Phil Lesh
This show took place on a Friday night at the end of a week when the stock market plunge had really picked up steam in the wake of the "dot-com bust" that Spring. I remember thinking that Phil's selection of the Wheel in the setlist that night was a reference to that carnage ("if the thunder dont get you then the lightning will...."), but who knows, maybe it was just on my mind.
Of course, I could’t help remembering the amazing 1983 Dead show when I attended shows like this at SPAC. These were some nice Ratdog setlists in this era, with Blackbird and whole bunch of Dead tunes. Ratdog’s set included Friend of the Devil, the same song I would see DMB would play there at SPAC with Bela Fleck on the weekend of the fare thee well concerts in Chicago.
An opportunity to see Levon Helm Band opening for Phil. I remember the fantastic horn arrangements that LHB incorporated (Steve Bernstein arranging) and found them to be the highlight of the entire concert. The LHB played "Long Black Veil" on this day, a classic tune that the Band covered on its classic first album, and that’s been played by almost every major band I like. The song was used in the title of a radio show that Jerry Garcia was doing before the Grateful Dead existed. On various occassions I have seen it performed not only by LHB and by The Band, but also by Dave Matthews Band, Bruce Hornsby and Little Feat, so its a major connection among various artists documented on these pages.
Capitol Theater
With Boyd Tinsley, so this was a rare melding of members of two of my all-time favorite bands, DMB and the Grateful Dead. Us DMB fans just love Boyd without exception and without reservation, so I really enjoyed seeing him that night, and he seemed happy to be there. We saw Boyd by the bus after the show and gave him a hug and told him "see you this summer at SPAC!"
Slideshow Below: Phil Lesh and Friends, Central Park, May 2014
