Phil Lesh's Birthday Run, Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY 2019-03-16

     Phil Lesh wrapped up his birthday stand at the Capitol Theatre last night, and he left it all out  on the stage.  After two nights of intense music that went well past midnight, you would think a newly 79 year old would want to take it easy.  But instead, he invited even more Friends to join him, including an opening act, the Sisters of the Strawberry Moon.  In the very little research I did before the show I couldn't really figure out who would be on stage, but while I didn't catch the pianist's name, I can now safely say that the rest of the band is Amy Helm on drums/mandolin, Luther Dickinson on guitar, Grahame Lesh on bass, Allison Russell on banjo/clarinet, and JT Nero on guitar.  Allison and JT are in their own band called the Birds of Chicago, who I've seen and enjoyed at the Green River Festival.  The Sisters were very much just a meshing together of the different musicans' styles, but it worked perfectly.  The harmonies were heavenly, and Luther showed the crowd right away that he was bringing a lot to the table for when he would join Phil later (replacing Scofield).  Jackie Greene joined them on organ for the last song, and the crowd gave them a huge round of applause when they were done.  I don't know their songs enough to provide a setlist, but I highly recommend you check them out if possible.

     They wound up their set at exactly 9, which left us wondering if Phil was still going to play two full sets (he was).  The vibe in there was a lot less edgy and it was a lot less crowded than the previous night, perhaps because all the birthday expectations were gone.  It honestly felt more like a Sunday crowd than anything, and the music that was to follow the short setbreak reinforced that feeling.  My parents and I were in the left balcony this night, towards the center more than Friday, and all of our neighbors were thoroughly enjoyable.  A lot of very spaced out people being their friendliest to each other.  After not too long Phil came out, the lights went down, and we were ready for one more Saturday night (someone should write a song about that).

                                           

First Set

• Deal (JG)
• I'm generally of the opinion that I've seen enough Deals to last a life time, but the energy with which they opened this show was so infectious that I couldn't help but love it.
• It seemed like they were just going to play it in the 80's fashion with the middle solo, the "don't you let that deal go down" refrain, a big solo, then the refrain and the end.  But instead they added another final solo in after the second refrain just to make sure they had covered all the ground the song had available.
• Grahame got to show off his chops early with some very danceable lines; this whole night all in all felt like it was the "& Friends" night, after the Phil-heavy set the night before.  I think Phil wanted to show off how cool all his friends were, even if one of them was his son.  In fact, Phil didn't sing a lead verse until late in the second set.
• Operator (LD)
• I had seen Phil sing this before, so I was a little disappointed when Luther stepped to the mic instead, but he proved himself more than capable.  Well ok, maybe he came in a bar or two early for the first verse and the first solo, but he did it so convincingly that the rest of the band didn't seem to mind.
• Luther had two guitars, which I couldn't say more about other than one was white and sounded very clean, and the other was darker and sounded raunchier.  This was the 4th Phil show I've seen Luther play, and by far the best.  I think he knew he had some big (and weird) shoes to fill over in Scofield's position at stage left.  The band kind of forgot how to end the song and drifted apart, until Luther led the closing riff and everyone cracked up.
• This is one of those Dead songs that you'll probably never hear live unless you see Phil.  So go see Phil.
• High Time (JG)
• This is the kind of stuff I'm talking about when I say this felt like a Sunday show.  This was crystalline perfection, with a beautifully unexpected solo section.  High Time can be so finicky and faltering if not played right, and they got it exactly right.
• This was the only time all weekend when Jackie's personal stylings didn't elevate the song.  I just think there's no better way to sing it than how Jerry did it.
• King Bee (LD)
• Luther is Phil's go-to Blues Boy, typically of the Bobby Blues Boy variety,  but he got some good Pigpen work in this night.  It sounded like he said something about Pig at the start of the song, but it was hard to make out.
• Last time I saw Luther with Phil they did this song, but the two versions are night and day.  Instead of a brighter, peppier blues song like in 2016, this one was more the murky, dark version of the song like Pig used to sing.
• Or at least it was until they started jamming it out.  By the time Luther came back for the final verse it had turned into more of an uptempo shuffle.
• Tennessee Jed (JG)
• A typical Saturday Night Crowd loves to cheer "drink all day and rock all night," but a Secret Sunday Crowd can cheer that and then shut up to listen to the music, which of course is way better.
• Jackie and Luther got their leads in between the verses, but once the unfolding jam at the end started, it was Tench Time.  Benmont's organ work made it sound like he wrote this song with Tom Petty and had been playing it ever since.  Even some of the band looked shocked by it!  With Grahame's help he built a solid foundation for the Jackie to take over, who walked up to Luther to join forces in a charge to the end.
• Brokedown Palace (GL w/ Amy Helm and Allison Russell)
• My dad and I both leaned over as soon as Tennessee Jed ended and said, "Is Amy not coming out with Phil?"  And as if she heard us being impatient, she came out on stage immediately with Allison!
• What followed was one of the most beautiful renditions of Brokedown that I've ever heard.  Allison took Jackie's mic, Amy had her own, and they traded verses with Grahame with seamless fluidity that couldn't have possibly left a dry eye in the house.  And as if their individual parts weren't stunning enough, their harmonies can't be described as anything less than unearthly.
• I just listened to it again and I'm crying, you should be too.
• Sugaree (JG)
• I heard the first note of this and hung my head and said "dammit" to myself.  Why me, why another Sugaree?  Is it because one came on in the car earlier in the day?  Is it because I did something wrong?
• These were my thoughts as I sat down for all of 30 seconds before the music swept be back onto my feet.  "Well if they're going to play it like this...," I thought to myself as I started dancing.
• It's not like they changed up the arrangement or anything, this was just a damn good Sugaree with fiery solos left and right.  Tench actually did take it down into a barroom jazz kind of space during his solo, which definitely grabbed my attention, but the rest of the time it was wailing guitars and thrilled dancers.

