the room. The female vocals really add to the beauty here, and this was when Zoe was also with them.

I will be forever grateful for this show in helping to steer me towards the Furthur bus, and I am on it for life...

Phil gets to do what he wants in the band. He's paid his dues in full and then some. Why not show the cat some gratitude for just "showing up" for all these years. Otherwise, go listen to The Osmonds or something, please.

SherpaDog, you are missing the point (or at least mine from a previous post). I KNOW Phil didn't sing lead in the past (with good reason), but MY point (which you don't seem to want to hear because it differs from YOUR point) is we went to shows for the vibe. Yes, I was one of those "idiots" who held up the signs saying "Let Phil sing". We did because we enjoyed hearing him. We didn't care, were not about to take pen in hand and write a review nor did we have an agenda. Just there for the music and vibe. You mentioned (wrongly) I was wrong about it being "Just like Donna" (your words, not mine). I said it was similar to the way she would sing one of her few "Donna songs" and it was ok, but when she added to others, she stunk. Yes, she was off key most of the time, but do you think she would have been allowed to do it for so long if the guys hated it the way the masses seemed to?? There are many who dog Jerry's voice (reedy), Bobby's (not rock and roll enough), Brent's (too Doobie). (Not my opinion, just some I've heard over the years). I'm sure the guys knew Phil's voice wasn't up to par with theirs, but now, I think he's singing to us not for his ego, but because it's something he's always wanted to do. I am SURE he knows his limitations, but there are prob. just as many who love to hear his terrible voice (because it's his) as there are who think he should just be quiet. I was not going to respond to your post when you replied to mine, but after seeing you going from post to post trashing those who love it when Phil sings....I had to. BTW, I'm pleased and proud you were privy to the conversations they had where they told Phil he shouldn't sing. I followed them since '65, and I wasn't allowed in those conversations, so bully for you!! Lastly (if you have gotten this far), hopefully you'll see this post as NOT me being mean or overly sensitive but as someone who is in AGREEMENT with you about his voice, it IS bad. I'm just saying it really doesn't matter. If you hadn't called people "idiots" who liked it when he sang, your post would have been fine. Let others have their opinions without being trashed 'cause YOU don't agree!!!! It might be YOUR opinion that we were "idiots", but name calling just because you disagree is wrong.

Good recording Marcus and Im not just saying that because my name is Marcus also. Awsome show but as for the guy giving that dude shit for saying Phil shouldn't sing lead vocals, HE SHOULD'NT sing lead! Maybe on Box Of Rain(esp withits personal signif) or Broken Arrow. He may have souned demeaning but Jerry said the same thing to Phil himself years ago. Amazing musician but horrible singer don't be so overly sensitive. You were prob one of the idiots with "Let Phil Sing" signs years ago that had him beleive he should start singing more in the first place it's not Phil & Friends. "DONT LET PHIL SING" and no Im not a kid been seeing the Grateful dead for 20 yrs

Show was rockkin was there and everything

But me thinks it was! Two different styles of shows, same great magical sound. I didn't think I'd ever feel this way again. Great, great stuff. All I can say is let's enjoy it while its here.

phil needs to let john sing the tunes-
bobby at least has competent vocals and lots of passion (SOTM comes to mind) to carry a song
phil just takes a great song and makes it not so great-
just my opinion and i love phil-

unreal JK and JC action on that 2nd set opener. entire first set hotter than miami's the nite b4, and the race is on was way better than the OTRA the night b4! cant wait for chicago. JK handling all the Jerry stuff nicely (check out the Wharf and Althea, although 2nd set is weird spot for Althea) and A lot of JGB action in the sound from this one. Overall, JK is there vocally and Weir needs to quit bringing down the end of shows by sharing or hogging Jerry songs- the Wheel, GDTRFB and the encore were all compromised by this.

I enjoyed the Miami show more than Orlando, the vibe in Miami was so laid back and the band cut loose a little more. Orlando was spot on but had less X factor moments. I can't wait to hear the Hampton show, I knew they would play Dark Star:

Set One: Shakedown Street > I Need a Miracle, Till the Morning Comes, Memphis Blues, Dire Wolf, Picasso Moon, Big Railroad Blues, Two Djinn

Set Two: Scarlet > West LA Fadeaway, Mason's Children, Dark Star > Mr Fantasy > Kings Solomon's Marbles, Days Between, Viola Lee Blues > Dark Star > Goin Down the Road Feelin Bad

Encore: Donor Rap, And We Bid You Goodnight

LET PHIL SING!

These guys sound so rehearsed and tight.. More so than most of "Dead tour" from spring...Listening to one more saturday night I'm already smiling ear to ear.. Phil is going off. Roses is beautiful, reuben cherise and deep elem? yes, please!.. Unlike Miami, the first set lacks exploration, but it is incredibly tight.

