Phil Lesh wrapped up his fall residency at The Capitol Theatre on Saturday. It was the last show of his five weekend run, which began on Halloween. Joining Lesh were Joan Osborne, Stu Allen, Anders Osborne (no relation to Joan), Marco Benevento, Joe Russo, and surprise guest of the evening, Bill Evans.  

The show started off with a J.J. Cale cover of “After Midnight.” Joan belted out her vocals while the audience was delightfully surprised to see Evans join the stage with his sax from the very beginning of the show. Joan’s vocals continued on as they morphed into “Mr. Charlie.” Anders’ tune “Windows” was pleasantly thrown into the set early on. He was on fire all night and visibly having a great time, as he was sweating and dancing around the stage with his guitar.

Joan’s pipes once again were put to use in a jazzy version of “New Speedway Boogie,” which included heavy audience participation as the band sat back and let the fans take over the chorus. The energy cooled down with “China Doll,” but took off again as they headed into a mind-bending “Caution (Do Not Stop On the Tracks).” Psychedelic vibes were thrown from the stage, as swirls of trippy, magical images danced around the walls of the Capitol Theatre. The kaleidoscopic mixture of sounds and colors had the audience dancing hard. The first set ended with another midnight referenced tune as they slid into Wilson Pickett’s “Midnight Hour,” wrapping things up after a solid hour and a half on stage.  

The second set opened with a light improvisational jam, slowly building in energy over almost six minutes. It was anyone’s guess as to what song would form from this jam as teases were strewn about here and there, but, in the end they transitioned into an ever colorful and enthusiastic “Fire on the Mountain.” Another cover crept into play as they wound into Neil Young’s “Down by the River.”

Eerie early notes of “The Other One” powerfully entered the set. Evans’ sax added another depth of magic to this already mystical tune. Yet another cover, “Death Don’t Have No Mercy,” from Reverend Gary Davis, toned down the vibe with an enchanting bluesy jam. A cover of Jimmy Ruffin’s “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted” followed.  

A slow, winding version of “St. Stephen” built in energy throughout then took a breather as it crawled into “Wharf Rat.” The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” was up next, as the night full of covers continued. The second set wrapped up on an upbeat note, with “Sugaree.” The evening ended with an encore performance of the tender “Attics of My Life.” 

Overall, Phil Lesh and his fantastic group of friends filled the Capitol Theatre with five fun-filled, energetic weekends of music.  A night of covers and a surprise guest onstage, along with Lesh’s neverending smile, wrapped up his residency on a high note. He has a few more shows at the Capitol as he closes out with New Year’s Eve. For more information on tour dates, please see his official website. 

First Set:

After Midnight
Mr. Charlie 
Windows
New Speedway Boogie 
China Doll 
Caution (Do Not Stop on the Tracks)
In The Midnight Hour

Second Set:

Jam 
Fire On The Mountain  
Down By The River
The Other One
Death Don’t Have No Mercy
What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted 
St. Stephen 
Wharf Rat 
Gimme Shelter 
Sugaree 

Encore:

Attics Of My Life