Phil Lesh & Friends 9.29.07

As a way to celebrate Phil and Friends coming to Red Rocks on Saturday, my friends and I got down there in style in a colorful, grateful dead painted, crazy-funky Rasta bus. Because we rode down there in style, I had to dress up for the occasion as well, so I threw on my bright red dress, brown tights, leg warmers, and knee-high rainbow socks. Yay! What a way to start up the festivities. In case you haven't figured it out, when Phil Lesh comes around, it's kind of a big deal!
So good thing we arrived early because Phil and Friends started to play the second after the sun had set. The lights went down, Phil & Friends took the stage, the crowed cheered, and the band kicked it off with Bertha (one of my favorites). It was a very energetic way to begin the first of three sets, which lead me to believe it was going to be a high energy, everyone dancing around, getting the groove, kind-of-show…but after the first set, the show began to slow down. The second set was all acoustics, so it was a sway back and forth with your eyes closed, holding up your lighter, set. It was beautiful, mellow, and I loved every moment of it…all the while, thinking, since the acoustic set was so mellow, the band must be saving all their energy for the final set. When they took the stage again for the 3rd set, it was overall, spacey and again, still slow, and there were times where I can say I was actually kind of bored. FINALLY though, they began to pick up the pace towards the very end of the show with their last three songs. So basically, as soon as I started getting warmed up, dancing up and down the isles, and the band started really playing fast and hard, the show was over. I don’t want to say I was let down because to be honest, no matter what, Phil Lesh can never disappoint me… BUT, I was really hoping for more energy, and I didn’t really get a taste of that until the very end of the show.
It was all, a very beautiful, relaxed, and spiritual night. Everything was just so peaceful and quiet… I almost felt like I could hear the wind blowing. I just wish the show hadn’t ended once I had finally started getting into it. I have a feeling the band was tired from playing at the Fillmore the night before, which explains the almost sluggish, spaced out jamming.
On a positive note though, which is how I always like to leave it, the weather was perfect, there was a great crowd, they played The Other One, which I was dying to hear, and they also encored with Not Fade Away, which is how I was hoping they would end the show!
So it may have been a mellow show for the most part, but I still had a fabulous time!!

Here is a video I took of them in action, playing The Other One! Enjoy!





And for those interested, here is the nights set list:

Set 1- Bertha, Big River, Midnight Rider, Candyman, Cold Black Devil, Deal

Set 2(acoustic) Friend of the Devil, Sweet Somewhere Bound, Deep Elem Blues, Brokedown Palace, Tell Me Mama, Ripple

Set 3- A Hard Rain’s a Gonna Fall, Cryptical Envelopment>The Other One>Dark Star>Mountains of the Moon>Dark Star>China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider.

E: Not Fade Away!