Article Contributed by Gabriel David Barkin
Published on 2026-07-28
Terrapin Roadshow | Forest Meadows Amphitheatre | July 26th, 2026 - photos by Gabriel David Barkin
For the second year running, the Terrapin Roadshow camped out for three days on the campus of San Rafael’s Dominican University. The Forest Meadows Amphitheatre was a hit last year with Marin County’s Terrapin Nation, including fans, bands, and showrunners. Tons of seating, ample dance room, and a beautiful stage set left behind by a recent production of Shakespeare’s As You Like It. What’s not to like?
The Terrapin Roadshow booked 11 gigs at five stops across the western U.S. this summer, with a different lineup for each venue and a unique opening band every night. The San Rafael assemblage was billed as the Terrapin Family Band, a quintet of musicians who were frequent performers at Phil Lesh and his family’s nearby—and sadly defunct—Terrapin Crossroads.
Phil’s son Grahame Lesh on guitar and vocals, the only constant for the entire Roadshow tour, was joined on this occasion by a core band of Ross James on bass, Jason Crosby on keys, Alex Koford on drums, and Nicki Bluhm on vocals.
Guests announced for the three-day extravaganza included a rotating all-star roster of Bay Area guitarists: Stu Allen, Tim Bluhm, Barry Sless, Reed Mathis, and Greg Loiacono. Garrett Deloian of Jerry’s Middle Finger made a surprise appearance on Saturday as well.
The stage was backed by a wall of sound. No, scratch that—it was a veritable wall of brightly colored plastic milk crates filled with potted silk plants, a motley assortment of glasses and dishware, and a variety of bric-a-brac. Quite lovely, actually.
Indeed, the white crates in the midst of the array spelled out “Love.” Trailing vines and blooming flowers—artificial, but who cares?—brought the stage to life. The backdrop was a fringe benefit that comes with holding a concert in a Shakespearean theater. Last year’s décor was held over from A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
On Friday, the first of three sold-out days in San Rafael, there was some confusion about the show’s starting time. Some of the marketing materials mistakenly listed a 6 p.m. showtime, but most of the ticketholders seemed to get the memo and showed up in time to hear opening band Broken Compass Bluegrass.
And good for them, because they got to hear some brilliant bluegrass in the waning sunlight.
The young virtuoso quartet from Grass Valley, California, made new fans right from the get-go with their butt-kickin’ rendition of “Walkin’ Boss,” a traditional bluegrass song covered by David Grisman and Jerry Garcia, among many others.
Guitarist Django Ruckrich had his first of several memorable solos within the first five minutes of the set, once again proving to those who had already witnessed his proficiency how apt it was that his parents named him after one of the 20th century’s most fluent pickers.
Other highlights included Mei Lin Heirendt’s down-home vocals and fiddling on her original tune “Fairies & Lightning,” several rip-snortin’ mandolin solos by Kyle Ledson, and steady electric bass by Sam Jacobs. Covers of the Grateful Dead’s “Cassidy” and “Jack Straw” closed the set as the crowd filled the amphitheater.
The Terrapin Family Band was joined for the entire Friday show by Barry Sless on electric and pedal steel guitar. They launched the first of the weekend’s sets with “Help on the Way,” segueing into a shortened “Slipknot!” before transitioning into “Bertha.”
Sless’s tasteful, melodic solo on “Loser” was a first-set highlight. Drummer Alex Koford, who also plays guitar but not at these shows, sang a spot-on version of “Althea.”
The highlight of the day for many was the pre-break run of acoustic-ish songs with accompaniment by Ledson, Ruckrich, and Heirendt. First came delightful versions of “Dire Wolf” and “Friend of the Devil,” with Crosby on vocals for the latter.
But that “Cumberland Blues” set closer, though—wowzers, especially Ruckrich’s solo! Biggest cheer of the day to that point.
At the break, some guy next to me said, “Man, that reminded me of Reckoning!” That’s the Grateful Dead’s all-acoustic recording drawn from their 1980 runs at Radio City Music Hall and San Francisco’s Warfield Theatre.
Friday’s second set, shortly after sundown, added guitarist Reed Mathis to the mix. Mathis admirably sang Bob Weir’s “Black-Throated Wind,” and he contributed imaginative riffs and solos throughout the rest of the evening.
