Moonalice, a lively five-piece jamming ensemble from the Bay Area, returned to the Sierra foothills on April 21 for a gig at the Auburn Events Center. The band features keyboard/bass player and vocalist Pete Sears (Jefferson Starship / Rod Stewart / Hot Tuna / David Nelson Band), lead guitar, pedal steel guitarist Barry Sless (David Nelson Band / Phil & Friends), Guitar/bass player and vocalist Roger McNamee (Flying Other Brothers), Keyboardist and vocalist Ann "Atomic" McNamee (Flying Other Brothers), and drummer John Molo (Bruce Hornsby / John Fogerty / Phil & Friends / David Nelson Band).

The show, which was streamed live in high definition on seven screens, included free posters and a handsome set of Moonalice originals and cover tunes, including a tribute to Levon Helm with a medley of "This Wheel's On Fire" -> "The Weight," as well as the Byrd's "Mr. Spaceman," Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," and an encore of "It's 4:20 Somewhere," which has now been downloaded 2 million times. A fine mix of material, spirited jamming, especially by Barry Sless, highlighted this night's two-hour set.

Local Grateful Dead cover legends, The Deadbeats, followed, kicking up an excellent tribute set.

Moonalice set list: Steve Parish intro, Fair to Even Odds, Nobody Knows, Expiration Date, Red Crow, Nick of Time, Crazy in Heaven, Sweet Rosie, Kick It Open, American Dream Rag, No End To Love, This Wheel's On Fire -> The Weight, Already Cried Those Tears, Twenty Flight Rock, Man in Me, Fifteen Cadillacs, Hallelujah, Mr. Spaceman. e: It's 4:20 Somewhere.

Deadbeats set included Jackstraw, Shakedown, Loose Lucy, Tennessee Jed, Help on the Way-> Slipknot-> Franklin's Tower, The Women Are Smarter, and Music Never Stopped. Images, shot for Steel-Ties.com, are copyright by Alan Sheckter / AlSheck@comcast.net. Images may not be republished without documented consent of the photographer.