Phil Lesh celebrated his 75th birthday in style last night, playing to a sold out crowd at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY. Lesh brought along a majority of his Quintet band, with drummer John Molo, keyboardist Rob Barraco, and guitarist Warren Haynes. Lettuce/Soulive virtuoso Eric Krasno took the second guitar position, with Herring on tour with Widespread Panic.
While the entirety of the show was a festive jam-laden performance, perhaps one of the most touching moments came at the very beginning. Lesh brought his grandson, Levon Lesh, on stage, and led the crowd through a sing-a-long version of “Ripple.” Rather than play his bass, Lesh carried Levon in his arms throughout.
Lesh eventually donned his bass and wasted no time leading the band into some experimental jam space, before circling into the Allman Brothers classic “End of the Line.” Highlights of the show included an extra-spacey “Sunshine Of Your Love” seguing into a punchy “Bertha,” and a monster “Playin In The Band” > “Low Spark” > “The Wheel” > “Broken Arrow” > “Terrapin Station” > “Midnight Rider” that lasted the majority of the second set.
Lesh will return to the Capitol Theatre tonight with the same band, continuing his celebratory four-night run at the historic Capitol Theatre. Check out last night’s set list [Via Philzone] below:
Set One: Ripple (PL), Jam > End of the Line (WH), Althea (RB), Sunshine of Your Love (WH) > Bertha (RB), Mississippi Half Step (PL), Short Slide Jam > Sugaree (WH)
Set Two: Jam > Playing in the Band (RB) > Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys (WH) > The Wheel (All) > Broken Arrow (PL, All) > Terrapin Station (PL) > Midnight Rider (WH), Morning Dew
Encore: Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad > And We Bid You Goodnight
[Fan-shot videos courtesy of Youtube user rdeal1999, cover photo via Nugs.net]