Bill Kreutzmann Kicks Off Mahalo Dead Run On Kauai With Phil Lesh Tribute

Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann held his Mahalo Dead run at Porter Pavilion in Kilauea, Hawaii on the island of Kauai over the weekend. The first two nights saw Billy and an outstanding lineup delivering GD favorites as well as choice covers. But the run got started with a tribute to the late great Phil Lesh.

For Mahalo Dead, Kreutzmann enlisted guitarist Daniel Donato, percussionist Jason Hann (The String Cheese Incident), bassist Reed Mathis (Billy & The Kids), keyboardist Adam MacDougall (Circles Around The Sun), vocalist Kanika Moore (Doom Flamingo) and guitarist Jake Brownstein (Eggy).

The ensemble kicked things off on Friday by weaving their way through Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh’s signature song, “Box of Rain.” Lesh asked Robert Hunter to write the lyrics to a composition he had when Phil was helping his father pass on. A fitting tribute for a towering figure in music, Phish also kicked off their recent run in Albany with “Box of Rain” the day Lesh passed away.

From there, Kreutzmann and company untied “Help on the Way” and “Slipknot” ahead of Garcia/Hunter composition “Run for the Roses.” Kanika Moore then led the band through the hauntingly beautiful “China Doll,” which gave way to a “Mind Left Body Jam.” “Morning Dew” sealed the set.

Set two got underway with the latter-day Jerry Garcia Band staple, “Shining Star.” Kanika handled lead vocals on the song originally recorded by The Manhattans in 1980.

The band, with Donato at the mic, then pranced through “China Cat Sunflower,” which they cleverly linked with Vampire Weekend’s “Sunflower” and eventually found their way into Bob Dylan’s “The Man In Me.” A gem from the Bob Weir sphere, “Estimated Prophet,” followed before the ensemble got to “China Cat’s” usual companion, “I Know You Rider.” The poignant “It Must Have Been the Roses” came next ahead of a rollicking “U.S. Blues.” “Touch of Grey” brought night one of Mahalo Dead to a close.

Night two commenced with a cover of Paul Simon’s “Obvious Child.” Reed Mathis leads a Simon tribute, Bone Diggers. Kanika then led a laid-back “Shakedown Street” ahead of “Reuben and Cherise.” A rarity in the Grateful Dead catalog, the song was a Jerry Garcia solo staple. The traditional “Deep Elum Blues” followed.

Jake Brownstein then stepped to the mic for Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried,” followed by another Bob Weir tune, “Cassidy.” The first set wrapped up with the Dead ballad, “Ship of Fools.”

Set two launched with another Dead rarity, “Just a Little Light,” followed by Moore fronting “Bird Song,” which contained a “Slipknot” reprise. Dead classics “Eyes of the World” and “Brokedown Palace” came next, ahead of a tribute to the late Kris Kristofferson in “Me and Bobby McGee.” Honky-tonk Dead favorite “Ramble on Rose” concluded night two.

Check out photos and the setlists from the first two nights of Mahalo Dead below:

Night One

Night Two