      The lights came back on for setbreak, and we knew that Phil was giving us the whole shebang tonight.  Everyone was beaming, even the people mysteriously waiting in line for an empty stall in the bathroom.  I don't know if all the assholes just got too drunk at a parade to make it to the show, but everyone I ran into was happy and pleasant.  It's almost like we all love this music or something, go figure.  We made it back to our seats and prepared ourselves for the final set of the weekend.

Second Set

• Viola Lee Blues > (ALL)
• We had been expecting Caution tonight, and this fooled both my Dad and I into thinking we were right (almost...).
• We definitely weren't disappointed though; who can complain about not getting one Primal song when you're still getting another?
• This one played out about as expected at the start: heavy blues, ricocheting solos, and thundering bass until the next verse.  But instead of building the final jam up into a blistering frenzy of flashing lights and guitar fireworks, Phil pulled the rug out from under everyone's feet and led the band into what could arguably be called Viola > Jam (or even Space) > Viola.  It was totally outside of what I expected from the song, and led into some thick layers of feedback.  I thought this was where the floating Dark Star Reprise would come in, then even thought this was the beginning of Caution (patience...), and then it became what sounded like a completely different song that none of us had ever heard before...but then they sneakily slid back into that Viola groove and finished up the final verse.
• Jack Straw (GL & JG)
• They slipped back into some more feedback ambience, led by Luther.  That boy likes to make his guitar make crazy noises. 
• Jackie and Grahame resolved the discordance into what could have turned into any Allman Bros song, but it revealed itself to be Jack Straw instead.  Grahame took Jerry's parts, and Jackie took Bobby's, both of them singing excellently.
• Like both Phil and Bobby have been doing since at least Furthur, if not earlier, the band took the opportunity to stretch out what had otherwise been two bars between verses into a mini jam, and it really started to feel like it was a hot sunny day in July.  The jam at the end was a little compacted and didn't feature as many hard bass bombs as the typical Dead version, but it was still played at a breakneck pace with a huge ending.
• Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks) > (LD)
• Well it finally happened, and it took a couple of minutes to even realize.  Luther would fan his guitar for a bit and get everyone rumbling, and then it would die down...then he would do it again with slightly chords and it would die down again....and then he did it one more time and I realized that they were the Caution chords and punched my dad in the arm right as Phil started doing that signature Caution riff.
• Sure, it wasn't a total meltdown that resulted in all of us leaving our physical forms behind to explore distant galaxies, but it was pretty damn close.  Luther sang some pretty convincing lines about a gypsy woman and having to go down somewhere, but there wasn't quite enough mojo hand content for this aficionado.
• But then none of that silly shit mattered because the jam was kicking in and Phil was feeding back, and I was running out of room on my face for my grin to spread.  They were a little off kilter for the fanning at the start of the post-mojo jam, but Luther took over and got Jackie playing with him in some tight leads before fading back into the land of feedback and dark shadows.
• Truckin' (JG)
• Phil took a little bit of a lead himself out of the darkness, setting the rest of them up for the revolving intro into Truckin'.  My dad had been saying they would play this and I didn't believe him because I'm a fool.
• Grahame provided some great backing vocals here.  There was so much whispering, pointing, fist bumping, and smiling between these two all weekend long that I wouldn't be surprised if they started their own side band, or at least started playing racquetball on the weekends.
• Truckin' got everyone back on their feet and singing along after the roiling weirdness of Caution.  There were some exciting solos between the verses, but instead of a huge jam with a big finish they closed it out with a funny little vocal ending.
• China Doll (BT)
• The guy next to me had called that they would play this tonight, but he had promised that Amy would sing it.  While I haven't heard her sing it before, I have to say that it couldn't have been any better than this.  I don't think Tench had even sung any harmonies or backups this weekend, but he can apparently sing the ever loving shit out of China Doll.
• They switched the arrangement around a little so that the piano was the lead instrument, and if I hadn't heard Oteil sing the song before I would say that no one alive could ever do it as well as Benmont Tench.  I have a feeling like Phil had planned to go right into Terrapin from there, but the crowd went absolutely nuts once this song ended that the band had to just stand there and clap along.  I think it's safe to say we'll be seeing more of BT playing the with Dead in the future.
• Terrapin Station > (GL & PL)
• The poster for this whole weekend was a giant turtle floating above some bears who were holding its lines so it didn't float away (or a giant turtle being held up by the bears with sticks that was about to fall and crush them, if you ask my dad), so you know they had to do a high-flying Terrapin.
• Grahame and Phil traded verses on this, kind of like it was two generations of "The Storyteller" telling the same story years apart...or maybe I was a little high.
• Grahame played the solo just once through, and he did it nicely.  I was still sure they were going to finish Dark Star, and when they took off into the Starlight Jam it really seemed like that was going to happen.  Phil led them on an extended journey that seemed to have a definite destination in mind, but instead was just the most scenic route back to Terrapin that Phil could think of.
• The crowd screamed "Terrapin!!" at the top of its lungs in the lead up to the final jam, and Phil looked so goddam happy.  The rest of the band didn't go too far off the reservation in the outro, but Phil sure did some interesting leads throughout.
• Morning Dew  (GL, AH, & AR)
• The band held onto the last chord and the crowd cheered over it, but then everyone realized that they were still playing, and the were playing motherfucking Morning Dew.  And not only that, they were rushing out a music stand for Amy and Allison!
• Amy and Allison sang the "question" parts of the song ("I thought I hear/where have all"/etc.) and Grahame sang the answers ("I can't walk you out/there's no need"/etc.), and once again their harmonies were beyond description.  If this Dew doesn't make you cry you're a robot or severely dehydrated, and I feel bad for you either way.
• The band, perhaps overwhelmed by emotion, wasn't perfectly together in the build-up to the middle solo, but got it together immediately and did their best to live up the vocalists' perfection.  The solo and the outro jam were both played masterfully and with all the heart these beautiful people could muster, but those ladies stole the show and all of our hearts.
• Donor Rap (PL)
• Phil seemed really touched and emotional for the Rap, but everyone kept yelling and clapping whenever he got up any momentum, so it was very faltering, took forever, and was impossible to understand.  Let Phil say his piece, cheer when he's done, and give him your organs already.
• In the Midnight Hour > (JG, AH, & AR)
• Everyone had wiped the tears away by now,  and was ready to dance again.  It was about 12:30 when they started this, so it was really the obvious answer for what they should play.
• It wasn't exactly a perfect version, but everyone onstage (and off) was beaming, and they immediately picked up any beats they dropped.
• Turn on Your Lovelight (LD, AH, & AR)
• See comments for Midnight Hour.
• Molo wound up the song with a little drum solo and big group finish.  I realize I didn't say anything about him tonight, but just know that he might be the perfect drummer for Phil.  He's ready for anything, keeps the beat going no matter what, and even challenges the other musicians into playing better.

