It’s hard to believe that Terrapin Crossroads is just a smidge over one year old. The Phil Lesh-owned venue has provided so many magical collaborations that previously only existed in our dreams. Anders Osborne and Luther Dickinson playing THREE shows with a band Phil put together? What a fantastic idea that turned out to be as good as expected when it actually took place. Last night was the finale of the three-night stand of Spring Rambles that saw Phil Lesh, Anders Osborne and Luther Dickinson team up with Grahame Lesh, Tony Leone and Jason Crosby at Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael, Calif. However, that wasn’t the only show at the venue on Saturday leading to Lesh to call it “one of most energetic weekends of music here yet for me” when the music finally stopped just after midnight.
Early in the day guitarist Stu Allen was the featured performer at Terrapin Crossroads during brunch. Allen treated brunchers to covers from the likes of The Beatles, Steely Dan and Bruce Cockburn as well as some Grateful Dead staples. Drummer Pete Lavezzoli joined Stu at one point as did keyboardist Rob Barraco who was in town with Dark Star Orchestra.
Watch Stu and Rob’s stupendous cover of Kid Charlemagne by Steely Dan…
When the clock struck eight, Phil Lesh took the stage with Luther Dickinson, Anders Osborne, Grahame Lesh, Tony Leone and Jason Crosby for the first of two sets that brought the Spring Rambles to a close. The ensemble stuck to tunes from the Grateful Dead live repertoire in the first set with the exception of Dickinson’s Ship and a cover of And It Stoned Me. Anders handled vocals on the Van Morrison cover. Phil and the group kicked off the second set with a jam and rambled through Dead catalog choices connected by lots of improvisation, along with a version of Bo Diddley’s Who Do You Love? sung by Osborne. For the second set finale the band lit into Turn On Your Lovelight and added the refrain to Sly Stone’s I Want To Take Your Higher, which the crowd sung along with. The night – and the run – came to a close with a Mason’s Children encore.
Setlist…
Phil Lesh (PL) – bass, vocals
Luther Dickinson (LD) – guitars, keyboards, vocals
Anders Osborne (AO) – guitar, vocals
Grahame Lesh (GL) – acoustic & electric guitars, vocals
Jason Crosby (JC) – keyboards, vocals
Tony Leone (TL) – drums, vocalsSet One: Good Lovin’ (GL) > Tennessee Jed (TL), Peggy-O (PL), Ship > Gloria > Ship (LD) > And It Stoned Me (AO), Big Railroad Blues (LD, AO)
Set Two: Jam > All Along The Watchtower (w/Mountain Jam hints) (AO) > Bird Song (PL) > Jam > St. Stephen (PL) > The Wheel (PL, GL, JC) > Who Do You Love (AO) > Not Fade Away (PL, GL, JC) > Mountains of the Moon (PL) > Turn on Your Lovelight (w/ I Want to Take You Higher chorus) (LD)
E: Phil: “This has been one of most energetic weekends of music here yet for me!”, Donor Rap, Mason’s Children (PL, GL, JC)
[Setlist via Rob Scalcione]
