Sorry, but I couldn't resist the pun here. No, Lesh doesn't play on this one. Jerry went his own solo way away from the Dead in '80 and used the great John Kahn (RIP), his long-time colaborator, for bass duties. This tour featurea a stripped-down line-up: no additional guitars, no back-up singers, Just Jerry, John, Ozzie Ahlers (keys) and Johnny De Fonseca (drums)...with a cameo by R. Hunter on some of his tunes. Jerry didn't need a big production on this tour: he was in fine form (maybe the finest of his life) and he carried it off brilliantly. A must-have for Jerry fans as far as I'm concerned.
This new one (the second release from Jerry's Estate) is entitled After Midnight. It chronicles early/late shows from Kean College in Union NJ early on in his 1980 JGB tour. Included as a bonus if you order from jerrygarcia.com is a Way After Midnight disc with additional live material from the same tour: this time, from Calderon Concert Hall in LI, NY, and The Capitol Theatre in Passiac, NJ (both now defunct) which occured just a few nights after the Kean shows.
I just had to have this collection as I was there at the Capitol Theatre show on that tour in '80 and was ecstatic to see it was captured on tape for all posterity. Jerry was particularly on during that tour and he had Robert Hunter as an opener. You can probably hear a screaming highed-up teenage version of your's truly during the Capitol Stuff. I'm hoping that they'll release that night in it's entirety as well.
Not only was the playing and song selection excellent on that tour, but the recordings documenting same were top-shelf. The HDCD mastering puts you right there amidships with the sound crew as if your were transported back in time to that show. This is the closest thing to a time machine I've found yet, LOL! Look Mom, I'm 24yrs. younger and have most of my hair again, LOL!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!