ALO celebrated their 25th anniversary with a sold-out concert at The Fillmore in San Francisco on Saturday night. The band was joined by members of New Monsoon and Hot Buttered Rum within the evening’s second set for a cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Touch Of Grey” shortly after opener Ron Artis II added to their version of “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder.
The celebratory show on Saturday came amid the quartet’s Tour d’Amour XVI. ALO recently released a new studio album, Silver Saturdays, and bookended the night with material from the 10-track LP. The record’s “Make It Back Home” opened the group’s first of two sets at The Fillmore.
ALO followed with oldie “Blew Out The Walls” before multi-instrumentalist Zach Gill led his bandmates — guitarist Lebo (Dan Lebowitz), bassist Steve Adams and drummer Ezra Lipp — through INXS’ “Need You Tonight.” The four-piece then returned to Silver Saturdays for “Keep On Giving, Jane” ahead of a “Try” that encapsulated a cover of Journey’s ode to San Francisco, “Lights.” Saturday’s first set concluded with a run featuring Silver Saturdays’ “Rare Air,” classic jam vehicle “Cowboys And Chorus Girls” and the beloved “Maria.”
The Bay Area-based band kicked off the second set on Saturday by splitting Silver Saturdays tracks “Hot Damn” and “Sparrow” with live staple “Plastic Bubble.” Artis II then emerged to help out on “I Wish” off Stevie Wonder’s iconic 1976 LP Songs In The Key Of Life. The group went guest-less for the ensuing “Rewind.”
Next, ALO brought out David Nelson Band keyboardist Mookie Siegel and New Monsoon’s Bo Carper (guitar) as well as Nat Keefe (guitar) and Erik Yates (dobro) of Hot Buttered Rum for the collaborative “Touch Of Grey.” Lebo, Gill, Keefe and Yates took turns on lead vocals for the Grateful Dead’s lone hit.
ALO continued Saturday’s second set with “Girl I Wanna Lay You Down” and linked “BBQ” and “Room For Bloomin’” to close out the frame. The quartet punctuated the night by working “Suspended” into “Divine Fall,” which gave way to the fitting “Goodnight Song.” Each of the last two songs played in the three-tune encore are featured on Silver Saturdays.
Watch footage of Saturday’s “Touch Of Grey” shared by Deadheadland:
https://www.facebook.com/Deadheadland/videos/1370974813747185/
Photos by Susan Weiand
https://www.instagram.com/p/CqTgVfcppRb/
Setlist (via ALO Shapeshifters)
Set One: Make It Back Home, Blew Out The Walls, Need You Tonight, Keep On Giving Jane, Try > Lights > Try, Rare Air, Cowboys And Chorus Girls, Maria
Set Two: Hot Damn, Plastic Bubble, Sparrow, I Wish^, Rewind, Touch Of Grey^^, Girl I Wanna Lay You Down, BBQ > Room For Bloomin’
Encore: Suspended > Divine Fall, Goodnight Song
- ^ – w/ Ron Artis II
- ^^ – w/ Mookie Siegel, Nat Keefe, Bo Carper and Erik Yates
