On Friday, March 13, a litany of storied musicians reconvened at The Capital Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y. to continue the second annual Unbroken Chain: A Celebration of the Life and Music of Phil Lesh. On night two, the star-studded tribute to the late Grateful Dead bassist and preservation of his legacy of birthday residencies at the Cap saw his son, Grahame Lesh, leading another expansive and impactful exploration of the Grateful Dead’s catalog, backed by a star-studded ensemble of his father’s former collaborators and devotees.

After a first night on Thursday that mirrored the spirit of Lesh’s beloved annual tradition and built on its triumphant inaugural run last year, the second night of the second Unbroken Chain residency kept some key performers in the mix while rotating in new blood elsewhere. Returning contributors beyond the bandleader included the celebrated Nashville axeman Daniel Donato, spellbinding harpist and vocalist Mikaela Davis and the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Amy Helm. The evening’s newcomers were the Allman Brothers Band and Dead & Company bassist Oteil Burbridge, legendary Little Feat co-founder and pianist Bill Payne, strings and keys multi-instrumentalist Jason Crosby, drummer Tony Leone and vocalist Maggie Rose, with guitarists Lara Cwass and Adam Minkoff signing on at the last minute.

This stacked cast stepped into the spotlight to the tune of the Aoxomoxoa entry “Cosmic Charlie,” which simultaneously introduced the group’s hazy psychedelic impulses and deep roots in rugged Americana. After a blissful “Sugaree,” the band kept on with a loping “Brown-Eyed Women,” followed by further core cuts like “High Time” and “Passenger,” then snuck in a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City” that also reared its head at last year’s memorial staging.

Grahame Lesh & Friends closed out the first frame with a curveball of “Born Cross-Eyed,” one of a great many Bob Weir-penned classics, offered up in tribute to the late guitarist. This tone of reverence and devotion charged the whole of the second act, which began with an unstructured and deeply compelling jam before pivoting into the toe-tapping tempo of “Uncle John’s Band.” the group remained in this folksy mode for “Playing in the Band” and the Dead’s thoroughly honed cover of Bonnie Dobson’s “Morning Dew,” then took a beat with a potent mid-set delivery of “It Must Have Been the Roses.” After this impactful beat, the band let their wildest improvisational instincts spirit them through a final arc of “St. Stephen,” “The Eleven” (featuring teases of the ABB’s “Whipping Post” and “William Tell Bridge” and a towering outro of “Casey Jones.” In the wake of this second direct homage to the late Weir, the band stepped up for an upbeat encore of “Truckin’.”

Grahame Lesh & Friends will return to The Capitol Theatre tonight, then conclude this year’s Unbroken Chain series with one last show on Sunday. Find tickets and more information at thecapitoltheatre.com.