Customer Reviews

Phil Lesh & Friends - Live at the Warfield Theater

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Live at the Warfield Theater" captures a great Phil Lesh & Friends show. Highlights include 'Uncle John's Band.' Larry Campbell's mandolin adds an earthy flare to the classic. 'Eyes of the World' also stands out. Greg Osby's sax reinforces the jazzy feel. Another highlight is 'Unbroken Chain.' After the Dead died, Phil took singing lessons when he knew he'd be singing most of Jerry and Bobby's vocals. Nowhere is this more apparent than on 'Unbroken Chain.' It sounds better than any version played by the Grateful Dead. A strong jam that might slip under the radar for some is 'Slipknot!' In terms of the band, John Scofield is a stand-out. It is a great artistic marriage for Phil Lesh to play with John Scofield. While Scofield's done many 'jammy' projects before, his participation here is unexpected. Scofield adds his signature sound to everything he plays. That Scofield sound is very welcome in this setting. Joan Osborne's vocals effectively reinterpret the time-tested classics. The camera work and video editing is excellent. While the audio work is very well done, the saxophone is too loud in the mix. Deadheads are rewarded with a setlist that entirely consists of Grateful Dead songs. The exception to this is 'All Along the Watchtower,' a Dylan song that the Dead made a live staple. That's not to say that this will appeal to Grateful purists. This is not the Grateful Dead; rather it is a jamband reincarnation. While Bob Weir's Ratdog (this band's counterpart) may be too focused on songs and not enough on improvisation, Phil & Phriends has always had the opposite issue. The most significant problem with this group is that it is too loose. Typically, there are long periods of noodling when nobody has anything important to say. While this has been the modus operandi for the various incarnations of Phil and Friends, Lesh keeps things unusually tight and focused for this particular show. "Live at the Warfield Theater" proves that Phil Lesh has not only done an exemplary job in carrying the Grateful torch, but he's taken it to another level.

I had been eagerly awaiting the release of this DVD ever since the announcement came that it the Warfield Shows were going to be filmed. And now that it is here I can say that overall it delivers very nicely.
I have not had the pleasure of seeing Phil Lesh & Friends in concert, but I have listened to their Feb. 06 live recordings with much pleasure. I think what Phil's band brings to classic Grateful Dead music is well represented here. He really has kept Garcia's music alive. (Almost literally Garcia's music, as 80 percent of the songs here are his, and there are no Bob Weir works.)
PROS:

First of all, the sound quality is stellar. Even listening to it in 2-channel stereo, which is all I have, was amazing. There is no comparison to the audience, or even soundboard recordings that I have heard of other shows. Curiously, audience sounds are completely removed from the mix, which makes it very clean and sharp. Panning is very crisp, with Scofield on the left and Campbell on the right.
Phil does a good job with the vocals, especially for someone of his age. He brings a new interpretation to the songs previously sung by Garcia, which freshens them up a bit. Joan Osborne's vocals are absolutely stunning, especially on Eyes Of The World. I had goosebumps instantly when she opened her mouth. Her parts are very loud in the mix, when she sings harmony it overpowers Phil's lead, but I think that actually is a good thing. Phil's bass is easily heard, and Barraco and Campbell do a proficient job with their vocals and playing. I especially enjoyed Campbell's mandolin on Uncle John's Band. John Molo is excellent on drums, very tight and powerful. There are some excellent tunes here. Help>Slipknot!>Franklin stands out. Eyes of The World and Uncle John's Band are worth the price of the DVD alone.

CONS:

I have to admit that I wasn't very impressed with Scofield and Osby. They seemed a little lost, which is understandable since they had only been playing with Phil for a few months I think when this was recorded. Osby, on saxophone seems to just jump in randomly, and sounds like he's just filling time, nothing he played really stood out to me. Scofield was great at times, but at others I thought he sometimes played off key, ventured into strange scales, or just got a little too spacey for me. For two musicians that should be used to improvisation, they both seemed like they would have benefitted from more rehearsal and a tighter style.
My only other con is in the overall choice of songs. Most of the songs here are long, loud, and loose. I would have liked to see some of the tighter, simpler and more melodic songs of their repetoire on the disc, such as Peggy-O, Reuben and Cherise, Dire Wolf, etc.

BONUS DISC:

The bonus material is ok, but there is not much there. The highlight is the backstage rehearsal, where Phil goes over with the band what they are going to do for the second set. There are some truly funny and interesting moments here, Campbell has an acoustic guitar, and everyone else sings their parts along. I thought is was cool to hear Phil trying to vocalize his bass parts- " Dubba-dubba badda bidda dooba dooba dah, " that sort of thing. The jazz jam is worth a listen, nothing special. The conversation between Phil, Scofield and Osby is also a watch once deal.


