April 20, 2015
(UPDATE 4/20/15) Phil Lesh has added two more dates at the Capitol Theatre in November. The Grateful Dead bassist celebrated his 75th birthday at the New York venue with four shows last month, and he'll return for two more on November 1 and 5. He'll be joined by Stanley Jordan, John Kadlecik, Tony Leone and Jason Crosby on November 1 while Scott Law, Barry Sless and David Nelson take the stage with him on November 5. Tickets to both shows are now on sale via Ticketfly.
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Phil Lesh Strikes Exclusive Deal With Peter Shapiro For 2014 Shows
(11/12/13) Ex-Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh will perform 45 shows across just a handful of venues next year after signing a mutually-beneficial agreement with concert promoter Peter Shapiro. Phil Lesh tickets for these shows are now available.
The 73-year-old, who decided to join forces with the owner of Port Chester’s Capitol Theatre and Williamsburg’s Brooklyn Bowl after growing tired of life on the road, will now essentially be on Shapiro’s payroll after agreeing to hand over the merchandising, ticketing and recorded rights of each concert in exchange for guaranteed payments.
Shapiro is a long-time fan of the Grateful Dead having made a film about the group’s loyal following, And Miles To Go Before I Sleep, co-founded the jam band magazine, Relix, and purchased the New York nightclub, Wetlands Preserve, that was described by its former owner, Larry Bloch, as built by ‘deadheads for deadheads.’
The deal, similar to the ones Jay-Z and Madonna entered into with Live Nation, is also expected to include special fan offerings such as ‘bowling with Phil’ V.I.P. packages and various comic strip-inspired posters.
Lesh, who has just finished a four-night run at the same Capitol Theatre that the Grateful Dead performed at 18 times during the early 70s, will return to the 2000 capacity former movie palace in April to kick-start a series of 30 dates. While he’s also been confirmed to appear at the Brooklyn Bowls in Williamsburg and Las Vegas and the second annual Lockn’ Festival in Arrington, VA on September 4-7.
But Lesh, who will still continue to play at his own Terrapin Crossroads venue in San Rafael, California, has been keen to reiterate that the deal doesn’t signify any plans to call it a day in the near future:
“I’m not retiring, and I’m not slowing down. I’m pretty sure I want to make music till I can’t breathe anymore. I just want to do it within the most focused possible way. The future looks really exciting.” Shapiro also told the New York Times “Less issues with travel will free Phil to focus on his music. It should provide a supportive environment for collaboration, which should be quite exciting for all of us.”
Of course, Lesh isn’t the only artist to announce a residency this year. Boyz II Men began their recently extended run at the Mirage’s Terry Fator Theatre back in March. Britney Spears will kick-start the first of her 100 ‘Piece Of Me’ shows at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in December, while a whole host of superstar DJs have capitalised on the EDM revolution by taking to the Sin City stage for weekly performances.
But his exclusive deal is the latest sign that artists are now open to embracing the non-touring show concept outside the Las Vegas strip. Back in 2007, superstar Prince performed a 21-night run at London’s O2 Arena, only to repeat the feat again at Inglewood’s The Forum four years later. In 2012, the New York Hall Of Science staged Bjork’s avant-garde Biophilia show over the course of a month. While earlier this year, electronic pioneers Kraftwerk played each of their eight studio albums in full over separate eight-night stints in London, New York and their Dusseldorf hometown.
