Phil Lesh - American Musician - Grateful Dead

Credit: Phil Lesh

Grateful Dead had plans to reunite with Phil Lesh before his death

Thu 28 November 2024 9:56, UK

The surviving three members of countercultural legends the Grateful Dead have revealed that they were planning a 60th-anniversary reunion before the death of bassist Phil Lesh in October.

Lesh was a co-founder of the influential San Francisco group and was famed for his improvisational approach to the bass, which he perfected across their 30-year career. Famously, he studied classical violin and jazz trumpet before leader Jerry Garcia invited him to join the group in 1965. He hadn’t played bass before that, which he was given by the band when he joined, but picked it up in only a day.

After the group split in 1995 after Garcia’s death, the bassist formed Phil Lesh and Friends, which played songs from the Dead’s repertoire and others. Then, from 2009 to 2014, he joined Furthur alongside former Dead guitarist Bob Weir.

In a new interview with CBS Mornings, the surviving members of the Grateful Dead, Weir, and drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, revealed how they were toying with the idea of a 60th-anniversary reunion next year and had even scheduled rehearsal time. The interview occurred just five days after his death.

“I was hoping that we could play with him again one more time,” Kreutzmann said. “So that, that was my sadness on that one …’Cause I know he wanted to play with us again too.”

“We were kickin’ it around,” Weir added. “In fact, we were gonna, we were gonna get together and, and kick some songs around tomorrow.”

Kreutzmann explained Lesh’s impact on the band: “He taught us basically how to be free. How to be free, how to play free, and not have to play in any set, fixed way, ‘coz he was a very unique bass player. It would help us be more improvisational.”

“We just don’t have enough to put a band together right now,” Weir noted of their situation after Lesh’s death. “Well, not the three of us,” Kreutzmann added, saying they would now have to draft in outside help if they were to do the 60th anniversary.

“I was hoping that we could do it for the 60th, would be fun,” Kreutzmann reflected, with Weir saying, “We were gonna see where it goes. But we were just gonna play the four of us. And now there’s only three of us. That’s different.”

When did Phil Lesh die?

Phil Lesh passed away on October 25th, aged 84. After successfully battling prostate cancer in 2006, and announcing a positive prognosis for bladder cancer in 2015, details have been scarce concerning his passing, with his family asking for privacy.

The Lesh family confirmed his passing on his Instagram, stating, “Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of the Grateful Dead, passed peacefully this morning. He was surrounded by his family and full of love.” They continued, “Phil brought immense joy to everyone around him and leaves behind a legacy of music and love.”

In other Grateful Dead news, it was recently reported that Jerry Garcia’s voice has been recreated using artificial intelligence and will be used to narrate books and articles.