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!