Phil Lesh & Friends ‘Rock Steady’ At Warfield 100th Birthday Show

Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh returned to The Warfield last night with a stellar Phil Lesh & Friends lineup to start a two-night run celebrating the San Francisco venue’s 100th-birthday year. Phil, Goose guitarist Rick Mitarotonda, keyboardist Holly Bowling, guitarist Grahame Lesh, drummer John Molo and the Trey Anastasio Band horn section of Jennifer Hartswick, James Casey and Natalie Cressman played gems from the Grateful Dead live repertoire as well as a cover of Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady” at The Warfield on Tuesday.

The octet kicked off the evening with a rousing “Cumberland Blues” that saw Bowling, Mitarotonda and Grahame Lesh trade licks throughout. “Cumberland” bled into a high-octane “Bertha” sung by Grahame. Rick Mitarotonda then had his first turn in the spotlight for “Tennessee Jed” before Natalie Cressman led an emotion-laden “Loser.” Mitarotonda helmed the ensuing “Brown-Eyed Women” ahead of a Phil-sung “Pride Of Cucamonga.” The band went on to cap the set with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” featuring Mitarotonda on lead vocals.

The second half began with a lively “New Speedway Boogie.” Mitarotonda sang the Workingman’s Dead classic and engaged in call-and-response with Grahame Lesh. Phil Lesh & Friends then eased into a gorgeous “The Wheel.” The horns provided a pretty line layered underneath the jam. Next up was “Cassidy” featuring Grahame and Natalie sharing vocal duties. James Casey then stepped into the vocal spotlight on “Eyes Of The World.”

Last night’s second set continued with an expansive “Let It Grow” featuring Grahame Lesh on lead vocals that gave way to “Dark Star.” The ensemble covered plenty of ground on the psychedelic era gem before a move towards “Rock Steady.” Jennifer Hartswick fronted the group on the Phil Lesh & Friends debut of the song written and originally recorded by Aretha Franklin. Mitarotonda then was in charge of singing “Brokedown Palace” to close the frame. When the band returned for the encore, Phil spoke about how special The Warfield is to him and introduced each musician. Lesh then gave his donor rap before the group sealed the night with “Mission In The Rain.”

The same lineup with Jason Crosby replacing Holly Bowling returns to The Warfield tonight. A livestream is available for purchase via FANS.live.

Stream an audience recording taped by TJ:

Watch pro-shot video from the start of each set shared by Relix followed by footage captured by Must Have Media from the end of the show below:

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https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmt7RQouk7L/

Setlist (via Setlist.FM)

Set One: Cumberland Blues > Bertha, Tennessee Jed, Loser, Brown-Eyed Women, Pride Of Cucamonga, It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue

Set Two: New Speedway Boogie, The Wheel, Cassidy, Eyes Of The World, Let It Grow, Dark Star, Rock Steady, Brokedown Palace

Encore: Mission In The Rain

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Source: JamBase.com