For Phil Lesh, the road has always been long, strange, and filled with improvisational detours. Now, it’s also paved with a little local love. On March 14, the Village of Port Chester will officially christen the corner of Westchester Avenue and Broad Street as Phil Lesh Lane, a permanent tribute to the Grateful Dead bassist and his decades-spanning connection to the Capitol Theatre.
The dedication kicks off a four-night blowout at The Cap in honor of what would have been Lesh’s 85th birthday, featuring a who’s-who of jam-scene royalty—including his son, Grahame Lesh, Rick Mitarotonda, Oteil Burbridge, Warren Haynes, Jackie Greene, and more. If past Lesh residencies at The Cap are any indication, expect deep cuts, cosmic jams, and no shortage of musical telepathy.
Lesh’s history with The Capitol stretches back to the Dead’s storied 18-show run at the venue between 1970 and 1971—performances that have since been immortalized in the band’s vast sonic archive. But it was the theater’s 2012 reopening that cemented his modern legacy in Port Chester. Over the past decade-plus, Lesh has played 106 shows at The Cap, becoming as much a fixture there as the iconic, starlit ceiling. It’s the place where his tour bus was regularly parked, where Door 12 served as his gateway to the stage, and where a dedicated legion of fans made pilgrimages to catch his ever-shifting lineups of musical collaborators.
“This is where Phil thrived,” says Peter Shapiro, the impresario behind The Cap’s renaissance. “He was like a father to the Capitol, and performed here more than anyone. We’re thrilled that he’ll now be part of the theater forever—literally, on the street outside.”
The honor is just the latest in Port Chester’s long-standing appreciation for Lesh. He’s already got a Key to the Village, not to mention the unusual distinction of being named an Honorary Firefighter by the Port Chester Volunteer Fire Department. But with Phil Lesh Lane, the town is making it official: The bassist who shook their rafters and packed their restaurants is now part of the local geography.
“The Lesh family is so honored that the many magical nights Phil spent at The Cap will be commemorated this way,” says Grahame Lesh. “He loved this venue and the whole community that came to see him here.”
It’s a fitting tribute to a musician who, perhaps more than any of his Dead brethren, embraced the open-ended spirit of The Cap’s second act. While some legacy artists spend their twilight years coasting on nostalgia, Lesh made the theater his laboratory—crafting once-in-a-lifetime ensembles, exploring new sonic pathways, and proving that the jam is never truly over, just evolving.
As the celebration unfolds March 14-17 (with the first two nights already sold out), fans will pack The Cap once again, riding the music into the great unknown. And when the shows are over, they’ll step outside onto a street newly minted with a name synonymous with the exploratory, boundless nature of the Grateful Dead.
Phil Lesh spent decades on the road bringing music to grateful fans. Now, he’s got one to call his own.
This article appears in March 2025.
