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| Phil Lesh & Friends @ McNears Beach (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Terrapin Nation gathered once again at McNears Beach in San Rafael for the third installment of Sunday Daydream presented by Terrapin Crossroads. Organized and hosted by the Lesh family, Daydream #3 on a postcard perfect sunny, breezy day saw a headline set by Phil Lesh & Friends – along with fellow main stage acts Stu Allen & Mars Hotel and Greg Loiacono & Stingray and the “Keep It Weird” side stage hosted by Terrapin regulars Elliott Peck and Scott Law.
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| Phil Lesh @ McNears Beach (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
A long line had formed Sunday by 10 am as Deadheads of many generations early awaited the opening of the gates. Few, if any tickets remained for the event and VIP tickets had sold out long ago. They were greeted by a friendly batch of longtime Terrapin Crossroads employees and concert regulars to scan tickets and issue the appropriate bands and badges. “Hi Liz!” and “Thanks Firefly!” was said over and over as the community reassembled in its present summer concert form. Peace signs flashed as they walked in to along the Bay to a venue that shared a prime public fishing spot on one side and a community pool on the other.
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| Scott Law & Elliott Peck @ McNears Beach (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Under a large tree on a hillside by a handful of food trucks, the “Keep It Weird” stage offered both a shady spot and many of the most intimate and delightful musical moments of the day. Elliott Peck recently returned triumphantly from a recent health crisis that had put her and the rest of Midnight North on hiatus. In May, she triumphantly returned to the stage at Hopmonk Tavern to join Midnight North bandmate Grahame Lesh for a few songs. Now, just over two months later, she earned most valuable player for Daydream #3. She performed three sets with Law on the “Keep It Weird” stage and joined the main stage for the full Stu Allen & Mars Hotel set and much of the Phil & Friends finale. She was everywhere and -as anyone who has seen Peck perform knows – she added grace and soul to every song she touched.
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| Scott Law, Elliott Peck, and Grahame Lesh @ McNears Beach (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
On the “Weird Stage,” Peck was joined by Scott Law – the very talented Oregon-based singer-songwriter and throughout the day, they presented a blend of their originals and beloved covers. Peck visited both her solo album “Further from The Storm,” her recent EP “In the Pines” and Midnight North’s latest album “Diamonds in the Zodiac.” Highlights included the beautiful, tender “The Colors Here” that drove both Peck and many in the crowd to tear up and the fun “Good for You I Guess.” Law shined on “The Dance” Meanwhile, the two harmonized beautifully on “The Highway Song” and Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe.”
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| Scott Law and Elliott Peck @ McNears Beach (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Over on the main stage, Greg Loiacono and Stingray delivered a strong set that blended rock, jazz and surf tones. A drifting “Giving It All Away” saw the band joined by Scott Law. “Away from the Storm” was a blistering guitar burner that saw Grahame Lesh join Loiacono as they build a powerful wailing wall of guitar sound that kept gaining momentum and culminated with the two in a heavy center stage guitar duel as Vicki Randle provided a terrific conga drum beat behind them with fellow drummer Michael Urbano, as Danny Eisenberg leaned into keys. Loiacono (who also performed at last year’s Daydream #1) got the crowd up and dancing early and seemed to embrace the opening slot by delivering a full-throttle set that included a fun cover of Genesis’ “That’s All.” By the time, he brought the set to a close with a slash of his guitar, the concert was set to full-throttle ahead.
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| Grahame Lesh & Greg Loiacono @ McNears Beach (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Longtime Bay Area favorites Stu Allen & Mars Hotel had the main stage middle slot and didn’t disappoint. Sunday’s band included Allen, guitarist Alex Jordan, bassist Brian Rashap, drummer Jerry Saracini – along with special guest keyboardist Holly Bowling and making her way over from the other stage - Elliott Peck. They started out with the traditional Dead couplet of “China Cat Sunflower” into “I Know You Rider” before covering Johnny Cash’s “Big River”. After a sweet, slow “Row Jimmy” Alex Jordan led a gigantic cover of “Around and Around” that emptied all the horses out of the barn and put the crowd into full gallop.
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| Greg Loiacono @ McNears Beach (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
The traditional closing song of “Brokedown Palace” instead set the stage for a colossal “Terrapin Station” delivered as the full “Terrapin Suite” with the start highlighting Allen’s voice at its most mournful as Bowling added delicate keys to fill in behind. As the song moved into the second movement, the band reached its full sonic potential trading spotlight moments back and forth. The final, lesser-played Middle-Eastern style segment saw Allen’s guitar provided roaring highlight after highlight as Rashap’s bass thundered behind them.
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| Greg Loiacono and Stingray @ McNears Beach (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
The final set provided what has become the traditional Daydream closer of Phil & Friends as Phil Lesh brings together a unique collection Terrapin Crossroads all-stars and jam scene big names for a set of Dead songs. For Sunday, the music focus was on songs from the Grateful Dead’s Hollywood Bowl concert from fifty years earlier on July 21, 1974. The day’s lineup saw Phil joined by his son Grahame, his “right-hand man” and drummer John Molo, all-world keyboardist Jason Crosby, guitarist virtuoso Stanley Jordan and ALO guitarist and singer Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz. During the set, both Elliott Peck and Stu Allen also joined in.
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| Stanley Jordan & Dan 'Lebo' Lebowitz @ McNears Beach (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
The “Jack Straw” opener saw Lebo take most of the lead vocals and led into the traditional Phil favorite “Mississippi Half Step” with Jordan providing some unique jazz guitar behind Phil’s booming bass as Crosby danced all over the keys.. A rollicking “Scarlet Begonias followed” with Graham taking lead vocals and getting an opportunity to shine forward on his Gibson while Peck and Lebo provided the strong backing vocals.
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| Stu Allen @ McNears Beach (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Stu Allen joined the group for a syrupy, bluesy “Sugaree” that build to a huge crescendo and got the loudest roar of the day from the crowd. “Playin’ in the Band” demonstrate his pedal steel expertise as Grahame Lesh took the lead vocal duties with the entire band singing backup on the choruses behind him as the song gathered momentum. The brakes were then heavily applied with a slow and sorrowful “Wharf Rat” that saw the lyrics sung nearly the full ensemble. Lebo jumped to his feet and strapped on his acoustic guitar to lead a fun, bouncing version of “Truckin” that saw him dancing back and forth as Jordan filled took the lead on electric guitar. As always, the line of “What a long, strange trip it’s been” was met with loud cheers of agreement.
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| Alex Jordan @ McNears Beach (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Jordan’s version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” was an excellent demonstration of his unique style and the depth of his sound. The song somehow transitioned back to a vibrant reprise of “Playin’ in the Band.” “We’ve got one more for you before the old curfew hits,” Phil told the crowd. “But we thank you all for coming out and if you’re sitting at home with nothing to do, check out the Terrapin Clubhouse YouTube Channel. We have a lot of music in there for you and a podcast coming up in the fall.” Faced with a time limit, the band cut short a few songs they had planned for a finish with a celebratory “Sugar Magnolia” with Grahame taking lead vocals. “Thanks Terrapin! We love you!” Grahame told the crowd to close the day.
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| Dan 'Lebo' Lebowitz @ McNears Beach (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
For most of those who were there and for any who may have missed Sunday Daydream #3, the next installment of Sunday Daydream #4 will be back on the shores of McNears Beach on Sunday, August 18, 2024. The concert is set to feature another Phil & Friends set (this time joined by Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith of Dawes, Holly Bowling and Natalie Cressman), along with the Sam Grisman Project, Wolf Jett and Jon Chi on the “Keep it Weird” stage.
