Phil Lesh at the Grate Room at Terrapin Crossroads, January 7, 2020

Terrapin Crossroads presents Phil Lesh, with Stu Allen, Jason Crosby, Grahame Lesh, and John Molo
the Grate Room at Terrapin Crossroads
100 Yacht Club Drive, San Rafael, CA 94901 USA
8:00 PM, Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2020 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2020 event list! ☸ On to the next event!

[7:01 PM] Let It Grow (multiple takes)
[Consequently, we don't get inside until around 7:30 or so. Not the end of the world, but it's kinda cold to be standing around outside tonight: would have worn a warmer coat if I'd expected that problem!]

[8:13 PM lights down, band out after about 30 sec; 8:15 teasin… JC starts on B-3; Spacey noodles, false start]

1. [8:16 PM] Alligator (PL) (rippin' fast) » [8:24 PM] JC swaps to keyboard; the band drops into an unusual jam, reminiscent of China Cat »
2. [8:27 PM] Brown-eyed Women (SA)
3. [8:35 PM] Reuben & Cerise (SA) »
   [JC swap to B-3]
4. [8:45 PM] Liberty (GL)
   [JC swap back to keyboard]
5. [8:55 PM] Box of Rain (PL)
   [set ends 9:03 PM]

[I head to the bar, and catch a minute or two of Fiyo on the Bayou from Mark Karan, Danny Eisenberg, Robin Sylvester, and a drummer who I failed to pay attention to (oops!)]

[9:23 PM] lights down;
[9:26 PM] band out;
[9:28 PM] noodling; JC starts on keys]

1. [9:29 PM] Playing in the Band (GL) »
2. [9:38 PM] Ripple (PL)
   [Molo takes off his flannel shirt; JC playing both keys and B-3 during next… sometimes simultaneously!]
3. [9:44 PM] He's Gone (SA) » [9:54 PM] Spanish jam » [9:56 PM] Phil exclaims “oh no” as the jam comes briefly unglued before they regroup and head back into that Spanish thing »
4. [9:58 PM] Let It Grow (GL)
5. [10:14 PM] Uncle John's Band > chaos; JC swap to B-3 >
6. [10:25 PM] Goin' Down the Road, Feeling Bad
   [set ends 10:34 PM; group bow & posing for pictures]
   [Phil does the donor rap; 10:36 PM done, no encore tonight]

• Stu Allen: guitar, lead and harmony vox;
• Jason Crosby: keyboard, Hammond B-3 organ;
• Grahame Lesh: guitar, lead and harmony vox;
• Phil Lesh: bass, lead and harmony vox;
• John Molo: drums. ## Notes

We're way farther back in line tonight – past the corner, by the front of the TV – but happily, once inside, we end up in the exact same spot as last week. Must be some sort of magic spell spun by Ting on the fabric of spacetime! Works great for me!

The band comes out a bit later than expected, and I can't put my finger on the spacey teases that I hear … it sounds old, but what will it be? There's a last-minute consultation between Stu, John & Phil, and then BLAMMO! Off like a jet-boat, screaming across the everglades! Why, it's Alligator, attempted at a hellaciously fast tempo. But it falls apart after a few seconds. Molo apologizes, mumbling something about listening to the album version of the song. No worry. It's exciting to see grand failures too! They regroup, restart, and rumble through a powerful rendition of the tune. That's the spot I like! Eventually they come to the end where the band would traditionally drop into Caution, but tonight they veer off into uncharted territory. As noted above, this outro jam reminds me of China Cat Sunflower, but instead of coalescing on that gem, a few minutes later, Stu steps up to the mic, and suddenly we're in Brown-eyed Women. Wow! Didn't feel that coming, but the transition was totally smooth … like buttah! Nothing like the cringe-worthy train-wrecks of that other well-known band.

The rest of the first set is fine, if not nearly as exciting as the first ten or fifteen minutes. Compared to last week, the feel is looser and less driven. No matter. I'm happy to be here!

Second set starts with a magnificent take on Playing in the Band, and they get way out into some crazy spaces before reining things back in and landing on … something … uh, what's this? An electric Ripple! How unexpected! Cool! Fun! Bravo! Bravo! I'm really happy, and the rest of the set keeps me hopping in my head from star to star. Grahame does a really good job singing Let It Grow, and the jamming from the band is simply divine. I twirl. I toss sparks. I sweat. I smile. This is the place to be tonight!

All too soon, the show has ended – barely more than an hour for the second set tonight, and no encore. Yet I'm happy. Sometimes the measure of an event is best made by parameters other than duration! I'm kinda bummed to note that I'll be missing the next two shows due to pre-existing conflicts, but hopefully, Phil will continue to add gigs to the schedule in the months ahead.

With a start like this, 2020 looks to become a very fine year!

Big thanks to Ting for the photo gallery!

Whoa! This section is incomplete for now, sorry!

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2020 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2020 event list! ☸ On to the next event!