Lesh sang his father’s “Pride of Cucamonga,” eerily echoing the elder Lesh’s timbre. Apples falling near trees and all that.
Bluhm’s Friday highlight was a soulful and powerful “Morning Dew,” with lows and highs that showcased the incredible range and clarity of her vocals. It’s hard to believe her when she sings, “I guess it doesn’t matter anyway.” Whatever Bluhm sings matters!
The full “Weather Report Suite” came after that, followed by “Sugar Magnolia,” sans “Sunshine Daydream.” Finally, a “Cats Under the Stars” encore brought the first of three nights to a close.
They say, “Never miss a Sunday show!” But I did skip the Saturday show, including the opening set by Marin County’s San Geronimo and guest appearances during the main act by guitarists Tim Bluhm, Greg Loiacono, and Garrett Deloian.
Deloian also sat in with San Geronimo, filling in for Darrin Simmons, who was unavailable for health reasons.
Onward: Never miss a Stu’nday show!
Stu Allen was the only announced guest who had not yet appeared during the weekend, so there was no doubt he would be in the spotlight Sunday.
Both Saturday and Sunday were daytime shows. On the third and final day, cool breezes softened the mild sunshine. Bubbles wafted down the hillside along with the ever-present odor of kind buds. Babes in arms and toddling children abounded. Yes, their parents were with them.
Wolf Jett led off Sunday with a set of their “cosmic mountain music.” Hailing from Santa Cruz, the band features vocals by Chris Jones and Laura T. Lewis. Jones founded the band with his childhood friend Jon Payne, who plays drums. Will Fourt on guitar and Duncan Shipton on bass round out the ensemble.
Jones told the crowd he was going to risk playing harmonica – something he doesn’t usually do, apparently – on Bob Dylan’s “I’ll be Your Baby Tonight.” He stuck the landing, despite his humility. For their final song, Wolf Jett played their own cut “Don’t Give Up On Me Now,” a catchy tune with an easily-learned refrain. Finally, they cajoled the crowd to hold up their hands making the sign of the wolf (two fingers, representing a wolf’s ears) and joining in on a group howl.
Among the highlights from the Terrapin Family Band’s Sunday sets were Bluhm channeling Ron “Pigpen” McKernan’s emotion on a very bluesy “Easy Wind,” and “Wharf Rat” segueing into Bluhm on a rousing “New Speedway Boogie” after a tease of the crescendo jam from “Truckin’.”
Lesh sang another Phil song, “Unbroken Chain.” True story: An eight-year-old Grahame was responsible for the Grateful Dead playing the song live for the first time, at the younger Lesh’s request, in 1995.
“Eyes of the World” featured Lesh and Crosby trading licks from the Yes classic “Siberian Khatru” in the middle section, while Ross James threw down a wicked bass solo before the final verse.
Following “Eyes,” the band stretched out the jam and transitioned into “King Solomon’s Marbles.” This jazzy instrumental from Blues for Allah makes few appearances in Grateful Dead cover-band setlists. Allen and Lesh took turns leading the melodious passages between instances of the syncopated theme.
The audience may have thought for a moment that “Marbles” was going to roll into “Shakedown Street,” but it turned out to be “Uncle John’s Band.”
Around this time, it occurred to some of us that the show was composed almost entirely of songs from 1970s Grateful Dead records. Purposeful? Coincidence? Who can say. A lively “Crossroads” set closer was the only aberration.
The final encore of the weekend began with the rest of “Slipknot!,” which, as reported above, was shortened on Friday. As on Blues for Allah, “Franklin’s Tower” came next, with Lesh and Allen adding the guitar harmony from the Allman Brothers Band’s “Blue Sky” during one of the instrumental stretches.
By the final verse, Allen, whose voice often sounds eerily like Garcia’s, was belting “Roll away the dew” with significant gusto.
The final song of the weekend was a fast-paced, electric “Ripple.” In a year filled with mournful versions of this meaningful song played in tribute to the passing of Bob Weir, Sunday’s “Ripple” was a glorious, joyful celebration of life.
Terrapin Nation will survive. We will get by—for 300 years, at least, as Weir told us.
