ALO Weaves In & Out Of ‘Dark Star’ For Phil Lesh In Chico

ALO celebrated Halloween early this past Saturday, October 26 with a pirate-themed concert at River Oak Gardens in Chico, California. The quartet also used the show to honor Phil Lesh one day after his death by whipping up a “Dark Star” sandwich for their second of three sets.

Phil Lesh and his wife Jill opened Terrapin Crossroads on March 17, 2012 in San Rafael, California. ALO guitarist Lebo (Dan Lebowitz) was among the musicians who performed most with Phil at the venue through the final concert at Terrapin Crossroads in November of 2021.

Drummer Ezra Lipp cut his teeth at Terrapin Crossroads and was frequently behind the kit for the Grateful Dead bassist before he joined ALO. Lipp initially covered 2018 for longtime ALO drummer Dave Brogan and then was named a permanent band member when Brogan decided to focus on home life.

Lebo, Lipp and bandmates bassist Steve Adams and multi-instrumentalist Zach Gill dressed as pirates for the marathon concert. The four-piece played into the occasion by performing the holiday-appropriate numbers “No More Zombies,” “Rescue Our Demons” and “Dead Still Dance.” ALO also treated fans to pirate-style versions of “Sugar On Your Tongue” and “Girl (I Wanna Lay You Down)” in the first set and ended the frame by fitting Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” within their own “I Love Music.”

ALO opened the second set by debuting their take on “Dark Star.” The band worked the classic Grateful Dead jam vehicle into fan-favorite “Maria” and soon returned to “Dark Star” motifs, a pattern that they’d repeat for the remainder of the set. When ALO wasn’t abiding by Lesh’s ethos of “searching for the sound” by jamming on “Dark Star,” they performed “Sparrow,” “Water Song” and the aforementioned “Dead Can Dance.” Lebo sang the verses Robert Hunter penned during the “Dark Star” sandwich.

The Santa Barbara-birthed four-piece focused on original material for Saturday’s third set. Oldies “Hot Tub,” “Cowboys and Chorus Girls,” “Try” and “Barbeque” were among the songs played in the final frame. The latter encompassed a cover of Steve Miller Band’s “Fly Like An Eagle.” ALO capped the night with the “Dark Star” theme after pairing “Suspended” and “Goodnight Song” for the encore.

Watch audience-shot video from ALO’s Saturday night show in Chico below:

Setlist (Compiled by Greg Hoagland for ALO Shapeshifters)

Set One: No More Zombies, The Gardener, Rewind, Sugar on Ye Tongue%, Rescue Our Demons, Spooky Girl (I Wanna Lay You Down), Fisheye Lens, I Love Music > Billie Jean > I Love Music

Set Two: Dark Star > Maria$ > Dark Star > Sparrow > Dark Star > Water Song > Dark Star > Dead Still Dance > Dark Star

Set Three: Get To Do It Again, Hot Damn, Hot Tub**, Cowboys and Chorus Girls£, Separated Come Together¥, Try > Undertow, Barbeque > Fly Like an Eagle& > Barbeque, Room for Bloomin’

Encore: Suspended > Goodnight Song^^

• % – Pirate Style with Elements of Tequila (The Champs)
• $ – Contained elements of China Cat Sunflower (Grateful Dead)
• ** – with Pirates of Rock
• £ – Contained elements of Money (Pink Floyd) and Happy Birthday
• ¥ – First Time Played (Steve Adams)
• & – Contained elements of Feel Like a Stranger (Grateful Dead)
• ^^ – Contained elements of Dark Star (Grateful Dead)