Phil Lesh & the Terrapin Family Band, with Stanley Jordan & Robert Randolph on the Backyard Stage at Terrapin Crossroads, July 16, 2017

Terrapin Crossroads presents an Electric BBQ featuring Phil Lesh with the Terrapin Family Band, and special guests Stanley Jordan and Robert Randolph
the Backyard Stage at Terrapin Crossroads
100 Yacht Club Drive, San Rafael, CA 94901 USA
4:00 PM, Sunday, July 16, 2017

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2017 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2017 event list! ☸ On to the next event!

[4:22 PM band out]

1. [4:27 PM] Viola Lee Blues, first verse » [4:30 PM] jam » [4:37 PM] Cumberland Blues (AK/GL/PL) » [4:48 PM] Viola Lee Blues, second verse – aborts as the close the verse!
   [4:50 PM full stop to change out Stage Left PA speaker; 4:59 PM back onstage]
2. [5:01 PM] Alligator (RJ) » [5:09 PM] We Got the Funk tease from RJ » Alligator jam »
3. [5:17 PM] Eyes of the World (AK)
4. [5:34 PM] It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry (RJ)
   [5:43 PM Phil says to chill while they fix another technical issue: RJ busted his guitar strap and someone has to go fetch a replacement from the Grate Room]
5. [5:45 PM] Tennessee Jed (GL/AK/RJ)
6. [5:57 PM] West LA Fadeaway (RJ) $
7. [6:06 PM] Little Wing
   [set ends 6:17 PM]

[6:52 PM band out]

1. [6:54 PM] Playing in the Band (GL) »
2. [7:02 PM] Ohio (AK) »
3. [7:11 PM] Shakedown Street (GL)
4. [7:23 PM] Unbroken Chain (PL)
5. [7:38 PM] What's Going On?
6. [7:46 PM] Franklin's Tower (GL/RJ/GL) »
   [drop JC – he's got a plane to catch!]
7. [8:00 PM] (Turn on Your) Lovelight (RJ)
   [set ends 8:08 PM; all off for a bit]
    
   Encore
   [8:12 PM Phil back onstage for his donor rap]
8. [8:14 PM] Sugar Magnolia (GL)
   [show ends 8:25 PM]

• Jason Crosby: keyboards;
• Ross James: guitar, lead and harmony vox;
• Alex Koford: drums, lead and harmony vox;
• Grahame Lesh: guitar, lead and harmony vox;
• Phil Lesh: bass, lead and harmony vox.

• Stanley Jordan: guitar, harmony vox;
• Robert Randolph: pedal steel guitar, $lap steel guitar, harmony vox.

The band aborts Viola Lee Blues upon completion of the second verse – once the crew alerts them to the technical problems with the sound: from my vantage over to stage right, things are great, but folks on the stage left side are unhappy, so the crew signals the band to stop. And that's it for old Viola. She never writes that letter to her friend somewhere. Probably still has a stamped envelope too.

Alligator is a nice surprise once they resume playing. I wouldn't mind seeing that one in the mix a little more often!

With four guitar players onstage, you'd expect that things would be pretty loud, but the guys seem to do a great job of taking turns and signaling one another about who will take the next solo. Maybe they were having a politeness contest or something, but I don't recall noticing any point during the day where anyone was really show-boating or stepping on anyone else's toes in order to get their freak out going.

It Takes a Lot to Laugh and Little Wing are additional highlights from the first set, though picking favorites in this case is a silly exercise: the whole darn thing was quite good.

The second set was also terrific, though perhaps a notch or two less exciting than the first. Or maybe I was just more tired by that point. What's Going On seemed to me to be a little under-rehearsed – there was so much empty space in there that I got the feeling guys were laying out because they weren't confident enough to add another part. Nonetheless, I'd love to hear it again, and maybe I will, given that Jon Hart was running a multitrack setup in order to put something together for the TXR flash drive series.

Hopefully, both Stanley and Robert will be back for more TXR gigs soon!

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2017 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2017 event list! ☸ On to the next event!