There wasn't a still body at the Ratdog Revue show in the Cottonwood High School auditorium Friday night as high-energy blues and backporch jams filled the hall.
The band - comprised of Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir, the Dead's keyboardist Vince Welnick, bassist Rob Wasserman, drummer Jay Lane and mouth harpist Matthew Kelly - took the full house on a trip with cool tunes and life-loving attitudes.Opening the show with "Salt Lake City," the band shucked out some tasty morsels. The crowd welcomed the music with a standing ovation and began to bob away.
Weir kept his usual persona intact as he strummed out the grooves and laid in the vocals.
The sound in the auditorium was smooth and clean as Ratdog Revue trucked into "Walkin' Blues."
Wasserman, fingering the strings of a bodyless upright bass, thumped out good-time grooves, while Welnick plinked and crescendoed with intricate fills and honky-tonk solos. Lane's touchy drumlines supported the mix as Kelly huffed away dynamic solo after solo.
Other tunes the band played included "City Girls," "Eternity" and a remake of the Beatles' "Blackbird." All through the selections, band members left themselves open to improvisational jams as the audience batted around colored ballons.
Another remake was the forever-loved staple "Little Red Rooster." Wier, Wasserman and friends really gave this one a workout. The raw grind and clean vocals intermingled well, and the audience embraced them with passion.
The performers took turns in the spotlight. Wasserman ground his bass to the fretless neck with a scathing rendition of "Not Fade Away." Lane popped out a Latin-flavored solo as Welnick stepped in with his majestic-chord chops.
The Ratdog Revue marks Weir and Welnick's first Utah appearance since Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia passed away earlier this year. And though Weir didn't say anything concerning his longtime partner, the audience seemed to cheer him on spiritually.
Special guest Edwin McCain played a tight set as the audience was introduced to some good-sounding Charleston, S.C.-based blues rock. His set opened with the funky "Jesters, Dreamers & Thieves."
Backed by a solid young band - saxophonist Craig Shields, drummer T.J. Hall and bassist Scott Bannevich - McCain captured the hearts of the audience members, though he spent a lot of time explaining the meanings of his songs.
When McCain introduced "Alive," a song about the owner of a record shop who lived through the traumatic loss of his father and his wife, many audience members cheered the man's will to live. The acoustic "Sorry to a Friend" leaned toward a certain Midwest imagery while the "Kitchen Song" added humor to the evening.
Other McCain tunes included "Solitude" and "Bitter Chill," both from his debut album, "Honor Among Thieves." The reverent and introspective "3 a.m." ended his set. By then the band had left the stage and McCain was left with just a spotlight and guitar.