Flashback | Phil Lesh & Friends – April 1999

Sixteen years ago today a rejuvenated Phil Lesh returned from a liver transplant with a Phil & Friends performance at The Warfield in San Francisco. It was the first show of three-night stand that saw the Grateful Dead bassist lead a band that included Phish members guitarist Trey Anastasio and keyboardist Page McConnell, guitarist Steve Kimock and drummer John Molo. The momentous meeting on stage of Grateful Dead and Phish quickly became the stuff of legend.


More than a decade and a half later, the Phil & Phriends run of shows carries a bit more significance with the looming Grateful Dead 50 concerts scheduled for June 27 and 28 in Santa Clara, California and July 3 -5 in Chicago, which will see Lesh and Anastasio on stage once again. Below is video of the opening 98 minutes of the April 15, 1999 concert, capturing the massive 30 minute opening “Viola Lee Blues” along with “Big Railroad Blues,” “Row Jimmy,” “Shakedown Street” > “The Wheel” > “Not Fade Away” and “Mr. Tambourine Man.” We’ve also added soundboard streams of each night of the April 1999 Warfield run.

In other Phil Lesh news, one of the Phil Lesh & Friends lineups for this year’s installment of Lockn’ has been announced. The Grateful Dead bassist will be joined by Chris Robinson, Eric Krasno, Adam MacDougall, Neal Casal and Tony Leone for one night of Lockn’ ’15 which takes place at Oak Ridge Farm in Arrington, Virginia September 10 -13. Check out the Lockn’ entry in our newly redesigned JamBase Festival Guide.

4/15/1999

 4/16/1999



 4/17/1999