Sean Spillane Music Blog

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November 11, 2008

Ratdog at The Klein

I’m sure that the people who built The Klein in Bridgeport did not have this in mind when they opened the venue in 1940.
The stately auditorium welcomed about 1,200 Deadheads Sunday night for a Bob Weir & Ratdog show and it was a bit chaotic. They were clogging the aisles, smoking those “special” cigarettes and swilling and spilling gallons of beer. If the symphony crowd could see their beloved home Sunday night, their heads might very well have exploded.
I was a bit surprised because followers of the jam-band scene are usually very respectful of their surroundings. Heck, groups of them even stay an extra day at Seaside Park to clean up after the annual Gathering of the Vibes festival.
My colleague, Bill Paxton, went to the show with me — this after seeing Ratdog twice on Long Island in late October — and he seemed surprised by the antics of a few “idiots” in the crowd. But I guess that it’s human nature to remember the few idiots rather than the majority of the peacefully assembled crowd.
I guess my main concern is that the idiots will ruin it for the rest of us. The Fairfield Theatre Company, which presents the concerts at The Klein, has done a remarkable job bringing interesting acts to the venue and it would be a shame if that ended because of a few disrepectful fools.
Anyway, on to the show.
It was pretty much the standard fare, according to Ratdog fanatic Paxton, who said he’s seen the band 50 or 60 times. Weir led the band through an 80-minute opening set and, following a 25-minute intermission, came back for another 90 minutes.
Admittedly not a Deadhead, though I like the music, I was lost for most of the first set. The only song I knew was “Dire Wolf.” That didn’t detract from my enjoyment, however, because I didn’t mind getting lost in the extended guitar jams of Weir and Mark Karan. It also helped that the obligatory drum solo was mercifully short.
The second set was more to my liking, simply because I knew a few of the songs. You can’t go wrong hearing Weir performing “Mexicali Blues,” “Uncle John’s Band” and “Sugaree.” Also, the band did a great version of the old Buddy Holly chestnut, “Not Fade Away.”
The only problem I had with the second set had nothing to do with Ratdog, but rather with the aformentioned idiots. From where I sat downstairs, the Klein reeked of vomit and pot smoke, not exactly roses and tulips. I’m kind of used to the smell of marijuana at concerts — an occupational hazard, so to speak — but the odor of the vomit was making me want to . . . well, vomit.
The one musical letdown in the set was Ratdog’s cover of Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece.” I much prefer the version done by The Band, but Weir’s slower version seemed to excite the crowd.
For an encore, Weir and his bandmates ended with an a cappella number, “Attics of My Life.” I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a concert-closer performed a cappella, but I guess, after more than four decades as a working musician, Weir can pretty much do whatever he wants.

First set: Help on the Way/Slipknot!/Minglewood Blues/They Love Each Other/Odessa/Crazy Fingers/Dire Wolf/Cassidy/Big Railroad Blues
Second set: You Win Again/Mexicali Blues/When I Paint My Masterpiece/Uncle John’s Band/Samson and Delilah/Sugaree/2 Djinn/Not Fade Away
Encore: Attics of My Life

Posted by Sean on November 11, 2008 7:33 PM

Comments

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