Night 2 Of Phil Lesh Quintet At Port Chester’s Capitol Theatre Shines With Traffic Heavy Second Set (SHOW REVIEW)

“Phil Lesh and Friends” technically played at the Berkeley Community Theater on September 24, 1994, when Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, and Vince Welnick played an acoustic set before what would be the Grateful Dead’s final fall tour.  In reality, Phil & Friends took flight four years later, after Lesh’s liver transplant, and started a quarter century (and counting) of shows. There were various outfits of “Friends,” including Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks playing guitar in November of 1999. This was before they joined forces with the Allman Brothers Band, but those shows provided a pretty good idea of the chemistry that would be apparent to all. It was at Roseland’s “One For Woody” concert in 2000 that Haynes and Jimmy Herring got together. They played guitar with the Allman Brothers Band during the tribute for the late Allen Woody in a one-time-only pairing.  

The perfect synergy between the Haynes and Herring is what has made the “Phil Lesh Quintet” the most beloved of Lesh’s lineup.  Joined by keyboardist Rob Barraco and drummer John Molo, the “Q” gained fame for reimagining the Dead’s catalog, along with some great covers. Hitting the stage with music stands, they’d take off with a different jam each night. Songs would go on tangents, break down, and build back up in ways they never had before. On Wednesday, Lesh led the band in the second of two shows in anticipation of his 84^th birthday on March 15.

The band hit the stage to Curtis Mayfield’s “Pusherman” from the Super Fly soundtrack playing over the P.A. Opening with an acapella portion of “The Wheel,” they segued into “Night of A Thousand Stars,” written by Jerry Garcia’s main lyricist Robert Hunter and featured on Lesh’s 2002 There and Back Again album. It was clear the group was happy to be together and playing that tune, with strong vocals by Warren Haynes. From there, the band segued into a bluesy take on “New Speedway Boogie.” The aforementioned magic between the guitars was on full display here. Jimmy Herring, who fronted the first post-Jerry incarnation of the Dead in 2003, was positively sublime. Like Derek Trucks, it seems like his sweet tone comes effortlessly and complements Haynes’ perfectly. Seriously, they should bottle that stuff.  Like Miles Davis and John Coltrane or Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, the interplay is fantastic.  

“New Potato Caboose,” from 1968’s Anthem of the Sun, brought things back to the Dead’s earliest days.  Lesh sang lead and was giving it his all. His vocals were also out front on “Bird Song,” which contained all the Haynes/Herring magic you’d expect. The set ended with a strong “China Cat Sunflower-> I Know You Rider.”

Set II opened with a fantastic cover of Traffic’s “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” clocking in at almost nineteen minutes.  The guitars perfectly dovetailed each other once again. “Shakedown Street” received a thunderous reception as expected. Lesh started with the wrong verse of “Unbroken Chain,” which he apologized for after a great parting jam by Warren Haynes.  

“Dark Star” wove perfectly into another Traffic classic, “The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys.” This was another tour de force that at times even got so quiet that you wondered if it was over. Then, somehow they whipped themselves into another frenzy. Like all the other songs played, the jam was unique and almost sounded like it was from an entirely different song.  

“Passenger” contained a little “Dark Star” jam, before slowing down and building back up itself.  Van Morrison’s “Into The Mystic,” which Haynes has sung for years, was a sweet sendoff.  Before the encore, Lesh introduced himself (as if he needed to) and the band.  No one knows how many more of these shows we can expect from Lesh. He stood for “The Wheel,” after sitting for the entire set.  But as the song says, won’t you try just a little bit harder?  Won’t you try just a little bit more?