Overall, an excellent DVD and I recommend it especially to Grateful Dead and Phil fans. It's really great that Phil has kept the spirit alive!

Phil Lesh and John Scofield - are you kidding? Yes - this is definitely a worthwhile watch/listen. Steve Urbauer

Phil Lesh is an improvisational bass playing master, and this DVD shows him in all his glory. Every show he plays is different so you never know what to expect. While he cannot be spectacular every signal show expectations were high for this release because it is the first official Phil Lesh and Friends DVD release. We are treated to an excellent set list and great playing through out. Phil is at the top of his playing ability. Highlights are plenty and hard to choose but the Uncle Johns Band, New Speedway Boogie, Caution and The Eleven really stand out. Phil is tremendous during Caution and the Eleven. Bass playing at its very best, he is a true master of the instrument, without equal in his field. The supporting cast is top notch as well. John Molo is a drumming machine holding down the beat and whipping out rolls all over the place. Greg Osby is very good in spots taking the whole solo during Slipnot and whipping out great leads during Eyes of the World. Larry Campbell and John Scofield work well together as dual soloist. John Scofield's sound and style of play is fascinating and quite unique, he is a joy to listen too. And what else can be said about Joan Osborne. Her voice is so sexy and heartfelt, as if she was born to sing these great Robert Hunter (and one Bob Dylan song) songs. She sends chills down the back of my neck every time I hear her sing. What a version of Caution WOW yes that is just they Pig Pen would have wanted a woman to sing his song. All in all this release great. No way to go wrong with this DVD

I love Phil Lesh and Friends. I downloaded every free soundboard Phil has released over the past four or five years. They're excellent concerts. I went to their concert in NYC last February and it was superb. I looked forward to this DVD with great anticipation.

The music on the DVD is great and the playing is great also. Phil is among the best bassists around, Joan is a fantastic singer and adds a new dimension to the songs that wasn't there prior to 2006, when she joined the band. Larry Campbell and John Scofield are great guitarists, and Greg Osby is a good sax player. John Molo and Rob Barraco are a very tight drummer and keyboardist. The video is done well also. It focuses on the musician while he/she is doing a solo. It is not overproduced like most other concert videos.

But this DVD left me a bit wanting. First, I think the set list is weak. These are not the strongest songs performed by Phil and Friends over the years. I would have loved to see the band perform some of the more rockin' Lesh staples from the soundboard concerts such as Cumberland Blues, Shakedown Street, I Know You Rider, Touch of Grey, Sugaree, Fire on the Mountain, Althea, Truckin, and US Blues. The songs on this DVD have a slower tempo, and the band often goes into meandering, spaced-out jams. I found my mind wandering to other things during these parts of the songs. And who mixed the sound on the DVD? The volume of both guitars is much too low, and I agree with a previous reviewer that Greg Osby's sax is too loud and drowns out the guitars.

Overall, I think this is a great concert of Phil and Friends. It could have been a bit better.

if you cant make it to the show then this is the next best way to see Phil and the band...Joan Osbourne is a great addition to the concert and the sound is as good as you would expect from this very talented and well rehearsed band.

I can understand the complaints but I couldn't disagree more. Scofield bombs for about 15 minutes. Thats what happens when your trying to be creative...then he soars for two plus hours. That's part of jam bands, giving them time to assimilate. uhm er....did you ever see Jerry on a good night? Joan Osborne on vocals-to die for/never heard better with the Dead. The Sax player was always musical but rarely typical...what more would you want? The drummer plays some of the best drumming I've seen on a music video.

Thanks Phil for a Step Ahead instead of back.

I was hesitant to get this. I agree with the intial review in large part. I thoroughly enjoyed this DVD though and immediately looked online for the opportunity to see them live next year. I always though they jammed mindlessly a bit too much, but these jams have energy and the band appears to be having fun. But the real kicker was Joan Osborne. As much as Phil can not sing, this gal can. I thought they complimented each other well. Now... where is the RatDog DVD?

I was at the 2nd night's show at the Warfield, and left the concert thinking "eh, not a great show, the band seemed like it wasn't clicking, maybe the dvd will show me what I missed". Waited a few months, and it turns out I didn't miss anything, the band was not playing very well together. I'm a big Scofield fan, and have seen Phil's other various bands many times, but the two styles really don't mesh well. Osby barely plays at all, and it sounds like he's not very interested when he does play. It looks like Phil and Sco are having fun on stage, but I don't think people uninitiated to the Phil/Dead style would find this dvd entertaining.

Phil has brought the world alot of great music, but I don't think this band is as pleasant to watch for people who are critical & unbiased towards Dead songs. If there's one upside, it's Joan's singing, but I think her best songs ended up on the cutting room floor.

I was pleased with timeframe I received this and gave it as a Christmas present