San Francisco's Warfield Theater has played host to many storied moments in Grateful Dead history and Phil Lesh's recent five night run at the storied venue only added to the historic link between the venue and the band. For the first four nights, Lesh & Friends - Larry Campbell, Jackie Greene, Steve Molitz and John Molo - recreated the Grateful Dead's self-titled debut, Anthem Of The Sun, Aoxomoxoa, Live Dead, Workingman's Dead, American Beauty, Grateful Dead (Skullf**k) and Dead Set. As if the (practically) full-album sets weren't enough to whet the appetites of Deadheads everywhere, Bob Weir sat in for a healthy portion of the Dead/Anthem night and David Nelson joined the band for the Workingman's Dead/American Beauty evening.

Just when Lesh had everyone guessing which albums would be featured during the final night of the run, the bassist went off the board, abandoning the framework in favor of a 6 hour, 5 set marathon gig that featured a return appearance by Weir as well as Jeff Chimienti, Mark Karan and Steve Bluhm. If this doesn't get people excited about Lesh & Friends' upcoming summer tour then nothing will.

Labels: Grateful Dead, Phil Lesh