It was like New Orleans Jazz Fest in San Francisco at the close of 2001. So many bands were playing over the course of a few short days (and late nights) that it was really tough to decide what shows to catch and which to miss. There was Galactic at The Fillmore and then The Warfield for New Year's, three nights of String Cheese at The Civic Center, four nights of Kimock at The Great American, and of course, Phil & Friends at The Kaiser, home of so many Grateful Dead New Year's bashes.

It was indeed a Family Affair at The Kaiser, with Ratdog opening both nights and the Crusader Rabbit set at midnight on New Year's Eve. The Phil sets were like a who's who of the Grateful Dead canon, with gems like "Stronger Than Dirt," "The Golden Road," and "Mason's Children" dusted off just one more time. Warren was dominating with tear-jerking vocals and razor-sharp licks. Rob Barraco's come into his own as a vocalist, and really shined on tunes like "Loose Lucy" and "Casey Jones."

New Year's Eve started off so strong that everything after midnight was almost a dissappointment in comparison! Warren powered through "Midnight Hour" and "Hard to Handle," sharing vocals with Derek Truck's new bride Susan Tedeschi. The Susan/Warren duets here are smokin, to say the least. The "Viola Lee" tripple-decker sandwich that follows is just ridiculous.

In The Midnight Hour we were treated to the closest thing to a Grateful Dead set in recent memory. Bobby, Billy, and Mickey (Phil's other friends) came out dressed as Wizards and joined Phil's band for a short Crusader Rabbit set with a stellar setlist. It was pure comedy watching Bobby struggle to get his costume off while the rest of the band waited to launch into "Not Fade Away." Oddly, Phil relegated Billy and Mickey to the same drum kit. Warren was on and off stage throughout the set, leaving the music a little uninspired compared to the powerful first set. While it was great to see the boys all sharing the same stage again, there's certainly a long way to go before everything's "Just Exactly Perfect."

Phil & Friends returned sans Crusader Rabbit for a spacey third set. How about a "Help>Slip!>Dark Star" ??!??!! Derek Trucks sat in on guitar for most of the set, adding some more spice to the cauldron. The "Franklin's Tower" encore was just icing on the cake.