Live: Allman Brothers With RatDog
A Review of the Rock/Jam Bands' massive Outdoor Show in August 2008
Aug 20, 2008
As RatDog—headed by Bob Weir, former rhythm guitarist of The Grateful Dead—began their two-hour set at the Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center (SPAC) last night, it was clear that The Allman Brothers Band's show was going to strongly resemble a jam band's. This was not a bad thing, nor was it unexpected, but it showed how two very different bands can share roots in jamming.
The show, which lasted from 7 PM to midnight, was about half improvisation and half written song. It was incredible to see how attuned to one another the bands were, and they provided hours of an intense musical experience for all involved.
Bob Weir and RatDog Play Grateful Dead (Among Others)
To say that Bob Weir and crew are proficient in just taking a song and jamming with it would be a drastic understatement. RatDog's set began with four songs which blended together, ending with a cover of The Grateful Dead's “Big Boss Man”.
This sequence ran for half an hour and featured solos by Weir and Mark Karan on guitar, Kenny Brooks on saxophone, and Jeff Chimenti on keyboards. The first half of the set was fast-paced, with tons of improvisation. Besides a few stray balloons thrown by audience members, it was essentially unmarred.
An interesting part of RatDog's set was the bass and drum solos, which served as a break for the primary soloists. This 10-minute solo was a brilliant idea, as it allowed the rhythm players to showcase their full talent.
Aside from being impressive, it showed how far the artists ranged from the traditional Dead sound. Chimenti in particular is a classically trained pianist, and his contribution to RatDog spans multiple playing styles. Variation was also prevalent in their encore, a cover of Chuck Berry's “Johnny B. Goode”. All in all, it was an enthusiastic and powerful set.
Allman Brothers Band Play Comprehensive Set
The following three-hour set by The Allman Brothers Band was equally excellent, but it had a similar approach to the previous experience. This was surprising, as the Allman Brothers have a more distinct southern rock sound, while RatDog is akin to a classic jam band.
The band played their set in memory of bassist Allen Woody, who passed away in August 2000. It was a powerful performance, and the band members were totally emotionally invested in the music. The first two and a half hours of their show were full of improvisation and expansion on previous material, and included solos by Gregg Allman (joined at times by Jeff Chimenti) on piano and organ, and Warren Hayes and Derek Trucks—who Rolling Stone named one of the best slide guitarists since Duane Allman—on slide guitar.
The band ended with “Jessica”, a fan favorite and inclusion on the video game Guitar Hero II. This 6-minute song was expanded to over 30 minutes, and it included a 15-minute break with solos by bassist Otiel Burbridge and four percussionists. It was a beautiful rendition and was better-received than the encore. Although neither RatDog or The Allman Brothers Band had the stage presence of jam bands such as Railroad Earth, they by far made up for it with their musicianship, improvisation, and diversity.
Follow The Allman Brothers Band and RatDog online.
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