Article Contributed by Gabriel David Barkin
Published on 2026-06-02
Terrapin Roadshow | May 31st, 2026 - photos by Gabriel David Barkin
The Terrapin Roadshow made its first stop of the 2026 season this past weekend. The small riverside community of Monte Rio in Sonoma County hosted a stellar roster of musicians playing two concerts of Grateful Dead music under cloudless skies in an idyllic grassy park surrounded by towering redwoods.
The Terrapin Roadshow tour is a production of Terrapin Crossroads Presents, the direct descendent of the Lesh family’s Terrapin Crossroads venue in San Rafael. Aside from the moniker “Terrapin,” Grateful Dead founding member Phil Lesh’s son Grahame is the most recognizable throughline connecting this summer’s five Roadshow stops. For the Monte Rio gigs, the younger Lesh played bass, admirably emulating his father’s musicality and distinctive approach to the low end of the musical spectrum.
In this round of the Roadshow, the lineup accompanying Lesh included guitarists Jackie Greene and Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz, Mookie Siegel playing keys, and Jeremy Hoenig on drums. Lesh’s Midnight North compadre Elliott Peck sang vocals, sharing the lead mic and contributing harmonies along with Lesh, Lebo, Greene, and Siegel. Vicki Randle added percussion and vocals (on Saturday only).
For a distinctive and delightful treat, the Monte Rio show also featured the Wolfpack, a collection of brass and string players who frequently collaborated with Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros. Throughout this weekend’s shows, the Wolfpack added flares, flourishes, textures, and solos that meshed perfectly with the familiar riffs and jams of the Grateful Dead’s songbook. The Wolfpack included Brian Switzer on trumpet, Adam Theis on trombone, and Sheldon Brown on sax. Alex Kelly played cello, and Mads Tolling showcased his avant-garde jazz chops on violin.
For instance, Saturday’s show included the blare of Spanish horns layered over the instrumental refrain of “Playing in the Band.” Then there was the orchestral touch of Brown’s flute sitting atop the familiar opening strains of “Terrapin Station.” An all-brass tease of the doo-doo-doo riff of Stephen Stills’ “Love the One You’re With” to introduce the encore “I Know You Rider.” Tolling shredded his fiddle and commanded full attention during a solo on “Rider.”
The first day’s showtime was 4 pm, which gave the show a runtime that extended from the sunny warm late afternoon into a cool evening. The sun set over the western redwoods during “Scarlet Begonias,” giving the band members a respite from the sun in their eyes. Peck removed her sunglasses, but later she and others on stage had to put on a coat to ward off the evening chill. Lebo and Greene also donned jackets.
Earlier, when it was still warm, the show began with a set by Skip the Needle, a rocking quartet fronted by Vicki Randle, who played bass and shared lead vocals with her bandmates. The vibe was equal parts Led Zeppelin and Sly & The Family Stone – tasty heavy rock guitar riffs and solos paired with modern-day protest lyrics. Randle, known primarily as a percussionist (The Tonight Show Band, Mavis Staples) was a solid presence at the front of the stage playing an instrument most of the fans have not seen strapped over her shoulder.
Sunday’s show started a few hours earlier. People who arrived early to join the lineup outside the gates could hear the soundcheck. Lebo calling out instructions for “Rubin and Cherise.” A verse section from the middle of “Help on the Way.” A sprightly verse of “Cumberland Blues.” Shades of things to come.
AJ Lee and Blue Summit opened up the Sunday show with a set of acoustic bluegrassy tunes. The recent departure of guitarist Scott Gates made room for the band’s other incredibly talented guitarist, Sully Tuttle, to take more solo turns. Original tunes including Lee’s “The Weenie Dog Song” stood up well next to covers like the New Riders of the Purple Sage classic “Glendale Train.”
Later, Lee joined the Roadshow band on vocals and mandolin for several country-ish songs in the first set, including “Cumberland Blues” and “Dark Hollow.” With half the stage in sun and half in shade, the expanded ensemble kept things cool while heating up the audience.
The horn section once again deepened the delightfulness in Sunday’s second set. A tight arrangement of the catchy riffs in “Slipknot” and an Arabesque accompaniment to “Estimated Prophet” raised the energy of those distinctively funky and jazzy mid-70s compositions.
A few other highlights from the weekend, this time in the vocals category:
• Peck singing Loretta Lynn’s #1 country hit "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)" with ample swagger and gusto.
• Randle stepping to the front to belt an apt “Take Me to the River.” (The Russian River was literally just steps away from the venue.)
• Jackie Greene also bringing some soulful Al Green vibes (he cowrote and sang “Take Me to the River,” of course) to the closing chorus of “Sugaree.”
Props to Lesh, not only for taking a lead role producing the Roadshow, but also for some masterful bass playing in Monte Rio. There are a lot of guitarists who sound like Jerry Garcia. (Albeit to be fair, Greene and Lebo are in the “I play it my own way” camp.) But there are few bass players on the scene who sound like the original Grateful Dead bomb thrower. Grahame is one of the few bassists who approaches the bottom end like his father, playing the bass more like a lead guitar. Kudos, dude. Well done.
Over 60,000 people got to experience this when Lesh joined Dead & Co. in Golden Gate Park last year to play “Saint Stephen.” The Roadshow set list on Saturday included that number, and Lesh once again displayed enormous talent as well as some DNA-influenced chops.
Later on the Roadshow tour, he’ll play guitar. But attendees at the Grant’s Pass show in early August will have the opportunity to see him on bass. For more info on that show and all the other upcoming Terrapin Roadshow gigs, visit https://www.terrapincrossroads.net
