Phil Lesh just celebrated his 84th birthday, but he is far from “almost dead,” except on Saturday, that is, when the Grateful Dead bassist welcomed Joe Russo’s Almost Dead to help cap off his birthday run at The Capitol Theatre.
After blowing out his birthday candles and welcoming Phish bassist Mike Gordon for a surprise sit-in on Friday, Lesh returned to The Cap with the same group of friends, including his son Grahame Lesh, Amy Helm, Jason Crosby, Daniel Donato, and John Molo. the band played two sets of Grateful Dead staples beginning with some upbeat jams on “Dire Wolf”, “Cumberland Blues”, and the traditional “Cold Rain and Snow”. After slowing things down for Bob Dylan‘s “When I Paint My Masterpiece”, the band ended the first set with “Candyman” for dessert and a trip to Wichita to visit “Jack Straw”.
Phil Lesh & Friends – “Dire Wolf”, “Cumberland Blues”, – 3/16/24
The highlight of set two was a free-flowing sequence of “Not Fade Away” > “Dark Star” > “Not Fade Away” > “Dark Star”, which ultimately transformed into “Morning Dew”. Then, after finishing the second set telling about the Biblical tale of “Samson and Delilah” and playing in “Uncle John’s Band”, Lesh returned for the encore joined by Joe Russo’s Almost Dead—Joe Russo, Tom Hamilton, Scott Metzger, and Marco Benevento—who played their own residency at the historic Port Chest theater back in January. JRAD and Lesh, who previously teamed up for a collaborative PhilRAD New Year’s run at The Cap back in 2014, began the grand finale with fan favorites “Truckin’” and “Touch of Grey” before welcoming back all of Phil’s friends for “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad” and, of course, “Not Fade Away (Reprise)”.
Phil Lesh & Friends – “Loser”, “Not Fade Away” – 3/16/24
After five nights of celebrating with old friends, new friends, family, and fans, it is clear that at 84, Phil Lesh is still ready for more—and so are we.
Check out full-show audio and fan-shot footage from Phil Lesh & Friends with JRAD at The Capitol Theatre below, and scroll down to view the full setlist. Lesh currently has no upcoming shows on his calendar but recently announced the launch of Terrapin Clubhouse and a new podcast, The Phil Zone. For more info, visit his website.
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Phil Lesh & Friends With Joe Russo’s Almost Dead – “Going Down The Road Feeling Bad” – 3/16/24
Phil Lesh & Friends | Capitol Theatre | Port Chester, NY | 3/16/24
[Audio: Steven Weld]
Setlist: Phil Lesh & Friends | Capitol Theatre | Port Chester, NY | 3/16/24
Set 1: Dire Wolf, Cumberland Blues, Cold Rain and Snow (Traditional), When I Paint My Masterpiece (Bob Dylan), Candyman, Jack Straw
Set 2: Loser (Jerry Garcia), Not Fade Away (The Crickets) > Dark Star (Instrumental) > Not Fade Away (The Crickets) (> Dark Star verse 2 >), Morning Dew (Bonnie Dobson), Samson and Delilah (Traditional), Uncle John’s Band
Encore: Truckin’ [1] > Touch of Grey [1], Going Down the Road Feeling Bad ([traditional]) [2] (> Not Fade Away reprise) [2]
Note: Phil Lesh, Grahame Lesh, Amy Helm, Jason Crosby, Daniel Donato, and John Molo
[1] with Joe Russo’s Almost Dead
[2] with everyone
The post PhilRAD: Phil Lesh Welcomes Joe Russo’s Almost Dead For Capitol Theatre Finale [Videos/Audio] appeared first on L4LM.
