Phil Lesh and the Midnight Ramble, Take Two

Stage

In his second appearance at the Ramble, Phil Lesh, former bassist of the Grateful Dead, took the stage to the delight of the crowd and quickly had the entire audience’s rapt attention with Cumberland Blues. His band consisted of his sons, Brian & Grahame, Joe Russo on drums, Jackie Greene on keys, Teresa Williams on vocals and Larry Campbell on everything from pedal steel to fiddle. The band meshed beautifully, sharing vocals, trading off guitar lead and thoroughly enjoying playing with each other. The pride of the elder Lesh was impossible to contain as he beamed over his sons who each carried the lead on both vocals and guitar at different points. The 90-minute-plus set weaved through classics & favorites of the Grateful Dead catalog as well as covers of some well-chosen and perfectly placed contemporary songs.

The first cover came right after Cumberland with a terrific renditon of Ryan Adams’ Chin Up, Cheer Up with Larry on the pedal steel. The line in the song, “With a thick and rosy smoke” was a stark dichotomy to the environment of Helm’s studio. A policy of no smoking, no cell phone use and no cameras was strictly followed. Frankly, it was refreshing to see a crowd 100% devoid of any gadgets, cameras, phones or video devices and intently focused on the music unfolding in front of them and the camraderie of enjoying it with friends.

Neil Young’s country, folk rocking Comes a Time, Zac Brown Band’s Quiet Your Mind and a beautiful & soulful Peggy-O followed with Larry strumming his cittern. Although Jackie Greene’s midset Never Satisfied belted the lyric, “But I’m Never Satisfied”, it was evident with only one quick glance at the crowd, that sastisfaction had not only been attained, it had been surpassed.

Uncle John’s Band, a straight forward rendition of the beloved song had the entire barn singing in unison, dancing and enjoying the harmonies of all the Leshes on stage. However, one of the highlights of the night may very well have been the Mountains of the Moon that followed. Just like the classic version the Dead performed in the intimate environs of Hugh Hefner’s mansion, this version had a perfect pace, pitch-perfect vocals and one of the most extended jam sequences of the evening.

Likely brought to the band by the Lesh boys, Kings of Leon’s Back Down South followed. Just like Quiet Your Mind, this relatively new song perfectly fit within the set and was well received. The entire set could have been played 30 years ago. The folky, country, Americana rocking had a timeless feel that resonated with the crowd, many whom had being enjoying Grateful Dead shows since the late sixties and early seventies. People happily recounted stories of the famed Acid Tests, hanging with Pigpen, Jerry Garcia, Woodstock and other seminal moments in American musical history.

Acadian Driftwood, came next and was a perfect song to drop in a nod to the host of the evening, Levon Helm. This cover of The Band classic saw vocals traded amongst Lesh’s current day band just as the original shared lead duties amongst Richard Manuel, Levon Helm, and Rick Danko.

One of the tunes from the evening’s set that had more twists and new interpretations from the original, Birdsong, was sung by Teresa Williams. Although jazzier than the Dead’s version, it still felt like it would have nicely fit on Reckoning.

Another cover, in Mumford and Sons’ Sigh No More preceded the penultimate song of the set, Mountain Song. As Lesh’s current band Furthur described on their website after Mountain Song was debuted: “Campfire to campfire or porch to porch, many folk songs have been passed down orally from older generations to younger ones. As they get passed down, the songs change with each new performer, and ownership of that song dissolves from a singular into a collective.”

On this night, with classics having been performed from over five decades of repertoire, and the elder Lesh clearly relishing in his sons capable handling of venerable classics, it was clear indeed that Phil was passing from older generation to the younger one.

I Know You Rider was a fitting number to close the set. A timeless American folk & blues classic that can be traced to a father and son team, and the very first song the Phil Lesh practiced with his new band upon joining the Dead. Ironically, not confident enough in his own vocals, he did not perform lead vocals on the song with the Dead. Unlike Grateful Dead shows where fans would humorously chant, “Let Phil Sing! Let Phil Sing”, there was no need for that at Levon’s barn. His vocals strong, his bass thumping, his leads graceful as the entire set was stitched together perfectly.

Poster

After a 40 minute break, where guests were free to roam the outside premises and gaze at the shooting stars, enjoy the community “leave and take” table which featured everything from pasta to Chocolate Cake, browse the homey gift shop which featured amongst other things commenmorative silk screened posters for $9 (contrast that to the $40 some bands charge), the Levon Helm Band took the stage.

Sharing Table

The 12-piece band delivered nearly two hours of non-stop music. While Levon only led the vocals on a handful of numbers, when he did his distinctive voice carried wonderfully & recognizably throughout the barn. It is tough to engage a crowd for over four hours, but on this night, through smoking hot versions of Ophelia or the New Orleans style funk of Mardi Gras, the audience was in the palm of the band’s hand. From peaks of free-form tuba jamming to searing guitar work, all eyes & ears were trained on the magic that was being created on the stage.

Phil joined the band for a rendition of  Attics of My Life simply singing without his bass, just a man and a microphone. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. “I have spent my life, Seeking all that’s still unsung” left everyone hoping that there are still many more years for both Levon and Phil sharing their songs and entertainting their friends, family and fans.

Friday Setlists

The encore brought all of Phil’s band, and even Marco Benevento to the stage for one of The Band’s most well known and loved songs, The Weight. Phil and his son Grahame shared a microphone, and the entire cramped stage, smiling widely, performed the timeless favorite.

Surrounded by a welcoming environment were musicians performing for the love of the art in front of an audience clearly loving every minute of the experience. The feeling that what is unfolding before your eyes is so intimate that it may as well be in your living room. Watching these beloved classics and new favorites performed in a naturally beautiful and comfortable setting is an experience difficult, if not impossible, to duplicate. Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble with Phil Lesh achieved it all and created memories of a lifetime for the lucky guests for the evening.

New musical guests are always popping in and if you are looking for a quintessential musical experience,  the Midnight Ramble website has many upcoming dates.