                                       


     Well damn, what else is there to say?  This show may not have been as technically great or mind bending as Thursday night, but it had more heart in spades.  It might have been the most cathartic concert experience I've ever had.  The whole band was hugging, fist bumping (even Phil!), and congratulating each other before they even had their instruments off.  Official soundboards haven't surfaced (take my money!), and the audience recordings are slowly trickling onto the Archive, so we'll just have to wait to hear it again.

Phil Lesh's Birthday Run, Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY 2019-03-15

     As you must know, yesterday was Phil Lesh's 79th birthday, and we were determined to help him enjoy it.  For the second night we showed up in Port Chester, this time meeting up with a good friend, and entered the Cap in high spirits.  The opening act this night was Deadgrass, a semi-electric Dead cover band, which seemed like a strange way to prepare for a Dead show.  They even played at least one song that Phil would be playing later in the night.  But no matter, we dug them for a bit before heading to our seats which were a little further right than the night before.  The sight lines and sound were still great, but because of a totally sold out and slightly more boisterous crowd some of the first set was drowned out by chompers.  There were a few halfhearted attempts at getting Happy Birthday started before the show started, but once the band came on stage we had better music to listen to.

                                        

First Set

• Liberty (GL)
• A great song to start the night off, even if not everyone in my section appreciated it.
• Grahame does such a great job singing this one, it suits his voice perfectly.
• Casey Jones (ALL)
• They got the crowd's attention with this easy singalong, and then Jackie and Scofield took advantage of the refrain at the end to play some scorching leads as the tempo got faster and faster.
• They maybe drew this out a bit longer than necessary, but as we kept saying, it's Phil's birthday and he can do what he wants.
• Mississippi Half Step > (PL)
• The first half of this song felt very thin and shaky, I don't know if it was the crowd, the mix, or what.  The solos between verses were short and it all felt uneasy until they started jamming out of the song.  I think the band was just trying to find that same groove from the previous night, and maybe trying to force it instead of letting it flow (maaaaan).
• I heard someone pointing out after the show that this was "a guaranteed song" because of the "on the day I was born" line, and I have to say that makes perfect sense.  Too much sense, even,
• Loser (JG)
• Jackie led the transition into this and once again made a classic Dead song sound like his own.  Sure, he skipped a verse, and he never sang the second "go down" line in the chorus, but the band never faltered.
• Jackie really was the leader of the band for the rest of the set, controlling the dynamics and energy like he ran the joint.  Phil wasn't exactly reserved, but kept his head down and let the boys do their own thing.
• Tench's grand piano was chronically low in the mix tonight, but his organ and Rhodes were still cutting through great and his solos on this one really burned.
• Minglewood Blues (JG)
• This was very different from how Bobby performs it.  It was bluesy in a more traditional way, not exactly histrionic thunder rock.
• The band had a good head of steam at this point and tore through their respective solos.  Grahame was still holding down the rhythm role until Jackie forced his hand into a solo, and then he showed everyone that he did indeed have that Lesh spirit in him.
• Before the last verse, Jackie held up his finger to get everyone to stay on the first chord and led a cool simmering down of the song to close it out.
• West LA Fadeaway > (JG)
• Jackie, in his new found position of leader of the Jackie Green and Friends band, was all over this one.  Once again his vocal stylings made the song feel so much more personal and vibrant than just a cover of a 37 year old song.
• Bertha (GL)
• Jackie had a new guitar brought out just for this set closer that I swear he must have stolen from Bobby.  It was hard to get a good look at it, but it looked like Bobby's white guitar that he played with Dead & Company this past Summer.  And it sure sounded like Bobby's guitar because it was way too squealy and whiny for my ears.
• Beyond that though, this was probably the highlight of the set.  The band had found their mojo again and were playing as one tight unit.  Grahame and Molo took over from Jackie while he was busy making his guitar squeak, and got everyone soloing at once, eliciting some bass bombs from Phil.

     Ok, so it wasn't the best first set ever, but everyone was still having a great time.  It had started pouring outside but that didn't stop people from rushing out to the smoking section for consumption of various goods.  After not too long the band wandered back out on stage, and the crowd started singing Happy Birthday, but Jackie gave us the "cut it out sign" until Phil was ready.  Phil, who had been fiddling with his computer stack, turned around with a big grin on his face and they put the video feed of him up on the wall, bringing new meaning to the term Big Phil.  Jackie led us all through Happy Birthday, and then Peter Shapiro came out with a giant cake that looked a lot like the one in the poster above.  Phil, Jill, and Pete all shared some hugs, and then Pete went back to the mic to say that coincidentally enough, this wasn't just Phil's 79th birthday, it was his 79th time playing at the Cap (since it reopened)!  I'll leave it to someone else to check the math on that (his eyes did look pretty red after all), but in the meantime I'll believe good ol' Petey.  But that was enough fun, it was time to get back to business.

