While the surviving Grateful Dead members have splintered into Dead & Company and Phil Lesh & Friends, it appears they were on the same page for a moment this past Friday when both acts played “Wharf Rat” at approximately the same time. Each group also encored with “Casey Jones” that night.
The “Wharf Rat” timing was noted on Instagram by Bob Weir‘s manager, Matt Busch, while Phil Lesh‘s son and Phil & Friends member Grahame Lesh picked up on the dueling “Casey Jones” encore. Deadheadland reported on the syncronicity:
https://www.facebook.com/Deadheadland/posts/pfbid02EsC1zDWX5kSc9heXWPYqKynLgeBCdzNzURqRmdWa8fUQaTHasNvm1BXVz3VV8TDWl
Dead & Company’s Friday night concert came at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado. Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann are joined in the group by John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti. “Wharf Rat” was the penultimate song of Dead & Company’s second set with Weir handling lead vocals on the Hunter/Garcia ballad. Stream the group’s “Wharf Rat” via an audience recording taped by Billy Naples:
Phil Lesh & Friends held their performance on Friday at KettleHouse Amphitheater in Missoula, Montana. The bassist’s band for the night featured guitarists Grahame Lesh and Stu Allen, keyboardist Holly Bowling and drummer John Molo. Stu Allen sang “Wharf Rat” for Phil & Friends towards the middle of the second set. Listen to an audience recording of “Wharf Rat” taped by Mark Smith:
