ZONE OUT with the ROLLING RIDER
< < ~ ~ - - > > x )( < < ~ ~ - - < < ~ ~ - - > > )( x x ((< < - - ~ ~ - - > >)) x

Phil Lesh and Friends
FOUR WINDS TOUR
Warfield Theater, SF, CA
3.29.02 & 3.30.02
____________________

Friday, 3.29.02
Howdy PHOLKS! The Rolling Rider here reporting: batten down the hatches and hold on tight for the Phil and Friends Mothership has just set sail! And what better place for a send off then the magical Warfield Theater in San Francisco. The FOUR WINDS were blowing high and mighty, with winds as far as CHINA blowing its distant dust across the ocean into the thick San Francisco fog.

As the crowds once again gathered on Market Street to join Captain Phil in the christening of the ship, the anticipation was great; Phil and Friends had not played this beloved and infamous venue since 10/9/99 with phriends Zen Tricksters. It is truly remarkable to see how the band has evolved from those early Phil and Friend incarnations and to see them return to this great theater having come full circle with Trickster Rob Baracco now as a seasoned Phil Lesh Quintet bandmate!

The first show of a tour can sometimes be tough, BUT if there was any warming up going on in Friday's first set, it was more with the crowd then the band. The Boys cruised through a solid first set, opening with a rollicking CELEBRATION followed by the bust out of the long awaited TILL THE MORNING COMES. "When the shadows grow, it'll do you fine, when the cold WINDS blow, it'll ease your mind, the shape it takes, could be yours to choose, what you may win, what you may lose..". The crisp harmonies reminded us how timelessly accurate this band is, paying respect to these classic lines but making them feel as new as the spring's blossoms.

Next we had a nice dip into a MY FAVORITE THINGS jam followed by a powerhouse EYES OF THE WORLD. These two songs were great examples of the Quintet's ability to morph the boundaries of rock-and-roll and jazz. And with Jazz Fest only a month away, the Boys are honing those chops! Then, again, the Warfield's crowd was treated to more new material. This time with a new cut, THE REAL THING, from the upcoming album There and Back Again. Sung as soulful as only Mr. Warren Haynes can deliver, this tune sounds like another instant classic. One can't help but see the irony in the name, because like Phil and Friends, this really *IS* the real thing.

"Little bit harder, just a little bit more, little bit further than you gone before.." The beauty of P&F as always to weave the new with the old, it was time for THE WHEEL to roll on through. At this point, the sails were set again, and a hot PASSENGER brought the first set to a frenzied close, zapping the slightly distracted crowd and leaving us drooling for more!

SET TWO opened with a hot jam into yet another familiar new tune, MIDNIGHT TRAIN. Once sang by Phil, this has now become another solid pick for Warren's vocal roster. Now we felt the FOUR WINDS blow in a psychedelic deluge beginning with NEW POTATO CABOOSE > NIGHT OF 1000 STARS. This combo shows Lesh's genius ability to bridge eras of time together, creating a piece as rich as the psychedelic mastery of the late 60's, yet fresh with modern wonder and potential.

As if left hovering out of a deep space Dark Star, that moment occurred where you think something BIG is happening, but you're not quite sure..."could it be ..??" "is this..??" I thought it was Cumberland Blues at first, but then quickly realized we were be treated to yet another BUST OUT - SITTING ON TOP OF THE WORLD! The Friends ripped this one down and dirty good 'ol hoe-down style. Then with no time to spare, Phil and Friends once again surprised us and played their first STANDING ON THE MOON. Long wanted by the PHANS, this version is was one for the tape archivists.

But the deluge was not over. The haunting CRYPTICAL > OTHER ONE soon philled the sacred hall of the Warfield. With Phil's bass nearly bringing the roof down in the OTHER ONE. An upbeat GOOD LOVING finished off the set, reminiscent of shows from the late 70's. When Phil delivered his DONOR RAP, he quickly mentioned a surprise special guest?? But as the phans stirred and strained to see who ELSE was on stage, the opening chords of COSMIC CHARLIE had already begun with no special guests. Was this Phil's way of saying good 'ol CHARLIE was in the house? :)

Saturday, 3.30.02
The tired and weary, the enlightened and excited, all back again in full force ready for more Phil and Friends MAGIC. Crowding the entrance to the Warfield, fingers in air, the hippie riff raff mixing with the Market Street toughs, created a bizarre synergy with the city's vibes. A scene sure to be recreated at the Warfields counterpart - the DENVER PHILmore.

