Bob Weir & Ratdog - Live 7.14.07 - Charlottesville, VA

Bob Weir & Ratdog w/ Keller Williams
Charlottesville Pavilion – Charlottesville, VA
July 14, 2007, 6:00 PM

Things were becoming warm, fuzzy, and hazy by the time Bob & the band emerged :O) There was a huge turnout for this show – Deadheads everywhere. This was my first time seeing Ratdog, so I had no clue what to expect. Well, turns out I should have expected GREATNESS . Bob Weir is THE MAN , and the guys in the band are all amazing. I heard from someone in the crowd that Steve Kimock was filling in for the guitarist, and no offense to Mark, but that made me quite happy. Steve’s always on point and I love any opportunity to see him in action. Also, another tidbit I heard that last night was

Bob Weir’s 750th show!

The internet confirmed this fact and all I can say is holy freaking crap, that’s ridiculous.

They didn’t waste any time, and started us off with a blazing jam that slowly escalated into “The Music Never Stopped”, which got everyone up and dancing. Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried” and Dylan’s “Senor” were the cover tunes for the first set, along with a few other songs I didn’t recognize. Then the set closed with one of the night’s highlights, the towering “Eyes of the World”. My girl Lizzie recently mentioned the moment where you lose yourself in the music, and “Eyes of the World” took me to that place. A helluva way to end the first set.

I didn’t think the guys would be able to surpass that “Eyes”, and for the first few songs of the second set, they didn’t. Then, I heard that funky opening riff of “Estimated Prophet” and Weir’s voice sounded like it hadn’t aged a bit as he sang out ♪California!♪ They didn’t relent, calling up the thunder in “The Other One” – followed by a deep version of The Beatle’s “Dear Prudence”, and closing out the second set with the BEST “One More Saturday Night” I have ever seen. The energy on that song made me feel like I might explode. The crowd hooted and hollered as the stage went black. The encore came quickly, and I can’t begin to explain how happy I was. “Ripple” – one of my most beloved Dead songs. I nearly cried because I wished it was Jerry up on stage, but somehow Bob channeled him. I could not have walked away more impressed. I am now a full-blown Bob Weir & Ratdog fan. Worth every penny.