Oteil & Friends Start and Stop Denver Run with “Unbroken Chain” for Phil Lesh
Photo Credit: Marc Milman
On November 1, Oteil & Friends made their first public appearance since Grateful Dead original member Phil Lesh passed away on Friday, Oct. 25. The concert occurred one week after the bassist’s death, providing a window of opportunity for musical reflection. Given each and every members’ respect and affinity for the late virtuoso, the band started, and followed up by concluding their two-night stand at Denver’s Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom with “Unbroken Chain.”
Striking a reflective tone with great consideration of their shared history, multi-instrumentalist Jason Crosby took the lead on the first song of the night, the beloved Lesh co-write, “Unbroken Chain.” Notably, Crosby first crossed paths with Lesh in the 2010s–in time becoming an integral member of Phil & Friends and the Terrapin Family Band as a liaison of the Grateful Dead songbook. The start to Friday’s show also served as a debut, delineating the band’s intention to step out with a plan and in admiration of their jam predecessor.
In addition to Crosby’s history with Lesh, Burbridge wrote of his connection to the late bassist prior to the concert via Instagram, “Phil was singular. He had the simply best electric bass tone ever. And he was a total revolutionary conceptually. His approach was so unique that it took me a minute to realize what an enormous part of the mystery of the Grateful Dead sound was in his hands.”
“There were absolutely no hard and fast rules other than to have good intention and be 100% true to the moment. ‘Never play it the same way once!’ might be my favorite quote of his. That kind of fearlessness is rare and was even considered subversive by some. That’s the mark of a true artist,” Burbridge continued.
With consideration of Burbridge’s own role, manning bass and select percussive duties in Dead & Company, he touched on the affect Lesh had on the Grateful Dead’s live repertoire, “He’s still teaching me a lot every time I hear another Dead Show and he does something he never did before. There are always some hidden ‘Easter eggs’ that I find listening to old shows. Little unexpected gems. I bet he surprised himself musically as much as anyone else.
Bookending the run, the band made a conscious effort to remind the audience that they were there to honor Phil, concluding their final stand on Saturday, Nov. 2, by returning to “Unbroken Chain” as the evening final send-off–once again led by the ever-talented, Crosby.
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Oteil & Friends
Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom – Denver
Nov. 1, 2024
Set I: Unbroken Chain+, My Sisters and Brothers, Hillbillies on PCP, Mother’s Song, Dreams, That’s What Love Will Make You Do, Dark Star, Love and War
Set II: Monk Funk, Rubin and Cherise, No More Doubt, New River Train, Time For the Sun, Friend on the Devil/Lithium, Minglewood Blues, Every Hungry Woman
Notes:
+ Debut, first time played
Oteil & Friends
Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom – Denver
Nov. 2, 2024
Set I: Too Many Times, Run for the Roses, Fixin’ to Die Blues, Tore Up Over You, So Many Roads, Magnificent Sanctuary Band, Rooster, Whipping Post
Set II: Blue Sky > Franklin’s Tower > Blue Sky, Slipknot!, Gambler’s Conceit, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, Love and War, Cats Under the Stars, Mighty High
Enc.: Unbroken Chain
Setlists via setslist.FM.
