Founding Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh returned to The Capitol Theatre on Wednesday for his third of five Phil & Friends performances in celebration of his 84th birthday. With two rare shows down by his best known but most elusive circle of collaborators, The Q, and a pair of curiously unannounced groups on the horizon for this weekend, Wednesday’s lineup served aptly as a casual midweek meet-up between the closest of friends.
John Molo, Lesh’s rock, was steadfast on drums throughout the evening. From The Q shows last week to the majority of Phil’s performances overall, Molo has always been as reliable as a heartbeat with this rotating act. Eric Krasno, who has been gigging with Phil for years, is one of only a handful of players who can convincingly occupy the late Jerry Garcia‘s world on guitar night after night but still bring something new to it each time.
The multi-talented Jason Crosby, Phil’s fellow Bay Area local and a frequent sideman on his shows, set a range of familiar yet intriguing scenes. On piano, he often locked in with tenured friend Karl Denson to guide the band’s improvisation toward jazz with enveloping, open chord voicings. On fiddle, he sounded right at home whether drawing “Stella Blue” down dreamy corridors or adding some barnyard fire to “I Know You Rider”.
Denson, for his part, was a focal point all night, from guiding the improv with authority on sax during “St. Stephen” to using flutes of various sizes to lend a note of ethereality to a winding “Playing In The Band” (more of that big flute, please). The “Shakedown Street” he helmed on lead vocals to close set two fit him like an old glove after nearly a decade of leading the funky tune as a friend of Phil’s.
Even Amy Helm, the newest friend of the bunch, had an air of familiar calm to her as she helped turn “Ripple” into a “Honky Tonk Woman” cocktail, led favorites like “Stella Blue”, or harmonized on an “Attics of My Life” encore. Thanks to her recent connection with Lesh’s son, the songs of the Dead have increasingly become songs of her own, as they have for so many of us.
That’s right, Phil’s son: When the elder Lesh introduced the band ahead of Phil & Friends’ Wednesday night encore at The Capitol Theatre, he referred to guitarist/vocalist Grahame Lesh as his “best friend.” It was a comment draped in multiple meanings, from the obvious “& Friends” band name to the closeness of the father-son connection to their ever-growing musical bond onstage. But when Phil said it, it didn’t sound like he was winking at any of those layers. When Phil said it, it sounded like the simple truth.
Grahame has grown leaps and bounds since he started performing with his father on a regular basis. On Wednesday, his Garcia-inspired vocals, his spiritual alignment with the energy of the material, and his visibly tuned-in relationship with his pops consistently made for meaningful moments. The deep connection between Grahame and Phil was the heart of the performance.
That glowing bond between Lesh and son shined brightest late in the second set. After the (almost) 84-year-old bassist took a seat in a chair onstage to rest his bones during “Stella Blue”, he stood tall once again to share vocals with his best friend on one of the more meaningful numbers in the Dead canon, “Terrapin Station”. Were his vocals perfect? No. But the emotion of the moment felt sweeter than any note he could have hit.
Below, check out the full setlist from Wednesday night’s Phil & Friends show at The Capitol Theatre as well as a selection of photos and videos from the night. Phil returns to the Cap on Friday and Saturday to round out his birthday celebration. For details, head here.
Setlist: Phil Lesh & Friends | The Capitol Theatre | Port Chester, NY | 3/13/24
Set One: West L.A. Fadeaway, Peggy-O, Deal, Tennessee Jed, China Cat Sunflower, Ripple [1]
Set Two: St. Stephen, Playing In The Band, Stella Blue, Terrapin Station, I Know You Rider, Shakedown Street
Encore: Attics of My Life
[1] Featuring elements of Honky Tonk Woman
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Phil Lesh & Friends – “West L.A. Fadeaway” [Pro-Shot] – 3/13/24
Phil & Friends – “St. Stephen” > “Playing In The Band” [Pro-Shot] – 3/13/24
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