Billy & The Kids Live @ Red Rocks 9/18/15: Bill Kreutzmann - Drums Reed Mathis - Bass & Vocals Tom Hamilton - Guitar & Vocals Aron Magner - Keyboards & Vocals Special Guests: Tim Carbone - Fiddle Snarky Puppy Horns Section
Everybody knows what each member of The Grateful Dead brought to the table, and together they were magical! These 3 guys playing with Billy, pay proper homage to the songs while adding their own talents, creativity, and virtuosity. I'm lovin' it!
I'm here after Billy's 75tg B'Day in HI w/ Billy Strings. Never heard Billy's Kids before...smokin' tight. Nice to hear the bass forward in the mix...that Reed Mathis is good.
Bass . . . When played by a Human , On a Guitar , Is GooD . Played on a machine , Not so good . just as Phil ,Larry Taylor , John Entwistle , Jack Bruce , Tim Drummond , Roger Waters ,Cassidy , Willie Dixon or my buddy Vic .
This is nothing like the Dead that I remember, but that is just fine by me. This band does such a magnificent job of re-interpreting the music that they really make it their own (it is really like Richard Wright, Les Claypool and Jeff Beck formed a Dead cover band!). I know that Reed is the highlight, but Tom and Aaron are even more incredible - the more I listen to them the more amazed I am at how they weave in and out together like a band that has been playing together for 30 years. I hope that this band comes East one day soon - I will be front row center!
Ehhhh Reed is a stud, i wouldn't give him Les status.... Magner and Richard Wright sure. High praise for T Ham to compare him to Jeff Beck but he does shred
Harder They Come, Me and My Uncle*, They Love Each Other, Scarlet Begonias, I Know You Rider, Feel Like a Stranger, Jam > Mission in the Rain, Loose Lucy**, The Other One, The Wheel Tease > Casey Jones *w/ Tim Carbone **w/ Snarky Puppy Horns
But Phil and Friends, especially the ones with the Quintet are the best post Jerry band. Billy and the kids are a close second, especially the one with Carlos and Billy Strings.
It is working, hearing Bill Kreutzman by himself on drums? Excellent! He is better than I'd ever imagined-what a good band making the Dead songs and usual Dead covers energized and fresh
Keith Davidson: the guitarist in the cap, glasses, scarf is the marvelous Tom Hamilton of Joe Russo Almost Dead fame. He smokes Dead songs, along with his bandmates. They stomp all over Dead and Company, my opinion. Great singer too.
+David Rider I'm willing to bet he's using a digitech Whammy pedal. I believe they have a Octave up + regular pitch setting. It's like a wah, so all he has to do is toe down the effect and it comes on as quick or gradual as he wants. That would make since to me, since it's a smooth transition from his standard tone to the high octave.
