Phish have long been hailed as their generation’s successor to jam band godfathers the Grateful Dead, but the Trey Anastasio-led quartet has rarely performed the latter’s music in concert during its 40-plus-year career. That changed last night (Oct. 25) when Phish opened their show in Albany, N.Y., with a first-time cover of the Dead’s “Box of Rain” in honor of its singer and composer, Phil Lesh, who died earlier in the day at the age of 84.
Anastasio played frequently with Lesh over the past three decades and saluted him in an Instagram post as “more than a revolutionary, groundbreaking bass player — he transformed how I thought about music as a teenager. I have countless memories of standing in awe, listening to his winding, eloquent bass lines blending seamlessly with Jerry and Bobby’s guitars, Brent Mydland’s keys and the thunderous drums of Billy and Mickey. I’m so grateful for those beautiful memories.”
Phish bassist Mike Gordon added memories of his own, recalling an initial meeting in 1999 when Anastasio and Phish keyboardist Page McConnell played with Lesh during a three-night run at the Warfield in San Francisco. “We didn’t know each other, but I asked him if he’d have lunch with me, and the restaurant even printed menus that said ‘Bass Player’s Luncheon,’” Gordon wrote on Instagram. “That week, and many times since, we had the chance to collaborate and philosophize together. Later in 1999, he joined Phish on stage at Shoreline [Amphitheatre], even jumping on trampolines, and I had the privilege of playing bass with him on ‘Box of Rain’ for his 60th birthday. These moments were life-changing.”
He continued, “earlier this year, we met up before a show at the Capitol Theatre [in Port Chester, N.Y.], and I asked him if he had any regrets. He told me no, that everything had unfolded as the universe intended. He also mentioned that he sees the Grateful Dead’s music lasting for centuries. I believe Phil’s contribution to that legacy will endure, inspiring generations to come. We’ll remember him, and his influence will live on in all of us.”
Per Setlist.fm, Phish hadn’t performed a Dead cover since a 2016 show in Nashville, during which that group’s Bob Weir joined them “West L.A. Fadeaway” and “Playing in the Band.”