Phil started 9:30 PM Local time approx

Help>Slip>Frank

Lord Henry will be calling..but I figure he should enjoy Wavy's Bday and not worry bout us..

Am finding out tho if lineup is the same as Friday...

Ben Harper did full set before P & Friends came out..

Unofficial updates here..../7267/17187 4.html?1116220529

Final unOfficial updates..

../7267/17187 4.html?1116224184#POST10633641

Wow! Best show ever.

setlist?

it's on the homepage...

www.philzone.com

05/15/05 (Sun) Berkeley Community Theater - Berkeley, CA

Set 1: Help on the Way > Slipknot! > Franklin's Tower, China Cat Sunflower, Uncle John's Band, Alligator, Mexico, Broken Arrow, Think, The Wheel, Viola Lee Blues, E: Lovelight*

Comment: Wavy Gravy's 69th Birthday. * 17 musicians on stage.
Lineup: Phil Lesh - bass. John Molo - drums. Al Schnier - guitar. Mookie Siegel - keyboards. Barry Sless - guitar, pedal steel. Gloria Jones - vocals. Jackie LaBranch - vocals.

highlights > alligator,think,wheel,viola and ben harper but i dont think this show was near the level of fridays warfield show

Help on the Way>
Slipknot!>
Franklin's Tower
China Cat Sunflower
Uncle John's Band
Alligator
~#Mexico (moe song)
Broken Arrow
Think
The Wheel
Viola Lee Blues

E: Turn On Your Lovelight
=============================

Another wild and wooly one in Berzerkely - Wavy's birthday bashes seldom disappoint...tasty opening acts, the hottest of which are overlooked on the Philzone 'Setlist' page: Hot Buttered Rum String Band absolutely RAGED, including a sizzling 'Cumberland'...after them, the Ben Harper buzz was loud, and he turned in a superb surprise acoustic set, including 'Burn One Down', and ending with 'Pleasure & Pain'. Nice!

After Ben, there was a birthday parade of costumed freaks and stilt-walkers, and then Wavy was serenaded with Happy Birthday by 6,000 of his closest friends.

Berkeley High ('57) alumnus Phillip Lesh then took the stage with his latest troupe of maniacs. Lineup, same as the Warfield, which I didn't see, so it was 'new to me'. I agree with many of the observations y'all made - Herring did not leave a lot of 'air', and there seems to be a more Dead-y energy between Al, Barry, and Phil...they LISTEN! (Herring is an awesome player, but many times I got the feeling he'd be done soloing, but since the situation called for more jamming, he'd press his internal 'jam' button and crank it out for a few more minutes.) Al is much better at laying a chordal tapestry for Barry to build upon....Sless is moe.! This version of the Q is going to melt many minds, people....

As Centrifry mentioned yesterday:

>> Gloria and Jackie are not commensurate with the rest of the band

well put, I think Phil is starting to figure out how to best utilize their talents...seems he learned a lesson from their butchering of Dead songs (Dew, Mr. Charlie, etc from Fri and that horrific 'Playin' from Mardi Gras): they only sang lead on 'Think', an Aretha Franklin cover, and guess what: it rocked, and the place went nuts..Molo: what can you say, the man gives Phil the freedom to shuffle the deck, rock solid from start to finish. (they also sang lead on Lovelight, I forgot)

other high-lights:

Help > Slip > Frank
super tasty, taut, great rhythm guitar from Al...

Alligator -
awesome nod to Pig from Phil, obviously,they rehearsed this one: cool!

Mexico -
Al shined on the vocal, and lead and rhythm g.

Wheel -
Sless going completely Jerry on the pedal steel..minds melting everywhere...the new, expanded 'split' version FINALLY made sense tonight.

Lovelight -
A total train wreck, was hoping for something magical from Ben and Phil, but it was not to be. Took them longer to configure the stage than for them to play the song! Band enjoyed it more than crowd, I think.

Vibe @ BCT was awesome, lots of family on hand, security pretty chill (watch for video to circulate).

Thank you, Phil & Wavy, for a REAL good time!!!

Morning coffee..setlist* and reviews..

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh..

Thanks for the details Stonageq..