Second Set

• Playing in the Band > (GL)
• Whatever the band was doing between sets, they sure didn't lose their mojo.  Grahame did a great job singing, and while Tench maybe a got a little lost in the changes between the 2nd and 3rd verses, he recovered right away and the band didn't miss a beat.
• The jam progressed in the same way that it has since the 80's, a pleasant and easy improvisation on the main theme, and then a sudden twist into the Dark Realms.  This didn't go on quite as long as the first night's Dark Star set opener, but it was definitely cut from the same cloth.  A very patient journey through ever shifting soundscapes.
• Phil was back in charge for the rest of the night.  Maybe he had been biding his time, or resting, or was way too high for the first set, but he had places he wanted to go in this set.
• Scofield got into to some call and response dueling with Tench and Jackie, but then Jackie took the lead from him and opened up his envelope filter.  My dad and I each would have bet you $20 that they were going into Estimated Prophet from there, and if you read just one line further you'll see that you would have won $40 last night; your loss, man.
• Shakedown Street > (JG)
• In a set jam packed with heavy hitters, this Shakedown in the middle of a PITB sandwich was hands down my favorite part of the night.
• They had clearly rehearsed an almost start-stop version of the song that had a lot of dynamic control to it, and it blew everyone's minds.  Phil was roaring away on his bass, and everyone got a chance to really tear up the solo section.  I think if they hadn't planned out the rest of the setlist already they would have just played this all night, and no one would have complained.
• They got pretty far outside the box after the lyrics, but then Phil brought them back to the main theme as if they were going to just wind up the song, but Grahame took the lead from there and wound everyone back into the Dark Realms.
• Playing in the Band (GL)
• It was here that we heard our first tease of the Playin' riff, but there was still a world of possible destinations open to us.  At various times I thought they were going to wind up the last night's Dark Star, go into Mountains of the Moon, or actually go into that Estimated we could have sworn we heard.
• Eventually though, through the clouds of delusion, Grahame and Phil leshed together to get the whole band into the PITB holding pattern that comes at the end of the jam.  Molo seemed like he was maybe caught off guard when they went back into the rhythmic changes before the final chorus, but he caught on quick.
• They really jammed out after the chorus ended too, which surprised me.  A nice, refreshing major jam with country flavors.
• And on a personal note, I'm so glad I got an immediate reprise to this Playin'.  I wouldn't be able to handle another unfinished one...
• Help on the Way > (GL)
• They didn't do any tuning or anything to tip this one off, but somehow as soon as they started the count-off I knew exactly what they were gonna play, and my fists were in the air as soon as the opening chords rang out.
• This was a particularly fierce performance with a lot of bite to it.  Grahame opted out of the solo section in favor of keeping everyone on the right chords, which let the other three leads let loose.
• The transition between Help and Slip! was pretty iffy, but they all got the timing right at least.
• Slipknot! >
• The Slip Riffs at the start were perfect, with Molo providing epic fills in between.  Phil took off at the start of the jam, but soon laid back a bit for the others to have their way with it.
• For my tastes, this Slip! focused a bit too much on teases and call and response than the more freeform versions.  But everyone was playing so well that I didn't bother getting caught up in personal preferences.  And Phil seemed to be on my side a little, so when Jackie or Scofield would get too into a particular theme, he would slam down and bring them back into the typical Slipknot! area of weirdness.
• They did an extended Slipcord sequence on their way out of the jam, but when Phil started the transition back into the Slip Riff only Grahame seemed to be on the same page with him.  But again the rest of the band recovered quickly and they finished up the riffs neatly, before letting the jam mellow down.  I was sure it would be Fire on the Mountain next, and I was close...kinda.
• Mountains of the Moon > (PL)
• Right, it's Phil's birthday, time for some heavy Lesh jams.
• I don't think there's been a run of Phil shows since...1995 that didn't feature this song, and this is why I love Phil.  What was a simple acoustic song that could maybe lead into Dark Star has turned into its own unique jam vehicle that has "PHIL" written all over it.
• This one didn't get into any heavy themes or jams for the most part, and was more of a hazy, spacey meditation.  Tench and Scofield both had some great tonal work that helped make the song.
