Daniel Donato Taps Grahame Lesh and Reed Mathis for Grateful Dead Tribute in Berkeley
Photo Credit: Dino Perrucci
On Wednesday, Feb. 12, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country returned to Berkeley, Calif. for its second booking at Cornerstone. After a ripping first night, the Nashville, Tenn. guitar hero and his ace ensemble raised the stakes for their finale, delivering a stacked two-set show stacked with fan-favorite originals and well-loved covers. The highlight of the evening was an appearance from Grahame Lesh and Reed Mathis, who lent their jam talents and prestige to a four-song tribute to the Grateful Dead.
Donato tore into his last stand in the Bay with “Better Deal Blues,” an original that has made frequent appearances in his setlists since its 2022 debut. This track’s first performance of 2025 primed the band for the recent addition “Lady Justice” and “Faded Lovin’,” followed by a rapid-fire medley of setlist staple “Weathervane” and Willie Nelson’s “Blue Skies.” After sharing the Reflector centerpiece “Hi-Country,” Donato traded the lead to bassist Will “Mustang” McGee for “Ten Feet of Rope,” then segued into “Double Exposure” to wrap the first frame.
When Donato and company returned to the stage for the second set, they’d picked up some stragglers: Berkeley ambassadors Lesh and Mathis. With an explosive response from the audience, the newly bolstered band dashed into Johnny Cash’s “Big River” in the style of the Dead. Homages to the legendary jam forebearers continued as the group presented Donato’s second-ever cover of “Loser,” which loped into a soaring and celebratory fifth treatment of “Samson and Delilah.”
Lesh and Mathis led a shreddy, high-spirited “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad,” then left Donato and his longtime accompanists to close out the show with an eclectic mix of covers; “Walkin’ The Dog” built into “Got My Mojo Workin’,” which spotlighted keyboardist Nathan “Sugar Leg” Aronowitz, then the band rallied for aa bust-out and its second-ever cover of “California Sun” for a thematically appropriate second set closer. An encore of the always exciting “Luck Of The Draw” and “Sugar Leg Rag” sent the audience off into the night on a high note.
Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country will return to the stage tomorrow, Feb. 15 with a performance at San Diego’s House of Blues. For tickets and more information on the group’s ongoing Winter Tour, visit danieldonato.com/tour.
Find the full setlist from Wednesday night at danielbase.com.
