The Cap bids farewell to rock and roll icon
October 31, 2024 at 12:38 a.m.
The first time Phil Lesh played a concert at The Capitol Theatre he had just turned 30.
“It was five days after his 30th birthday,” Josh Cohen, the venue’s talent buyer, said. “During the meteoric rise of The Grateful Dead.”
Lesh performed with the group for its entire lifespan, from 1965 to 1995, as its bassist. The Capitol Theatre, located in the heart of Port Chester at 149 Westchester Ave., has been noted as one of the band’s favorite concert halls.
Garcia’s, the lobby bar adjacent to the venue that hosts smaller concerts, is named after the band’s lead guitarist and singer Jerry Garcia, who died in 1995.
“They played at The Cap 13 times in one year,” Cohen said. “It kind of became their home base on the East Coast.”
In his post-Grateful Dead career, Lesh would continue to perform in Port Chester with Phil Lesh and Friends, which featured a rotating lineup of musicians including John Mayer and Trey Anastasio of the rock band Phish.
With 12 years and 105 shows under his belt, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee was known as a staple at the Port Chester concert hall.
On Friday, Oct. 25, Lesh’s family announced he had died at 84.
Since that day, one side of The Capitol Theatre’s marquee reads: “We Love You, Phil.”
“We were all shocked,” Cohen said of hearing the news of the musician’s passing. “I know a lot of us here had to take a moment just to process it. But shortly afterwards texts started flying in about what we were going to do to honor his memory.”
Within two hours, a memorial show was planned for the next day.
“We really rallied all of our teams to get something set up,” Cohen said. “Marketing, security, our stage managers and sound engineer all stepped up to be there for this.”
Cohen said hundreds of people came through Garcia’s doors for the tribute show.
“Not all at once, obviously,” he laughed. “But there was a steady rotation of people coming and going all afternoon. It was a testament to how much he meant to the community, the fans and the venue.”
Among those in attendance was Port Chester Trustee John Allen.
“It was a fantastic event,” he said. “It was absolutely packed, probably as packed as I’d ever seen Garcia’s. It wasn’t so much a vigil as much as it was a celebration of Phil.”
Steve Liesman, the rhythm guitarist of Stella Blue’s Band, performs during the Phil Lesh memorial concert at Garcia’s on Saturday, Oct. 26.John Allen
The self-described “Dead Head” said the energy of the concert matched what made seeing Lesh at The Capitol Theatre special.
“I’ve been a fan for almost 40 years. I saw them a few times in the early 90s, during their last years,” the Glendale Place resident said. “I saw them play at the Giants Stadium and the Cap Centre (in Maryland). But the shows at The Cap that Phil played were equal or even better than the Dead shows because it was so intimate.”
Cohen said the limited size of the venue added to the sense of community.
“It was a beautiful thing. We would basically get the same crowd to see Phil play each time, and people became familiar faces,” he said. “Relationships built between us, Phil, his team and the fans.”
Allen said he’s gotten to know a variety of people from his 15 visits to see Lesh perform in concert.
“I started to see the same people at shows and just started chatting while waiting in line,” he said. “I’ve made connections with folks from all over because of Phil.”
One of them is Steve Liesman.
While some may recognize the Bronxville native as the CNBC senior economics reporter, Dead Heads of the area know him as the rhythm guitarist of the Stella Blue’s Band, a Grateful Dead tribute group that plays regularly at Garcia’s.
“When The Cap reopened after COVID, Stella Blue’s played the first show,” Allen recalled. “I brought along one of my kids, who was 8 at the time. After the show Steve came over because he saw the little kid in the crowd, and we just got to talking.”
Liesman was one of the people who messaged Cohen the day Lesh died—to let him know the band would be available for a memorial concert.
“I spoke with Steve right before he went on stage and we talked about what we should do,” Cohen said. “Should there be a moment of silence? Should we say a few words? But we opted not to do any of that. We were just going to celebrate Phil with music.”
Liesman said that was what fans of Lesh needed most in that moment.
“People were laughing, dancing and crying,” he said. “It was magical. It was a great way for us fans to come together.”
Allen remembers the concert as an emotional performance because of how much he looked up to the musician.
“It’s hard to describe what Phil meant to people like me,” he said.
Eventually, he narrowed it down to two things: Creativity and generosity.
“He became my favorite member of The Grateful Dead. He was an incredibly innovative musician who was incredibly collaborative,” Allen said. “He was a talented bassist who was always a very giving person when it came to working with younger artists. I’ve been introduced to a lot of other artists through Phil Lesh and Friends.”
Liesman agreed with Allen’s descriptors.
“Phil was very much in line with all of the other members of The Dead. They played their instruments in a very unique and original way,” he said, before commenting on his experience of playing alongside Lesh. “He was amazingly enthusiastic and encouraging with other musicians.”
At the end of the show on Saturday, Liesman took inspiration from one of Lesh’s passions.
In 1998, Lesh went through a liver transplant. Afterwards, he would include a “donor rap,” in his setlist, where he would encourage his fans to become organ donors.
“I didn’t even think about it, it was just something that happened,” Liesman recalled. “Phil always found a place where music could be used for charitable causes.”
Cohen said the venue will always remember Lesh.
“There’s still a photo of Phil and roses on stage at Garcia’s right now,” he said. “I don’t know how long that will stay, but honoring Phil is not something that we’ll stop doing.”
Comments:
You must login to comment.