SET ONE opened with a firey CASEY JONES, almost a tease to the spaced out Saturday night crowd. But that's all this crowd needed to get the GROOVE back on! A tasty Phil-PHAV, PRIDE OF CUCAMONGA, was next and set the pick for a strong PHILicious show. Then continuing Friday night's tradition of BUST OUTS, Warren broke into a howling ROAD RUNNER. The Rider couldn't help but think of our 'ol PHRIEND Merl Saunders who used to play this song with Jerry in the Legion of Mary. Merl needs our {{{ HEALING }}} vibes sent out to him as he has recently been diagnosed with cancer. The lines "I'm a road runner baby, got to keep on keeping on, and I love the life I'm living, and I'm gonna live the life I love..." rang true this evening for all of us.

Next we got the sweet, long overdue, BROKEN ARROW. This tune is as good as hearing Box of Rain and seems as if written for Phil himself! This was followed by another new, soon to be classic, the somber and serious NO MORE DO I. Closing SET ONE was your's truly's anthem, I KNOW YOU RIDER. This version was ferocious and brought the crowd into a raging dance frenzy. From the CASE to the RIDER, we knew SET TWO was going to be MAGICAL.

SET TWO opened with a sultry I AM THE WALRUS followed by the tightly orchestrated MILLENIUM JAM. This smoked into a ripping THE ELEVEN that indeed opened up the PORTALs pretty far and wide. From here on out in the set, PHANS would remain speechless. THE ELEVEN rolled into another feature of new material, another cut from the new album, AGAIN AND AGAIN. Written by Jimmy and Hunter and sang by Rob Baracco, this tune show cases the incredible potential of Phil's fellow bandmates and songwriters. With heady changes and perfect harmonies, these new songs take music to inspiring unequaled heights and will be a welcomed addition to any RADIO STATION ANYWHERE when the new CD hits the streets!

A giant TERRAPIN STATION soon followed, again ringing true to this tour's theme, "Shadows of a sailor forming WINDS both foul and fair, all swarm...". This took off into a simply mind bending CAUTION JAM. But, again, just as we realized we were being treated to this rare gem, we were transported back to 1968 with Rob channeling some mean PIGPEN ... "I went down to see a gypsy woman, wanna find out, oh, what's wrong with me ... all you need, all you need, all you need....all you need is a mojo hand..." . Yes indeedee, we got the added bonus of the infamous PIGPEN RAP! (Coincidentally, the first Phil and Friends CATUION was at the last show here with the Tricksters on 10/9/99.) At this point, the place pretty much became unglued. No one could REALLY make eye contact, but yet we all knew we were experiencing one of *THOSE* nights.

What happened next was true alchemy, in the heat of the CAUTION chaos, the Friends slammed into the hottest LOVELIGHT to date. Phil in his bright red shirt, looked like the beating heart of this LOVELIGHT pumping LOVE into the room. We all know the world needs some LOVE and HEALING right NOW, and thank our lucky stars, we have Phil and Friends here to help keep LOVE IN THE DREAM.

When Phil returned to the stage, he was in one of those beautiful enlightened dazes, casually mumbling "Hey, another Saturday night...". Yes, indeedee Phil. ANOTHER SATURDAY NIGHT in San Francisco! Phil's DONOR RAP was especially poignant this Easter morning, as humanity continues to suffer and needs help from a unified race. Also, San Francisco, a city that has taken a beating through the economy's downturn, was in need of some of that Phil and Friends LOVE and HOPE. They gave us the goods no doubt, and reminded us all to "LET IT SHINE SHINE SHINE".

The first few chords of the encore sounded like the more then apropos Not Fade Away, but quickly the Rider realized, we would soon be "..walking to New Orleans my oh my..". Another Phil and Friends phirst, the band launched into a stellar tribal stomp, AIKO AIKO into LIBERTY! Obviously in preparation for New Orleans Jazz Fest, AIKO is a perfect addition to the P&F repertoire. "If you don't like what the big chief said, Said Jockamo feena nay.." And LIBERTY sounds as right as right can be, the harmonies coming through like perfection. (BTW, this tune too sounds as if another RADIO HIT is in the hopper!)

The Four Winds Tour will be blowing this ship from San Francisco to Denver and then to NEW ORLEANS for JAZZ FEST. The Rider will roll on, but you'll have to find your own way home! :)

If I was a bottle I'd spill for love
Sake of mercy I'd kill for love
If I was a liar I'd lie for love
Sake of my baby I'd die for love
Sake of my baby I'd die for LOVE
Ooo, freedom
Ooo, liberty
Ooo, leave me alone
To find my own way home
To find my own way home
I'm gonna find my own way home

- Rolling Rider

< < ~ ~ - - > > x )( < < ~ ~ - - < < ~ ~ - - > > )( x x ((< < - - ~ ~ - - > >)) x

read 12.31.01 Part 3 Rider

~ > > ~ ~ - - < < ~ ~ - - > > )) (( < < - - ~ ~ - - > > )) (( < < - - ~ ~> > - -
x )( < < ~ ~ - - < < ~ ~ - - > > )( x