Wednesday, June 28, 2006

PL & F in Asheville.

Last night show of Phil Lesh and Friends at the Asheville Civic Center was incredible. It was 2 full sets and ran from 7pm-11pm, with about a 45 minute break between sets. The opening act(The Benevento Russo Duo featuring Mike Gordon) actually closed the show because they were going to be late because of travel delays.
2 of the "friends" were an added bonus to seeing Phil and hearing the songs I love. they were Joan Osborne on vocals and the incredible John Scofield on guitar.
The second set was a lifetime listening experience. DARK STAR was a very welcome surprise. The energy in this song and EYES OF THE WORLD was dramatically important to us listeners, and fed right to us perfectly. Scofield was blistering. As a jazz guitarist some may wonder how he would be. I had no doubts. If any 2 people know about the art of improvisation, it is Phil Lesh and John Scofield.
Joan Osbornes beautiful and soulful rendition of HE'S GONE was magnificent. When she sang the line "Steal your face right off your head", the crowd went crazy. This was good to see because the crowd seemed to a lot younger than I thought. At first I was worried that this was just a filler for this crowd while Phish is off the scene. But they knew the line and followed along with it. This brought a smile to my face.
Definitely one of the highlights of my musical experiences. It is great to see music played that will never die. It may get rendered differently, but this keeps it not only fresh but everlasting.