*( Philzone Chat Room had an accurate setlist..!!..)

It was an excellent show. Maybe even a step up from the Warfield. Phil proves yet again he is the man with the plan. I cant even think of powerful enough adjectives to truely credit his almost infinate talent. The degree that one man can keep the Grateful Dead flame alive so brightly is amazing IMO.

>>>seems he learned a lesson from their butchering of Dead songs (Dew, Mr. Charlie, etc from Fri and that horrific 'Playin' from Mardi Gras):

Just to offer a constrasting view on this I thought Dew was epic on Friday night. Mr Charlie was fun and powerful as hell too.

Besides playing some fine music last night, this version of P&F has more momenteum than I could have imagined and they conjured up a magical Uncle John's Band, yeah, yeah, not a perfectly and precisionly tuned unit, but one that knows how to kick the show into gear and take you places. thanks for the ride Phil and Friends! After the great show at the Warfield, this was just icing on the (birthday) cake, and the show did not disappoint.

Was Think the Aretha Franklin song or the Jimmy McKracklin/Don Robey song that Jerry covered?

BRING ON NOVEMBER!!!

"Think" was the Aretha Frankln song, also featured in the Blue Brother's movie.

Wow!

I don't know why, but this being a benefit show and all, I was expecting something a bit low-key from P&F- but man, I couldn't have been more wrong. The Help>Slip>Franklin's> out of the gate was fantastic, and full of energy. It was apparent from the get go that Phil was going to dispel any foolish notions (like mine) that this wouldn't live up to the amazing show we got on Friday. The band really took the jams during and between songs way, way out there. I don't think I've ever heard P&F explore the sonic realms in alligator like they did last night. It may have been me, but I swear I heard a couple of wharf rat teases in there, and I thought for sure it was coming. Uncle John's band was amazing, with a big, powerful jam to finish it off. To me, the Moe guy's song (Mexico??) kinda took a little out of the bands sails, but they picked it back up with the Wheel, which charted some interesting territory. I agree that the lovelight encore was somewhat disappointing, but it was fun nonetheless. A great night in Berkeley, indeed.

When I saw Moe. last year in DC they broke out a Spanish Jam leading into Mexico, which smoked. Sure would like to see Phil do a Spanish Jam some day.

sweet this is THE lineup. finally. Im very glad Jimmy is gone. thanks Jimmy.

CANT WAIT FOR cO!

great party last night for Wavy's 69th... it really is all about the community and the music is just the soundtrack for our journey. and what a soundtrack it was last night... very intense at times, completely soulful at all times. Sless' true colors really shone last night, he was spiriling some wicked mind-melters all night... had a little pow-wow w/ Phil on stage at the end of the set, both players realizing they have found the sacred space to work within. Al's playing and singing were just right, he's got a feel for the music that really comes out nicely. Mookie understated elegance all evening. Molo the machine as always, drivin it hard from the back seat. the gals singing just so right on. Wavy overseeing things from the side of the stage and you could see the tears in his eyes [an mine] at the end of the evening. a Ben Harper set too? yeah way happening all night thanks everyone that let me get my groove on so hard throughout the Orch ailes.

KK in Truckee

(((( Sless )))))
Wow !!!
ddidn`t have a problem hearing him this time !!!

Question:

Is it just me or is the BCT always hot and stuffy, bordering on humid and muggy?

The show was great and the musicianship superb. But with a one set show and no vending except the PTA bake sale crowd combined with the no A/C in the hall made for a lesser good time than Friday, but still a good time if you know what I mean...

Hello Phriends (that's a P-H for Phish AND Phil),

Are you a former Phish fan who is hesitant to change and spend a night
with the new electronica-based jambands, like the Disco Biscuits?
Experience new things but with the comfort and knowledge of familiar
music. An old friend of ours can provide and is playing some of the
best music of his life. Look no further than one of the very original
innovators in our genre, Phil Lesh & Friends. Lesh is in his 40th
year of dropping thick bass lines to audiences around the world and
now is a great time to see this virtuoso live.

