Phil Lesh Celebrates 75th with Back to Back Performances

Sunday, March 15th – Phil Lesh’s 75th Birthday

Phil Lesh celebrated his 75th birthday at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY with back to back stellar performances, the first two of a four show run. Joining him on stage were Warren Haynes and Eric Krasno on guitar, Rob Baracco on keys, and John Molo on drums. He opened the birthday show singing “Ripple” with his grandson, Levon, in his arms. The audience joined right in and filled the theater with excited energy for the show to get underway.

Following the opener was an easy flowing jam, full of jazzy undertones and slide guitar. The vibe on stage was that this birthday show was going to be full of surprises. The Allman Brothers’ song, “End of the Line,” crept its way on to the set list, adding to the idea that this night will be anything goes.  Lesh was having a ball on stage with that neverending smile being flashed. You could just see the joy in his eyes. “Althea” felt like a leisurely stroll down the golden road. These guys made it sound easy to create such a free flowing song as it wound its way through the ears of the audience. 

Another cover made its way onto the first set as the band broke into Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love.” It was chock full of chunky guitar and soulful keys.  This fifteen minute plus song breathed new life as they tenderly jammed every last note seamlessly, to the point where the audience was put in a trance.  “Bertha” snapped the crowd out of it, bringing up the energy and putting those dancing shoes to good use. It is impossible not to want to dance the night away when this song shows up on the set list.

“Mississippi Half-Step” had the audience singing right along with the band. Haynes peppered this tune with slide guitar and hints of that Allman Brothers sound. This eased into a lazy “Sugaree” and gave the feeling of laying on a blanket on a sunny spring day with nothing but good vibes flowing. Set one closed on a carefree note.

“Playing in the Band” opened up the second set, and was almost twenty minutes of psychedelic, experimental jamming that left wide open spaces for musical freedom. This allowed for an easy transition into yet another cover, Traffic’s “Low Spark of High Heeled Boys.” Yet another free flowing jam curved around the edges of this song and brought the audience on a face melting journey. The jam seamlessly transitioned right in to “The Wheel,” followed by the rare appearance of a fan favorite, Robbie Robertson’s “Broken Arrow.”

A beautifully orchestrated “Lady With a Fan/Terrapin Station” found its way on to the set list next. This was a clear crowd favorite. “Midnight Rider,” another Allman Brothers tune, showed up followed by “Morning Dew” to close the set. Before the encore began, promoter and venue owner Peter Shapiro made his way on to the stage with a Terrapin Station style cake. The crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to Phil, and slices of cake were passed out for the audience to enjoy. The evening ended on a high note, with “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad.” 

Happy birthday, Phil!

March 15th ~ Capitol Theatre

Set I: Ripple, End Of The Line wh, Althea rb > Sunshine Of Your Love wh, Bertha rb, Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleloo pl, Sugaree wh

Set II: Playin’ In The Band rb > Jam > Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys wh > The Wheel pl wh rb > Broken Arrow pl > Lady With A Fan pl> Terrapin Station > Midnight Rider wh, Morning Dew wh, Donor Rap

Happy birthday Phil –  Pete Shapiro w/ cake

E: Going Down The Road Feelin’ Bad

[Via Deadheadland]

Monday, March 16th performance:

The mood of the second show started off on a high note, as the evening began with a jazzy, upbeat jam that led into “Dupree’s Diamond Blues.” “Doin’ that Rag” kept the energy going, and it moved right into “West L.A. Fadeaway.” The second night’s performance definitely had a higher energy level than the first, and less of a country-ish feel. 

Dancing shoes were required as “Cosmic Charlie” made an early blast onto the set. Haynes’ slide guitar runs were in perfect tandem with this rendition. The soulful organ sounds filled out the feel good “Alabama Getaway,” which just let loose halfway through and became a party of energy packed jammy notes that danced through the air. The constant change of images that sail over the ceiling perfectly rounded out the vibe in the room. 

“Here Comes Sunshine” cooled the energy down as the audience caught a breather with this chilled out tune. Relaxed, easy swaying notes flowed as they brought the audience on a psychedelic free form trip around the song before transitioning into the first cover of the evening, The Allman Brothers’ “Blue Sky.”  This Allman Brothers favorite closed out the first set of night two.

Set two opened up with a mind-expanding jam that took its time, creating a softened mood before evolving into the second cover of the evening, Traffic’s “Dear Mr. Fantasy.”  This led into yet another cover, Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.” The heat in the room gained intensity as this tune steamrolled into Gus Cannon’s “Viola Lee Blues.” 

It was impossible to pinpoint when one song ended and another began. Notes were hinted of all songs being thrown about in-between transitions. Coming around the corner to join in on the fun was Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic.” Almost a solid hour of jumbled up goodness of covers splashed around, and in between each others, notes. This was one endless jam not to miss.

“Help on the Way” carried the beginning of another jam-packed chunk of seamless tunes. “Just A Little Light” came right onto the scene, before bounding into “Slipknot>Uncle John’s Band>Slipknot>Franklin’s Tower.” A powerhouse of energy was catching set two on fire.  Nonstop dancing and smiles flowed throughout the Capitol. The second set closed in a burst of boundless energy.

Night two ended with a delicate encore of “Stella Blue.” Let’s see what Phil has in store for the next two evenings, March 18th and 19th. So far, this birthday run is shaping up to be quite a party at the Capitol Theater.

March 16th ~ Capitol Theatre

Set I: Jam > Dupree’s Diamond Blues rb, Doin’ That Rag rb, West LA Fadeaway wh, Cosmic Charlie all, Alabama Getaway rb, Here Comes Sunshine rb, Blue Sky wh

Set II: Dear Mr.Fantasy wh > Jam > All Along The Watchtower wh > Viola Lee Blues > Into The Mystic wh, Help On The Way rb > Just A Little Light wh > Uncle John’s Band > Slipknot!> Franklin’s Tower pl, Donor Rap

E: Stella Blue

[Via Deadheadland]

*Photos used by permission, courtesy of Rob Schmidt.

– Sarah Bourque