Grahame Lesh & Friends helped celebrate the grand opening of Garcia’s Chicago with three nights featuring special guests Daniel Donato and Nicki Bluhm.
Justin Mazer, Damian Calcagne, Adam Minkoff, Nathan Graham, and Brian Rashap rounded out Lesh’s band on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, marking the inaugural shows at the new Chicago venue. Kicking things off on Friday, the band jammed on songs by the Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers Band, Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan, and more.
“The Mountain Song”, a tune conceived by Jerry Gracia, David Crosby, and others in 1971 during the PERRO Sessions and later reworked by Furthur with lyrics by Grahame’s brother Brian Lesh, set the stage for a weekend sprinkled with deep cuts.
The pattern continued on Saturday with “Equinox” (a.k.a. “Mercy of a Fool”), which was written by Phil Lesh to be sung by Jerry Garcia, but never released or played live.
Grahame Lesh & Friends – “Equinox” – 3/22/25
[Video: Nunupics Zomot]
Sunday featured the Phil Lesh-penned “No More Do I”, which the Dead played during a two-year span in 1992–1993, as well as a cover of Traffic‘s “The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys” (which Widespread Panic happened to play on the same night).
Beyond the carefully crafted setlists, the weekend was highlighted by the young band’s spirited improvisation, which was propelled by Donato’s cosmic country chops and perfectly upheld the Grateful Dead’s ethos of collective spontaneous creation.
Click below to check out fan-shot videos and a gallery of photos from Grahame Lesh & Friends at Garcia’s Chicago courtesy of photographer Daniel Ojeda, and scroll down to view the full setlists. Click here to find out what’s coming up at Garcia’s and find tickets for upcoming shows here.
Grahame Lesh & Friends – “Music Never Stopped” – 3/22/25
[Video: Nunupics Zomot]
Setlist: Grahame Lesh & Friends | Garcia’s Chicago | Chicago, IL | 3/21/25
Set 1: Help on the Way (Grateful Dead) > Slipknot! (Grateful Dead) > Loser (Jerry Garcia) > Slipknot! Reprise (Grateful Dead) > Jessica (The Allman Brothers Band), Why You Been Gone So Long (Mickey Newbury), Dire Wolf (Grateful Dead), Black Muddy River (Grateful Dead) > Franklin’s Tower (Grateful Dead)
Set 2: The Mountain Song (Jerry Garcia, David Crosby, Paul Kantner), Sing Me Back Home (Merle Haggard), St. Stephen (Grateful Dead) > The Wall Song (Crosby & Nash) > The Other One (Grateful Dead) > Morning Dew (Bonnie Dobson), Sugaree (Jerry Garcia), Tangled Up in Blue (Bob Dylan)
Encore: Ripple (Grateful Dead)
Note: Justin Mazer, Damian Calcagne, Adam Minkoff, Nathan Graham, Brian Rashap, Daniel Donato, Nicki Bluhm. Grand Opening Garcia’s Chicago – Inaugural concert.
Setlist: Grahame Lesh & Friends | Garcia’s Chicago | Chicago, IL | 3/22/25
Set 1: The Music Never Stopped (Grateful Dead), Jack-A-Roe (Traditional), Easy Wind (Grateful Dead) (with Nicki Bluhm), (Unknown), New Speedway Boogie (Grateful Dead), To Rise You Gotta Fall (Nicki Bluhm), Sweet Melinda (Peter Rowan), Equinox (Grateful Dead, written by Phil Lesh)
Set 2: Samson and Delilah (Traditional), Uncle John’s Band (Grateful Dead), Playing in the Band (Grateful Dead) > China Doll (Grateful Dead), Cassidy (Bob Weir), Eyes of the World (Grateful Dead), (Unknown), Going Down the Road Feeling Bad (Traditional)
Encore: Mama Tried (Merle Haggard) > Playing in the Band Reprise (Grateful Dead)
Note: Justin Mazer, Damian Calcagne, Adam Minkoff, Nathan Graham, Brian Rashap, Daniel Donato, Nicki Bluhm
Setlist: Grahame Lesh & Friends | Garcia’s Chicago | Chicago, IL | 3/23/25
Set 1: Deal (Jerry Garcia), Tennessee Jed (Grateful Dead), I Second That Emotion (Smokey Robinson), Beat It on Down the Line (Jesse Fuller) (85 beat intro), Fire on the Mountain (Grateful Dead), Big Iron (Marty Robbins), Wave to the Wind (Grateful Dead) > Cumberland Blues (Grateful Dead)
Set 2: He’s Gone (Grateful Dead) > China Cat Sunflower (Grateful Dead), The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (Traffic) > No More Do I (Phil Lesh & Friends) > Crazy Fingers (Grateful Dead), Bertha (Grateful Dead), Standing on the Moon (Grateful Dead), I Know You Rider (Traditional)
Encore: US Blues (Grateful Dead) (preceded by Donor Rap)
Note: Justin Mazer, Damian Calcagne, Adam Minkoff, Nathan Graham, Brian Rashap, Daniel Donato, Nicki Bluhm