My buddy, Kyle, and I ventured down to Berkeley, California yesterday
afternoon to see this living legend in work. He played a benefit show
for the Seva Foundation celebrating the 69th birthday of Wavy Gravy,
the social activist clown. The event took place at the Berkeley
Community Theater. This is a great and fun venue where the ushers
dance harder than the audience, and the sound is just as great in the
cheap seats as it is in the 8th row. I only have one complaint. Up
in the balcony, it was so warm. I was sweating more than a hot dog
over hot coals. Also, this theater is attached to and is a part of
Berkeley High School, Lesh's alma mater. Yeah, I know, just about the
coolest high school ever. Just imagine this: (insert your school name
here) High School Auditorium Tonight Only: PHIL LESH & FRIENDS.
Yeah, it was quite an intense and intimate evening!

We arrived at the venue rather early, found some pizza, and relaxed at
a park across the street from the theater with all the other early
arrivals. We did the typical pre-show activities; watched dozens of
hippie dogs chase each other around the park and listend to
soundcheck. We stood in line at the box office to get tickets around
4:30 pm. We had heard differing times on when they would actually
open so we decided to play it safe and get there early. We stood in
line next to this guy who said he has the ticket stubs and/or
backstage passes to 605 Grateful Dead shows, this does not include the
free shows in Golden Gate Park, but does include Woodstock! His first
Dead show was in 1967 and he's been to an estimated 3,000 live shows.
He's been to every Grateful Dead, Phil Lesh & Friends, Ratdog, The
Dead, or The Other Ones performance ever at Red Rocks. He said he
mostly gets his tickets comped nowadays because he's been around the
scene for so long. Quite an amazing accomplishment and life. Oh
yeah, Mom, I figured out what I want to do for the rest of my life.
No, but seriously, this guy's life has transcended so many years with
the music that we all love. His presence and spirit is just as much a
part of the scene to me as is the iconic symbol of Jerry's 4-fingered
hand print.

We got tickets in the upper balcony, but I thought they weren't that
bad because the venue was so small and the sound was good everywhere.
Also, in the lobby of the theater there was a silent auction during
the show. They had an amazing signed print of Garcia's "Dracula's
Heart." It seemed like this would be the big money maker at the
auction when I stopped by. There's a link to it at the bottom. The
Birthday Boy introduced Corinne West as the first performer. She is a
great singer with loads of talent. Her third of 3 songs was a
beautiful one with a rhythmic melody. Some guy I've never heard of
before, Emory Joseph, was up next. In between the short sets, Wavy
Gravy entertained the crowd with outrageous stories and various skits
with a clown brigade. He petitioned the audience for their support in
resurrecting the Wavy Gravy Ben & Jerry's flavor. Visit the site at
the bottom to vote daily for Wavy Gravy to be put back in your local
grocer's freezer! Emory Joseph was entertaining and once again was
another performer with a strong 3rd and final song.

The Hot Buttered Rum String Band was hot indeed! I was really excited
to see them at this benefit. I had never seen them before and did not
know what to expect. They are a very young and fun band that began
the short set with a comical song about one of their mom's who
uprooted her Mormon family from Utah and relocated to the Dead's
hometown of San Francisco. Another was a humorous tune that hailed
the band's tour bus that runs on 100% recycled vegetable oil, which
was followed by a tight "Cumberland Blues" cover that was well done.
I was impressed with their playing to say the least and look forward
to seeing them again.

Mr. Gravy introduced the next performer as the special surprise guest
that was being built up throughout the evening. It wasn't that much
of a surprise though. As Kyle and I so astutely noticed, on the
program for the benefit, on fine print on the back it said that this
person would be performing that evening. Wavy Gravy introduced 'one
of the best musicians in the world,' Ben Harper! I though this was
pretty cool and special, even though I kind of saw it as a marketing
ploy for him to connect with the majority of the audience that Trey is
going to draw this summer on the Zooma Tour. Ben Harper had a nice
tight set. His music is beautiful, but it just doesn't get my heart
going as much as some other bands. After this set, there was a funny
birthday cake celebration for Wavy Gravy on stage and him trying to
blow out 69 trick candles.