• After the final verse the jam took off briefly and got people back out of their seats and swaying, if not exactly dancing.  But then Phil gave some arcane hand signals that confused the shit out of Jackie and Grahame, and he had to take over and wind things down to a little more than an ambient hum before resolving in another essential Phil song.
• Unbroken Chain (PL)
• If it wasn't for the opening sandwich, this would be the shining star of the night.  There was a little miscommunication at the very start after Phil's gesticulations, but everyone got in line before the first verse and it was gold from there.
• While there was some shakiness at different parts of the night, the band was absolutely in sync for one of the Dead's most complicated songs.  The instrumental section switches between 15 and 13 beats per measure, seemingly whenever Phil decides it's time to switch, but I didn't hear a single player miss any of those beats.  In fact, the leads they were playing through those tricky changes were some of the best I've heard any of Phil's friends manage.
• Grahame backed up a lot of his dad's vocals in this second set, and they sounded beautiful together.  And the outro jam had me in awe as Scofield attempted to burn his amp to the ground with just the sheer power of music.  If he had just one more minute I think the fire marshal would have gotten involved.
• He's Gone > (JG)
• You could almost hear the sighs of relief from parts of the crowd when Jackie started this one up; "finally, something we can sing along to!"
• Jackie maybe got a little too histrionic with his singing for such a gentle song, but who can blame the guy for having fun?
• They rolled smoothly through the lyrics and middle solo, and vamped on the "nothing's gonna bring him back" refrain for a little bit, but then instead of jamming the song out Phil decided it was time to bring the dragons back out.
• The Other One > (PL)
• It started off a little uneven, but Phil brought together with his intro run, even though it wasn't thunderous enough to bring the building down on us all (disappointed? me? noooo).  The guitars got themselves all riled up, but before they could really catch fire, the birthday boy stepped up to the mic.
• Look, I support Phil singing just about anything.  Bird Song?  Great. Dark Star?  Cool, man.  Truckin'?  Give it a go.  But I think Grahame needs to take away his dad's iPad next time he hears him start rehearsing the lyrics to this one.  If you think Bobby stretches out the space between each verse too much, you ain't heard nothing til you hear Phil.  But once again, it's his birthday, and if he wants to sing the song let him.
• It seemed like this was going to be my shortest TOO ever when Phil suddenly started up the second verse, but then he dragged it out longer and longer before finishing the lyrics.  And then instead of going into the next song right way, Grahame and Jackie decided they needed to get all of their Other Oneing out now, so they put their heads together and got truly gnarly.  They had been fist bumping and laughing all night long, and I am on board for this bromance.
• New Speedway Boogie (JG)
• Jackie eventually tore his eyes away from Grahame's beautiful beard and started in the tune our friend had just said she wanted to hear during intermission!
• Phil led Jackie lead this set closer, and lead it he did; well, when the crowd wasn't too busy forgetting how the song goes and chanting "one way or another" way too early.  Molo and Scofield stole the lead back from the audience and embarked on a solo section that was more of a tease showcase than anything else.  They teased Smokestack Lightning, Spoonful, One Kind Favor, and at least one other classic blues song that I can't remember right now, but made them all fit perfectly into the general boogie of the song.
• Then Jackie took over completely and kicked the tempo way up, leading the band on a headlong charge into straight rock n' roll territory, before suddenly picking up the final verse in this new jam.  They brought it back to the usual chorus and refrain, got the crowd singing along at the right time, and wrapped up the set.
• Donor Rap (PL)
• A fairly standard Donor Rap, no teases or guest stars, but Phil just looked so damn happy!
• Not Fade Away (ALL)
• The crowd had been clapping along to demand this before the Donor Rap, and from the way it was played I think the band hadn't really rehearsed it until they heard the demands.  Not that there was anything wrong with it, they just never really took it outside.
• Jackie wasn't wearing his hat for this one and I barely recognized him.  Thank god he put it back on.
• Ripple (PL)
• This, however, was a perfect encore.  It was played at a nice rockin' tempo, and everyone loves a singalong they can dance to!
• After the Other One I was skeptical when Phil stepped to the mic for this one, but he actually did a great job!  I couldn't believe it, but I would gladly listen to him sing it again.  Grahame and Jackie provided excellent backing vocals too.

