Following the previously announced Unbroken Chain tribute shows at The Capitol Theatre on March 13th–15th, Grahame Lesh has announced a second three-night celebration of his father Phil Lesh‘s life and music. The West Coast edition of Unbroken Chain: A Celebration of the Life & Music of Phil Lesh will take place March 20th–22nd at The Fillmore in San Francisco, CA [get tickets].
The announcement comes in the wake of Bob Weir‘s recent passing, adding profound significance to the gatherings. In a heartfelt statement, Grahame addressed the intertwined nature of celebrating the Grateful Dead family:
“The Lesh Family are so thrilled to celebrate Phil Lesh, our dad, husband, grandpa, and so much more, in San Francisco with our Bay Area Deadhead family,” Grahame shared. “Of course, we are all saddened to announce this just days after our dear Bobby reascended back through the planetary spheres. The fact is, we cannot celebrate Phil without celebrating Bob – or Jerry, or Pigpen, or Donna, or Keith, or Hunter, or Brent, or Vince, or Bear, or Barlow, any of the Grateful Dead family we’ve lost over the 60+ years of this music. Their lives as bandmates, friends, & family are all too entwined to celebrate any one without the others.”
Related: Grahame Lesh Remembers Bob Weir: “The Kindest ‘Uncle’ I Could Ask For” [Photos/Videos]
The Fillmore shows will feature a stacked lineup of musicians across the three nights. Night one (March 20th) will feature Taylor Goldsmith, Eric Krasno, Barry Sless, Benmont Tench, Jason Crosby, Don Was, Griffin Goldsmith, John Molo, Elliott Peck, Natalie Cressman, and Jennifer Hartswick. Night two (March 21st) will feature Nels Cline, Tom Hamilton, Jackie Greene, Oteil Burbridge, Jay Lane, Cody Dickinson, Jason Crosby, Nicki Bluhm, Elliot Peck, Natalie Cressman, and Jennifer Hartswick. The final night (March 22nd) will feature Eric Krasno, Stu Allen, Oteil Burbridge, Jay Lane, Alex Koford, Rob Barraco, Holly Bowling, Karl Denson, Nicki Bluhm, and Elliot Peck. Grahame Lesh will host all three nights.
“I’m so happy to bring together an insane lineup of amazing musicians to perform at the Fillmore for these shows,” Grahame continued. “I am so thankful to every single one of them – my dad’s friends, collaborators, inspirations, and more – for joining me in pushing the music of these titans forward into the future.”
The shows will benefit Canal Alliance, neighbors of Lesh’s former Terrapin Crossroads club in San Rafael’s Canal District. The organization partners with Latino immigrants and their families in Marin County to support their needs and goals.
Reflecting on the music’s enduring legacy, Grahame invoked both Bob Weir’s vision of a three-hundred-year Grateful Dead songbook and Phil’s metaphor of the band as a great Grandfather Oak tree. “Bob spoke of the three-hundred-year legacy of the Grateful Dead songbook, and Phil talked about the Grateful Dead as a huge old Grandfather Oak tree, its roots deep in the earth of America’s musical history, its trunk is the original members of the band, & its branches & leaves are all the musicians who continue to be inspired by the music of the Dead,” he explained. “Those concepts are intertwined, and all of us who continue to play this music will honor their intentions and the legacy of their music every time we step onstage.”
Tickets for the Fillmore shows go on sale via Ticketmaster on Friday, January 16th at 10 a.m. PT following Ticketmaster and Citi Cardmember pre-sales on Thursday, January 15th at 10 a.m. PT.
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