reCAP :: Phil Lesh 76th Birthday Celebration with "The Q" :: 2016.03.18
Chad Berndtson and Stefanie May recounted the first two shows of Phil’s 76th birthday run, which I did not attend, and from what they said, it seemed to be a rousing run. All I can attest to was what I witnessed, and how I felt from Friday’s show, and it was a high on all accounts. The Capitol Theatre was packed with smiling faced hippies, as “The Q” brought the birthday celebration to its finale.
As Berndtson stated, “the interplay between Haynes and Herring, Barraco’s deft touch and canny timing (and permanently plastered grin), and the decades-nurtured pocket — the trust to keep time and do interesting things with it — between Lesh and Molo.” Friday night was no different.
We definitely experienced the “where are they going with this jam…?” right from the start with a spacey “Dark Star,” setting the tone of the evening. While some thought it was a slow beginning to the show, with “Again & Again” –written by Robert Hunter and Jimmy Herring and 2002– things started to heat up with “New Speedway Boogie.” They covered Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” which came out hot and heavy from the start. Somewhere in that jam, I heard a Traffic tease, then twirling back out into spatial harmony before they all exploded into a ridiculously strong tease of “Cumberland Blues,” before closing out the song.
The “Q” ride had begun, and it was making my head spin. Especially when we heard Haynes singing the Allman Brothers’ “End of the Line.” There’s not anything better than a bunch of guitars screaming, wailing and flirting with a bit of southern charm. Haynes and Herring delivered, in spades.
Second set highlights were “Unbroken Chain,” where the interplay between Herring and Haynes was intense during that steady but building jam. It was a 21 minute Unbroken Chain, which particularly blasted us off into the last set of the birthday show.
I knew I heard “Cumberland Blues” teased out in the first set, and we were treated to that beloved song from The Q. Other highlights were Traffic’s “The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys,” “Franklins” sans “Help>Slip” and the encore, an emotional “Patchwork Quilt.” With the band bows, we ended another wonderful evening at The Capitol Theatre, another Phil birthday run in the books, and personally, I hope they do more Q shows in the future. The bands history and talent creates a unique flow within the Grateful Dead repertoire. See you next year.
Set I: Jam > Dark Star > Again & Again, New Speedway Boogie, Sunshine of Your Love > Broken Arrow, End of the Line > Dark Star > I Know You Rider
Set II: Unbroken Chain > Jam > The Wheel > Cumberland Blues, Uncle John’s Band > No More Do I, The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys > Franklins Tower
Encore: Patchwork Quilt