Ratdog resurgence

Who knew that Bob Weir & Ratdog would blow the roof off the Bank of America Pavilion this summer? I've sat through some cerebral Ratdog shows, and some not-so-cerebral ones. This was simply the best one that I've seen -- hitting a party groove most of the way.
Former Grateful Dead co-singer Weir has had numerous ups and downs with Ratdog, which was once his side project but is now his main focus. He seems to have finally just tossed caution to the wind and is enjoying himself (critics be darned) and that buzz swept through a nearly sold-out crowd that boogied in the aisles like the days of yore.
Weir continued to mine the Dead catalog -- starting with "Feel Like a Stranger'' and moving through the Jerry Garcia-identified "Black Peter,'' "Loose Lucy,'' and encoring with the transcendent "Brokedown Palace.'' His voice hit soulful peaks on all of them -- and he also took a heavy plunge into Bob Dylan's catalog, touching upon the graceful "She Belongs to Me,'' the challenging "Silvio'' (which began with a tease of the Dead's "Bertha'' and later went into a crowd-pleasing "Tequila'') and protest song "Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall,'' though it was a rare lowlight because he sang it too softly, without the needed edge.
But Weir generally stayed on a crowd-pleasing plane, encouraging the dancers with two covers that the Dead also popularized: the New Orleans classic "Iko, Iko'' and Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away,'' given a Bo Diddley beat. And his cover of "The Mighty Quinn'' was boosted by with harmony vocals from ever-improving opening act Keller Williams. Another highlight was hearing psychedelic-jazzer Steve Kimock on guitar (who has replaced Mark Karan for the tour because the latter is ill).
A further treat: Weir & Ratdog will return to play a tribute to Jack Kerouac's "On the Road'' at Lowell's Boarding House Park on Aug. 12. It will also feature the Dead's longtime aide de camp, Dennis McNally (who is now Ratdog's tour manager) reading from Kerouac's text. For tickets and information, go to Lowellsummermusic.org.