I am gutted.
Oh no.
I’ve seen Phil play literally hundreds of times, with the Grateful Dead, with the various Phil and Friends lineups, at Terrapin Crossroads before it closed, etc. But I think the last time I saw him was almost 2 years ago. I passed up a couple of more recent shows, and remember thinking “should I be doing this? He’s not going to be around much longer.” He wasn’t much of a singer but man could he play that bass. RIP Phil.
Me too. I am sure we’ve crossed paths.
Coincidentally I have tickets to Los Lobos tonight. I am sure they will pay tribute.
Well, @hajario . I heard it here – and from you – first. Busy day.
Perfect song choice, of course.
Yeah. I got to a lot of the shows in the various formulations, too.
My sympathies to his loved ones, the rest of the band, the music world, and … my fellow DeadHead Dopers.
Oops. Something got into my eye. Gotta’ go…
Sigh. Another hero gone.
A very sad day.
I heard this news in the car on my way home from work. I switched stations to the Grateful Dead sirius station, and after an RIP Phil sound clip they played Black Muddy River. But I will try not to be saddened by this news. Thinking of Phil should, and will, bring a smile.
RIP.
Very sad.
Going to Dead concerts was one of my all-time favorite things to do. I even saw Jerry’s last concert (didn’t know it would be the last at the time).
RIP
The last Grateful Dead show with Jerry (I was in there somewhere):
I was there too, Brother! It’s a big part of the reason that song bums me out.
I was there.
I was in Chicago on business and a buddy called me to say that … the Dead were at Soldier.
I reached out for a ticket, sure they’d be sold out, but I got one – one, I guess, wasn’t so hard.
Face value.
When I showed up for the concert, the security told me I was at the wrong entrance. Huh? Okay.
I was about fifth row, center. Apparently, that’s where the remaining single seat was available. I was surrounded by attorneys, neurosurgeons, and other Yuppie Deadheads, all pissed at me because they paid a shit-ton for the same seats.
Bummer. I got to see the shows at RFK in DC about two weeks before the Chicago shows. They did play Box of Rain.
Set 1: Shakedown Street
Wang Dang Doodle
Jack A Roe
Mama Tried* > Mexicali Blues*
Loose Lucy
Picasso MoonSet 2: Box Of Rain
The Rain Song
Samson & Delilah
Ship of Fools
Truckin’ > Rollin’ & Tumblin’ > Samba In The Rain > Drums
> Space > Wharf Rat > Not Fade AwayBrokedown Palace
Wondered if Phil would merit a thread here, glad to see there are some other dopers who got to see him live.
I was at Hampton Coliseum March 23, 1987 when they broke out “Box of Rain” for the first time in 13 years - getting chills just thinking about it.
Fare you well, fare you well,
we love you more than words can tell.
Cool. Herbibot has the first Dead show I ever saw, in Alaska.
I don’t remember a lot of it, so I must have had a good time!
Gift link to Phil’s obituary on the New York Times.
Message from the three remaining members of the Grateful Dead:
Today we lost a brother. Our hearts and love go out to Jill Lesh, Brian and Grahame. Phil Lesh was irreplaceable. In one note from the Phil Zone, you could hear and feel the world being born. His bass flowed like a river would flow. It went where the muse took it. He was an explorer of inner and outer space who just happened to play bass. He was a circumnavigator of formerly unknown musical worlds. And more.
We can count on the fingers of one hand the people we can say had as profound an influence on our development - in every sense. And there have been even less people who did so continuously over the decades and will continue to for as long as we live. What a gift he was for us. We won’t say he will be missed, as in any given moment, nothing we do will be without the lessons he taught us - and the lessons that are yet to come, as the conversations will go on.
Phil loved the Dead Heads and always kept them in his heart and mind. The thing is… Phil was so much more than a virtuoso bass player, a composer, a family man, a cultural icon…
There will be a lot of tributes, and they will all say important things. But for us, we’ve spent a lifetime making music with Phil Lesh and the music has a way of saying it all. So listen to the Grateful Dead and, in that way, we’ll all take a little bit of Phil with us, forever.
For this is all a dream we dreamed one afternoon, long ago…
- Mickey, Billy and Bobby
BTW, Bob Weir is playing at the String Cheese Incident’s Hulaween festival this weekend. I presume they will do some kind of tribute to Phil. You can live-stream the festival at nugs.net. It requires a subscription (one month is $15).
Thanks for the link. “Anchored” is correct indeed. I’d say like John Entwistle was as well. 84 years came as a surprise - yet just about everyone who started out in the 60’s is 80-ish. Bobby is “only” 78 and Jerry would only be right about 82 as well.
He always got an appreciative cheer when he stepped up to the mike and “Box” was always welcome
I was at the Nassau Coliseum on April 1, 1993. Apparently there had been some party for kids during the break and Barney the purple dinosaur was there. Phil got the Barney player to go out to open the second set with a bass guitar for “Iko” as he played offstage. I’m not even sure the rest of the band knew.
Another country heard from – this one, your archetypal ‘insider:’
Don’t have facebook and had to know “John who?”
Through the “join us” mists I saw it was John Coltrane. Of course. “Wow, jazz is cool. What else is there?”
Miles …
I wasn’t sure if copying it all here was/is cool, but – just in case – I’ll take the chance: