Warren Haynes posted to Facebook:
RIP Phil Lesh - A huge loss to the music world and to our beloved musical community. Thereās a whole type of music fan and a whole type of musician that exists due to something that Phil helped create. I always thought of myself as that type of fan and that type of musician but I can say I was brought into that world full force by a simple phone call I received from Phil in the late 90ās inviting me to join him for what at that time was just gonna be a few shows and turned into decades of playing music together.
Prior to that I had always considered myself an open-minded musician but instantly upon meeting and playing with Phil I realized that his open-mindedness in that regard went way beyond mine or nearly anyone elseās for that matter. I was amazed at the lack of pressure he put on "the musicā which he always maintained āexistedā and we just "tapped into it". There was no fear of venturing too far, of exploring the unknown, of trying something that might totally backfire ā whether it be in rehearsal or in front of a massive audience. āThere are no mistakes ā only missed opportunitiesā he was known to say and he always turned what most musicians would consider mistakes into a chance to venture down a new path which oftentimes would lead to musical highlights of the performance.
I learned an untold amount from Phil and we shared an amazing amount of musical joy on stage in the countless times we played together. It was through him that I was introduced to a lot of what would become my favorite musical collaborators. Thanks to Phil I had the wonderful experience of performing as part of many incarnations of "Phil Lesh and Friendsā ā most notably āThe Quintetā which played together for several years and is still one of the greatest ensembles Iāve ever been part of. Also thanks to Phil, I had the amazing honor of touring with The Dead in 2004 and 2009 which was an unforgettable experience and I cherish the musical and personal relationships forged with Bob, Mickey, and Billy as a result.
Phil has been a bit of a ānorth starā to so many fans and musicians alike and the impact of his loss will be a heavy one. I remember when my soulmate Allen Woody died ā Phil was one of the first people to call me and Iāll never forget what he said: āIām so sorry. I know what itās like to lose someone with which you have a profound musical relationship.ā Yes he did. And now Iāve lost another one. Thank you Phil.
- WH