Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country Opens Up ‘Box Of Rain’ For Phil Lesh At Brooklyn Bowl

On Phil Lesh's 84th birthday, he did something he had spent the past 25 years doing — he jammed with younger musicians. Guitarist Daniel Donato made his Phil Lesh & Friends debut on March 15, 2024 at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. This past Friday, Donato and his own band paid tribute to the Grateful Dead bassist at the original Brooklyn Bowl on the night Phil Lesh died.

Daniel Donato’s run as a member of Phil & Friends was short but memorable. Not only did he perform as part of Lesh’s ensemble at his final birthday show, the guitarist was also part of the band for Phil’s last headlining show on May 9, 2024 at The Fillmore in San Francisco. While in the Bay Area, Donato helped Phil Lesh kick off his Clubhouse Sessions and Darkstarathon video series.

Daniel Donato's Cosmic Country took up residency at Brooklyn Bowl for a three-night stand spanning Thursday, October 24 through Saturday, October 26. On Friday, Donato and bandmates bassist Will McGee, keyboardist Nathan “Sugar Leg” Aronowitz and drummer Will “Bronco” Clark debuted an extended cover of “Box Of Rain” to start an encore that also included “Samson & Delilah,” a song often covered by the Grateful Dead.

The Nashville-based guitarist honored Phil’s adventurous spirit by jamming out “Box Of Rain,” one of Lesh’s signature songs. Donato worked hints of “Here Comes Sunshine,” “Fire On The Mountain” and “China Cat Sunflower” into the tune co-written by Phil Lesh and Robert Hunter that the Grateful Dead recorded for their 1970 LP American Beauty.

Cosmic Country linked “Box Of Rain” with the traditional “Samson & Delilah” via some nifty licks by Donato. Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir was inspired to bring the overtly biblical song to the Grateful Dead repertoire by Rev. Gary Davis. Donato’s band debuted their version earlier this year, while the Dead’s take was a live staple from 1976 through the band’s final set on July 9, 1995 at Soldier Field in Chicago.

Watch fan-shot video of Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country’s “Box Of Rain > Samson & Delilah” below:

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country continues their fall tour on Wednesday, October 30 in Minneapolis. Then, the quartet will perform a Willy Wonka-themed Halloween concert in Milwaukee.