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From: Richard Kaznicki

I hate to sound so negative about Bob, but I wasn't at all
impressed by the show last night at the Trocadero.  The
setlist is the same as its been, they absolutely ripped
through the songs at much too fervent of a pace, and there
really was no interplay between Bob and Michael.  I always
use to think that it would be really cool if Bob had another
guitar player/singer, but after last night, I'm of the
opposite opinion.  Between the 2 guitars, nothing else stood
out.  The bass was practically inaudible, and it was such a
blitzkrieg of chord strumming that even the drums fell deep
into the background.  It was impossible to hear any nuances
in the guitar playing or anything else for that matter. 
Can't tell you how Bob's voice sounded, because you could
barely hear him.  It was really just like a wash of noise. 
The last time I'm gonna' get to see Bob as an electric
guitar giant and I didn't even really get to hear him play a
solo or standout from the haze.  The band sounded like every
other band with 2 guitarists that really only need one.  I
was very disappointed to see Bob go out
so...ummm.....uncreatively?  I don't know what the best word
is, but it was the first time I've ever seen Bob that I was
kinda' waiting for it to be over.  Sorry Bob, I still think
you're great, but let's just say I'm looking forward to the
new you.  Good things to say about the show...Bob looked
like he was having fun, put a lot of energy into it and Matt
Hammond did a very solid job.  The rest was just kind of a
big blur of distorted chord progression that bored me.

I guess the highlight of the show last night was See a
Little Light as the final encore.  Not really a great
version of it, but it just kinda' struck me how the lyrics
are very appropriate to Bob's final electric tour and
separation from the thing that brought him to where he is
today:

"Look how much we've grown, well I guess I should have
known.
As the years go by, they take their toll on you,
think of all the things we wanted to do,
all the words we said yesterday
that's a long time ago.
You didn't think I'd really go now
Are you waiting?  I know why
You're already saying good-bye."

Yet another cool situational interpretation of Bob's
lyrics.  I wonder if that's why he's using it as the final
encore.  Who knows?

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From: Mike Devine

Bob delivered yet another GREAT live show in Philadelphia; he always
seems to perform well at the Trocadero.

It was the 4th time I've seen him live, and the *loud* electric sound
really reminded me of my long road trip from State College to Philly
(on a school night, mind you) to see Sugar blow the roof off the place
in 1994.  I'm just glad that I brought earplugs along.

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From: Kevin P.

With his modest walk-on and greeting, the Hardest 
Working Man in Show Biz -- our Bob --
gave little impression to the crowd at the Trocadero 
Theatre in Philadelphia's Chinatown district that he 
and his fully able bandmates were about to blow the 
roof off the joint. Good Lord. Where does all that
energy come from? If this is indeed the last
"electric/full-band" tour, I guess Bob's determined
to expend every last volt before it's over. How fitting
that the gig happened in Philly's Chinatown -- like 
a martial art, Bob & co. delivered the goods with
modest demeanor, no wasted energy, and intense, 
purposeful focus.

The set list ran as did the NYC 9/26 show (per one of
the posts below) with the exception of "Fort Knox,
King Solomon" (just a really teriffic tune; killer 
chord progression and chorus -- always was disappointed 
Ryko didn't push this as a single)
in place of "Wanted Was." The sound was boomy slightly
-- too much kick drum, and guitar leads sometimes got
lost in the sonic mishmash -- but the performance was
not hindered the least -- concise, focused, and well-
paced. A sense of dynamics -- too often missing from
too many bands, where everything is on 11 all the 
time -- was expertly played out in the tense 
rise-and-fall of "Anymore Time . . . " (wherein Jim 
Wilson's true picked-Precision bass tone finally got some 
sonic room to flourish) and the surprise of the evening, 
the stately version of "Eternally Fried."
Freaking brilliant. Michael Cerveris does his job
as Bob's onstage foil excellently, keeping the songs
sounding rich and full. All-around, not bad for a Monday!

One meter for the evening was the sweat-spread in 
Bob's shirt -- it started creeping below the collar by
"First Drag . . .," and I figured by the time the shirt
got completely soaked, the show would be over. Nope;
dragging themselves, soaked shirts and all, back for
one more at the end, they ignited "See a Little Light"
-- the tune that, for me, nine years ago, first 
introduced me to Bob's music. Triumphant and 
positive, like Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill" -- 

Later, outside in the cool air, I chatted briefly with
Bob, Matt, & Mike -- now dried-off and relaxed after
the evening's burn-session. You would never had guessed 
these were the guys responsible for it!
I wished them luck on the road ahead, and headed back
to Delaware, damn glad I saw the Last Dog and Pony Show 
before Bob turns lone wolf.

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From: Christopher Davis 

If The Last Dog and Pony Show tour is to be Bob Mould's last electric
outing, then there could be no better swan song than this
powerhouse performance delivered in Philly. From the opening punch
of "Moving Trucks" to the bittersweet encore "See a Little Light," the
set delivered up this evening proves that there is no more passionate
artist in rock 'n roll today than Bob Mould. 

As Kevin P. writes in the "Philly 9/28" post, sweat was certainly the most 
accurate barometer of the intensity of the evening, with the heaviest soak 
to Bob's unassuming grey t-shirt following the searing guitar riffs on 
"Skintrade" and the almost sinister shifts in dynamics during a phenomenal 
rendition "Anymore Time Between." Songs from self-titled album (aka hubcap) 
translated surprisingly well, especially "Fort Knox, King Soloman," and 
"Art Crisis." Better still was the interpretation of the LDAPS material,
particularly the solid stomp of "First Drag of the Day." 

Perhaps the biggest treat of the evening, though, was to see the
smile on Bob's face. After years of hitting the road to deliver some of
the most cathartic material ever recorded by one man with a guitar,
he's seeing light at the end of the tunnel - a chance to move on and
discover the next phase of his career, new roads to travel. We would
like to think the smiles were for us last night, smiles of appreciation
and shared energy. But I couldn't help but wonder if they were smiles
of relief, of a job well done and a page turning. 

So here's to you, Bob. Though LDAPS in Philly may have been my
last chance to see you play some of that material live, I'm with you
wherever the road takes you next.