An exciting band of musicians gathered at Terrapin Crossroads last night, as the venue’s owner and the Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh put together a jam-packed lineup of Friends for the occasion. The Phil Lesh & Friends performance featured the likes of Holly Bowling, Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz, Jay Lane, Ross James, and Cass McCombs, each bringing a fresh perspective to the music of the Dead.
Perhaps one of the more intriguing stories of the night is that of Holly Bowling’s, as the pianist has risen from relative anonymity to regular collaborator with members of the Grateful Dead. This was Bowling’s second outing with Lesh, and she also recently performed with Bob Weir at the Christmas Jam in December. All of this was made possible by Songs Of Their Own, a unique album that paid tribute to the Grateful Dead through solo piano interpretations of their music, as composed by Bowling. You can read all about that album here.
The show itself featured a number of classic Grateful Dead tunes for the “Dead of Winter” performance, including “Bertha,” “They Love Each Other,” “New Minglewood Blues” and “Loose Lucy” in the first set. They kept the magic up for two full sets, and rocked out jamming to “Dark Star,” “St. Stephen,” “Fire On The Mountain,” “Mountains On The Moon,” and “I Know You Rider” for a tasty five song second set.
Fortunately, thanks to Holly Bolwing, we can watch full videos of this magical evening. Check it out below, with the setlist to follow.
Setlist: Phil Lesh & Friends | Terrapin Crossroads | San Rafael, CA | 1/12/17
Set I
West > (RJ)
Bertha (DL)
They Love Each Other (DL)
Angel From Montgomery (?)
New Minglewood Blues (RJ)
? unidentified song (DL)
Loose Lucy (DL)
Set II
Dark Star > (PL)
Saint Stephen > (PL)
Fire on the Mountain (DL)
Mountains of the Moon > (PL)
I Know You Rider (All)
[Setlist via Bill Batson // FOJC]