Raising The Dead at the Taylor Conservatory and Botanical Gardens 8-28-2019 Setlist and Recap

It was a perfect evening - unseasonably cool, a refreshing breeze, the sun shining between billowy white clouds, and gorgeous reminders of nature's beauty all around.  Hundreds gathered on the green for an evening of food, drinks, and the best music, all to benefit the worldwide polio eradication efforts of Rotary International.  The Taylor and Allen Park Rotary clubs sponsored the event, and collected donations were tripled by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.  Deadheads and fans of the Art in the Garden concert series were treated to two fine performances by Mirror Image and Raising The Dead. 

Mirror Image opened with a set of classic songs featuring their double-guitar work and adept beat buddy pedal work.  Did we mention they're only 11?  And twins?  They got their name due to the fact that one is left handed, so they look like a, well, you get it!  Wonderwall, Under The Bridge, Africa, they played hits from the 60s-now, and sounded great.  We know we'll hear more from them in the future. 

Raising The Dead took the stage with Stephen NyQuist in the drum throne, ready to throw down some hot beats.  We opened with a dynamic Jack Straw, transitioning into a pretty Looks Like Rain.  Up next was an energetic The Wheel, featuring some cool slide work by Jake.  We took our time to let Uncle John's Band grow from the last C major chord of The Wheel, and treated the crowd to even more sweet 3-part harmony, with a strong dose of intense, rock and roll improv.  The Marty Robbins black-hat cowboy ballad El Paso followed, to the delight of the fans.  We ended the first set with what the band thinks is our best Lost Sailor>Saint of Circumstance yet.  As Mike C said after the show, "It was a heater!"

After a short break, we dug into Feel Like A Stranger, which benefits from our 3-voice harmonies, with Stephen doing his best Brent impression.  Brown Eyed Women showcased some fine, bluesy lead work from Max and Jake. Our best Estimated Prophet yet showed that 7/8 white-boy reggae can really swing, and we transitioned it into a big and dynamic Terrapin.  After announcing the Art in the Garden concert series dance contest, we played our closer, our first performance of Not Fade Away.  We'd put NFA on setlists several times, but it always got cut due to time.  We're glad this was the night to bust it out, because the audience loved it, with dozens of dancers vying for king and queen titles, as well as free passes to next year's entire series.  The audience clapped along until RTD fans Elena and Bill claimed their crowns after deftly shaking their bones. 

Our encore was a crazy energetic Truckin, which got the audience up to the dance floor like nothing else, and we left them wanting more!  RTD takes one day off, and then it's back to the Watermark in St. Clair Shores to kick off Labor Day weekend in style.  See you there! 

8-28-2019 Taylor Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Taylor MI
Set I: Jack Straw>Looks Like Rain, The Wheel>Uncle John's Band, El Paso, Lost Sailor>Saint of Circumstance
Set II: Feel Like A Stranger, Brown Eyed Women, Estimated Prophet>Terrapin Station, Not Fade Away*
E: Truckin'
* = first time played