Who Plays Bass If There’s A Tribute Show?

Skip Vangelas from DSO should probably be in the bass rotation too.

Pete Sears!

I vote Schools. He tore up those 2 Mickey Albums 

feels like the most realistic option would be just otiel, especially if some kind of tribute show centers around bob, mickey and billy. its not like they need to adjust to playing without phil or attempt to make up for his absence to the audience - to bob, mickey and billys audience, phil has been absent for years. pete sears or mike gordon would be a more exiting choice, but im not sure i see sears as very likely. despite his incredible playing and longtime connections to the band, he doesnt really seem to pop up much with the core four and seems to have very little name recognition outside of the zone, DNB freaks and the most dedicated post-jerry heads. dreiwitz is another choice id find to be pretty exiting, but not all that realistic.

imo there is also a chance that any bob related tribute show could be more stripped down and acoustic, opening the possibility for no bass at all. why even try to replace the irreplaceable? ive often had that thought about the DNB, wondering if there was anyone who could possibly replace david, and to me the most attractive option seems to be to just not replace him, and play shows as a quartet that feature a bit more mookie/pete material, plus instrumental versions of david's songs. 

i could also see sets by solo bands like wolf bros, maybe wolf bros + billy/mickey, or just a straight up dead and company show, which im sure would go over swimmingly here on the zone.

Dan Horne from Grateful Shred / CATS is a top-tier contender imo.

Does either Grahame or Brian play bass? They should have a turn at this show.

 Saw Graham at a show this year playing Bass with Alex Jordan -  it was a good fit. 

ive never seen any of them even touch a bass. id expect it would be pretty nerve wracking to fill your dad's immense shoes by picking up his bass with so little experience. i could easily see both GL and BL taking a pass on playing bass if offered, although it would be a bit strange if there was some kind of memorial performance with major friends or core four members and at least GL wasnt there doing some singing and guitar.

fuck. core four.

core three.

also, regardless of how well they play, im not sure im up to seeing a show with straight up cover-banders, especially someone who is essentially "fake phil" in dso. maybe  a bit down the road if some old PLF friends want to get together and hire skip or another cover-bander to take phil's place, im totally there, but i dont know if that would be a good fit ATM. otiel, mike gordon, or if he feels up to it GL would  be far, far more appropriate. considering they chose trey to play jerrys part at FTW essentially due to phish's status as the only jam band truly big enough to rival the GD, seems like gordon would be a really solid choice. maybe the best choice, and TBH im not even that into phish and at the few shows ive been to never really noticed gordo all that much.

gordon is also one of the VERY few bass players that phil has ever chosen to share the stage with. im sure there are a few more im forgetting, but the only 2 that come to mind are gordon and claypool, and as much as i love claypool(prob my second favorite bassist behind lesh), he's not really the kind of musician that would fit with a GD band trying to play phil's parts.

even dreiwitz and sears stepped away from the bass when he would guest with JRAD or the DNB. did phil ever play bass alongside another bass player during the GD years? i cant think of a single show with a guest bassist. perhaps it could have happened during some early 70s cross pollination with NRPS and he played alongside torbert? maybe if phil guested with JGB he played alongside kahn?

Jack Cassidy and Phil did some jams back in the day at the Family Dog I believe.

Oh good, now we're going to whine about who SHOULD be playing at some tribute show.

Who says the Philzone doesn't exist anymore?

And oh yeah, Ross fucking James is a kick-ass bass player. I vote for him.

IYKYK.

BTW daylight, you're swingin' like Kingman in here.

Dana Morgan Jr.

I agree, Mike Gordon 

Sam Grisman has been anointed.

It's Sam and Grahame vs Meyer Industries going forward.

i dont know about whining lance. seems mostly just like talk about who might fill phil's shoes and how realistic or unrealistic the names thrown out might be. im not sure wanting to avoid cover band players directly filling in for phil for a few weeks after his death really counts as whining

daylight, aren't they all cover band players? We are so lucky to have the caliber of musicianship and love that might be available.

Doogs or stfu  :)

Excellent idea, Zang.

I think there should be a bass solo-off between all of the lesser bassists

like a battle of the bands, but just for bass players

only one winner will be forever crowned best "fake phil"

that would be so exciting 

My best guess is......... a bass player.

Since there's no one who is Phil, the man who brought me to lead bass as a category of player/playing, my favorite, if there is a tribute show I leave it to the other musicians who're playing.

I love a lead bass. More than any instrument that I can think of.

I first saw Grateful Dead in 1966. Heard the sounds, made my head fill. Didn't love it, maybe because I was by myself in the dark Fillmore?

First husband loved hearing bass and we went to hear many bands in S.F. during '67-'69 for that reason. We lived in Berkeley and it was easy an fun and I still love lead bass.

Grahame...

I've seen him play several bay area shows on bass

Pete plays a great Lead Bass.

Jack Casady!