Phil Lesh performed the last of his four show birthday run at The Capitol Theatre on Thursday, March 19th, with Warren Haynes and Barry Sless on guitar, Rob Baracco on keys, and John Molo on drums. With his non-stop smile, and the energy that is brought to each performance, you would never in a million years guess that Lesh is in his mid-seventies.  The closing night’s performance was the highlight of the run, without a doubt.  The band was in sync with each other and pulled off an incredibly tight show. 

The evening opened with a free flowing jam and slowly morphed into “Cassidy.” Baracco’s magical fingers on the keys and piano added a touch of jazzy tenderness to every song. If you’ve never seen Molo perform, he’s an absolute pleasure to watch. His face twists and contorts while he bangs away at the drums, with sprinkles of him singing the songs thrown in. What a delight! How can you not just love watching these guys on stage? This was an incredible line-up for the closer.

“Bird Song” started out with a gentle ease only to pick up serious steam midway through before calming back down towards the end. “Brown Eyed Women” was full of energy. The audience became visibly excited and would fill the theater with cheers every time Lesh sang the lyrics, “and it looks like the old man is getting on.” This was a most appropriate tune to make its way onto the set list during his birthday run. 

Things slowed down with a soft “Black Peter” that had a country feel to it, as the slide guitar was prominent throughout.  This jammed right into “He’s Gone” followed by an upbeat “Pride of Cucamonga.” Haynes’ guitar really added perfection to an already fun song. The first set ended with Wilson Pickett’s “Midnight Hour.” The crowd was dancing their asses off to this energetic tune and an ideal way to end the first half of the night.

Phil Lesh 3-19-15

The remainder of the evening was now on blast-off with a set that would simply be on fire.  No covers would appear, as only the heartening notes of The Grateful Dead would be meandering around the Capitol for the rest of the set.  The band opened with “Scarlet Begonias”, followed by “King Solomon’s Marbles” after a lengthy jam full of melodic stamina. Hallucinatory tones created a psychedelic fervor that snaked in and out of the song, matched by the visions splashed along the Capitol’s walls and ceiling.  The musicians made it easy to get lost in a trance.

The beat grooved right into “The Eleven.” The crowd was feeling the intense energy and started going crazy with their dancing shoes on.  Arms in the air, people bouncing up and down, swaying side to side…could this evening get any better?  Everyone was going crazy. Talk about a hot set!

The depth of energy continued as, most appropriately, “Fire on the Mountain” followed. This continuous flow of songs one into the other was absolutely incredible, with the vibes thrown out by the band and thrown back at them by the audience. The synchronicity was beyond perfection. This amazing set continued with “Passenger,” led by Haynes’ inspiring slide guitar.

“St. Stephen” was up next, building higher with blazing energy as it progressed. The crowd was dancing non-stop for the second set. The show continued as they seamlessly transitioned into “Shakedown Street.” This was the song everyone was hoping would show up, and fans were not disappointed.  The audience was journeyed through a lengthy jam before bringing a close to the second set.

After the donor rap and band intros, the evening encored with Warren Haynes’ “Patchwork Quilt.”  It was anyone’s guess as to what song would end the run, and this one was a delightful surprise. Overall, this last show of the run was beyond epic. The energy, the jams; everything about it was perfection. Thank you, Phil Lesh, for celebrating your 75th birthday with your fans at the Capitol Theatre.

 

Set One:
Jam >
Cassidy wh >
Birdsong pl
Brown Eyed Women rb
Black Peter wh >
He’s Gone rb
jam >
Pride Of Cucamonga pl >
In The Midnight Hour wh

Set Two:

Scarlet Begonias >
King Solomon’s Marbles >
Mountains of the Moon pl >
The Eleven >
Fire on the Mountain wh
Passenger
St. Stephen >
Shakedown Street

Donor Rap pl

Encore: Patchwork Quilt wh

Setlist via: [deadheadland.com]

*Photos used by permission, courtesy of Rob Schmidt.

– Sarah Bourque