Phil Lesh kicked off his fall residency at the Capitol Theatre on Halloween, the first night of a five weekend run. Joining Lesh onstage was John Kadlecik, Dan Lebowitz, Rob Barraco, Joe Russo, and Scott Law. What an incredible evening it was.  

Right from the start, it was obvious that Lesh was excited to start the tail end of his year long residency. Maybe it was coincidence, but quite a few fans noticed that Lesh was wearing a scarf during the opening set and attributed it as a speculative nod to Mike Gordon of Phish, known for wearing scarves at shows, and who recently joined Lesh for a performance at Terrapin Crossroads.

The audience was in a festive mood with the wide assortment of costumed characters in the crowd, with everything from a train conductor, devil in a blue dress, a squirrel (yes, a full blown head to toe squirrel with a giant head and tail to boot), to a king, tie-dyed you-name-it and everything in between.  The energy in the room at the start of the evening was already intense as excitement filled the air.

The light and easy flow of “Cryptical Envelopment” started things off, which slid right into “Shakedown Street,” getting everyone in the dancing mood with hands in the air. “Casey Jones,” followed by “Deal,” had everyone singing out loud, as it was clearly turning into a party atmosphere between the performers and fans. This was an extensive jam that just moved things right along, making sure everyone was having a great time.

“Doin’ That Rag” popped it’s rare head back onto the set list, having only been performed for the 18th time by Lesh and Friends since 2000. “Death Don’t Have No Mercy” cooled things down just a bit before slamming into “The Other One.” Fans who were spread out quickly made their way back to the floor to catch this highly favored song, bringing a close to the first set.

Second set opened with an upbeat, extended “St. Stephen” jam of an up and down musical flow. The song slowed down midway, then entered a phenomenal, psychedelic guitar-laced groove for the remainder, drawing the audience into a trance. The usual Grateful Dead set list was now in costume, as Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” creeped it’s notes onto the stage. The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” was up next, and wow, this was an unexpected treat and brought the house down.

“New Speedway Boogie” moved the energy right back into the Grateful Dead, followed by “Eyes of the World”, a fourteen-plus-minute jam that spared no expense of squeezing out every last drop of sweat filled energy from each band member. Russo was visibly enjoying this enchanting evening as his head swayed continuously from side to side as his eyes were closed. A true pleasure to watch. “Dark Star” bookended a unique, and somewhat darker, version of “Fire on the Mountain.” Being a Halloween show, after all, fans were treated to the unexpected. “I Know You Rider” brought the set to a close.  

“Werewolves of London,” appropriately, was the Halloween encore. To put it mildly, this show was simply on fire with the jams, the shreds, the energy, you name it. Incredible start for the next five weekends. Lesh and Friends were ready to get started and they certainly gave one hell of a performance. If you don’t have a ticket for an upcoming performance, do yourself a favor and get one. (More informtation here.)

Set I

Cryptical Envelopment
Shakedown Street 
Casey Jones
Deal 
Doin’ That Rag 
Death Don’t Have No Mercy 
The Other One

Set II

St. Stephen
For What It’s Worth
Sympathy For the Devil
New Speedway Boogie
Eyes Of The World
Dark Star
Fire On The Mountain
Dark Star v2
I Know You Rider
Donor Rap

Encore

Werewolves Of London

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