Phil Lesh, the man, came out on stage with his friends and opened up
powerfully with an amazingly well executed Help>Slipknot!>Franklin's.
It was such a high enery way to open up his set. "If you get
confused, just listen to the music play." For those of you who I
indulged this with, you'll better understand. On the Grateful Dead
Movie, about 20 minutes in, after they finish playing U.S. Blues,
there is a reaction on screen from a guy in the audience to what he
just experienced. It is this reaction, somewhere between jaw-dropping
awe and ecstasy that keeps me attending live shows. Yeah, it's that
feeling, I got that somewhere in the middle of "Uncle John's Band,"
again in "Mexico," and again in "Viola Lee Blues." Although much has
changed since the glory days of the sixties, I feel that this
community is just as alive and active as it was then. There is so
much regard for the other person and responsible living in this
community. It is contagious! The set was a constant rocker and went
on for quite a while. We figured he would only do one set after he
hadn't gone off stage for over two hours. He finally took a break
just off to the side of the stage.

Everyone at the benefit, Corinne West, Emory Joseph, Hot Buttered Rum
String Band, Ben Harper, and Phil Lesh & Friends returned to the
stage, filling up every empty spot on the oriental rugs, for the
encore. They carried us off into the night, away from a perfect night
of music, with a "Turn On Your Lovelight" to remember. Lots of energy
in this rocker that segued into a Phil-led Happy Birthday and back.
The bassist for HBRSB was really jamming hard and having a blast. In
the ensuing standing ovation, I was a part of some of the loudest
cheering in response to a band ever. It was a great evening. So,
stick to the basics and go see a godfather. Phil Lesh is a man of
many trades, recently on the New York Times Best Seller List with his
newly published book, "Searching for the Sound: My Life with the
Grateful Dead," and winning the 2005 Jammy Award for Performance of
the Year. He is still truckin' and last night in Berkeley he was
rockin' hard. And also, you heard it here first: Expect something big
from the four former members of Phish this coming February...details
to come.

Rock hard and live well,
Casey

Garcia's "Dracula's Heart"
http://www.imagemakersart.com/images/garcia-30.jpg

Vote for Wavy Gravy!
http://www.benjerry.com/our-products/flavor_gravey ard/raise_flavor.cmf

I loved the no booze factor at this show...
Hell I remembered it....he he he
It was a total if you got them light them up...
Had tons of smoke but so did everyone else..
I tried to pass it along but everyone had their own...
These two guitar player were blending briliantly.
Mookie sounded better then the last time I heard him...
Phil & Molo true musical mates.....what a beast on drums!!!
Great show and in true Nor Cal fasion saw only saw two zoners and didn`t even spend any time with

Anyway east coast I hope this is the band that tours this fall.........coz you are going to like it !!

Thanks for the reviews people....good to see ya made that Sunday show Comrad Winorovski..

The setlists for this weekends 3 shows via Phils website have some nice pictures taken by Susan Weiand at Friday nights show

www.phillesh.net/philzonepages/friends_stuf f/setlists/050513.html
www.phillesh.net/philzonepages/friends_stuf f/setlists/050514.html
www.phillesh.net/philzonepages/friends_stuf f/setlists/050515.html

>>>>>>I loved the no booze factor at this show...

Ditto, I liked the no booze to!

I liked the intertwined multi pocket jams

This is a great phil and friends line-up,
But the energy at the Berkeley show was not as high as that at the Warfield on Friday. Maybe it was structure of the entire benefit, maybe it was a higher fraction of 'older donor' types, or the venue seating arrangements??

The sound was good, Al not only knows how to take off and make new and innovate leads, but also is able to strongly back up Sless in his scorching garcia-esque lead work.

I found 'Help' sluggish, but once they hit 'slipknot' they all took off. All syncopated intro into- and version of 'chinacat' was great, Stange Phil vocals on 'Alligator', 'Think was also rewarding though Jackie and Gloria were featured more on Friday night, I loved hearing Mexico (I'm a big Moe fan) and 'Broken Arrow' was a good Seva tune. Viola was very good, though they missed the final rise to oblivion and had to repeat it (to good measure).

This line-up has great promise, though Sunday night did not have the intensity of Phil previous 5 shows. Overall, still a very fine night.

Bring it on, Phil....

