This was such a sweet show. The band sounded really fantastic, Phil had his mouth hanging wide open, grinning from ear to ear for the entire set. James DePrato is an absolutely phenomenal slide guitarist, not a wasted note. He and Max Delaney were trading tasty licks and grins all night.

The Tangled Up in Blue was impeccably played and sang. The cat that sang Simple Twist of Fate had this country drawl, somewhere between Waylan Jennings and Steve Earl, that really fit nice with the tune. Eion Harrington is an Irish cat with great voice and presence, and he owned Big Girl Now.

Idiot Wind is not my favorite tune, but this performance was awesome and rockin'. The singer had a slight punk edge, and he picked up the mic stand and pranced around the stage. Megan Slankard is an unassuming peach of a gal, with a lullaby soft voice and delicate features. She is one to watch for!

Meet Me in the Morning was an epic blues stomp, they jammed the shit out of it. Jack of Hearts was also very fun, more lively than the album I thought. If You See Her Say Hello was probably the weekest tune, only because the singer didn't seem totally at ease in the key, so he was flat a lot. Shelter from the Storm was totally rocked up as the finale with the audience singing along.

Then everyone came back and did Like a Rolling Stone, much to everyone's delight.

Before this set there were about 15 acts, all of whom were students and a few staff of the Branson School. The level of talent ranged from inspiring to impossible to listen to. Subsequently the place was packed with kids for most of the night. The MC requested anyone who needed "herbal enhancement" to please go outside since most of the audience was youths. This meant that all the heads stayed outside until the kids were done. I watched the entire show, and it was funny to see the crowd change from youth to strange. There were a handful of kids that stayed for the final set with Phil, and they seemed pretty bewildered.

All in all it was a 4.5 star performance.

Here's the credits:

Phil Lesh: Bass
Jeff Symonds: Wurlitzer & Music Direction
Kyle Kaprista: Drums
Matt Kunitz: Organ
Max Delaney: Electric Guitar
James DePrato: Electric Guitar
Danny Blau: Electric Guitar
Kris Jensen: Ac Guitar
Joel Streeter: Ac Guitar & Vox "Tangled Up in Blue"
Elliot Randal: Vox "Simple Twist of Fate"
Eoin Harrington: Vox "You're a Big Girl Now"
Brad Brooks: Vox "Idiot Wind"
Megan Slankard: Ac Guitar and Vox "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go"
Jesse Brewster: Vox "Meet Me in the Morning"
Matt Langlois: Vox "Lili Rosemary & the Jack of Hearts"
Davis Jones: Vox "If You See Her Say Hello"
Jeff Campbell Vox "Shelter From the Storm"

Great show by Phil and this band. During Tangled Up In Blue during the last verse, you could feel Bob Dylan and Jerry Garcia in the hall! I thought Idiot Wind was the highlight, the singer just killed it! Phil was playing great, and had his new bass. People around me started talking where I was on my disabled stool, so I ended up on right side of stage for most of album, right behind the pesron on the wall. hat a way to celebrate the first day of spring. They made us wait 3 hours for Phil, but it was worth it. He was in audience with his son during students set, and when he came by to go backstage, I couldn't resist and reached out my hand to shake his and wish him a Happy Birthday! He said thanks, and the guy looks so young, certainly not the 69 years he is. Can't wait for The Dead, THANKS PHIL, YOU RULE BROTHER!

wow.. sounds like a fun energy was in the house
thanks for sharing the inside scoop with the outer edge of the cone.

cool how so many different people have a chance to put their own stamp on songs we all love.

after tubing the you, found these clips..

simple twist of fate ( right on bout the singer here doobious: when i'd expect him to go up, he'd go down... )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I61LBx4qy2E

Meet me in the morning [2 parts] (feels like the type of sound that fills the room between your bones)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CddNN7uCmo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LrsZV0Gdk8

best wishes

thanks for the reviews, sounds like another grateful moment in history!

Ugh. Based on the video, sounds like a typical Bay Area chatter-fest in the audience.