Watch Phil Lesh & Friends Give ‘Ripple’ A ‘Honky Tonk Women’ Makeover At Capitol Theatre

Phil Lesh returned to his home away from home of The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York last night to resume a run celebrating his upcoming 84th birthday. The bassist and his latest Phil Lesh & Friends ensemble focused solely on gems from the Grateful Dead live repertoire on Wednesday including an unusual revved-up version of “Ripple.”

Phil’s band for his third of five 84th Birthday Run shows at the Port Chester rock palace saw him joined by vocalist Amy Helm, guitarists Eric Krasno and Grahame Lesh, keyboardist/violinist Jason Crosby, saxophonist/flautist Karl Denson and drummer John Molo. Kraz helmed the evening’s “West L.A. Fadeaway” opener. The guitarist also let it rip during the song’s high-octane jam.

Amy Helm, Phil Lesh and Grahame Lesh traded lead vocal duties on the ensuing “Peggy-O,” which featured Denson on flute. Eric Krasno then returned to the spotlight to sing “Deal” before Grahame starred on “Tennessee Jed.” Next came a “China Cat Sunflower” that went deep. The jam was more akin to psychedelic era versions of “Dark Star” than typical “China Cat”s. John Molo only contributed the occassional cymbal splash for a few choice minutes amid the improvisation which made for a particularly spacey segment. Molo picked up the beat at just the right time as the band lit into what some fans may have expected to be the transition to the song’s usual “I Know You Rider” partner. Instead, Phil Lesh & Friends segued into what sounded like “Honky Tonk Women” by The Rolling Stones.

However the song turned out to be a fast-paced “Ripple.” The choice version of the Hunter/Garcia classic featured Phil Lesh and his son on lead vocals. Krasno alternated between “Ripple” and “Honky Tonk Women” licks as Molo kept the “Honky Tonk Women” beat going throughout. Amy Helm chimed in with pretty harmony vocals and Karl Denson added saxophone blasts to the mix on the first set closer.

Watch Phil Lesh & Friends reimagine “Ripple” at The Capitol Theatre via fan-shot footage below:

Phil Lesh & Friends kicked off last night’s second set with a 15-minute “St. Stephen.” Denson, Krasno, Grahame Lesh and Crosby exchanged riffs to bring the song to a powerful climax before the group slipped into “Playing In The Band.” Eric Krasno channeled Bob Weir on lead vocals and engaged in a give-and-take with Denson on flute during the jam. Next, Amy Helm belted out “Stella Blue” with passion and authority. The “Terrapin Station” that followed featured Phil, Amy and Grahame sharing lead vocals as Karl D. stayed on flute.

The closing stanza rolled on with the “I Know You Rider” left unplayed in the first set. Jason Crosby delivered a stellar fiddle solo before the last verse as Denson wailed on sax to wrap the jam. Phil Lesh & Friends let the final notes ring out and then began the set-ending “Shakedown Street.” Karl Denson captained the title track of the Grateful Dead’s 1978 studio album. The lengthy version featured more adventurous jamming. A gorgeous “Attics Of My Life” encore brought the concert to its conclusion.

Phil Lesh returns to The Cap on Friday, his 84th birthday, to continue the run. The five-show visit to the venue ends on Saturday night. Lineups for the final two concerts have yet to be revealed. Livestreams are available for purchase via FANS.live.

Stream an audience recording taped by Cam Keough and watch pro-shot video via Relix of last night’s concert below:

Setlist (via Cam Keough)

Set One: West L.A. Fadeaway, Peggy-O, Deal, Tennessee Jed, China Cat Sunflower > Ripple

Set Two: St. Stephen > Playing In The Band, Stella Blue, Terrapin Station, I Know You Rider > Shakedown Street

Encore: Attics Of My Life