Ratdog

April 13, 2001

The State Theatre

Kalamazoo, MI

I was treated to amazing couple of nights of music over Easter weekend by Bob Weir’s band, Ratdog. I have seen Ratdog many times before in many different settings. Over the last year or two their somewhat rotating line-up has finally crystallized and it is safe to say that this is a band that is now firing on all cylinders.

On Friday night the band made their first of two Michigan stops at Kalamazoo’s State Theatre. The State is a nice old place to see a show and I was psyched to be there again for the first time in about 9 years. The last time I was there I actually saw Phish who could never play such an intimate venue today.

I made the easy drive from Ypsilanti and got in line. About an hour before showtime they opened the doors and I got a great spot near the stage right in front of Weir’s microphone.

This is the first tour where Ratdog is not using an opening band and is instead playing two full sets. Right after 8 the band hit the stage and started right into a nice if somewhat short version of "Playin’ in the Band". They were still tweaking the sound, as the jam out of "Playin’ in the Band" became "Queen Jane Approximately". I have always loved Weir’s version of this Dylan classic. Keyboardist Jeff Chimenti really got my attention during this tune with some nice piano fills.

Next was a full band electric version of "Fever" which was odd because it usually appears as an acoustic number. It sounded good though and Kenny Brooks took several nice solos on sax.

Most of the band left the stage as Weir finally did don his acoustic guitar for a very nice reading of the Beatles’ "Blackbird" performed as a duet with bassist Rob Wasserman.

Kenny Brooks rejoined Weir and Wasserman for an extended version of "Eternity", which is Weir’s collaboration with the great Willie Dixon. This version was intimate and well performed. Weir, Wasserman and Brooks took turns soloing during the lengthy instrumental break.

Next was a quick acoustic version of "Friend of the Devil" where Weir and Wasserman were first joined by Mark Karan on lead guitar and then by the conclusion of the song, the rest of the band had joined in too.

Weir switched to a Dobro/National Steel type guitar for "Odessa’ which is off Ratdog’s debut album, Evening Moods. This version was different than any of the earlier versions I have heard. It was done as sort of a mellow shuffle similar to Al Green’s "Take me to the River".

I was floored when Weir began to sing the delicate intro to the Hunter/Garcia classic "Mission in the Rain". I knew that Ratdog had recently broken it out of retirement, but it was exciting to see nonetheless. Weir really nailed the words and the band provided the perfect backdrop. This tune was only performed by the Dead a handful of times so it was nice to finally see it performed live. Definitely, one of the highlights of the show for me.

After "Mission in the Rain" wound down Bob put down his guitar and ran behind the drum kit to get a tambourine. The whole band started playing various percussion instruments and started in to the unmistakable beat of the New Orleans classic "Iko Iko". The first few verses were sung by Weir with just the percussion backing and then the band members resumed playing their normal instruments. The crowd was really into this song. When it finally ended Bob stepped to the mic and said something like, ‘Thanks, we’ll be back in just a little bit…" The two set format is really ideal for me. It gives the band a chance to warm up and then let the excitement in the crowd build during the break before coming back for an all out second set.

The second set started off with a short jam that led into "October Queen" which is a great bluesy number from Evening Moods. This segued into another new song called "Even So". I like this song and I especially like Wasserman’s bass work, but it can be kind of slow.

As "Even So" wound down the band threw in several quotes from "Playin’ in the Band" before quickly switching gears for a picture perfect version of Weir’s "Lost Sailor". This is one of my favorite Weir songs, but I had never gotten a chance to see it live before so this was really special for me. "Lost Sailor" led into it’s usual song partner, "Saint of Circumstance" which was also well played and full of energy. This was another crowd favorite.

Next the band slowed the jam at the end of "Saint of Circumstance" down and twisted it into a full on "Dark Star" jam featuring Kenny Brooks leading the way. The jam gradually became more aggressive until it morphed into a distinct "Other One " jam. I thought for sure Weir was going to start singing any moment, but the band left the stage to make way for Jay Lane and Rob Wasserman’s solo section.

Wasserman and Lane’s bass and drums duel was cool and weird as usual. After about 10 minutes of inspired bass and percussion the rest of the band reappeared and started to play the opening chords of "Terrapin Station". Bobby handled the vocals well and the band hit the changes perfectly. The jam at the end was really nice and again, Kenny Brooks shined. The jam finally led back into the previously teased "Playin’ in the Band".

After the short reprise Bob started right into the opening of St. Stephen. The crowd went wild and you could barely hear the band for a minute. Bob’s vocals were strong even if his memory of the words wasn’t exactly perfect. Lane’s drumming was also noteworthy on this version.

"St. Stephen" led into it’s standard follow up, "The Eleven". This was probably the overall highlight of the show for me. I love Weir’s arrangement of this song, which he first started to do with the Other Ones. The band brought the jam higher and higher with Weir improvising the ending, which came to a crashing end all too soon.

The band left the stage, but returned quickly to play a nice version of "Touch of Grey’ to send the happy crowd home with, but it was not much more than an afterthought following the psychedelic meltdown that had preceded it.

I left very satisfied and figured that there was no way that the band could top this excellent performance the next night in Royal Oak.