Grateful Dead Music Forum

If you missed it that's to bad. What an amazing night. I felt like they were playing just for me.

Really nice setlist! How was the energy?

Off the hook. I heard the whole 1st night of Worcester and bits of every other show and I have to say they sounded the tightest and most on point of the tour so far.

yeah, it was pretty killer, best they've sounded in a long time. The lot was wild in was more like shakedown city

Quick review for Buffalo--

4/21/2009 HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY

I:
Promised Land---well played/high energy/cool opener
They Love Each Other--Bob sang this well--no "talk-singing"--Bob belted it out---in fact, for a while Ithought he killed his voice---but, thankfully he didn't. Warren played a killer solo too.
Mama Tried--tight/standard/good solos from warren
Loser--Bob and Warren split this on vox----seemed to lose energy before the chorus in Warren's solo, but overall, pretty good
Smokestack Lightnin---Warren sang this---WTF?---gave me reason to think Bob crushed his vocal chords or something. A song I can do without, but, well played.
Stella Blue---warren again---very nice version and I liked the placement (billy wrote the setlist BTW)
It's All Over Now---Rockin/good/standard
Big River---very weird groove to start/overall, good/standard

II:
Playin in the Band >EASILY the highlight of the Show---SICK JAM--nice and long, very interesting and full of goey goodness
Me and Bobby McGee > eh...could have done without. decent, nothing I'm dying to see again
Loose Lucy >Rockin/as always, big crowd pleaser
Ramble On Rose >odd placement but well p[layed and good solos
Drums > Space > Both were worth staying put for. Space had some PEAK moments IMO and I was not eating square meals. They had this one spot where everyone just came togther and played some great escalating energy til a nice peak--very cool. Drummers were as usual, on fire..Mickey played some newish kind of beam or something---not quite sure what it was---all kinds of Lost sailor and DStar teases in it
Maggie's Farm >weirest groove ever---very heavy and slower, almost evil sounding-- like Govt Mule would do it.
Eyes of the World >HUGE JEFF solo and Warren kicked ass too. Another highlight
Playin in the Band (reprise) whatever---wouldda rather seen something else but it was to be expected i guess

E:
Truckin---I still cannot believe Bob cannot sing this song without messing up the lyrics. 2nd one of the tour---needed redemption and Bob spaced the words even more than Greensboro---but, they ended it the way the were supposed to at Greensboro without the total meltdown/falling apart. better then NC

Sound was very good where I was. Scene both inside and out was cool---bigger cop presence than NC but they weren't seemingly ding anything...no search on the way in. Very nice arena too. BTW, they're ripping down the War Memorial and it's got the whole from=nt wall gone but you can still see all the seats inside...bizzare.
Also, it rained of course and there is a good brewpub near there called Pearle St Brewing. Good place to fill up before SS.

Kinda weird set, but Billy supposedly wrote the list. Jeff is a monster on keys. Sounds freaking great and plays just the right stuff seemingly always. Tonight's show in WB is gonna be the killer....can you say Dark Star>Sailor>Saint

has any one found any online tapes for this show yet? i would really love to listen to it today (to help remember)

thanks
peace

Here you go:

http://www.archive.org/details/TheDead2 ... _16bitFLAC

nice! thanks jck

loving this show!! my first one

I was at this show as well. I decided to go at the last minute. I'm glad I did. What a wonderful offering they gave up. Pretty much a '73-74' style show. If I had to pick year-style show, 73-74 would have been my pick. I've read most of the critiques, and the praise. It was what it was. I did get a genuine Dead-Energy feeling. I couldn't have said that for the show 4-5 years ago.
By the way... did anyone notice the banner hanging off of the upper deck, in the rear of HSBC arena?