According to the stories told by Wavy Gravy ... I did not think it was too cool that Wavy Gravy was in charge of , and supervising kids, while on an LSD trip. No wonder the Japanese inspectors were freaking, maybe they should have taken him to CPS for violations.

Fun Show, fun venue.

Music was very good, not great. I expected a little less... shorter show and a less "in tune" band...nice suprise.

Viola rocked...at least they got the "final rise to oblivion" the second time around.

It was good to see Wavy in good health and spirits.

Just posted a Warfield review and have a few thoughts on this one. I thoght the show was pretty good. The Warfield I thought was special but this was not quite there. The highlight for me being the Alligator and Viola Lee was sicko...But I wasn't really happy with the venue. The ushers were really worried about getting people in their correct seats...non gen admission shows bite...+ the folks around me were not really too into anything...kinda weird but hey, whatever.

I wish they would have given a line-up sched or something. Phil only did the 1 set...hard when were accustomed to our set breaks. Also while the no alohol works for some...God I really wanted a beer!It was hot! Not everyone makes a fool outta themselves. Plus getting a bottle of water was extremely difficult. I definitely had a great time but the venue/crowd thing wasn't workin for me. Ben Harper was a cool surprise, the other 2 acts were great too. All in all a great weekend. Went to the Bay - Breakers race in SF before hand, and that was amazing...I gotta walk it next year. Thanks for a great weekend Phil and Friends!

hey this show was hot... literally and figuratively. i ventured upstairs... think "scent of a wookie"... man not only was the band sounding like the old days, the crowd was smelling like it (sorry peeps). cool thing is this venue has three big outside balconies PLUS you can go outside into the berkeley high quad... gotta love berekeley... back down to the PTA crowd... i like these family scenes... and no beer is good... so tired of loud drunk people at shows... plus i don't drink -- it's the elixir of the oppressors....

gotta love berkeley high... it's a nice contrast to the warfield, definitely a different vibe than the market street gauntlet... not as a high energy show as friday night, but great nonetheless... lotsa love for wavy, lotsa love for phil, lotsa love in the crowd...

well what a great weekend -- two great shows, two great birthdays, two great hometown courts... i hope that this PNF lineup sticks for a while -- i'd love to see a greek run this summer... THAT would be mindmelting!

a big shout out to all the brothers and sisters who couldn't make it -- we missed yah!

music music music....

WOW

This is THE lineup. No doubt about it. Phil and crew picked up Sunday where they left off Friday, and never slowed down to so much as ask for directions! These guys completely ran me over, and the Viola Lee was the tightest, most intense mind-shattering jam I've EVER seen live (started in '92) Spoke to Barry and Mookie after the show and thanked them profusely. Mookie said the weekend had been like a dream, he's never gotten so much positive energy from an audience before. Both of them really nice guys. If you're like me and can't wait until the P&F tour later this year, check out Mookie and Sless in the David Nelson Band. Lots of dates over the next few months.

so, where do we get a copy?
sunday was such a great night.
such a great lineup.
night and day from the last lineup.
serious grateful dead jammin'.
good shit.
do kinda miss jimmy's guitar, but the interplay between barry and al was awesome!
good stuff.

anyone got a torrent?

torrent up on etree for 5/13 ... pretty good quality too

i believe the powers that be decreed no taping for 5/15 ... any insights? e.g., does seva want to put out a sbd for fund-raising?

I saw 1 Mic stand!!!! And heard about a later Seva video. That is going to be for sale.

a snuck in a shitty little mp3 player to atleast get some sort of recording but I can't remember where i left it

This show more than made up for the train wreck disaster that was Friday night. The band was much tighter, featured more Barry leads and less Al, and Phil deployed Jackie and Gloria in a manner more suited to their strengths and familiarity with the material. I was worried after the Friday debacle, but the band delivered at this show big time. The Help/Slip was great, Uncke Johns sweet as can be, and the Alligator and VLB were astonishing.

Are you deaf dumb and blind man? Friday blew sunday out of the water ! Clueless....

We do you keep calling yourself clueless?

