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My thoughts (will be updated as I hear each song):
RDW - Stu cannot play acoustic on this song. In order for it to have the drive that makes it a great opener, he has to be pushing it with his Strat, not strumming chords on acoustic. Decent harp solo though. Denny's guitar is too low in the mix. 5/10
MITLBC - I wouldn't be surprised if I found out the band had not rehearsed this at all; it sounds incredibly rusty and has no standout qualities. Don't like the up-high guitar playing Denny is doing during the verses, sounds like he's trying too hard to make the song sound spooky. I like what Bob's doing on keys during the last verse though, he succeeds in accomplishing what Denny fails to. Also like how they end it. 6/10
Mobile - Nowhere near as hot as Santa Monica's (which is by far the best since the key change*), but the rhythm section, especially George, really cooks on this. I love Bob's phrasing on the title line after the "Grandpa" verse. 7/10
*Sometime between August 27 and September 1, the band started playing this song in a higher key.
GOTNC - First three verses sound like any other performance of this song, but Bob's voice is in fine form, though there is a bit of upsinging. Nobody is soloing during the first solo break; a great opportunity lost. Bob's just playing chords on the keyboards. The new organ tone isn't working very well IMO. It's too thick. I liked the tone he used from Fall 07 to Summer 08 a lot more. Denny's solo during the 2nd verse isn't really going anywhere, but Bob's harp solo is sublime. Other than the botched solo breaks this is a phenomenal performance, but unfortunately those do it in. 6/10
High Water - This is weird. Is Stu on acoustic? Guess that old riff he used to play is gone. What the hell is going on during the end of the verses? Double time rhythm?? I don't like this at all. Bring back the Summer tour arrangement! At least Stu is soloing, and they're really good solos too. Maybe that makes up for the weird arrangement, I don't know. I'll have to think long and hard about this one. The ending is really sloppy. 8/10
Chimes - Wish I could hear what Denny was doing. He is still way too low in the mix, because that plays an important role in my opinion of performances of this song (point in case: Wembley I 2007, my favorite performance of that song). Sounds like another sloppy ending. 6/10
TIFILWY - Sounds like Denny's tearing it up. Too bad I can barely hear him. Bob's harp solo a bit underwhelming. 6/10
Hard Rain - If you listen closely you can hear some conversation between Bob and someone else on the side of the stage at the beginning. You can clearly hear Bob say "all right." Nothing special about this one performance-wise. 6/10
Honest With Me - They just don't seem to have it here. Sometimes it seems that this performance is going absolutely nowhere. Sounds like Stu is taking the solo, but he's not playing that catchy riff he used to always play in 2005. And for the second half of the instrumental verse, nobody is soloing. Another opportunity lost. This is easily the worst performance of HWM that I have ever heard. 3/10
Just Like A Woman - If Bob really is on acoustic guitar, I can't hear him. Nevertheless, I like Stu's interpolation of the original melody during the 2nd instrumental verse at the beginning. I think I hear Bob on ELECTRIC guitar, but not acoustic. He definitely sounds uncomfortable, possibly because they're not playing the song in the key they normally play it in with him on guitar. Performance is nothing special aside from the fact that Donnie is actually PLAYING the pedal steel. 6/10
It's Alright, Ma - Sounds like Stu's G string is flat. The band seems to be gradually picking up steam throughout the song. Hopefully this is a good omen for the rest of the show, because what I've heard so far has been underwhelming. Denny's playing those annoying up-high chords again. Of course, now that he's soloing I can't actually hear him. 6/10
Beyond The Horizon - Finally, a performance that seems inspired. And when I least expected it. I love Bob's switching on between vocals and harp, like an old bluesman. Just shows he still has it. And the new organ tone fits a lot better on this jazzy tune. The combination of organ and pedal steel during the solo breaks provides a very rich sound that compliments Denny's lead playing very well. 8/10
Highway 61 Revisited - As usual, the jams are going nowhere. Nice dynamic changes at the end though. 5/10
Ain't Talkin' - Never a bad performance of this song, even on a night when the band is otherwise totally off. Very eerie introduction. The choruses seem to be A LOT more subdued than normal though, and it just seems that they're not really putting much into it. Nevertheless, the ending is slightly more dramatic than usual. 7/10
Thunder On The Mountain - This is by all means a Denny song, and you can still barely hear him. I love Bob's organ playing during the last instrumental break though. 6/10
Like A Rolling Stone - Unsurprisingly, notably underwhelming. And yet they still NAILED the ending. 5/10
Watchtower - Good, but nothing special. Sounds like they're just trudging along. 6/10
Final thoughts: From the lacking quality of nearly all of the performances, it is clear to me that the band wasn't aptly warmed up for the show. A lot of sloppiness throughout, and other times they weren't screwing anything up but just didn't have it in them. Nevertheless, the show has an absolutely superb performance of Beyond the Horizon, and a High Water that, while extremely unorthodox, you have to admit is pretty damn interesting. Overall rating: 6/10
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