Gov't Mule & RatDog, Greek Theatre, 6/29/08

It was a hot summer day in L.A., reaching into the mid-90s. We parked on Los Feliz and hiked uphill all the way into Griffith Park and the Greek Theatre, because when we were there on Mother's Day in May for Phil Lesh & Friends, we didn't care for the crammed-in $15 dirt parking and the wasted space cadets who leaned on and set beer bottles on my car....not to mention the asshole who threw beer across my windshield as I was leaving because my husband and I didn't want to run over their pile of glass bottles. Sorry, I digress......

Even though we bought pre-sale tickets, we did not score the preemo seats. We sat in the second floor section, to the right. Thank God for jumbo screens and mini binoculars. Poor Gov't Mule suffered from opening band syndrome....playing for all they were worth while concert goers kept streaming in, and socializing, talking loudly. No respect. Okay, some folks were grooving and into it, including us, however....the sound was not loud enough. My husband walked around, and he said people were yelling at the sound guys to turn it up. Needless to say, playing outdoors is different, because there are no walls to bounce the sound off. Mule was the highlight of the evening, but the Ventura show was much more electrifying. (Both Mule and RatDog each did a two-hour long set at the Greek.)

RatDog is fronted by former Grateful Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir. Although we've seen them numerous times, we much prefer former Dead bassist Phil Lesh's band. (My husband and I are Deadheads from way back, with 100s of shows under our belts.) I was really disappointed in RatDog's set. It was a snooze fest. It was like the whole band did some Valium and muscle relaxants before the show. Compared to how the Dead used to play the same songs, RatDog was passionless and uninspired. Bob Weir displayed all the enthusiasm of a guy who is working a second job to pay for his kid's orthodontia. He looked out of it, he messed up lyrics (what else is new), and he was phoning it in. I was grateful for the plethora of balloons someone near us was blowing up and bouncing around, because it gave me an entertaining distraction during RatDog's set. We almost left early, which is something that we never, ever do. There were a few bright moments (like the requisite singalongs), but overall it was a lackluster show.

One of the most fun things of the evening was seeing so many old friends there. We will be seeing RatDog again in late August at Red Rocks, but we are actually more into The Allman Brothers (with Warren), who RatDog will open for. I'll be sure to take a good book along with me. Or some balloons.

Gov't Mule set: Jam in F# / Banks Of The Deep End / That's What Love Will Make You Do / Lay Your Burden Down -> Smokestack Lightning -> Lay Your Burden Down / About To Rage / Slackjaw Jezebel / I Believe To My Soul / She Said, She Said -> Tomorrow Never Knows / All Along The Watchtower (with Bob Weir and Kenny Brooks) / Devil Likes It Slow (with Kenny Brooks) / I'll Be The One Blue Sky -> Can't Always Get What You Want Tease / Rocking Horse / Soulshine

Ratdog set: Jam / Hell In A Bucket / Easy To Slip / Dark Star / Bertha (with Warren Haynes and Danny Louis) / Black Throated Wind / Friend Of The Devil / Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleloo / Samson and Delilah / Stuff / Morning Dew