Phil Lesh & Friends Light Up Cricket Arena Dave Nelson,Publisher EnterActive Weekly - Hickory, NC April 25, 2001 It’s official ...our long lost Spring Tour with the Grateful Dead family has returned with a vengeance! Phil Lesh & Friends have started touring on a regular basis and it seems as though the ritual of seasonal tours has returned!
Founding Grateful Dead member and bassist Phil Lesh started an experiment of sorts in 1997. Lesh’s handpicked, ever-changing lineups of the greatest musicians in the business to carry on the legacy of the Grateful Dead and their venerable cannon of music. After a few years of intentionally revolving membership it seems that Phil and Friends have finally settled into a more or less stable lineup.
This time around the Friends included former Bruce Hornsby drummer John Molo, keyboard giant Rob Barraco, guitar virtuoso Jimmy Herring and Asheville, NC’s own powerhouse, slide-blues guitar master Warren Haynes. Any band with this caliber of a lineup is, without doubt, capable of accomplishing sheer musical excellence.
Using the cannon of music left in the wake of the Dead’s disbandment Phil has taken the music to higher levels than ever before. Folks are quick to start comparing Phil’sproject with other Dead related projects such as Bob Weir’s Ratdog (reviewed Vol. 4 #26) and The Other Ones.
Other than the basic idea and structures of the songs themselves each band has had a unique approachand can’t fairly be compared. However, a fact is a fact and I can’t write this article without saying simply that the 4/20/01 show by Phil and Friends at the Cricket Arena in Charlotte beat the living crap out of anything I’ve seen from the family since a few years before Jerry Garcia died. No competition!
Perhaps it was the big smiles on all the members faces, maybe the reverent approach and treatment they gave each piece of the night’s musical puzzle, it could have been the collection of musical legends playing the finest music I’ve ever known...it could have been lots of things...but I know for sure it was simply magical.
The show started with an incredibly jumping “Passenger” that immediately jumped off into a healthy rockin’ jam that flowed into a powerfully played “Cumberland Blues.” The bluegrass classic and Garcia favorite “Dire Wolf” followed and setthe stage for the 1st set’s ending sequence. The band oozed into a tasty jam onthe “Dark Star” theme that had my mind racing with thoughts of my dear friend Tom Constanten who now resides in Charlotte and was out of town on his own concert tour. According to publicist J.C. Juanis, Phil and other folks from the family missed his presence dearly.
The band kept the heavy mood of the set rumbling along with a stunning version of “Wharf Rat”that was followed by yet another exploratory jam that grooved its way into the classic Dead anthem “Going Down The Road Feeling Bad.” The house was absolutely rockin’ and just as the outro of “Going Down The Road” was fading a romping“Casey Jones” reared its ragged head. This one is sure to go down, at least in Phil & Friends history as one of the greatest played. The band absolutely destroyed the song and the ending left everyone breathless and thankful for the break that would doubtlessly follow.
At this point the show could have ended and everyone would have been perfectly happy to have witnessed the first set. However, in true Dead style Phil andcompany returned for a breathtaking second set...that, as J.C. had promised,would be historic.
The second set opened with a slinky jam on Bob Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women #12& 35” that had the crowd singing and celebrating 4.20 as only the Deadheads can. “Rainy Day” wound down and out ofthe ensuing jam came the faint strains of “Blues For Allah!” It was truly an electrifying moment when the band settled into the funky groove of the title track from their 1975 classic release. The song had only been performed three times prior, all in 1975 until this night in Charlotte. The song was playedflawlessly and flowed into a smoking “I Know You Rider.”
After a few minutes of tuning a gentle melody started building and finallydeveloped into a full fledged “Dark Star Jam” that worked magic on the crowd...“It” had finally entered the building! The following jam included touches of“Terrapin Station” before settling back into the main theme and the first verseof “Dark Star.” The verse ended and off they went into another vast musical excursion that had touches of “Lovelight,”“The Other One,” “Wharf Rat,” Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35” and finally settling back into a full version of “Blues For Allah.” The band romped through the tune with Philsinging the lead. The moment was almost surreal ...almost too much! “Blues ForAllah” faded and the jam turned back to “Dark Star” where we were treated to the second verse and the ensuing jam led into a wonderful tune sung by Warren entitled “Night Of A Thousand Stars.”
The band took just a few minutes to tune once again and launched head first into the last movement of the show. The opening lines of “Help On The Way”ushered in the last exploration of musical territory and as written andrecorded on the “Blues for Allah” album moved seamlessly into the wonderfullycomplex and jazzy “Slipknot.” This was one of the most stunning versions of“Slipknot” that I’ve ever heard and ending exchange had everyone waiting anxiously to see if “Franklin’s Tower” would arrive as expected. However theband had other ideas. A quick change in chord progressions and an equally quicktransition found the crowed jumping to the Beatles “I Am The Walrus!!!” Insane is the only word to describe this musical exchange...absolute insanity! “Walrus” gave way to a heavy jam that flawlessly found it’s way into“Franklin’s Tower” to finish out the set.
What more could anyone want after that? How about a double encore of Van Morrison’s “Stoned Me” complete with Warren wishing everyone a happy 420, that gave way to the gospel hymn “We Bid You Goodnight.”
Phil and Friends will be returning this summer...I can’t give you an exact date yet, but we do know they are tentatively scheduled to play Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Charlotte as part of their Summer tour.
I’d like to thank the guys in the band for the respect and integrity that showed in the music and a big ol’ hug from the Nelson family for keeping the magic alive and well! Also, a great big thanks has to go to publicist J.C.Juanis...as I said at the show... “Your boys are *@(# $@ Hot!!!”
Thanks for a real good time!