Today we look back to the news we reported on May 16, 2008…

Bob Weir Joins Phil & Friends for Grateful Dead and Anthem of the Sun

Last night Phil Lesh & Friends opened a five-night run at San Franciscos famed Warfield Theater. To the surprise of nearly everyone in attendance, Lesh and his friends ran through a complete version of the Grateful Deads 1967 self-titled debut during their first set, with Bob Weir joining his estranged bandmate for Cream Puff War, Morning Dew, New Minglewood Blues and Viola Lee Blues. Weir returned at the start of Leshs second set as the bassist jumped headfirst into the Deads 1968 sophomore effort Anthem of the Sun, which includes classics like That’s It For The Other One and early rave-ups such as Alligator. At the end of the night, Lesh closed his set with the Buddy Holly sing-a-long Not Fade Away. With eight sets and eleven albums to go, its a fair bet that Lesh will run through the Grateful Deads entire recorded canon over the next few days. Phil & Friends will return to the Warfield this evening. As of press time, the venue’s future is uncertain.

Matisyahu Gets Warped

Fresh off his recent appearance at the 7th and final Jammy Awards, Matisyahu will play four shows on the punk/hardcore-centric Vans Warped Tour. The Hasidic reggae-star, whose band includes Addison Groove Project keyboardist Rob Marscher, will share the stage with the likes of Against Me!, All That Remains, Anberlin, Angels and Airwaves, As I Lay Dying, Bouncing Souls, Cobra Starship, Every Time I Die, From First to Last, GBH, Gym Class Heroes, Jack’s Mannequin, Motion City Soundtrack, Norma Jean, Paramore, Pennywise, Reel Big Fish, Relient K, Rise Against, Say Anything, Story of the Year, Street Dogs, The Academy Is…, The All-American Rejects, The Bronx, The Dillinger Escape Plan and The Vandals, among others. As of press time, Matisyahu is scheduled to appear at the Warped Tours stops in Atlanta (7/9), Orlando (7/10), Tampa (7/11) and Jacksonville, FL (7/13). After both Lollapalooza and Ozzfest repositioned themselves as destination events, the Vans Warped Tour is the last of the 90s mega-fests to stick with its traveling format.

June’s Sonic Blooms

Sonic Bloom Music Festival will take place June 19-21 in Winter Park, CO. The three-day outdoor gathering is promoted by multi-instrumentalist Jamie Janover, a member of groups like Praang, SPORQUE and most notably Zilla. As expected, all three of Janovers groups will perform at Sonic Bloom, along with Bassnector, Lotus, EOTO, The Glitch Mob, Heavyweight Dub Champion, Bluetech, Vibesquad, The Motet Trio, David Starfire, Rena Jones, edITm, Sub-ID and many others. Steve Kimock will also lead The Sonic Bloom Rebel Alliance Orchestra, which promises to draw in members of Zilla, String Cheese Incident, the Heavy Weight Dub Champion and a number of other artists. Janover will perform at Ft. Collins, COs Hodi’s Half Note tomorrow with Mo Realms, which also features members of The Motet.

Donna Jean & the Tricksters Return to South Street Seaport Following Summer Tour

Donna Jean & the Tricksters will return to the road the coming days for the next leg of their CD release tour. Before hitting the road, the group will spend some time in the studio recording a new song, which the collective has been saving as a surprise for their fans. The groups extended tour will then kick off at Boulder, COs Fox Theatre and continue on through Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, before the group hits festivals like Gathering of the Vibes, The Grateful Garcia Gathering and Gratefulfest, among others. At Nelson, OH Gratefulfest the group will also offer an bonus acoustic set at midnight. Looking ahead, Donna Jean & the Tricksters will make their grand return to New Yorks South Street Seaport, where the Zen Tricksters played a free show each summer for years, on September 12 as part of the NY Brewfest.