     The lights came back on and once again we sat our asses down to give our feet a little rest before the walk to the car.  Luckily it had stopped raining, so it was a cool and refreshing night when we walked out.  While the first set hadn't been anything to write home about on its own, but the two sets fit together nicely to make a whole show.  A bit of average intro stuff, and a little uncertainty, but all in all an amazing experience.  One more night to go!

Phil Lesh's Birthday Run, Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY 2019-03-14

     After a few years of catching Phil at the Capitol Theatre consistently, my parents and I somehow went 2.5 years without trekking down!  Sure we saw Phil and Bob do their duo shows in Boston, but even that was over a year ago now.  So when Phil announced this year's birthday run, we knew we had to go.  This lineup included John Molo on drums, and Grahame Lesh on guitar, both of whom we've seen with Phil.  Also included were two more guitarists who I always wanted to see with Phil, Jackie Greene and John Scofield.  On keyboards was Benmont Tench, a founding member of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, who has never performed with Phil before.  He was the only one I was skeptical about leading up to the shows, but as you'll soon find, my concerns were ill-founded.

     Making it from Boston to Port Chester can be a bit hairy, but we made it down in plenty of time to catch dinner and the opening act.  The first time we came down here there had been a fairly legit Shakedown Street set up down the street, but the last few times it had just been a Shakedown Corner.  This time it was more like 5 people selling some shirts, but maybe we were just early.  The opening act was playing at Garcia's, the bar attached to the Cap, and it was essentially Midnight North with some people I had never heard of.  Grahame did a fair job of playing bass instead of guitar, and Elliot Peck sang as well as ever, but I was too distracted by thoughts of Phil to really get into them.  So I took off, grabbed the poster for this first night, and got up to our seats in the balcony in plenty of time to get into the right headspace.

     Note that this is from memory, and not as in-depth of a review as I would normally post, but I wanted to get this out before the next two nights.  Once I get my hands on the soundboards of these shows I'll revisit them with some more depth, so stay tuned.

                                         

