Dead and Company/November 12,2017/New York,NY

This was my 4th time entering Madison Square Garden this year. The first 3 times were for Phish back in late July. Previous to that, my only time in The Garden was in November of 1993.

For this (my 1st Dead and Company show) I was seated behind the stage. The band nicely set up video screens for those of us way back there. This *little* thing made the show more engaging for me. Onto the show...

The guys came out with a classy "Shakedown Street" to start things off. This disco-Dead song has always been a favorite of mine. There was a bit of rustiness in the sound of the band here and there. Even Bob Weir called attention to it a couple times. The first set progressed very nicely through 7 songs.

Second set was even better. "China Cat Sunflower"/"I Know You Rider" is an old-school Dead combo, and MSG gobbled it up. Two personal favorites came up next in the form of "Ship of Fools" and "Terrapin Station". After the "Drums"/"Space" section was over, Bob delivered a gorgeous "Standing on the Moon" in the old Jerry ballad spot. A hot "Casey Jones" ended the 2nd set. Then we were treated to a double encore of "Samson and Delilah" and Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London".

Dead and Company can never replace the REAL Grateful Dead, but it's still a great time. Also...John Mayer is a demon on guitar. His abilities in the "Jerry spot" are amazing. Long live The Dead!!

Below my ticket stub is a photo I took that night.

Leslie West/November 11,2017/New York,NY

Leslie West is one of my favorite guitarists. His band Mountain had a big hit with "Mississippi Queen" in 1970. Over the years he has struggled with obesity, drugs and diabetes. A few years ago he had half of his right leg amputated due to diabetes.

Leslie is half the reason I went to NYC on Veteran's Day weekend. The other half was Dead and Company. I had never seen him live, and I wanted to take this chance to see the legend before he dies. Also, BB King's night club is a cool place.

Leslie was rolled out onstage in his wheelchair. After adjusting his gear for a bit he played "People Get Ready" with just guitar and vocals. His voice was VERY rough, and he sounded under-rehearsed on guitar. Then Bobby Rondinelli (drums) and Rev. Jones (bass) joined him for some Mountain classics. Again, poor Leslie sounded like he was not doing too well. After mentioning Jack Bruce, he played a cover of Cream's "Politician" with a bit of "Sunshine of Your Love" thrown in.

Bobby and the Rev. Jones each had a chance to solo during the set. After playing about 45 minutes, Mr. West and company vacated the stage. Ouch. Maybe it was because Leslie was rough sounding, or maybe he just does short shows these days. Either way, it was a bit of a letdown. I'd love to say that he still rages on guitar, but that was really not the case. But I'm happy I saw him in person in one of my favorite cities.

Below my ticket stub are two photos I took at that night.