Jeff Mattson To Play First Phil Lesh & Friends Show Since 1999

Between October 7 – 9, 1999 Phil Lesh & Friends played a series of three shows at The Warfield in San Francisco with a lineup that saw Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh joined by multi-instrumentalist Bobby Strickland, guitarist Steve Kimock, drummer John Molo, keyboardist Rob Barraco and guitarist Jeff Mattson. While Molo and Barraco would go on to become members of Lesh’s famed “The Q” lineup and play hundreds of shows with Phil, Mattson never played in any Phil & Friends lineups since. That will change on Sunday, October 23 when the Dark Star Orchestra guitarist performs with Phil Lesh & Friends as part of a Dylan & The Dead tribute at Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael.

Stu Allen was originally supposed to perform at the Dylan & The Dead tribute, but will not play “due to unforeseen circumstances.” The Phil Lesh & Friends lineup for the 23rd will find Phil and Jeff joined by John Molo, Barry Sless, Scott Law and Ross James as well as Mattson’s DSO band mates Rob Eaton and Rob Barraco.

“We never knew what Dylan was going to do onstage. We would come up with a plan and talk everything through and he would ALWAYS do something different…So, after awhile, we just stopped planning!” Lesh said of the Dylan & The Dead tour. Tickets for Phil Lesh & Friends’ tribute to Dylan & The Dead are on sale now via the venue’s website.