by Sean Reiter
Billed as “a celebration of Terrapin Nation,” the Terrapin Roadshow rolled into the Forest Knolls Amphitheatre on the campus of Dominican University of California this past weekend for a three-day return to the music and vibes that thrived a few miles away at San Rafael’s beloved Terrapin Crossroads.
Organized by Grahame and Brian Lesh (the sons of Grateful Dead bassist and Terrapin Crossroads founder Phil Lesh), the event featured concerts Friday and Saturday nights with the finale on Sunday afternoon. Each show featured a first set by an opening band that had been deeply connected with the orbit of Terrapin and a second and third set by a rotating group of the Terrapin All-Stars (with guitarist/vocalists Grahame Lesh and Stu Allen rightfully performing with the All-Stars all three days).
FRIDAY
The band chosen to open Friday’s show – San Geronimo were a band in residency at Terrapin’s bar for years. The five-piece – comprised of Guitarist/vocalists Jeremy D’Antonio and Darren Nelson, along with drummer Danny Luehring (who also would serve as the drummer for day 3’s Terrapin All-Star Band and hosts “Danny’s Live Dead” every Wednesday night in Marin’s Fairfax), bassist Brian Rashap (bassist for Mother Hips and Phil Lesh’s longtime bass tech) and Dave Zirbel (pedal steel & guitar). Songs such as “Carolina” off their now decade-old LP “Better Days” had the early arrivers roaring.
Friday’s “All-Star” performance opened with a fun version of “Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion with everyone singing as Scott Guberman leaned heavily into the organ, Sunshine “Garcia” Becker slammed away at the tambourine, Sean Nelson (drums) and Scott Padden (bass provided the rhythm and Stu Allen and Grahame Lesh danced the light fantastic on their guitars.
The Friday core six musicians were joined by three guest guitarist singers. Musical savant Reed Mathis led terrific versions of both “Isis” and “Tangled Up in Blue”. Greg Loiacono (of Mother Hips and Stingray) drove a sweet “See What Tomorrow Brings” (along with Becker) and into a rollicking “Tennessee Jed”. Terrapin favorite son Jon Chi led an epic version of “West LA Fadeaway” and the ripped out the hearts in the audience with the cover of Little Feat’s “Willin’” to start out the encore.
Other highlights on night one included Becker’s fun, soaring vocals on “Crazy Fingers”, Stu Allen’s romantic take on “Rueben and Cherise”, Scott Guberman’s roaring take on “Walkin’ Blues.” The All-Stars also did the “Lady with a Fan” intro to “Terrapin Station” – a song that would be brought into all three performances and completed on Sunday. Grahame Lesh was uncharacteristically restrained on vocals on night one – seeming very content to sit back and foster the sharing spirit of the musical spotlight that his father was renowned for and that made Terrapin Crossroads the mecca for so many musicians looking to grow.
San Geronimo:
Terrapin All-Stars:
SATURDAY
If there were to have been a king and queen of the Terrapin Crossroads – Grahame Lesh and Elliott Peck would likely have held the role. The magic of their band Midnight North was on full display Saturday for a crowd that had filled the amphitheatre’s benches by the time the openers took the stage. The songwriting and performance talents of Lesh and Peck who serve as lead vocalists and guitarists – along with drummer Nathan Graham, bassist Connor O’Sullivan and keyboardist T.J. Kanczuzewski provided one of the weekend’s biggest highlights.
Songs like the Peck-led goodbye anthem “Greene County” and “Jupiter” – with lyrics that the legendary Robert Hunter penned and Grahame Lesh set the music – started day two off spectacularly. Midway through the set Jason Crosby joined on violin to accompany the final handful of songs – including Peck’s soaring cover of Grateful Dead’s “The Stranger (Two Souls in Communion)”, Lesh’s “Old Country” and their finale of “A Great Farewell.” North Bay residents will get a chance to check out Midnight North at Rancho Nicasio on Sunday, August 10 when they share the bill with Lebo & Friends for a BBQ on the Lawn concert.
Saturday’s version of the All-Stars feature a lineup with some of the most familiar faces of Terrapin Crossroads. In addition to Lesh and Allen, Elliott Peck stayed on for vocals, Scott Law returned from Oregon on guitar, Brian Rashap took bass, Jason Crosby played both keys and violin and Alex Koford headed up the drum kit. “Uncle John’s Band” kicked of the night and led into a rollicking “Jack Straw” that was followed by Peck delivering a memorable “Hard to Handle” and Stu Allen doing Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone.” Alex Koford came out from the behind the kit to sing a terrific “Ramble on Rose” before Tim Bluhm (Mother Hips) guested on lead vocals and guitar for “Here Comes Sunshine” and the set closer of a very tender “Brokedown Palace.”
