Let us just say, Deadheads and those with a place in their heart for seeing some of the best jam band music that is out right now were not disappointed.
On Monday night at the Pearl Street Warehouse in Washington DC the Skeleton Crewe faced the “Cold rain and snow” to play what would be their 4th of 9 shows in their late winter tour and it lived up to the hype that had surrounded it.
The night started off strong with “Lay Your Dagger Down,” written by front man Stephen Inglis (Billy Kreutzmann, Dennis Kamakahi) on guitar. The powerhouse lineup also featured Rob Barraco (Dark Star Orchestra, Phil Lesh & Friends, The Dead) on keyboards and vocals; Barry Sless (Bobby Weir and Wolf Bros, David Nelson Band, Phil Lesh and Friends, MoonAlice) on pedal steel; Pete Sears (Jefferson Starship, Hot Tuna, Phil Lesh & Friends, David Nelson Band, MoonAlice) on bass; and Jay Lane (Dead & Company, Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros, Ratdog) on drums.
As the night rolled on you could hear a pin drop while Stephen Inglis spoke about his and the rest of the Crewe’s, dear lost friend Bobby “Ace” Weir who recently passed away after an ongoing battle with cancer. As he finished bathing the softly watery eyed crowd with his beautiful linguistic tone the band transitioned into a forceful 18-song set that included “One Dog Blues,” Inglis’s tribute to Hawaii “Ho’omalamalama”, “Days Between,” and then shocked everyone with their most forceful song of the night, Bobby Weir and Grateful Deads, “One More Saturday Night”, which was done impromptu as it was not on their official on stage setlists. It was a bold choice, but the right choice that turned the start of the work week into a weekend party, even if for only a few boogie and spinning moments.
Watch Skeleton Crew play “Days Between” by Grateful Dead live on YouTube:
One word of advice if you plan on catching them on this run, buy your tickets NOW and keep your third eye open as you will want to ensure you catch every single note fully when this Crewe comes through. Meditate on that!
Setlist:
Set 1
- Lay Your Dagger Down
- Calliope
- Gratitude
- Laughter Love & Lunacy
- Weather Report Suite
- Find Your Way Back Home
- Old Coast Highway
- One Dog Blues
- Tennesse Jed
Set 2
- NLTP>Slip>Rondo
- When You Say When
- Leave Me Outta This
- Ashland Town
- Ho’omalamalama
- Hi Five
- Days Between
- Argentina
Encore
- One More Saturday Night
Skeleton Crewe – 2/23/26 – Pearl Street Warehouse
Stephen Ingles, Rob Barraco, Barry Sless, Pete Sears, & Jay Lane
Photos By: Sean Spannuth
