Phil Lesh & Midnight Ramble Band Join Forces At Bethel Woods

Phil Lesh and The Midnight Ramble Band teamed up for a concert at Bethel Woods Center For The Arts in Bethel, New York on Saturday. The Grateful Dead bassist and the late Levon Helm’s longtime band, along with Phil’s son, Grahame Lesh, filled the setlist with GD classics and songs from The Band’s/Levon’s live repertoire at the venue near where the original Woodstock festival was held just over 53 years prior in 1969.

The Midnight Ramble Band consists of guitarists Larry Campbell, Jim Weider and Connor Kennedy, multi-instrumentalist Amy Helm, vocalist Teresa Williams, drummers Tony Leone and Shawn Pelton, keyboardist Brian Mitchell and multi-instrumentalist Adam Minkoff as well as Steven Bernstein, Jay Collins and Erik Lawrence on horns. Larry Campbell was a Phil Lesh & Friends regular from 2006 until the bassist turned his attention to The Dead and then Furthur starting in 2009. Campbell and Williams have participated in various Phil & Friends runs over the past decade.

Saturday’s first set began with a “Tennessee Jed” sung by Larry Campbell. Larry then played mandolin on the ensuing “Rubin & Cherise” featuring Connor Kennedy on lead vocals and a particularly cool horn line. Adam Minkoff fronted the group for the “Scarlet Begonias” that followed. A tasty jam bled into a “Not Fade Away” that saw Larry Campbell and Grahame Lesh engage in guitar-fueled call-and-response with Jim Weider and Adam Minkoff. Grahame also shined on the gorgeous “Brokedown Palace” he sang with Amy Helm while Larry Campbell played fiddle.

The ensemble picked the energy up with a horn-driven “Franklin’s Tower.” Next, Tony Leone had a turn on lead vocals for “Ophelia.” Phil Lesh & The Midnight Ramble Band ended their first set in Bethel by delivering an expansive “Sugaree” helmed by Teresa Williams.

“Shakedown Street” got the second set underway on Saturday. Connor Kennedy both handled lead vocals and played guitar on the title track to the Grateful Dead’s 1978 studio album. Levon Helm’s grandson, Lavon Henry Collins, took Pelton’s spot behind the drums as Shawn added tambourine and shakers to the mix. From there, Grahame led the ensemble on “Playing In The Band” and Amy Helm belted out “Eyes Of The World” before Larry Campbell provided a wild guitar solo as “The Genetic Method” intro to “Chest Fever.”

Phil Lesh had his own moment in the vocal spotlight on one of his signature songs, “Unbroken Chain.” A swirl of horns, keys and guitars powered the 13-minute “Unbroken” to the delight of the audience. Next, Amy Helm channeled her father in singing a take on Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City” akin to the version The Band recorded for 1993’s Jericho. The massive band was then led by Teresa Williams for the Ike & Tina Turner-popularized “River Deep, Mountain High” to conclude Saturday’s second set.

Upon returning to the stage Phil Lesh spoke of the magical connection between the musicians on stage and the audience. He then gave his “Donor Rap” and introduced the band. The group went with The Band classic “The Weight” as the encore to cap the evening.

Stream an audience recording taped by Keith Litzenberger featuring Saturday’s concert below:

Check out fan-shot video of Phil Lesh and The Midnight Ramble Band:

Setlist

Set One: Tennessee Jed, Rubin & Cherise, Scarlet Begonias, Not Fade Away, Brokedown Palace, Franklin’s Tower, Ophelia, Sugaree

Set Two: Shakedown Street, Playing In The Band, Eyes Of The World, The Genetic Method > Chest Fever, Unbroken Chain, Atlantic City, River Deep Mountain High

Encore: The Weight