My First Phil Show

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25 yrs ago today. 

First time I'd ever been that far north.

(Had been to Deer Creek)

I was astonished to see liquor in a gas station - in Illinois(s).

They too might have been astonished that I hopped out and strolled in not wearing a shirt.

Luckily, we had a car, so I didn't have to ride all the way to Chicago in the back of a pick-up.

 

I hope this weekend to finally get a chance for some proper mourning and celebration.

 

Long Live Phil Lesh!

 

 

When TXR opened in 2012. That's when the bus came by and I got on and where it all began.

Like many, I first jumped on during the fall 99 tour, my first was 11/10/99 in New Haven. I hit Worcester and Cornell also... it's also the tour that brought me to the purple setlist screen here as I tracked the tour... hard to believe that was 25 years ago 

IMG_9727.jpeg
 

Mine was summer 2000 in Reno, with bob Dylan opening. After Jerry died I lost interest for a few years (went to ventu furthur fest in 97 but still wasn't feeling it). It was an average-ish and somewhat truncated show overall, but really it was the combo of Phil + John Molo that hooked me. I think I first went on the zone around 2001 or 2002 but didn't post too much back then.

First show with Phil with the GD - 12-29-69  Boston Tea Party.

First show with Phil post GD - 7-25-98  Shoreline  - The Other Ones w/ Billy K. sitting in.

 

What a long strange trip.

^^^^ I forgot about TOOs!

How could I (?!) since Deer Creek '98 was my first Kimock show too.

In OP I suppose I was thinking first PLF/Q. Phil with his own outfit! 

9/2/78

Also 9/2/78

But first Phil and Friends was the June 99 Warfield with Jorma and Kimock. They opened with a 20 minute Like a Rolling Stone and I knew I was in for a musical treat. I was sitting at the table next to Jack and Kantner, which was pretty cool.

4/8/82 for GD, first post GD was TOO 7/4/98 and Phil was 11/10/99

99 summer with little feat guys?

first Q = ONE FOR WOODY

first gd was 1990, so i am beyond extra grateful to have been so fully on the Q train from DAYONE

The thread title is a bit ambiguous......

First time I saw Phil was 10/21/78 Winterland.

I don't count the 9/24/94 Berkeley Community Theater show as a "Phil" show, as it was really an acoustic GD set with a different name, but I was there.

I saw a rather weak Phil show at the Fillmore somewhere around '97-'98 that was a precursor to the true Phil Lesh and Friends concept, with David Murray and a white dude with dreds to his kneecaps on guitar, but that one had no "there" there and really felt like an empty, rather sad one-off.

But in my opinion, the true beginning of what I consider to be a "Phil show" was 4/15-17/99 at the Warfield, and I was at all three of those. THAT was when everyone looked at each other and said "HOLY SHIT!!! What the fuck was THAT???"

And away we went from there.

Where others have led, I will sometimes follow.

My first ever Phil was with the GD at the Uptown Theatre in Chicago on 11/16/1978.

My first Q was 12/31/2000 at the HJK.

was 4/15-17/99 at the Warfield, and I was at all three of those. THAT was when everyone looked at each other and said "HOLY SHIT!!! What the fuck was THAT???"

its pretty crazy to listen to those shows and then compare them to the GD in 95, just 4 years prior. thats a real small amount of time for a HUGE musical change, especially concerning the length and quality of the improvisations. for reference, 4 years ago from now was like 8 months into the covid19 pandemic. 

First Phil.....9-24-82.....Syracuse 

First show billed as "Phil Lesh and Friends".....9-24-94....Berkeley 

First Phil show post-Garcia....3-6-97....Sit-in with David Murray Octet....Fillmore

First Phil Lesh and Friends.....3-26-98....Fillmore

   (Band was Phil, Vince, Stan Franks, Scott Amendola, Gary Lambert, Bobby Strickland)

According to Philbase, this was the second show billed as PLAF.......

       And yes, I was also at the mind bending 4-15-99 Warfield show, which was pretty insane.....

First Phil Lesh and Friends.....3-26-98....Fillmore    (Band was Phil, Vince, Stan Franks, Scott Amendola, Gary Lambert, Bobby Strickland)

Boy was that stinker.......but fun to see Phil nonetheless

https://archive.org/details/2002-05-25.paf.sennme80.boden.9868.sbeok.flacf

Phil Lesh and Friends Live at Greek Theater on 2002-05-25

Jam>
Shakedown Street>
Sittin' on Top of the World
Midnight Train>
Uncle John's Band>
Spacey Jam>
No More Do I>
Box of Rain Pygmie Twilight Jam>
Celebration> Jam>
The Eleven>
Good Lovin'
Space>
Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys>
Cryptical Envelopment>
The Other One>
Terrapin tease> Night of 1,000 Stars

John Molo introduces Band
E: Liberty

 

I'd also like to add a tip of the hat to those late 97/early 98 sit-ins with David Gans and the Broken Angels. Great fun seeing Phil back on stage and with often eclectic setlists (I Saw Her Standing There, Sultans of Swing) at venues like Maritime Hall. In hindsight, it seems that those performances got Phil revved up to get the show back on the road.

>>The thread title is a bit ambiguous......<<
 

Ok, if we're going there: 1985 Longbeach

VA Beach, Beach to Peach run, Derek Trucks Band, Allmans, The Q.

Derek was out for a good bit of the second half of Phil's set, things got loud!

First GD show Atlanta 11/11/71, two weeks after Duane Allman's death.

>>>>The thread title is a bit ambiguous<<<<

Sloppy work on my part. 

With that in mind, 3-20-93 Atlanta was my first Phil show, though I didn't start calling them Phil shows til Halloween '99.

6~30~00

Ventura Ca

>>>Sloppy work on my part<<<

Not sloppy at all. IMO ambiguity isn't sloppy, just open to interpretation.

And when talking about Phil Lesh that seems particularly appropriate.

Good thread.

Carry on.

The Apollo @ Temple 11/9/99

First Phil show? Hell I can't remember what I had for breakfast.

But I recently found a ticket stub from Santa Barbara Bowl  8/22/99

Mine was>  Phil Lesh and Friends Live at Bryce Jordan Center on 1999-11-06

https://archive.org/details/1999-11-06.paf.neumann.shepherd.5502.sbefail.flacf

 

disc 1
1-Jam >
2-Viola Lee Blues >
3-Mountains Of The Moon >
4-My Favorite Things >
5-Box Of Rain

disc 2
1-Terrapin Station >
2-Viola Lee Blues,
encore
3-Brokedown Palace