The Original Q: Revisiting One Of The Most Important Bands Of Phil Lesh’s Post-Jerry Career

Phil Lesh sadly died on Friday, October 25 at age 84. The bassist’s post-Jerry Garcia career was a marvel that lasted nearly as long as his time in the Grateful Dead. While his famed Phil Lesh Quintet was the most adventurous and longest-lasting band of his triumphant second era, the framework for “The Q” was laid by another five-piece.

When Phil Lesh returned to the stage after a 1998 liver transplant, he focused his efforts on performing with a revolving lineup of musicians. First, he played a trio of legendary April 1999 shows with Phish’s Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell as well as Steve Kimock and drummer John Molo. Lesh spent the remainder of the year trying out different formations, including a summer performing with members of such second-generation jam bands as The String Cheese Incident, moe. and Gov’t Mule. The longest run was eight shows and each of those concerts featured just one Phil & Friends set.

On April 6, 2000 the bassist embarked on his first of many true Phil Lesh & Friends headlining tours. Lesh spent the previous fall opening for Bob Dylan but Spring 2000 saw Phil bring his project to four theaters in the Northeast for shows of their own. Phil Lesh was joined in the Spring 2000 iteration of Phil & Friends by Molo, guitarists Jeff Pevar and Jimmy Herring and keyboardist Rob Barraco.

The Original Q kicked off the 14-show tour with a lone performance at the Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, Connecticut. Phil Lesh & Friends then set up shop at Boston’s Orpheum Theatre for four nights, the Tower in Philadelphia for three and New York City’s Beacon Theatre for a whopping six concerts. The five-piece began all but one of the shows with a free-form improvisation, signaling the band’s intent to jam … hard. It’s a pattern Phil Lesh would follow for years to come.

Phil Lesh & Friends Spring 2000 Tour also saw the bassist start to dig a bit deeper into the Grateful Dead songbook and throw in such choice covers of The Beatles’ “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road,” the traditional “Whiskey In The Jar,” Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here,” The Allman Brothers Band’s “Blue Sky” and Traffic’s “Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys.”

Pevar was a versatile player who could move from electric guitar to mandolin to lap steel within the same set. He had a strong chemistry with Jimmy Herring and there were fretboard fireworks galore that tour. The Original Q was also extremely open to special guests and shared the stage with Phish bassist Mike Gordon, saxophonist Greg Osby, guitarist Warren Haynes and saxophonist Branford Marsalis over the course of the run.

Warren Haynes’ guest appearance on April 18, 2000 at The Beacon Theatre was magical. Not only could Haynes shred but he had the strongest voice of anyone on that stage. Pevar would only play one more show as a member of Phil Lesh & Friends after that tour. The Q (Lesh, Haynes, Herring, Molo and Barraco) brought an end to the revolving lineup tradition for three years starting with their first tour in the fall of 2000.

Jeff Pevar reflected fondly on the experience in a note shared on YouTube in 2008, writing:

I did a short Tour w/ Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh in 2000. It was an honor and an amazing experience for me. I had to become familiar with over 70 Dead songs for the month-long outing, which felt like I was back in school cramming for a music final. There was an amazing band of absolutely stellar players and I was asked to sing a few tunes during the tour as well. Phil’s approach to jamming is very unique. Rather than soloists taking thier turn being a featured soloist, he preferred it when everyone weaved lines around each other at the same time, which can be quite challenging as a steady diet. But I was honored to be asked and excited at the unique music departure.

Pevar also shared the following in the wake of Phil Lesh’s death:

Listening to Phil these last few days. Still hard to believe so many of our heroes that have contributed so profoundly and helped shape our musical perspectives are off to their next destination. We are sending our deepest condolences and love to the Lesh family in this time… thank you Phil for your endless inspiration. The music lives on forever.

Stream/watch memorable performances from The Original Q’s lone tour together below: