Photo Credit: Marc Millman

On Sunday, Phil Lesh & Friends took the stage at the fabled Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y. There, they followed up on two previous nights of performances as a part of the Grateful Dead bassist’s extensive October residency, which began on Friday, Oct. 14. To cap off their first weekend, the group worked through many classic tunes and fan favorites plucked from the San Francisco jamband’s extensive repertoire. During the night, the band also played a rendition of “Happy Birthday to You” made out to Lesh’s Grateful Dead bandmate, Bobby Weir, who celebrated his 75th birthday on Oct. 16. 

Lesh’s Sunday night gig got underway with a cover of Jerry Garcia’s “Sugaree” before they followed up with a take on The Meters’ “Hey Pocky A-Way.” The first frame continued with the traditional turned Grateful Dead staple, “Peggy-O,” before “Ship of Fools,” “Casey Jones” and “Mountains of the Moon.” For the final song of the initial set, the ensemble, which featured John Scofield, Eric Krasno, Karl Denson, Grahame Lesh, Ivan Neville and Mikaela Davis, landed on Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five staple track “Let the Good Times Roll.”

After a break from the stage, the group returned and broke into “Happy Birthday to You,” sung to Weir, who celebrated his 75th birthday across the country at The Warfield on Sunday night. As a fitting tribute, they followed up with a cover of “Playing in the Band,” a tune initially written by Weir and Robert Hunter. Next, they added “Mr. Charlie” to the mix before following up with “Eyes of the World” into “Scarlet Begonias” and, ultimately, “Fire on the Mountain.” 

For the final songs of the second frame, Lesh led the band through a sparkling rendition of “Standing on the Moon,” which flowed into a set ending “Uncle John’s Band.” After a brief break, Lesh returned to the stage, where he discussed the importance of organ donation with the audience. The musician has advocated for the issue during his concerts since receiving a liver transplant in 1998. Then, the rest of the musicians returned and assisted on the night’s final tune, a cover of The Band’s classic number, “The Weight.”

After memorable moments on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Lesh will return to The Capitol Theatre next weekend to continue his residency at the Port Chester, N.Y. venue. This time, he’ll be joined by Rick Mitarotonda, James Casey, Natalie Cressman, Jennifer Hartwick, John Medeski, John Molo, and his son, Grahame Lesh. Tickets remain available and can be purchased here. 

Scroll down to see the complete setlist from Sunday’s show. 

Phil Lesh & Friends 

The Capitol Theatre – Port Chester, N.Y. 

Oct. 16, 2022 

Set I: Sugaree@, Hey Pocky A-Way#, Peggy-O$, Ship of Fools, Casey Jones, Mountains of the Moon, Let the Good Times Roll

Set II: Happy Birthday to You, Playing in the Band, Mr. Charlie, Eyes of the World > Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain, Standing on the Moon > Uncle John’s Band 

Enc.: Phil’s Donor Rap, The Weight^

Notes: 

@ Jerry Garcia cover

# The Meters cover

$ Traditional 

% Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five cover 

^ The Band cover