First Set

• Mason's Children (ALL)
• This and Mountains of the Moon are the Phil songs to see these days.  He revived them as soon as he could, and he's been jamming them out ever since.
• Right off the bat I knew that Tench was going to fit in with Phil perfectly.  He had a grand piano, an organ, and what looked like a Rhodes.  He also had some electric keyboard set up, but I didn't see him touch it all night.  He stayed on the organ and the Rhodes for this one, and he wailed on those suckers.  He has a very unique style, especially on the organ, and Phil was beaming.
• This song was mostly led by Tench and Scofield, with Grahame and Jackie providing some heavy backing riffs.
• Mr. Charlie (JG)
• Jackie Greene took the reins with this one, singing and taking most of the leads.  He has a great voice that manages to be high in the register without getting squeaky or strained.  His slide work was also incredible.
• Grahame got one of his few solos in this one.  He an amazing guitarist, but whenever a solo would be nodded his way he would shrug it over to Tench, which I think was pretty classy.  He tours with his dad all the time and gets plenty of time in the spotlight, and I think tonight he was focusing on providing a steady rhythm guitar that would allow the other players to get off the reservation a bit.
• They finished this song up suddenly and Phil furrowed his brow, but then Molo and Grahame led them into the usual ending riff and Phil pointed at his drummer and laughed.
• Bird Song (PL)
• Looking back, this was the sign that tonight was going to be full of wild improvisation.  If Phil puts a jam vehicle like Bird Song this early in the first set, you better buckle your seat belts.
• Everyone got a chance to shine in this one.  It didn't have too many blistering leads, but the jam had a wide open atmospheric vibe to it.  Tench got some good piano work in here, but really grabbed my attention with some spooky organ work.
• The band didn't really pick up Phil's cues to go back into the chorus from the jam, but they got on track with him right away after he started singing.
• Move over JRAD, Grandpa Phil is in town!  All night long Greene and Scofield were throwing in jazz teases and classic rock melodies that I couldn't identify at the time, but always fit perfectly in what was being played.
• Scarlet Begonias > (JG)
• One of the drunk idiots behind me did call this one off of just one tuning note, but when I turned around and gave him a thumbs up he had no idea what I was doing.  Go figure.
• Not only was Phil stealing JRAD's teases, he was stealing their tempos too!  This was the fastest song of the night, and it got everyone up and dancing.
• Grahame again passed on a turn at the solo section, but the other three leads all got two rotations at it, each picking up from where the other left off.
• The outro jam didn't feature the usual Scarlet riff as the jumping off point, instead Phil steered them straight into the Unknown Regions.  The jam mellowed down eventually, and instead of jumping into Fire, Phil shifted them into Eyes of the World!
• Eyes Of The World (GL)
• Grahame did a great job singing this one, which makes sense because he grew up watching Jerry sing it from on top of a road case.
• Jackie took the first solo and really sped through it, getting the tempo back up a bit.  Tench took the next one, and had a very different approach.  Where Jackie's had been like a sprint through a field of many wild flowers, Tench instead found one perfect flower and wanted to show it to us in great detail from every angle he could think of.  It was beautiful!  Then Scofield got kind of bored and started shredding, which was also cool, but not quite as...hypnotic.
• After the final verse Phil wound the jam down to a neat finish instead of segueing into something else.  Molo also helped conduct this wind-down; he was really Phil's second all night long, which makes sense since he might the drummer who's played the most with Phil besides Billy and Mickey.
• So Many Roads (JG)
• This one took me by surprise, and I feel so lucky to have caught it.  Jackie sang it with so much soul and heart, one couldn't help but be moved by it.
• Now seems as good of a time to announce the MVP of the show.  And the result is, drum roll please.....Phil! *cheers*  It was a tight race, seeing as how all the players were at their best, but Phil really took the cake.  He had such good balance between ambient rumbling and clean precise notes, and his singing was as good as it gets.  He was so active, present, and excited during the whole show that he really deserves this award.
• US Blues (GL & JG)
• Normally a boring encore, this song works so much better as a first set closer.

     The band left the stage to raucous applause, and even though the lights didn't come on for another 10 minutes, we all knew it was setbreak.  This was the only night of the run that wasn't sold out, and it was a pretty easy going crowd, being a work night and all.  No one got into too much trouble and we all cooled our feet during an average-length intermission.  The security getting in had involved a good amount of patting down and feeling of shoes, but the staff at the Cap are so nice and professional that the only time I saw them scold someone it was a lady filming with the flash on, not the guy with the vape pen immediately next to her.  So everyone was able to elevate their headspace appropriately for the second set, which as we all know is when they bring the dragons out!  Even John Molo blew out a giant vape cloud when he got to his kit!  White Cloud indeed...

