Grahame Lesh & Friends Get Busted Down On Bourbon Street In New Orleans

Grahame Lesh & Friends closed out a series of two Busted Down On Bourbon Street concerts at The Joy Theater on Wednesday. The son of late Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh was joined by an impressive roster of performers on night two in New Orleans, including guitarists Daniel Donato and Jake Brownstein (Eggy), vocalist Kanika Moore, drummer John Molo, bassist Tony Hall, keyboardists Ivan Neville and Cory Henry as well as the Preservation Hall Jazz Band Horns.

The talented ensemble, featuring Grahame Lesh on bass, mainly worked through gems from the Dead’s live repertoire. A few other classic tunes were thown in for good measure, namely covers of songs by The Meters, Jerry Garcia Band and Neil Young.

Grahame Lesh & Friends’ first set on Wednesday was bookended by “Viola Lee Blues.” After the initial foray into the tune, Daniel Donato led the group on “Bertha.” Ivan Neville then fronted the Grahame Lesh debut of “Iko Iko,” which gave way to a partial romp through the Meters’ “They All Ask’d For You.” The band followed by picking up “Viola Lee Blues” where they left off earlier before Donato helmed a rousing “Cumberland Blues.”

Kanika Moore had her first turn into the lead vocal spotlight for the ensuing “Cats Under The Stars.” Grahame and Daniel delicately noodled the “Here Comes Sunshine” intro before the full outfit lit into the song proper. Jake Brownstein capably sang the Dead’s ’70s standout.

Daniel Donato returned to the mic for a powerful “Tennessee Jed” featuring the Pres Hall Horns. The group then slammed into the end of “Viola Lee Blues” to close the set.

All of the participants besides Cory Henry and Tony Hall returned to kick off the closing stanza with an “Eyes Of The World” featuring Lesh and Moore on shared lead vocals. Kanika Moore then belted out “Ship Of Fools” with Ivan and Cory on keys before Hall joined the fray in time for a particularly funky “West L.A. Fadeaway.” Grahame Lesh led the version and was on guitar as Tony Hall handled bass duties. Next up was a well-jammed take on Neil Young’s “Down By The River” featuring Ivan Neville on vocals.

The show rolled on with the complete ensemble on “Shakedown Street” and Ivan Neville fronting “Broken Arrow.” An improvisational highlight of the night sealed the second set, as Grahame Lesh & Friends delivered a seamless sequence connecting “St. Stephen,” “Bird Song” and “Not Fade Away.” Donato guided the “Samson & Delilah” encore to end the show.

A livestream replay of the full show is available for nugs subscribers. Watch the beginning of Grahame Lesh & Friends’ Busted Down On Bourbon Street finale below:

Photos by Adam McCullough

Setlist

Set One: Viola Lee Blues > Bertha, Iko Iko > They All Ask’d For You, Viola Lee Blues > Cumberland Blues, Cats Under The Stars > Here Comes Sunshine, Tennessee Jed > Viola Lee Blues

Set Two: Eyes Of The World, Ship Of Fools, West L.A. Fadeaway, Down By The River, Shakedown Street, Broken Arrow, St. Stephen > Bird Song > St. Stephen > Not Fade Away

Encore: Samson & Delilah