Another day. Another dollar. Another gray hair. Welcome, everybody, as I begin a new year of this column, alternative music and interviews. For this particular column, I would like to reflect back to a concert collaboration from last New Year's Eve that took place in San Francisco. It matched Phil Lesh, of Grateful Dead fame, with Ryan Adams (whose solo show I reviewed for January's column).

      For all of the musical world, New Year's Eve represents everything sacred: an extravagant celebration, one last chance to reminisce about another year of music and the places it took us (physically, mentally and spiritually), as well as a new start, with both old and new friends. It was only appropriate one of the original pioneers of the psychedelic era, Phil Lesh, ring in 2006 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, and celebrate making it 40 years in a world of musical journeys where few have survived half that long.

      For these special shows, Lesh, too, adhered to the same formula as those in the crowd—a celebration with both old and new friends. Over the years, John Molo (drums) and Rob Baracco (keyboards) have become regulars in Lesh's lineup, while others have only been seen sporadically. They included Larry Campbell (guitar), Barry Sless (guitar), Joan Osborne (vocals) and Ryan Adams (guitar, vocals).

      Phil and Friends began their first set with an uncommon but welcome opener of "Not Fade Away," which got the crowd rocking, before morphing into "China Cat Sunflower." "Scarlet Begonias" was a reminder that whatever badness 2005 held for you, you were still able to "once in a while get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look(ed) at it right." "Eyes of the World" has been a staple since the early 1970s, and this version also bore that unmistakable mix of tenacity and space. "Sugaree," with Osborne on vocals, represented everything this song should be, with a fresh, new, sexy flavor. It was sung from a woman's mouth, with some serious sex appeal, and Osborne played the crowd to perfection. A rocking first set closed with the triumphant "Franklin's Tower." Also, Lesh's last message of 2005 was a simple one: "If you get confused … just listen to the MUSIC play!"

      The pre-midnight festivities included a woman riding a swan, followed by Pan (a half-god, half-goat) lowering onto the stage and banging his stick until fire shooters erupted at the end of the countdown. Immediately followed a superb, ripping "Truckin'" (complete with balloon drop), welcoming Lesh to his fifth decade of music, and reminding all "what a long, strange trip it's been." Yes, indeed. "Uncle John's Band"/"Fire on the Mountain" came a little later and was surely one of the highlights. I remember the "FOTM" being particularly hot. "Stella Blue" was delicately beautiful as always, and "Terrapin Station" was a masterpiece, with Lesh leading the way through the cosmic voyage, which landed gently in "Bird Song." A return to the opener, "Not Fade Away" (almost three and a half hours ago), almost brought the house down with some nice work by Molo.

      A very quick break, then an encore/third set. I call this an encore, but clocking in at almost another hour, some labeled it as another set. "Wharf Rat" was particularly nice, and also an encore tune in Adams' solo shows. "Sugar Magnolia" was a fast-paced rocker led by Baracco, but still allowed many lovebirds to engage in their second kisses of 2006. "Ripple" shined with Osborne's vocals, while the night concluded with a reprise of "Uncle John's Band," which only proved while Jerry Garcia may have well been the "father" of the Dead family, Phil Lesh (and his Friends) have taken on the role of "uncle" … and best of all, the uncle everybody likes to spend the holidays with.

      Overall, this concert represented everything that a New Year should be. It also showed me that "alternative" can include members from the Grateful Dead to Ryan Adams. Lastly, remember to start anew this year, and keep your eyes peeled for a wide range of interviews with all sorts of artists lined up in the months to come.