Concert Review—

New Friends, Lesh Philling On Shadow Of The Moon Tour

By John Voket

I was drawn to the Grateful Dead in the late 1970s through the power of FM radio. Back then rock stations and the DJs who populated the airwaves were virtually free to play almost anything they wanted.

Consequently, regional radio stations I could pull in driving around in my car or sequestered in my bedroom late at night showcased a much broader variety of “album cut” material from both obscure and popular bands of the era.

My first recollection of recognizing a Grateful Dead song was the tune “‘Uncle John’s Band” from Workingman’s Dead, also the first Dead album I ever owned. And as I began expanding my knowledge of this sometimes acoustic, sometimes electric, sometimes jazzy, sometime spacey California jam band, I started expanding my horizons, tuning into broadcasts of “The Grateful Dead Hour” and its precursor, “The Dead Zone.”

 These musical adventures on the airwaves also launched a 30-year-plus long strange journey during which I developed an ear for even the most adventurous interpretations of the band’s material. Yes, I was one of “those guys,” as annoying as a sports enthusiast who can in an instant, recall the most obscure minutia factoid, except with me it was music.

From Dead shows, to solo performances by the late Jerry Garcia and co-founder Bob Weir, and after Garcia’s passing, from concerts by the various configuration of The Other Ones, The Dead, Weir’s new band, Ratdog, and Dead bassist Phil Lesh’s own solo act, Phil and Friends, I was among the subgroup of fans who could typically “name that tune” as the first few notes began rolling out of the speakers.

I probably gained this special talent from tuning in to hours and hours of “Dead Zone” broadcasts, along with material from traded tapes and bootleg albums years before I ever saw my first live show.

And while my Dead-related concert going experiences paled by comparison to many of the more dedicated individuals I met criss-crossing the nation checking out more than a hundred or so related shows, each performance I saw gave me a deeper insight and appreciation for something virtually lost among all other concert acts.

The one-of-a-kind show.

Indeed, from first Grateful Dead concert I saw at the Nassau Coliseum in 1980, to the latest “Dead-family” tours by Weir and Lesh, the musicians still faithfully keep changing up set lists every show. It is this phenomenon, and the communal interaction with joyful fans who share my love of this strange siren’s song, that keeps me coming back.

That’s the reason I dragged myself out suffering from a terrible cold, and braved the frigid temperatures to check out Phil Lesh’s latest incarnation at The Chevrolet (Oakdale) Theatre one recent evening.

Unfortunately, I think this is one show I should have missed.

Don’t get me wrong, this stop on Lesh’s Shadow of the Moon Tour still had its legion of screaming, singing, spinning, patchouli-drenched, Birkenstock-wearing fans enjoying every note of the nearly three-hour performance, but Lesh’s decision to change the line-up of his “Friends” was in my opinion, a letdown.

While Ratdog shows have seen fellow Dead co-founder Bob Weir singing not only his own songs, but a wealth of classic cover versions as well as Garcia and Lesh originals, previous Phil and Friend shows have featured lead vocals croaked out primarily and not altogether unpleasantly by the front man and bassist himself. On other occasions there have other vocalists to supplement the lineup, a revolving cast that has included former Allman Brothers alumni Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks, as well as the Joplin-esque crooning of Susan Tedesci and even the talents of Joan Osborne.

But I have to say, bringing in Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson, with his trademark caterwauling, was more distracting than symbiotic. This element, however, could have been forgiven because as any good deadhead knows, the singing very often takes a back seat to the instrumental intricacies delivered during extended jams among the various players.

On past tours, Lesh has had the good sense to feature guitarists that have brought the flavor of Jerry Garcia’s airy and articulate noodling to the fore. This is most notably a position filled incredibly well by Bay area guitar prodigy Jimmy Herring.

But this time around, Lesh’s decided to highlight Larry Campbell, who is talented enough to be tapped by the likes of Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, Paul Simon and B.B. King. While there is no lack of technical ability here, Campbell’s bluesy and decidedly heavy-handed lead work detracted from virtually every number.

Where I was listening for Garcia-like leads that lifted the arrangements of classic Dead staples like “Brown Eyed Woman,” “Viola Lee Blues,” “Uncle John’s Band,” “Going Down the Road Feelin’ Bad” and “Dark Star” to new heights, I instead got little more than rocky, hard-edged solos that I felt brought the tunes down to mere pedestrian standards.

So between Robinson’s screeching vocals and Campbell’s chunky guitar work, the comparative few moments of uplifting pedal steel and guitar work by Barry Sless, and some fine keyboard work from Mookie Siegel were all but lost in the mix. Especially disappointing was the virtual disappearance of the cheesy but vital organ work Siegel was certainly capable of delivering on the psychedelic-era “Viola Lee Blues” and “Pride of Cucamonga.”

The ultimate slap in the face to true-blue Deadheads, however, came on the opening number of the second set, when Lesh had the sheer nerve to roll out Robinson singing the Garcia-Hunter anthem “Cats Under the Stars.” I looked around to more than a few of the old-timers stationed around me with jaws agape or heads shaking in disgust or disbelief.

I’m hoping this configuration of Phil Lesh and Friends is a one-time anomaly. While I can certainly respect the jazz-rooted Lesh’s likely urge to keep things fresh and keep the fans guessing, the tour by this configuration of friends was nothing more than a tasteless joke.

A joke perpetrated on a number of hard core fans that deserved a little more from Mr Lesh.