Friday was a mess, Sunday was much, much better......but I'll cut your cluelessness some slack.

friday blew sunday out of the water, hey paul how much wax is stuck in your ears ?

how could you call Friday a debacle?? Even if you didn't like it as much...a debacle?? jeez. It's always been AMAZING to hear such different takes on a show, it's always been that way...one man's junk is another's gold....I preferred Friday. I thought Sun ok....but the Think cover and Viola were INCREDIBLE....

peace

LOL! Al's guitar was out of tune for most of set I. His vocals are awful, his guitar playing boring and unimaginative. The girl's timing was largely off. Barry was off. Mis-cues and mistakes left, right, and center. Other than that, yeah it was OK.......

Sunday's HSF, UJB, Alligator, and Viola all made up for it and were light years better than anything laid down on Friday.

you sound like a geek to me there paul, a clueless geek !

I know it's a bit late, but I just wanted to say thanks to everybody for the amazing weekend at the Warfield and Berkeley Community Theater. It was great hanging out with Canyon, Doogels, Mike, Jenny, Dan, Hall, Rev, Emily and everybody else who was there for the amazing party that went down. I also want to thank Phil and his Friends for putting on one of the most amazing weekend's of music I have ever heard. This lineup was the best band Phil ever put together imo. Barry finally had room to blow our collective minds. Jacky and Gloria sang on material that was much better suited for them, and the result was even more incredible than it had been in December. I was listening to the aud of the Warfield show and they go to so many incredible musical places. It was the most dead like lineup Phil has put together to date and it was extremely satisfying to be there and experience it first hand. If you haven't listened to the shows yet, definatley give them a try. I don't see how anyone could be dissapointed. It had a much different sound then even the previous lineup that played in December and at Mardi Gras. Barry is the most incredible guitarist alive right now. I hope Phil keeps him around permanently. Mookie was amazing on the keys. It was even more obvious listening to the recording. Al played great guitar and had some solid vocals. They weren't the best but they also weren't annoying or grating in any way. They were good solid vocals and the harmonies between band members were excellent. The best part about him was that he didn't miss any lyrics and he didn't need to look at the teleprompter once. He has this music ingrained in his brain and it showed. I felt comfortable with him singing these songs because you could tell that he is a fan and has mucho respect for them. Phil was propelled to new heights by this lineup and is it just me, or have the new chompers actually improved his singing ability? You decide. All I know is that there was a lot of love in those rooms and it was reflected ten fold by the music. I would give some musical highlights but it's just not possible as both shows totally smoked from beggining to end. They could have played anything and it would have been mindblowing. Twinkle Twinkle little star could have been a mind blower by these guys. I had fun hanging out on the floor for the first part of the second set at the Warfield but when they playd love the one you're with, that was my cue to go join Jessica in the balcony. Help>Slip>Franklin's was an incredible way to open up Wavy's birthday show. They had us by the balls from the opening notes. I was lucky enough to run into Barry after the show on Sunday and I expressed my gratitude and told him that Phil should hold onto him no matter what the cost. He was very humble and down to Earth, and he accepted my compliments with a smile and thanks. I'd like to give extra special thanks to Jessica for making the weekend possible, and for being a kick ass dance partner. Thanks for always showing me a good time. So to sum it all up, I'd like to say "Thank You All For A Real Good Time" and I hope to see you all again soon. Stay cool everybody. Philzoners are some of the best people you'll find anywhere. Peace.

Man, o, Man! First time to California, there for a wedding and just happen to investigate any shows that might be going on. Voila! or should I say Viola Lee!

I was blown away by the Help>slip>Franklins opener, my favorite song! Phil must have been reading my mind. Regardless of what anyone says about this show, I say it fucking rocked!! I definetly achieved X-FACTOR experience at the BCT, and hope you did too. Now I've been going back and listening to every H>S>F in my collection and can't wait until a copy of this show surfaces. Until then I'll be listening to the version from 12/19/04, of course I try to block out Chris Robinson's singing cause I really don't like it on that song.
Great show, Great Venue, and Great people!
Thanks Bay Area folks, me and my wife now know how cool a place can be and will definetly make the two day drive to see a show again.
See ya soon....

I just found my mp3 player and the recording it has on it is complete and utter shit! but i can still make out the viola lee blues and i love it