[Update 3/17/25]: On Monday night, March 17th, Grahame Lesh‘s four-night Unbroken Chain Phil Lesh birthday celebration at The Capitol Theatre will come to a close with a unique edition of the late Grateful Dead bassist’s most notable Phil & Friends lineup, “The Q,” featuring Warren Haynes (Gov’t Mule, Allman Brothers Band), Jimmy Herring (Widespread Panic, Aquarium Rescue Unit), Rob Barraco (Dark Star Orchestra, The Dead), and John Molo (Bruce Hornsby and the Range) [livestream info].
Of note, the show will mark Jimmy Herring’s first non-Widespread Panic performance since his 2024 cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment. He recently returned to the stage with Panic for a three-night run in Atlantic City, NJ that marked the band’s first gigs since last summer. Read about Jimmy’s comeback here.
Limited tickets to the Monday, March 17th show are available here. If you can’t make it in person, nugs subscribers can tune in to a livestream of the show for no additional charge here. Not a nugs subscriber? Start with a seven-day free trial. [Editor’s Note: Live For Live Music is a nugs affiliate. Ordering your nugs subscription or purchasing a download via the links on this page helps support our coverage of the world of live music. Thank you for reading!]
Unbroken Chain – 3/16/25 Livestream Preview
[2/13/25]: Grahame Lesh has added a fourth and final night to Unbroken Chain: A Celebration of the Life and Music of Phil Lesh at The Capitol Theatre featuring his father’s longstanding quintet “The Q” comprised of Gov’t Mule frontman Warren Haynes, Widespread Panic’s Jimmy Herring, Dark Star Orchestra keyboardist Rob Barraco, and drummer John Molo.
“This is the one I was hoping would come together when we started planning this celebration,” Grahame Lesh said. “Warren, Jimmy, Rob, & Molo, together with my dad in the Phil Lesh Quintet edition of Phil & Friends, are probably my favorite band ever, and I am honored to bring them together to celebrate my dad.”
Originally formed in 2000, the Phil Lesh Quintet (or PLQ) toured together semi-regularly in 2000–2003. The band has reunited a handful of times since then, including for Phil Lesh’s birthday residencies at The Cap in 2016 and 2021, and most recently in 2024. Haynes, Herring, Barraco, and Molo will come together once again on March 17th to cap off the four-night tribute to their late friend and bandleader along with his son.
Tickets for the March 17th concert will go on sale via Ticketmaster this Friday, February 14th at 10 a.m. ET. As with the other three, previously announced shows, proceeds will benefit Undue Medical Debt and MusiCares. Scroll down for more on Unbroken Chain: A Celebration of the Life and Music of Phil Lesh.
[2/6/25]: After announcing a pair of shows with various recent Phil Lesh collaborators at The Capitol Theatre, Grahame Lesh has tacked on a third night featuring a throwback lineup of 2000s-era Phil Friends. Dubbed Unbroken Chain: A Celebration of the Life and Music of Phil Lesh and set for Sunday, March 16th in Port Chester, NY, the show will host a band roster featuring Jackie Greene, Larry Campbell, Steve Molitz, John Molo, and Teresa Williams, plus more special guests to be announced [ticketing information].
This newly added concert will follow previously detailed shows on March 14th and 15th with contemporary Phil Friends Rick Mitarotonda (Goose), Eric Krasno, Oteil Burbridge (Dead & Company), Jason Crosby, John Molo, and Jennifer Hartswick (Trey Anastasio Band). Led by Phil’s son Grahame Lesh (Midnight North), the three-night stint will celebrate what would have been the Grateful Dead bassist’s 85th birthday.
Related: Hear Phil Lesh Play Trumpet With His College Jazz Band In Earliest Known Recording
Tickets for the newly announced Grahame Lesh & Friends Unbroken Chain tribute show at The Capitol Theatre will go on sale on Friday, February 7th at 10 a.m. ET via Ticketmaster. Scroll down for more information on the run.
[1/22/25]: Grahame Lesh will honor his father Phil Lesh at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY with a lineup of familiar friends including Rick Mitarotonda (Goose), Eric Krasno, Oteil Burbridge (Dead & Company), Jason Crosby, John Molo, and Jennifer Hartswick (Trey Anastasio Band), “plus many more very special guests to be announced” at Unbroken Chain: A Celebration of the Life and Music of Phil Lesh.
After the Grateful Dead called it quits in the wake of Jerry Garcia‘s death in 1995, Phil Lesh spent the rest of his life ensuring the music never stopped with his rotating Phil Lesh & Friends ensemble. He played more than 100 shows at The Capitol Theatre—which was a familiar haunt for the Dead until they outgrew the 1,800-seat venue—and often celebrated his birthday there with multi-night runs. Now his son Grahame will carry on the tradition with some of Phil’s many friends and more.
Related: Hear Phil Lesh Play Trumpet With His College Jazz Band In Earliest Known Recording
Set for the weekend of what would have been Phil’s 85th birthday on March 14th and 15th, Unbroken Chain will celebrate the life and legacy of the beloved bassist with two nights of music and connection.
“Phil’s heartfelt wish was for his music to live on through his family, friends, fellow musicians, and fans,” The Capitol Theatre’s announcement read. “We look forward to gathering with you all to connect and celebrate in Phil’s honor.”
Tickets for both nights of the Unbroken Chain Phil Lesh tribute/birthday celebration at The Capitol Theatre will go on sale this Friday, January 24th at 10 a.m. ET via Ticketmaster.
