Stormy Mondays: Philathon Commences

Phil Lesh and Friends’ Nokia run is just getting started, by all accounts with one clunker and one smoker, but before we get too caught up in the present, let’s roll back to last year. The first NYC Philathon was the time the current band (sans Barry Sless, who is always a welcome addition) really started to coalesce and form an identity. That being said, the two most noteworthy aspects of the run were all the amazing covers and Ryan Adams.

First up, we have a great version of Bob Dylan’s Tom Thumb Blues that takes off at the end- from a connoisseur of the song, this one gets top marks- into The Band’s The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. The pairing is perfect and the band shines as a band, rather than a group of hired guns. Following that is the opening Wharf Rat > Franklin’s Tower from Adams’ first night with the band- the stronger of the two, performance wise. You gotta love it when Phil finds someone who can push him to his limits. And closing out this Stormy Monday is a nice open reading of The Beatles’ Don’t Let Me Down. See ya at the Nokia, and enjoy!