Phil Lesh, Bassist Who Anchored the Grateful Dead, Dies at 84

(nytimes.com)

27 points | by arittr 18 hours ago ago

7 comments

  • PonyoSunshine 17 hours ago
  • threecheese 17 hours ago

    I have chills, I believe mostly from reliving 1995 a bit. I was young, and had lots of plans. This is very sad, his music was just starting to reach a fourth (fifth? third?) generation of heads. Maybe now he’s with Jerry, Hunter, and Barlow, Kieth, Brent, and Pigpen, and all the others.

    • threecheese 16 hours ago

      I’ve had the opening bass slide down that kicks off Scarlet Begonias/Cornell 1977 (I was a child lol) stuck in my head for days, my god what that must have felt like to see live. Rattled the bones, like a crack of thunder. I am sad.

      • tkgally 16 hours ago

        The Lesh bass line that sticks in my head is in "Me and Bobby McGee" from a show in Fresno in the summer of 1974 [1]. It's a simple three-chord country song, and the usual bass backing would be a straight oom-pah on the beat. But Phil was all over the place with syncopated counterpoint. I've listened to that recording dozens of times.

        [1] https://archive.org/details/gd74-07-19.sbd.symons.12381.sbeo...

        • threecheese 15 hours ago

          Love it, listening now. Here’s a great comment for that show (archive.org taper comments for one of the sources):

            > Phil's bass tone is just how I like it, nice and thick.
          
          :)
      • ompogUe 15 hours ago

        My #1 favorite Jerry solo is during Brown Eyed Women at that same concert (Barton Hall).

        What a show!

        Requiescat in Pace, Mr. Lesh

  • iancmceachern 16 hours ago

    Listening to the dead channel on sirius xm now, he will be missed, what a guy.