Melvin Seals Makes Phil Lesh & Friends Debut At The Capitol Theatre: Audio & Video

Longtime Jerry Garcia Band keyboardist Melvin Seals performed as a member of Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh’s Phil Lesh & Friends ensemble for the first time last night at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. Phil and Melvin were joined by guitarists Eric Krasno and Warren Haynes as well as percussionist Alex Koford and drummer Tony Leone for the second of three consecutive shows at the historic venue.

Lesh and his six-piece band kicked off Saturday night’s show with a rollicking “Alligator” they worked into a cover of Jimmy Cliff’s “The Harder They Come” which was a staple of JGB’s live shows. However, “The Harder They Come” would be the evening’s only song pulled from the repertoire of Garcia’s solo band. Instead, Phil & Friends lent on the repertoire of tunes from the Phil Lesh Quintet days including covers of Traffic’s “Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys,” Robbie Robertson’s “Broken Arrow” and The Beatles’ “She Said She Said.”

While the first set only featured one Grateful Dead song, the second set focused on material from the iconic San Francisco act. Lesh and his band bookended the second set with “Playing In The Band” and worked Grateful Dead classics “Cosmic Charlie,” “Dark Star” and “Terrapin Station” within as well as takes on Ryan Adams’ “Let It Ride” and Cream’s “Sunshine Of Your Love.” The group ended the night with a “Lazy River Road” encore. Phil Lesh & Friends brings the same lineup back to The Cap tonight. A live webcast is available via nugs.tv.

Watch Phil Lesh & Friends open with “Alligator” > “The Harder They Come” shot by Sean Roche:

Audio (Taped by Keith Litzenberger)

Setlist

Set One: Alligator > Harder They Come, Broken Arrow, Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys > Midnight Rider, She Said She Said

Set Two: Playing In The Band > Let It Ride > Sunshine Of Your Love > Cosmic Charlie, Dark Star (V1) > Lady With A Fan > Terrapin Station > Playing In The Band (Reprise)

Encore: Lazy River Road