For the first weekend of February, Denver’s Mission Ballroom once again became a mecca for travelers seeking the psychedelic and for those who made the leap of faith, the reward was great. Grateful Dead bassist and living legend Phil Lesh gave the Rino district two nights of splendor, sound, and the opportunity once again to rejoice in community under a blanket of aural pleasantries that would defy expectation.

A rollicking “Cumberland Blues,” the Appalachian-bluegrass-style Grateful Dead tune that opened the first of two shows at The Warfield in San Francisco on December 27, was a microcosm of the mighty capabilities of this formulation of Phil Lesh & Friends.

October is quickly rolling to a close, but not without the excitement of the Phil-O-Ween residency at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY.

The stardust has settled down so let’s recap the first-ever Sacred Rose Festival. Opening up a new bracket for Chicago by seasoned festival producers, Sacred Rose certainly had some highs and some lows but one thing is for sure Sacred Rose was one for the ages and one we hope will return.

Leftover Salmon, the Lil Smokies, and Dead Winter Carpenters provided the bluegrass and Phil Lesh & Friends fueled the “beyond” at the inaugural, one-day Bluegrass and Beyond festival in Stateline, Nevada, at Lake Tahoe.

July 19 UPDATE: Following a recent mild case of COVID-19 that kept Phil Lesh from performing with The String Cheese Incident at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado on July 17, it has now been confirmed that Phil Lesh & Friends will indeed deliver a headlining performance Friday, July 22 at the single-day Bluegrass and Beyond Festival at Lake Tahoe.

Saturday night, Phil Lesh and Friends closed out their three-night Colorado run with a final stop at the picturesque Planet Bluegrass in Lyons, Colorado. Following two magical nights in Dillon and Vail, the group concluded the transcendental trifecta to a sold-out crowd under a near full moon, clear skies, and perfect temperatures.

The inaugural Days Between Festival, celebrating the legacy of late-Grateful Dead patriarch Jerry Garcia and the musical score he left embedded in our soul, was upbeat and a resounding success in northern Mendocino County, California on August 6 and 7, even amidst the rage of north-state wildfires and Covid-19 pandemic 2.0. Proof of vaccination or a negative, very-recent Covid test were required for entry.

Tim Kobza is a Los Angeles-based guitarist/multi-instrumentalist and producer, writing and recording music with attitude, movement, and authenticity, inspired by an extensive career playing jazz, funk, Latin, soul, R&B and improvised music.

For about 25 years now, “Phil & Friends” has constituted several combinations of like-minded players with extensive Grateful Dead music pedigrees and acumen. On New Year’s Day, 2020, Phil Lesh performed and led a high-spirited, two-set show in the Beach Park, the outdoor performance venue at his Terrapin Crossroads club and restaurant in San Rafael, Calif.