Second Set

• Dark Star (v1) > (PL, GL, & JG)
• I told you, dragons!
• In classic Phil style this started as tuning that slowly turned into a jam that led to the opening riff, but as we all know, it's all just Dark Star.
• This is a case where I'm gonna need to relisten to it at least 5 times before I have much more to say about it besides "WOW."  They got to the first verse pretty quickly, trading the lines in the order I indicated above, and as soon as they wrapped those up things got weird fast.  What followed was a series of mini jam episodes where the "leader" role would shift seamlessly back and forth, all while Phil really led the whole thing.  Eventually (this could easily have been 30 minutes, won't know until a tape comes out) the jam ended up in something sounding very familiar, that turned out to be Box of Rain.
• Box of Rain > (PL)
• First of all, shut up while Phil is singing Box of Rain, you animals.
• Second of all, this might have been the best version of this that I've seen, and not just due to its position in this awesome sandwich.  It was a great tempo, Phil sang it perfectly, and the leads in it were off the chain.  And then the leads turned into a jam, and it looked like we were headed back into Dark Star to wrap it up, but Jackie twisted a lick around and it resolved into Wharf Rat!
• Wharf Rat > (JG)
• This was Jackie's bid for MVP of the night, even more emotion than in So Many Roads, and he sang those lyrics with a uniquely personal style.
• I was convinced they were going to continue the sandwich theme and go from "live the life I should" and go > The Other One (v1) > Morning Dew > The Other One (v2) > etc., but alas it was not to be.  Instead they wound up Wharf Rat with some more heavy riffs from Jackie and Grahame.  They didn't jam much between the two final verses, but the jam back into Box of Rain hit some stellar places.
• Box of Rain (PL & GL)
• When Phil led them back into the lyrics my dad and I, and about 100 other people, pumped our fists into the air.  I was levitating at this point in the concert, I just felt so full of love: love for Phil, love for music, and love for everyone in the theatre.  Love will see you through!
• Speaking of the theatre, I can't think of a better place to see a concert.  The sound is so clean wherever you go in the Cap, and the light show had my jaw hanging loose a few times.  It's no precise, techno-organic monster like Phish has, but instead is more focused on trippy displays on the walls with some tastefully choreographed stage lights.
• Tench's organ work kind of stepped on Phil's singing here, but it all still sounded great.
• Grahame backed up his dad for the final verses wonderfully, and they wrapped the song up, leaving the rest of Dark Star as a floating variable for the rest of the weekend.
• Franklin's Tower (GL, JG, & PL)
• After some ass scratching and vaping by the band, they started up this Franklin's at a blistering speed.  They started it with the Slipknot! ending, which is another thing they're "stealing" from JRAD!  I'll admit that as a Help > Slip! freak, I was a bit perturbed by their absence, but I was too busy boogying to really be bothered.  And hey, maybe they'll do Help > Slip!> Fire one of these next nights.
• Phil got the whole band soloing at once at a few points here, keeping the song nice and punchy, the way I like it.
• Uncle John's Band (ALL)
• Both Frank's and this were strangely standalone versions, but I can't complain.
• Phil sounded like he was having some feedback issues with his rig for this one, but he conquered them before the dark jam got going.
• Scofield was really the one in charge for this, and Tench maybe got a bit lost in the 7/4 meter, but Grahame got him back on track while Jackie goaded Scofield into some crazy syncopations.  That Scofield can get so many different noises out of his guitar that it boggles the mind.
• St. Stephen >  (ALL)
• I saw/heard this one coming from a mile away, Phil really tipped his hand with some power chord tuning.
• There was some shakiness in the bridge and coming out of the jam, but once again the band was quick to get back in the saddle and get things moving along.
• The big jam in the middle had Jackie basically menacing Grahame into taking the lead.  He walked right up to him and started soloing in his face, and Grahame happily took the bait and started shredding.  The two of them made such a good pair, and could get some very grungy tones going.
• Let it Grow > (GL)
• This one took me by surprise, and maybe could have used some more rehearsal, but you could make a good argument for Phil just wanting to play it in his own way.
• Jackie and Grahame started it off with some more grunginess that I was sure would turn into a Tom Petty song.  Molo made some scowls during bits of this, which makes me think it was more of a rehearsal issue than a style decision by Phil.
• Either way, the solo section went off without a hitch as Jackie switched his attention back to Scofield.  The jam mellowed down into a meandering, spacey vibe that was reminiscent of Playing in the Band for a bit, before they shifted through the usual chord changes of the song.  They did hit all of the regular changes and the closing riff, but they did it in a very subtle way that once again may have just been down to not rehearsing a tighter version, but whatever.
• The Wheel > (ALL)
• This segued very nicely out of Let it Grow, and I couldn't believe they were still doing open jam songs this late in the set!
• The only hiccup here was going into the first verse, and the rest of it was the classic Phil Wheel: jam it out between every verse, let the momentum take you until Phil says it's time to sing again.
• The song did come to an end, but with only maybe half a second of being done before Phil started them up into the next song, so I'm leaving the "into" sign there.
• I Know You Rider (ALL)
• At first I thought it was GDTRFB, and rolled my eyes because to me that's the classic "boring" show closer, a real "roll credits" song where everyone gets a turn at a solo while their name appears on screen: Starring Phil Lesh as "Dad."
• But once Scofield shifted the chords I realized that it's the better roll credits song!  Once again Phil got the whole band soloing at once at the end, really whipping the exhausted crowd into a final frenzy!  There may have been some tears shed along with all the sweat.
• Donor Rap
• Before Phil came out for his Rap, people started singing Happy Birthday, and I wanted to tell them that his birthday wasn't until tomorrow.  But it was tomorrow!  Phil had played until after midnight on his first night of the run, which is impressive for a newly 79 year old.
• But Phil interrupted them with a story of a man named Chuck who was an organ donor who recently passed, and he encouraged the rest of us to promise to become organ donors ourselves.
• Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad
• Uhh....see my Rider notes.
• In all fairness this isn't a bad song or anything, it's just a bit cliche.  And they rocked it right out, no matter how late it was!

     The band took a bow, the lights came on, and we sat our asses down after all that dancing.  A lot of people had cleared out early because they had to go to work the next morning, but we took our time getting out and walking back to the car.  All in all this was one of the best Phil shows I've seen, maybe one of the best in general.  I can't wait to see what he has in store for us the next two nights!