Photo: James Joiner

On Friday night, the Crosby Collective returned to Santa Barbara, Calif., to close their two-night stand at the historic Lobero Theatre. The evening was a high-energy affair, with the crowd electrified by the ensemble’s unique blend of rock and jam classics. Led by bandleader Jason Crosby, the collective, including Widespread Panic’s Dave Schools, Greg Leisz, John Morgan Kimock, Tom Guarna, Doug Stringer, Jeremy Jeffers, Lamar Williams Jr., Chavonne Stewat, and Alethea Mills, and at select moments special guest Jackson Browne. During the event, the band perpetuates the power of stirring a crowd with a series of first-time debuts that surfaced during the performance. 

Like in previous concerts, Crosby set out with the subtle piano composition “Clare D’Lune,” which flowed into a full-band sweep through Grateful Dead’s “Jack Straw” and The Allman Brothers Band’s “Dreams,” dubbed “Jack’s Dream.” “I Know You Reprise” merged two jam classics, the traditional “I Know You Rider” with Phish’s “Tweezer Reprise.” The gentler side of the first set leaned on “Casey’s Eclipse,” a current of Pink Floyd’s Eclipse parsed with lines from Robert Hunter’s “Casey Jones.” 

The arrival of “Billie Rider” produced an instantly recognizable intro akin to the original intro of The Doors’ “Riders on the Storm” with the lyrics of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” “You Really Gotta Go My Way” saw Crosby take the lead on vocals, intersecting The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me” over the music of Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” with Lamar Williams Jr. knocking Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” before dissolving. 

The night’s initial debut took the form of “e$timated Profit,” which was a combo of Pink Floyd’s “Money” mashed with Bob Marley’s “Get Up Stand Up” and the Grateful Dead’s “Estimated Prophet.” Next, the ensemble cracked into Zeppelin’s “No Quarter” and “Shakedown Street” before finding an exit designated at the concert’s halfway point.

 Returning to the stage, it was Browne’s cue to perform with a longtime member of his touring band, Crosby, on selections like “My Opening Farewell,” a rehab take on “Cocaine,” which flexed Crosby’s violin skills, before “Far From the Arms of Hunger” and ultimately resolving into “Colors of the Sun.” 

Crosby took a moment to honor Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, co-opting “God Only Knows” in what arrived as a tender moment for the dearly departed. With the band ready, they kicked into Dave Brubeck’s “Blue Rondo a La Turk” while inserting “Sugar Magnolia,” “Lady with a Fan” and “Help on the Way” within, which felt like a jazzier edition similar to the atmosphere produced by Crosby and Kimock’s other project, Spirit Guide, which debuted in February at the Sweetwater fellow Collective members, Schools, and Stringer. “Higher Funk” paid tribute to Sly Stone by mashing up “I Want to Take You Higher” with the James Gang’s 70s hit “Funk #49.” 

The group cut their teeth on a merging of the Dead and Zeppelin by way of “Scarlet Dog,” lyrics to “Scarlet Begonias” set to “Black Dog.” The second set drove deeper into beloved material by converging on the Beatles’ “Day in the Life” and ELO’s “Mr. Blue Sky.” “Takin’ Er Easy” allowed Crosby to nod to Browne by referencing the latter’s “Take It Easy.” A highlight of the second set was the group’s debut of “Let’s Twist Sunshine,” which intertwined David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance, The Beatles’ “Twist and Shout,” Katrina And The Waves’ “Walking on Sunshine” and The Supreme’s “You Can’t Hurry Love.”

Eventually, the band referenced one of Crosby’s initial mashups, “Friend of the Lithium,” which he notably tested out with Oteil & Friends, causing excitement regarding the recognizable features, “Friend of the Devil” and Nirvana’s “Lithium.” Considering fan familiarity, its placement added to pent-up anticipation, resolved as hoots and hollers upon entry. Crosby called out his late maestro, Phil Lesh, by commencing the concert encore via “Unbroken Chain.” Browne returned for the last song, “Running on Empty,” gospel “Oh Happy Day,” and another tribute to Sly on “Everyday People” dubbed “Running Happy Everyday,” which seemed to also imply the state of the band after finishing the number and coming together for a collective bow. 

After Crosby Collective’s Lobero Theatre run, the East Coast iteration of the band: Crosby, Guarna, John Morgan Kimock, Williams Jr., Andy Hess, Alethea Mills, Leslie Mendelson and special guest Steve Kimock will perform at the Bearsville Theatre in Woodstock, N.Y., on August 5, before taking their talents to the Big Apple for an August 6 follow up at Sony Hall. 

Scroll down to view Friday night’s setlist.

Crosby Collective 

Lobero Theatre – Santa Barabra, Calif. 

Friday, June 13, 2025 

Set I: Clare D’Lune -> Jacks Dream -> I Know You Reprise -> Casey’s Eclipse -> Billie Rider -> Are You Really Gonna Go My Way, e$timated Profit#, No Quarter -> Shakedown

Set II: My Opening Farewell+, Cocaine+, Far From the Arms of Hunger+, Colors of the Sun+, God Only Knows% -> Brubeck Intro -> Higher Funk# -> Scarlet Dog, Day in the Life of Mr Blue Sky, Southern Band on the Run, Takin’ Er Easy, Let’s Twist Sunshine#, Friend of the Lithium

Enc.: Unbroken Chain, Running Happy Everyday

Notes: 

+ With Jackson Browne 

% Jason Crosby solo 

# Debuts, first time played