As the music world mourns the passing of Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, a wave of tributes has emerged from some of the jam scene’s most prominent bands. In addition to Phish’s touching rendition of “Box of Rain” and The String Cheese Incident‘s emotional “Ripple”, Goose, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Kitchen Dwellers, Sam Grisman Project, Dopapod, and Dogs in a Pile each honored Lesh’s legacy with heartfelt nods to his work on Friday.
Goose, whose lead singer/guitarist Rick Mitarotonda performed with Phil Lesh & Friends multiple times over the past few years, paid homage during the band’s show at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, NC, with a cover of “Brokedown Palace”. The song’s “fare thee well” lyrics resonated deeply, giving Lesh a fittingly somber yet celebratory send-off. “Fare thee well Phil 
” the band said in a social media post. ‘Thank you for the immeasurable impact you’ve had on all of us 
”
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Meanwhile, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead—a band whose DNA is deeply tied to the Grateful Dead—honored Lesh with an emotional return of “Box of Rain” at Oakland’s Fox Theater, marking the band’s first performance of the song in nearly a year. Russo—who had the rare privilege of touring alongside Lesh for several years as the drummer in Furthur—gave the tribute a personal touch singing lead vocals behind the kit.
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead – “Box Of Rain” – 10/25/24
[Video: ikwil]
On the East Coast, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country voiced the feelings of the newest generation of jam bands with another emotional tribute during the band’s show at Brooklyn Bowl. Like JRAD, the band selected Lesh’s own composition, “Box of Rain”. Struggling to find the words, Donato—who, like Rick Mitarotonda, performed with Phil Lesh & Friends—posted a video of the performance with the caption, “God Bless Phil Lesh. Paragraphs later, simple and concise Truth now…”
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Kitchen Dwellers paid tribute to Lesh in New York at The Cohoes Music Hall with a full set of Grateful Dead staples, including “Deal”, “Morning Dew”, “Bertha”, “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo”, “Brokedown Palace”, and more. After the show, the band expressed gratitude for the opportunity to connect with Phil, writing, “We are grateful we had a chance to honor the passing of a legend in New York, a place that holds a lot of history to The Grateful Dead and Phil Lesh, a musical hero of ours. We have learned so much from this band and we appreciate Albany for allowing us to pay tribute to a true pioneer of American music. We ran into Phil at Terrapin Crossroads when we played his venue years ago. We knew then that we were standing in the presence of a musical giant and his inspiration will last forever. Thank you Phil for everything.”
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Sam Grisman Project shared a video of its tribute to Phil, which included a cover of “Bird Song”. “We were devastated to hear of the passing of our hero Phil Lesh yesterday,” the band wrote on social medai. “Its always tough to find words for this kind of a loss but music helps to articulate the sadness we feel and the joy, as we celebratel his life and impact. We are so grateful for the love he gave to all of us for so many years. Our hearts are with the Lesh family, every note we play this weekend is for Phil.”
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Dopapod kicked off its Monster’s OGOPOGO Ball at Cervante’s Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver with an instrumental take on “Crazy Fingers”. The winding improvisation was a fitting tribute to Phil’s free style of bass playing.
Dopapod – “Crazy Fingers” – 10/25/24
Dogs in a Pile joined the chorus of voices mourning Lesh’s loss with a tribute of their own, starting their encore at Philadelphia’s Brooklyn Bowl with “Brokedown Palace” and finishing the night with a heartfelt tribute to the beloved bassist. “Last night’s show was for Phil and Cody 
,” the band wrote in a social media post, referring to the organ donor whose liver helped Lesh live an extra 25 years.
Dogs In A Pile — “Brokedown Palace” (Grateful Dead) — 10/25/24
Other musical tributes to Phil included Joan Osborne, who performed alongside him in The Dead and honored his memory with a “Stella Blue” encore in Wisconsin and The Travelin’ McCourys, who covered a number of Dead songs in Illinois.
The tributes are sure to continue as the shock of Lesh’s death reverberates through the musical landscape, reminding fans and musicians of the indelible mark he left on the jam band scene and American music more broadly. The messages of farewell are ringing loud, carried by the next generation of artists honoring the trailblazing bassist and musical pioneer.
The post Fare Thee Well: The Next Generation Of Jam Bands Offers Musical Tributes To Phil Lesh [Videos] appeared first on L4LM.
