Phil Lesh & Friends delivered the fifth concert of their nine-show residency at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York last night. The Tuesday show full of Grateful Dead classics saw nearly the same Phil & Friends lineup as Monday including Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer Joe Russo, guitarist Josh Kaufman and more.
The ensemble eased their way into “Uncle John’s Band” with a jam that featured saxophone from Stuart Bogie and Tench manning a tasty tone on the Hammond organ before getting into “UJB” propper. “He’s Gone” led by guitarist Eric D. Johnson of Fruit Bats followed. Next, vocalist Elliott Peck fronted the group on “It Must Have Been The Roses.” Johnson stepped back to the mic to sing lead on “Brown-Eyed Women” while Peck and Johnson would duet on “Cassidy” which led into set-closer, a well-jammed “New Speedway Boogie” sang by Elliott.
Phil & Friends trickled into another jam to begin the second frame before dropping into the opening hits of “Help On The Way” to kick off the set in earnest. Guitarist Grahame Lesh sang lead on the tune which also featured sax from Bogie and transitioned into sister song “Slipknot!” before the band found their way into a gorgeous “China Doll” ahead of wrapping up the four-song segment with the usual “Franklin’s Tower.” Bassist Phil Lesh handled lead on the latter which also saw a sax solo from Stuart as well as a nod to The Allman Brothers Band with a “Blue Sky” tease during the jam which represented the only non-Dead related material of the evening although the song has been played in Phil & Friends previously.
Phil & Friends continued with “Estimated Prophet” which led into a spacious “Eyes Of The World.” Bogie would deliver a killer solo punctuated by powerful drum fills from Joe Russo. The band then presided over a sing-along (and standalone) version of “Scarlet Begonias” ahead of set closer “The Music Never Stopped,” which saw Johnson on lead vocals during the verses and Peck handling the chorus. After his “Donor Rap,” which has included Phil advocating for the COVID-19 vaccine of late along with becoming an organ donor, Phil Lesh would sing lead on a spirited “Cold Rain And Snow” to bring the evening to a close.
Listen to the full show captured by Z-Man below:
Also check out pro-shot videos via Relix from the start of the first and second sets:
Setlist
Set One: Jam, Uncle John’s Band, He’s Gone, Must Have Been The Roses, Brown-Eyed Women, Cassidy > New Speedway Boogie
Set Two: Jam > Help On The Way > Slipknot! > China Doll > *Franklin’s Tower, Estimated Prophet > Eyes Of The World > Scarlet Begonias, The Music Never Stopped
Encore: Phil Donor Rap, Cold Rain And Snow
Notes
* With Blue Sky Jam