Saturday’s nearly two-hour final set was started off with two Bluhm led highlights as the band did Merle Haggard’s “Workin’ Man Blues” and then followed it up with “Brown Eyed Women”. Scott Law delivered a crafty “Help on the Way” that flowed into its traditional follow-up of “Slipknot” before Grahame Lesh took the vocal lead with a rousing “Let it Grow” that had the crowd on their feet, shouting and raising their arms skyward. Peck’s version of “Eyes of the World” as darkness set in on the beautiful clear night was a beautiful moment of the weekend. The night was culminated by a mournful “Attics of My Life” and then a wild and fun “Music Never Stopped”.
Midnight North:
Terrapin All-Stars:
SUNDAY
Unlike the cool nights of the first two days, Sunday’s show was a semi-scorcher for mild Marin. The amphitheatre’s recessed layout and the trees that surround it kept the heat in and most of the breeze out. Mark Karan’s Buds were the day’s opener. Karan – the longtime guitarist for RatDog and well-known guitar and vocal contributor recognized the state of a third-day crowd in the sun. ““I know it’s a little early in the day to ask for audience participation, but if you would…” Karan (along with keyboardist Scott Guberman, drummer Anna Elva and bassist Paul Olguin took the audience on a ride that went from the New Orlean’s celebration of “Ooh Poo Pah Doo” to the very familiar take on “Tennessee Jed” to a powerful and defiant closer of “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding) .”
Sunday’s All-Star band once again saw Lesh and Allen, Peck joined again, and drummer Danny Luehring made his second appearance to hold down the kit. It was a guitar heavy lineup as the phenomenal Eric Krasno and guitarist / pedal steel Barry Sless joined along with guitarist/keyboardist Alex Jordan, legendary bassist Pete Sears (Rod Stewart, Jefferson Starship) and keyboardist Holly Bowling (joined at times by Mookie Segal, Jordan and Scott Guberman). Allen’s cover of the Beatles’ “Revolution” started the day off on the right tone and then Lesh took lead vocals on a long and wild “Cold Rain and Snow” that saw Sears demonstrate his bass wizardry.
Krasno set the crowd on fire leading “Sugaree” and a very bluesy “That What Love Will Make You Do” sandwiched around Segel’s true-to-form delivery of Dr. John’s “Such a Night”. Other highlights of the final day’s first set included Jordan leading “Cassidy” and Krasno’s “Deal” that cemented his place as the rightful heir should John Mayer ever look to depart Dead & Co and saw Bowling and Jordan taking the keys and organ into the stratosphere.
A Set two lit the crowd up right away with “Shakedown Street” before Mark Karan joined for a fun and far-ranging version of Rolling Stones’ “Tumblin’ Dice” with Lesh handling the lead vocal and Peck leaping into the chorus. The weekend’s final set saw Allen deliver a heart-wrenching take on “So Many Roads” and a “Not Fade Away” with 12 of the Roadshow’s players sharing the stage.
As he did each night, Grahame Lesh took to the stage before the encore – Sunday holding up a picture of Phil Lesh given to him by a front-row fan. “Thank you all for coming and being a part of this Terrapin Nation and coming to all these events we’ve been putting on,” Lesh told the crowd still roaring in appreciation. “We wanted this to be a celebration of Terrapin Crossroads, all of you who came there and all the musicians who played there and I think we did it. Hopefully the first of many. We love this space!” Grahame then continued his father’s legacy of the donor rap. “I get 25 extra years with my dad because a young man named Cody told his mom that he wanted to be an organ donor. He saved my dad’s life in 1998.” Lesh then introduced the band before Alex Jordan led a fun and energetic version of “Around and Around” and the weekend concluded with a triumphant “The Wheel” that capped off the nearly two-hour final set.
Mark Karan’s Buds:
Terrapin All-Stars:
Summary
As always with a multiple-day event, people will look back and try to figure out “which was the best show.” Having attended all three shows, I would hesitate to say that one was better than the other, but they each had their own tone and struck different memories. Friday’s show felt like a tribute show to Terrapin. Saturday night’s performance felt like we were back at Terrapin for one of those divine weekend daytime shows that were held at the Backyard Venue. Sunday’s afternoon show had the vibe and star power of a blockbuster show in the Grate Room. All felt true to the spirit of Terrapin and seeing so many faces on stage that honed their craft and grew in the creative nirvana that was Terrapin Crossroads.
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