On Thursday evening, Phil Lesh kicked off his three-night stand at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY, with a band of Friends that features former Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench, guitarists John Scofield, Jackie Greene and Grahame Lesh, and drummer John Molo. The collective opened the run in style, revisiting a number of Grateful Dead classics throughout the two-set affair.

Lesh and company began the night with the relative deep cut “Mason’s Children,” dug into some blues with “Mr. Charlie,” then ran through staples like “Bird Song,” “Scarlet Begonias” and “Eyes of the World.” After closing set one with “U.S. Blues,” the band returned for the second frame and opened with “Dark Star” and a “Box of Rain” that bookended “Wharf Rat.” The set then charged through a run of Dead favorites, “Franklin’s Tower,” “Uncle John’s Band” and “St. Stephen,” then later closed with a raucous “I Know You Rider” before returning for an encore of “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad.”

See the full setlist below, along with fan-shot video from the night courtesy of Sean Roche on YouTube. Lesh continues his Cap run tonight, which will be the proper celebration of his 79th birthday today.

In other Lesh news, the bassist has also announced a pair of special Friends performances at The Capitol Theatre this spring, when he will be joined by Hot Tuna/Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, who was a part of some of the earliest Phil & Friends lineups. Tickets for those shows, set for June 11 and 12, are on sale now here (6/11) and here (6/12).

Phil Lesh & Friends
Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY

Set I: Mason’s Children, Mr. Charlie, Bird Song, Scarlet Begonias > Eyes Of The World, So Many Roads, US Blues

Set II: Dark Star, Box of Rain, Wharf Rat, Box of Rain, Franklin’s Tower, Uncle John’s Band, St Stephen, Let it Grow, The Wheel, I Know You Rider

Enc: Going Down The Road Feelin’ Bad

Band: Phil Lesh, Benmont Tench, John Scofield, Jackie Greene, Grahame Lesh and John Molo