Watch: All-Star Grahame Lesh & Friends Ensemble Honor Phil Lesh with Guests at First Unbroken Chain Performance
Last night, March 14, Port Chester, N.Y.’s Capitol Theatre hosted the first performance in Unbroken Chain: A Celebration of the Life and Music of Phil Lesh. With the four-night series honoring the legendary Grateful Dead bassist, the storied venue continues its longstanding tradition of marking Lesh’s birthday week with his “Friends” of countless groups and collaborations through the years, this time assembled around bandleader and torchbearer Grahame Lesh.
On night one, the younger Lesh was accompanied by a star-studded ensemble of guitarists Rick Mitarotonda and Eric Krasno, bassist Oteil Burbridge, keyboardist Jason Crosby, drummer John Molo and trumpeter Jennifer Hartswick. This dream team found further support from a rotating assortment of special guests who honored the late bassist by pouring their souls into treatments of his immortal music. Through two sets and 10 tracks, a total of 13 acclaimed artists took part in the unforgettable celebration.
Before the musical tribute, Lesh’s legacy was immortalized just outside The Capital Theatre. At the corner of Broad Street and Westchester Avenue, storied promoter and owner of the host venue Peter Shapiro convened a crowd of Lesh’s family, friends and devotees to witness the formal unveiling of Phil Lesh Lane. This permanent distinction, first announced in February, commemorates both Lesh’s 106 shows at The Cap since 2012 and his spirit that will forever be felt on the stage. Watch Lesh’s grandson Levon reveal the street sign below.
Following the commemoration, the first memorial program commenced when Grahame Lesh struck out before the band to lead an affecting treatment of “Box of Rain,” one of his father’s signature songs. With co-lead vocals from Amy Helm and backing harmonies from the Terrapin Family Band’s drummer Alex Koford, this stirring performance set a reverent and loving tone for the evening that carried on into spirited plays of “Cumberland Blues,” “They Love Each Other” and “Bertha” by the core septet.
With the energy in the hall roaring from these fan-favorites, Koford returned to the stage to add percussion to “Brown-Eyed Women” alongside Terrapin bandmate Ross James on guitar. James and Hartswick shared vocal duties for an exuberant run of “The Music Never Stopped,” which weaved from undeniably funky verses to a transcendent jam with meticulous, shapeshifting interplay from all four guitarists. The band rode this momentum out through a ripping “Casey Jones” to finish the first frame.
When Grahame Lesh & Friends returned to the stage for the second set, they were joined by guitarist and frequent Phil collaborator Scott Law, who shined on a contemplative “Dark Star” that pooled the ensemble’s talents for a genre-bending highlight. The group moved deftly from this far-out foray into a joyous rocking sound with “Uncle John’s Band,” which set a locomotive groove to propel them through “Playing in the Band” and “New Potato Caboose.”
Another energy shift into a glistening treatment of Bonnie Dobson’s “Morning Dew” led by Helm and Koford led the band into an action-packed final act. Keyboardist Holly Bowling flew into the mix to bring depth and resonance to a nuanced and affecting “Eyes of the World,” again fronted by Helm, then Burbridge took the mic for “Mountains of the Moon” while Crosby rotated to his fiddle. To conclude the second set, the ever-mounting outfit welcomed drummer Lavon Collins on “Turn On Your Love Light,” which featured yet another tremendous jam section as the instrumentalists became deeply attuned to each other’s styles and embraced bold new recombinations.
As the band set for an encore, the eminent emcee Shapiro stepped up to reflect on Phil Lesh’s incredible legacy and just how fortunate this community is to have experienced his warmth, light and genius. He handed off the spotlight to Grahame, who carried on the tradition of his father’s “Donor Rap” before springing into a deeply moving finale of “Attics of My Life” and “Touch of Grey.”
The same ensemble that thrived on Friday will return to the Capitol Theatre tonight for another opportunity to honor the jam originator. On Sunday, March 16, Molo, Jackie Greene, Larry Campbell, Steve Molitz and Teresa Williams will take over, before Warren Haynes, Jimmy Herring, Rob Barraco and Molo again–the members of Phil’s famous The Q band–conclude the tribute event on Monday, March 17. Learn more about Unbroken Chain at thecapitoltheatre.com.
Grahame Lesh & Friends
Unbroken Chain: A Celebration of the Life and Music of Phil Lesh
The Capitol Theatre – Port Chester, N.Y.
3/14/25
Set I: Box of Rain, Cumberland Blues, They Love Each Other, Tennessee Jed, Bertha, Brown-Eyed Women, The Music Never Stopped, Casey Jones
Set II: Dark Star > Uncle John’s Band, Playing in the Band, New Potato Caboose, Morning Dew, Eyes of the World, Mountains of the Moon, Turn On Your Love Light
Encore: Attics of My Life, Touch of Grey
