Oteil Burbridge Trio Welcomes Chris Pandolfi & Joey Porter At Vilar Center Finale

Bassist Oteil Burbridge and the Oteil Burbridge Trio concluded a five-night run at the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek, Colorado on Saturday. Burbridge, guitarist Tom Guarna and drummer Pete Lavezzoli were joined by The Motet keyboardist Joey Porter and The Infamous Stringdusters banjoist Chris Pandolfi for a show that included a handful of Grateful Dead classics and a tribute to acclaimed jazz bassist Paul Jackson a few days after his death.

The trio and Porter opened last night’s concert with “Opus Pocus” by Jaco Pastorius. Oteil noted Jaco was “one of my biggest heroes.” Pandolfi then emerged to add to a string of Grateful Dead covers. Up first was the Hunter/Garcia gem “They Love Each Other” before the quintet jammed “Dark Star” into “Mr. Charlie.” A take on GD rarity “Believe It Or Not” came next.

Burbridge and company then played a version of “Help On The Way” that bled into “Terrapin Station” ahead of the expected “Slipknot!” > “Franklin’s Tower” pairing. The beautiful and seamless suite was followed by a cover of The Allman Brothers Band instrumental “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed.”

Last night’s main set ended with “Mystery Train.” Then, the band encored with The Headhunters’ “God Made Me Funky.” The late Paul Jackson contributed to the original from The Headhunters’ 1975 LP, Survival Of The Fittest. Oteil told the crowd that Paul Jackson was a major influence on his playing. The Oteil Burbridge Trio returns to the stage next month for shows at the North Beach Bandshell in Miami Beach, Florida on April 23 and 24. Livestreams will be available via Mandolin.

Watch “Opus Pocus” and “They Love Each Other” below thanks to FANS:

Setlist

Set: Opus Pocus, They Love Each Other, Dark Star > Mr. Charlie, Believe It Or Not, Help On The Way > Terrapin Station > Slipknot! > Franklin’s Tower, In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed, Mystery Train

Encore: God Made Me Funky