Phil Plays Bob
There are several Dylan By Lesh compilations floating around the internet, mostly comprised of songs that Lesh has played on Phil and Friends tours over the past decade or so. The second time I ever saw Dylan was one summer in High School and Phil and Friends was the opening act. With this tour, around the summer of 2000, in mind, and the high number of Dylan covers that Lesh has played, it makes me kind of doubtful about what I read in this months Blender magazine:
"In February 1989, he again joined the Dead onstage in Inglewood, California, and was so enthused that the following day he called their office and asked to become a full-time band member. According to Bob Weir, most of the band was keen, but one member - probably bassist Phil Lesh - voted against Zimmy."
Far be it from me to demand exacting historical music details from a magazine published by the guy who make Maxim, but this seems unnecessarily vague. Dylan joining the dead will long be one of rock's greatest, "what if" moments, and until Dylan releases his own reverse tribute, we will have to settle for the legions of Dead playing Dylan material available. We have Dylan and the Dead live performances (more of which exist than just the official live album), the offical Dead compilation "Postcards of the Hanging", to the recently released Garcia Plays Dylan, and the previously mentioned Phil and Friends compliations.
The Phil and Friends discs contain about half and half Dylan covers and Dead/traditional songs. I've posted my favorite disc of Volume 2 of the compilation. These are songs that come from the late nineties period of Phil and Friends, (except for When I Paint My Masterpiece, which comes from '94s first ever Phil and Friends show.
