Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh turned 76 yesterday and celebrated with a Phil Lesh & Friends performance at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. Lesh was joined by members of his long-running “The Q” band with the exception of Jimmy Herring as Eric Krasno shared guitar duties with Warren Haynes as Rob Barraco played keys and John Molo was behind the kit.

In typical “The Q” fashion, the five-piece came out of the gates with a jam. The band eventually started up “Help On The Way” which was followed by “Slipknot!” but instead of “Franklin’s Tower,” Haynes showed off his best Brent Mydland on “Just A Little Light.” It was then Barraco’s turn up front for “Doin’ That Rag.” One of the evening’s biggest surprises came next when Warren led the group on Eric Clapton’s “Let It Rain” ahead of “Althea” and “Bertha” to end the first set.

Phil Lesh & Friends kicked off last night’s second set with a well-jammed “Shakedown Street” that eventually gave way to “Viola Lee Blues.” Lesh then had his first lead vocals of the night on “Eyes Of The World.” The Grateful Dead classics kept coming with Barraco fronting “Playing In The Band” before a lengthy “Terrapin Station.” Haynes stepped into the spotlight for an emotionally charged “Morning Dew” that ended the second set. A video of Phil’s grandson Levon wishing his “pop” a happy birthday was shown on a big screen during the encore break. The crowd roared its approval while a birthday cake was delivered to the bassist ahead of Warren singing “Standing On The Moon” as the evening’s encore.

The Phil Lesh Quintet plays The Capitol Theatre on Thursday and Friday nights in Port Chester. Audio of the concerts will be streamed on SiriusXM’s Grateful Dead channel, while a video webcasts are available via nugs.tv.

Videos (Captured by Stephen Hurtes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xltGQlHp-eo

[Let It Rain]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-idOGe5gsM

[Shakedown Street]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCJuBiUZ9YE

[Althea]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUWgrhznSpA

[Bertha]

Setlist

Set One: Jam > Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Just A Little Light, Doin’ That Rag, Let It Rain, Althea, Bertha

Set Two: Shakedown Street > Viola Lee Blues, Eyes Of The World, Playing In The Band > Terrapin Station > Morning Dew

Encore: Standing On The Moon