Last summer, Lettuce stole the weekend at LOCKN’ with their star-studded late-night tribute to the Jerry Garcia Band. The tribute was so well-received, in fact, that the band will reprise their JGB set as part of their annual Red Rocks bash—affectionately known as Rage Rocks—set to take place this Saturday, June 15th (Grab your tickets here).
Lettuce debuted their tribute to the Grateful Dead guitarist/vocalist’s soulful side project at last year’s edition of LOCKN’. The late-night set saw the band welcome longtime guitarist Eric Krasno for the full performance as well as a slew of high-profile sit-ins from the likes of Dead & Company and Tedeschi Trucks Band members Bob Weir, John Mayer, Kofi Burbridge, Oteil Burbridge, Alecia Chakour, and Mark Rivers. In addition to the stellar guest appearances, Lettuce’s JGB tribute saw various members of the predominantly-instrumental band step to the mic to sing lead, with Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff, Eric “Benny” Bloom, Erick “Jesus” Coomes, and Nigel Hall all manning lead vocals for a song.
As bassist Jesus Coomes described when this year’s Rage Rocks was announced, “The scenery and feeling at this divine location in Morrison, Colorado makes Red Rocks Amphitheatre a multi-sensory experience by itself. Add in two tablespoons of Jimi Hendrix‘s historic performances here, a half cup of The Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia‘s legendary shows at the venue, and a heaping quart of the Count Basie big band’s gigantic vibe and lingering presence that is emanating from the area and you have yourself one immense vortex of goodness. It is hands down one of our very favorite venues in the country and is incomparable to any other place. Long live Colorado and it’s band of merry pranksters.”
Drummer Adam Deitch offered a simpler assessment of the fireworks to come at Red Rocks: “We gonna funk up Dead Nation!”
In anticipation of the second-ever running of Lettuce’s tribute to the Jerry Garcia Band on Saturday, June 15th at Red Rocks, we’re remembering the magical night last summer when the modern funk heroes entered the realm of the Dead for a truly unforgettable performance.
You can watch a highlight reel from the memorable Lettuce Jerry Garcia Band at LOCKN’ 2018 and relive full video and audio of the set below:
Lettuce – Jerry Garcia Band Tribute – LOCKN’ 2018 – Highlight Video
Lettuce – Jerry Garcia Band Tribute – LOCKN’ 2018 – Full Video
[Video: Nick Kosot/Relix]
Lettuce – Jerry Garcia Band Tribute – LOCKN’ 2018 – Full Audio
Setlist: Lettuce with Eric Krasno, Special Guests | LOCKN’ Festival | Infinity Downs Farm | Arrington, VA | 8/25/2018
Set: Finders Keepers, I Second That Emotion, Stop That Train$*+, After Midnight*#, Sugaree*#%, Tangled Up In Blue*#%, That’s What Love Will Make You Do*#%, How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)*#%, Cats Under The Stars*#, They Love Each Other*#
$ with bassist Oteil Burbridge
+ keyboardist Kofi Burbridge
* vocalist Alecia Chakour and vocalist Mark Rivers
# with John Mayer
% with Bob Weir
Tickets for Lettuce’s 2019 edition of Rage Rocks featuring TAUK, The Soul Rebels, and the highly-anticipated second running of their Jerry Garcia Band tribute (featuring Melvin Seals) are available here.
