Yesterday, Philco – the collaboration of Phil Lesh & Friends, key members of Wilco and more – shared two sets to close out the first evening of the inaugural Sacred Rose Festival at the SeatGeek Stadium outside Chicago. The lineup of friends led by Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh included Karl Denson on saxophone and flute, Jeff Chimenti on keys, vocalist Elliott Peck, Stu Allen and Grahame Lesh on guitar and drummer John Molo. Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and Nels Cline’s alternative inclinations added a fresh flavoring to the collection of Grateful Dead tunes shared throughout the night, as did artist at large, Margo Price.

After a beautiful summer day with performances by Liz Cooper, White Denim, The Dip, Sierra Hull, the Punch Brothers, Lettuce, St. Paul & the Broken Bones and more, Philco started the night off with a take off the Grateful Dead’s 1970 LP Workingman’s Dead, “Dire Wolf.” The southern swing of the tune proved as the perfect vehicle for Tweedy (who handled lead vocals) and Cline (on lap steel guitar) to lock into the rest of the ensemble, immediately connecting with Chimenti’s signature ragtime piano. Allen then led the charge as Philco moved into “Doin’ The Rag,” during which Denson shared a bit of his universe during a back and forth with Cline. Next, the group got a little funky on “Mr. Charlie,” which highlighted Peck’s vocals.

Philco continued to share not just their musical stylings but also “the women and the wine” as Denson broke out the flute for a very sweet take on “Jack Straw.” They delved deeper into the ever-growing Great American songbook as Tweedy took the yoke on the Woody Guthrie penned “Airline To Heaven,” a song Wilco and Billy Bragg’s used as the opening tune on their 1998 LP Mermaid Avenue – which was comprised of unheard lyrics written by American folk singer Woody Guthrie. They continued with Tweedy on lead vocals with “U.S. Blues,” during which Denson swapped back to saxophone for an extended and glistening solo. To close out the first set, Philco performed “Not Fade Away.” Price joined on tambourine for the song, and in line with the nature of the song, the ensemble clapped and harmonized with the song on the final lines, “Love’s real, not fade away/ Not fade away.” After several minutes Molo added a closing fill which accompanied the final harmonies, from both the crowd and the band, on their exit.

After a 45-minute break, Philco returned with a cover of The Grateful Dead’s grooving bop and fan favorite, “Shakedown Street,” with Denson and Price handling vocals. Cline took the song to a climax with a firey solo which led to a cover of the Cannon’s Jug Stompers’ “Viola Lee Blues.” Not to be forgotten or overshadowed, the older Lesh brought focus to the Phil part of Philco with “Pride Of Cucamonga.” Next, Peck led the group through “New Speedway Boogie” before they broke into “Slipnot!’ and a Tweedy shepherded “Franklin’s Tower.” Tweedy stayed at the mic to share a raw rendition of Wilco’s 1999 ode to home “Via Chicago,” which saw cheers from the crowd as he sang, “But the wind blew me back via Chicago/ In the middle of the night/ And all without fight at the crush of veils and starlight.” For the final song, all the members of Philco stepped forward for a big ol’ sing-along of “Ripple,” effectively ending the night.

Sacred Rose will continue today with performances scheduled for lespecial, SunSquabi ft. Kanika Moore, Lotus, Moon Taxi, Cory Wong, Umphrey’s McGee, Goose, STS9 and more.

Check out the show with a livestream via Fans.Live.

Phil Lesh & Friends (Philco)
Sacred Rose – SeatGeek Stadium – Bridgeview, Ill.
Aug. 26, 2022

Set I: Dire Wolf (Grateful Dead cover) (Jeff Tweedy lead vocals), Doin’ That Rag (Grateful Dead cover) Mr. Charlie (Grateful Dead cover) (Elliot Peck lead vocals), Jack Straw (Grateful Dead cover), Airline to Heaven, (Woody Guthrie cover) (Jeff Tweedy lead vocals), U.S. Blues (Grateful Dead cover) (Jeff Tweedy lead vocals) Not Fade Away (The Crickets cover) (Margo Price tambourine and vocals)

Set II: Shakedown Street (Grateful Dead cover) (Karl Denson lead vocals; Margo Price tambourine) Viola Lee Blues (Cannon’s Jug Stompers cover) Pride of Cucamonga (Grateful Dead cover), New Speedway Boogie (Grateful Dead cover) (Elliott Peck lead vocals), Franklin’s Tower (Grateful Dead cover) (Jeff Tweedy lead vocals), Via Chicago (Wilco cover) (Jeff Tweedy lead vocals), Ripple (Grateful Dead cover) (Jeff Tweedy lead vocals)