A few of you are confused. They're playing "The Race is on." In Miami they played "On the road again"

After Midnight? WOW. who's idea was this? John's? He's just killing it.. Peak after peak. Shame on whoever says they're not doing it anything new...Fabulous interplay with Chimenti! Backup vocals are great on the "What it's all about!" part. I thought that backup female vocals was the 1 thing missing from the dead in 09....Wharf rat is gorgeous. Nice Philling and the crowd singing along, you can really feel the energy.

Haven't made it to this venue yet, but all i ever hear is how shitty security is... February in Florida, why not the outdoors? Something at disney? Spun heads in tie dyes, mickey and goofy costumes on the rides with families and small children? Priceless!

scarlet- I agree in one aspect. Bobby shouldn't be singing a FEW tunes.. like loose lucy, morning dew. But he has every right to sing any song he wants. especially ones that he's had such a big impact in molding, from their creation, for the past 45 years... Just play bass and sing backup? Do you know how demeaning that sounds? Im not saying that was your intention, but that's how it came across to me. Be grateful. I don't mean to sound like a dick, but you kind of come off as a 17 year old who just got into this band...are you aware of how important phil has been to this band since '65? Phil and Peter Rowan are the godfathers of this americana improvising folk music, today. He should be singing some choice lyrics here and there... and His bass is about the best thing going.

I love the band, but i agree bobby needs to quit singing jerrys songs. John sounds great and thats what they hired him for. As for phil, just play bass and sing backup. i know he's old and were lucky to be hearing him. he dosent lead vocals very well. I do like box of rain though.

Weir is playing great. Him and John are jelling nicely. This is some might fine stuff.

lots of opinions on this band out there...for me, this is the music I love...and it is being played from the soul of some very fine musicians...it feels good to me...thanks for the quick upload and quality sound...Hampton Comes Alive in two days!

Much better sounding recording than Miami. Pretty smoking 2nd set if you ask me. My only critique of the recording is the channel balance. It appears to be heavily weight towards the left channel. Thanks again for getting the shows up so quick...Miami, Orlando.

All I can say is "WOW!" If that hasn't been said enough! This show and this band in general is proof that the scene has been reborn in a BIG way. The spirit of the Grateful Dead lives on! It's been almost 15 years since Jerry passed and we (and the music) continue on - STRONG!

The Grateful Dead are Back......... Wooooooo Hooooooo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jerome is smiling !!!!! :)

Great Job As Always Marcus, Your pulls are always Top Notch.

But This Music. This Is Somthing Else. Im Currently on After Midnight and I couldnt Wait to Finish To Write My Review. This is OUTSTANDING! I cannot wait to see them up north!

I was at this show. Energy through the roof-Miami better IMO, but both great. Nice OMSN and Bertha to open the show (listen to Phil play!). Weir playing so well too. Masterpiece>Reuben and Cherise a nice pairing. Things really got warmed up imo with Deep Elem and nice Deal to close the set.

Second set didn't disappoint. Just a well played high energy, party-filled set on a Saturday night at the Hard Rock!
Further has no where to go but to Furthur Fest. See the small venue shows before Summer rolls around!

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Marcus , you're amazing . I've listened to so many of your many of your recordings. You do an excellent job. I feel I at least owe a beverage some point, be it that It's probably easy to find you and all, being in the taper zone, and what not. Then again, You don't want ME coming anywhere near your equipment carrying beverages.
This is only the second electric Deep Elum I've heard or could find. The first , and one of my top ten favorite dead songs of all times being 3/9/81, one of the coolest songs of all times, posted, of course, here at the archive. Cheers to you Marcus.

I thought the energy and music of this show was over the top!!! But my big complaint was that the venue was way too packed to have any fun or dance. And the venue security were in full Gestapo/asshole mode. Great, oversell the place so everyone is miserable then treat the crowd like crap. Way to go Hard Rock! In Miami, the security / venue employees were dancing in the aisles with us. You could hardly move in that place. John K broke it out Jerry-style though. How could they ever get anyone to top that? Warren Haynes will soon be a "what were we thinking" memory.

One thing that makes this show and band so pleasing is how the song order more less follows the traditional Grateful Dead pattern of: Jerry song, Bob song, Jerry Song, Bob song, etc. The absence of a lengthy drums/space section in Furthur's second set is quite refreshing.

We caught Miami and Orlando, and while the energy was high both nights, I really think the second set at the hard rock was everything anyone could want from a Dead show. Its hard for me to imagine anyone walking away from that set feeling anything other than sheer joy. The incredibly soulful "And we bid you goodnight" had the whole crowd singing as loudly as we could.

1st set highlights: Masterpiece, Deep Elum > Deal

2nd set hightlights: The whole thing

>>>Personally I think Miami was the best show yet.<<<

I must agree.

A veteran from Dead shows since 1973 and every reincarnation since. Without a doubt, last night's show was fantastic. They blew the doors off Hard Rock. The energy was tangible. Jerry was smiling down on the boys last night and I look forward to many more shows.

