Mihali & Friends | 2018-05-06 | Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox, Denver, CO [AUD]

You know its been an epic weekend when it’s Wednesday and I still have a bunch of recordings for you…check out the epic exclamation point to a weekend of fantastic music…. Mihali & Friends headlining Ophelia’s!

If the vibe at Red Rocks this weekend was electric, the vibe waiting for the show to start at Ophelia’s was surging. It was rumored that in this tiny little Denver music venue there would be yet another Phil Lesh sit-in. I had heard the rumors all weekend about Phil sitting in with Twiddle at Red Rocks or Mihali sitting-in with the Terrapin Family Band the following evening. Those seemed realistic. But Ophelia’s for a small and intimate (albeit sold-out) Mihali show? That’s crazy right?

Well, I got there early as one does when they are taping the show and sure enough, after about 10-15 minutes in line…Phil Lesh just walked out the front door of Ophelia’s after sound-checking, got in a car and drove off. With yet another beyond imagine Phil Lesh sit-in confirmed, the night was on.

The set list was about as fun of a set list as one could get. The show was clearly not meant to be some sort of promotion of any new Mihali solo record. Of the 13 songs performed, only 3 were Mihali solo songs. Clearly, this show wasn’t meant for advertising, this show was a celebration. The room was packed full of friends; from the crowd to the rotating cast of musicians backstage both performing and just bearing witness, there was a palpable feeling of community int he room. The Phil Lesh sit-in was hefty, much longer than the sit-in at Red Rocks and prompted a never-ending slew of cell phones lighting up the smiling faces behind them. The members of Twiddle made an appearance for a funky version of their tune “Every Soul” fresh off their first headlining performance at the legendary Red Rocks Amphtheatre. We even saw a sit-in from Stick Figure frontman Johnny Cosmic for Sublime’s “Pawn Shop” and the politically fueld MIhali original “Fading State”. The frends certainly made it out to support Mihali on this special night. I’m really honored to have been able to capture all three nights of these pivotal moments in Twiddle history. Enjoy!

Mihali & Friends | 2018-05-06 | Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox, Denver, CO

-= One Set =-
01. (Intro)
02. Iron Lion Zion (Bob Marley cover)
03. Stubborn Smile
04. (Elliot Peck & Phil Lesh Introduction)
05. Bertha (Grateful Dead cover)[1]
06. Deal (Grateful Dead cover)[1]
07. Greene County (Midnight North cover)[1]
08. Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead cover)[1]
09. (Twiddle Introduction)
10. Every Soul (Twiddle cover)[2]
11. Pawn Shop (Sublime cover)[3]
12. Fading State[3]
13. Get Up, Stand Up (Bob Marley cover)[3]
14. Over Land & Sea[4]

-= Encore =-
15. (Encore Break)
16. The Harder They Come (Bill Withers cover)[5]
17. Mary Jane’s Last Dance (Tom Petty cover)[6]

:: Line Up ::
Mihali Savoulidis (Twiddle) on guitar and vocals
Jeff Franca (Thievery Corporation) on drums
Nick Gerlach (Turbo Suit) on saxophone
Chuck Jones (Dopapod) on bass
Todd Stoops (RAQ) on keys
Grahame Lesh (Midnight North) on vocals and guitar

Show Notes: This was a headlining set. Cosmic Twang opened the show. The show was sold out.
[1] “Bertha”, “Deal”, “Greene County” and “Scarlet Begonias” featured Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead) on bass and Elliot Peck (Midnight North) on vocals.
[2] “Every Soul” featured the members of Twiddle sitting in for the members of the band except Grahame Lesh and Todd Stoops who stayed on to jam as well.
[3] “Pawn Shop” and “Fading State” featured Johnny Cosmic (Stick Figure) on guitar and vocals.
[4] “Over Land & Sea” featured Elliot Peck (Midnight North) on vocals.
[5] “The Harder They Come” featured Ryan Dempsey (Twiddle) on keys, Elliot Peck (Midnight North) on vocals and Johnny Cosmic (Stick Figure) on guitar and vocals.
[6] “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” featured Elliot Peck (Midnight North) on vocals and Alex Jordan (Midnight North) on keys.

Thank you to Mihali and Ophelia’s for being cool with taping shows. Go see live music and tip your bartenders! Also thanks to BK for the tickets and to Tom Shlasher for hooking up my buddy Danny Evans – you guys kick ass! #spacetapes

LINK: https://archive.org/…/Mihali2018-05-06.AKG.P170.CA-14.cards…