Pro-Shot: Midnight North With Bob Weir & Phil Lesh ‘Mr. Charlie’

On November 4 Grateful Dead bandmates Bob Weir and Phil Lesh reunited onstage as guests of Bay Area favorites Midnight North. The action at the intimate confines of SOB’s in NYC was captured by a number of GoPro cameras the band had set up and the resulting footage is starting to be rolled out on the Midnight North YouTube channel.

While Phil was announced as a special guest in the days leading up to the performance, Weir’s appearance was a complete surprise. It marked the first time the pair had shared the stage since the Fare Thee Well shows in Chicago. The unlikely reunion happened when Phil emerged to join his old bandmate and son Grahame’s band on “Mr. Charlie” and “Playing In The Band.” Bobby left after that point, but the elder Lesh also contributed to “Cumberland Blues,” “Bird Song,” “Wind And Roses” and “Unbroken Chain.” Watch Midnight North’s video of “Mr. Charlie,” sung by Elliott Peck and captured by multiple GoPro cameras:

Midnight North guitarist Grahame Lesh tells JamBase about the song choices for the evening:

There is something of a reason for all of the songs. Most of the songs Bobby led (“West LA,” “Looks Like Rain,” “Playin’ In The Band”) were tunes we had backed him up on at a recent Rainforest Action Network benefit concert. “West LA” had been his choice, and “Looks Like Rain” sounded especially cool with him and Elliott dueting on some of those verses. After the first two we brought out my dad for “Mr. Charlie,” which we had planned for Elliott to lead. She really rocks that one – we do it often even without special guests! After that we wanted to jam a bit on “Playin'” before Bobby had to head out. And of course, my dad stayed up for “Playin'” and then a few more tunes, which included one of ours, “Wind & Roses,” that he likes playing whenever he sits in.