On Sunday, August 27th, LOCKN’ Music Festival wrapped up with one of the most anticipated sets of the weekend. Affectionately known as phil.moe, the Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh teamed with the jam band heavyweights of moe. for a special guest-filled set, that also featured a rotating cast of musicians including The Revivalists’ frontman David Shaw, saxophonist Rob Ingraham, and trumpeter Michael Girardot, as well as Grahame Lesh (Midnight North), vocalist Nicki Bluhm, and Grateful Dead guitarist/vocalist Bob Weir.
The phil.moe set took on a special meaning that weekend because, ahead of LOCKN’, moe. had announced an indefinite hiatus, canceling their performances from August onward, save the special LOCKN’ set. The hiatus was spurred by moe.’s bassist, Rob Derhak, who at the time was seeking (successful!) treatment for oropharyngeal cancer. Though Derhak was sadly unable to make the LOCKN’ performance, the moe. bassist was there both in spirit and in the form of a tiny robot, which buzzed around on stage and ensured that Rob could be there on-stage for moe.’s collaboration with Phil Lesh on Sunday night. Appropriately nicknamed the “rob.ot,” the tiny robot had a picture of Derhak taped to it and was equipped with a camera, so Rob could stream the group’s emotionally charged set from the comfort of his home.
The phil.moe set opened with the Grateful Dead classic “Box Of Rain”, kicking off the set in celebratory style. While the beginning of the number saw some technical difficulties with Lesh experiencing feedback problems, the song settled into itself, triumphantly marking the start of a truly special show. Today, Relix has released video of phil.moe’s take on “Box of Rain” at LOCKN’ 2017. The video was released in celebration of moe. and Phil Lesh’s recently announced, collaborative run at Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael, California, from June 29th to July 1st, as part of moe.’s upcoming summer tour. You can check out the video for yourself below, and hear full audio of the phil.moe set here.
[H/T JamBase]