Been diging Furthur since the fisrt show. Was at BGCA for 12/30 and 12/31. Personally I think Miami was the best show yet.

Re: Sunshine; Kesey's Sunshine was born in 66. This Sunshine graduated from an East Bay highschool in 90. So while it would be fitting for an offspring from the bus to be on stage with Furthur I do not believe that is the case. Regardless; the back-up vocals add a nice touch and do not hurt your ears like Donna did.

Deal, Midnight, Wharf Rat all really stand out with some truly sick playing from John. Phil's bass is nice and fat on this recording - it's bouncing all over the room. Solid, trippy show from a band that just keeps getting better.

How come these guys are always on the East Coast? they must have forgot they come from the West Coast! We never get to see them...

Wow, this was my birthday show!!! What a way to party on your birthday!!!
I do want to know, seems like some other dude was playing keys for the 1st set, instead of Jeff..but Jeff showed up for 2nd Set...
Anybody know who that dude was??? He was grate, Jeff smoked too on the 2nd Set!!!
Wow!!! Thanks again, still doing it after all these years!!! Unbelievable!!!

I've been following this band since the beginning, but this was my first time seeing them in the flesh. The Hard Rock Live is nestled between the gaudy neon lights of Citywalk at Universal Studios, a tiny one-room place that gives the experience a very intimate feel.

I guess it's for that reason, plus the history of the venue, that the band stepped into a very bluesy space. The night had a prominent mid-'90s vibe to it, or so it seemed to me. The first set brought out a magnificent Bertha, as well as a frenetic Deal and Reuben and Cherise. The band clearly felt the energy of the room, and the slow build-up of the first set reflected that--the air was that of a bunch of old friends playing one for old time's sake. Remarkable for a band that's only existed for a few months!

It wasn't until the second half of set 2 that they really began to open it up and give us that Furthur magic we've come to expect. From Cryptical on down to the end we have an incredible bevy of jams. The Wharf Rat > Other One in particular took the room into the stratosphere; I'm sure I'll remember the audience-led climax of Wharf Rat for a long time to come as one of the most powerful emotional experiences I've had at a show. The Other One, as always, left a smoking crater of our minds, one which only deepened as the show reached its conclusion. A long and heartfelt We Bid You Goodnight closed it out, making us feel as though we would be leaving something one-of-a-kind, which happens rarely and without warning. After the Touch of Grey encore, there was a sense that things were in balance, that everything was, to use the simple cliche, right.

This was not the best show Furthur have ever done (9/20 and 12/13, for the record). The first set featured a couple of my least favorite Dead tunes, and I've never felt Althea had the power to be a second-set piece. Still, it was well worth my time, and I hope the band keeps on keepin' on in 2010 and beyond.

Also of note: the mics cut out early in set 1, and Bobby and Phil chatted animatedly to the audience--through the mics, of course. Oh, those guys.

Thanks Marcus! - it is a treat to wake-up here on the left coast - and download last nights show.

Note that the Filenames for the songs start with 2009-02-06; while the the folder name is 2010-02-06.

Sunshine Garcia Becker is not related to Jerry in any way - last name is a coincidence.

Not being able to attend any of the shows this time around, I just want to give a Big Shout of "THANKYOU" to Marcus for the job so well done! You and the other Tapers, wherever and whoever you are help us all to appreciate this great music wether we are there or far away! Again big Thanks to you, and the Band!

Sold out show. I was lucky enough to attend.
The 2nd Set was on fire! Althea blew the place up,
and The Other One was simply unreal.

Deep Elum Blues
Wharf Rat
Touch of Grey

Thanks for the upload and for sharing!

Sunshine Becker is NOT Garcia's daughter!

I know Jeff and Jay were singin back up at the Jersey show I saw. Oh and song 7 set 1 is Deep Elem Blues. Thanks for the up load the sound is really good!

The backup singers are Zoe Ellis and Sunshine (Garcia) Becker, who is, I believe, the daughter of Ken Kesey and Mountain Girl.

Just started listening so I won't rate it but last night's show was pretty good. Thanks for the timely uploads and very good sounding recordings!

can someone tell me who the backup singers are? after midnight is the first song i listened to.

and thanks for the quick and tasty UL marcus. sounds good. should have some tasty seats for asheville if you need a spot. may put up a pole myself.

So im sitting in connecticut 8:05 am sunday morning, wow the show is already up spent the nite refreshing my screen on ratdog.com to see the setlist after I saw saturday nite as the opener i new it was gonna be a sick show! Bertha, race is on , roses,masterpiece,ruben and cherise, the list just goes on and on with songs i've been waiting to hear. Way to go boys quiet those critics if theres any left after this morning. Back on the bus don't know if im gonna get off!

By the way thanks so much for putting these up so fast

lex