Fitting Finale

Lost Lake Lounge was like Church for the small but growing Colorado pound during spring ‘23. We’d arrive at the venue early to chat with the folks we had met at the previous dates, or try to hear a glimpse of the sound check whenever a crewmember exited the front door. I didn’t want the residency to end (none of the regulars did), but knew the final show had to come sometime. Apr. 19—Bicycle Day—was a fitting end to the 10-show mini tour. No worries, though. They’d be back in November.

Like the other 3 nights at the venue (Electronic/Dead/Frasco), this show had a clear theme. 14 artists are represented in the two sets, mostly other jam bands or psychedelic rock outfits to honor the date. It shares a lot of similarities with 4/14’s “Under the Covers” show, but this night stands above that event and the others from the residency—only 4/7 really compares. At nearly four hours of great musak, this is the longest show of the tour and among the longest of the year. 

For those reasons, the show is oft-cited among the pound. Five true debuts, many intricate lines, five sandwiches, and numerous teases reward attentive listeners. It also serves as an excellent starting point for new listeners who may be more familiar with the covers. With two continuous sets, this show is best experienced in its entirety—picking around to hear your faves won't have the same effect.

First Set. The band was roaring and ready to go, and delivered an opening sequence fit for a second set finale, triple-decker-sandwiching B4B (for the first time) with verses from the Allmans’ Southbound and Phish’s Funky Bitch. The ensuing interludes are nailed and give way to G Song, which summits one mountain, makes the trek down, and hits a raucous final peak after a Stranger tease. Run-Around starts on the final note, and Sam channels his inner Popper with photog Nick Codina providing the harmonica. For the final verse before the changeover, Brian throws in some lyrics from Sister Hazel’s All for You. Brian shines on China Cat, and uses the OBNE Dark Star for the first time in Craig&Pat. The lone taper of this show is a huge Biscuits fan, and was ecstatic to see the Dogs cover Home Again, with Sam delivering the lead vox, and Jimmy harmonizing with lyrics from Portal to An Empty Head. Sam brings it back to Run-Around to complete sandwich no. 2, and Brian continues sampling Sister Hazel. Joey makes sure to keep them on track in the transition to Craig&Pat to finish off the third sammy of the set, and features heavily in the intro to Voodoo Lady. Boogie On feels relatively tame compared to the rest of the set, but resolves into an extraordinary Linus&Lucy to finish off the first 90 minutes of the show.

Second Set. After a short break, Jack&Coke opens a set for the first time eva and leads into the second Let It Grow of the residency (they’d play it consecutively at the next show in CA). Creep feeds into an Uncle John’s Band outro jam before settling into Free, and the next sequence marks some of the best playing of the tour. Bugle is great, but you’ll need to remove the Harry Hood jam track when replaying the show in its entirety (the final 3m of the first Bugle track includes the entirety of the Hood jam). Nebraska was revived for the first time since 11/8/22 and ultimately returns to finish off Bugle (sandwich no. 4). Jerm busts out the flute to nail the intro to Goose’s Madhuvan, and the band immediately launches into Melting Lights after the demon wars before returning to complete the final split song of the show. Josh Fairman (Sunsquabi) replaced Sam on bass for the final 23 minutes of the jam, which features Jerm shredding the flute for a spell. We thought this ripping Charlie would be the final song of the set at the time, but the Dogs had one more trick up their sleeves and unleashed Helter Dust Skelter Torture to close off the sequence. The band’s spent by the encore, which is merely “average.” The band actually exited the stage after Julius—only Jimmy (mandolin), Brian (acoustic guitar), and Sam (bass) were present for Going to California, a fitting song selection end to the residency. It's a "had to be there moment," but worth a listen for the rarity.

1st Set: 9/10

2nd Set: 8/10

Overall: 5 stars

Highlights:

Whole Show sans encore 

Sources: This soundboard didn’t get released until the summer, so we had only Eric Foelske’s tape if we wanted to listen to the show in the first few weeks after the show. While the quality on the board is great, make sure to remove the extraneous “Harry Hood” track to avoid listening to the same jam twice. The show was recorded by the band, but the VOD does not circulate.