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Melvin Seals & JGB

Melvin Seals & JGB makes it first Crystal Bay Casino appearance in five years when it plays Friday, March 18, in the Crown Room. Advance tickets: $25. Showtime: 8 p.m.

“I am peeking my head out the door, doing all I can to stay safe,” Seals told Tahoe Onstage.

Seals has hardly performed since March 2020 when his tour was canceled. Since then, the ex-keyboard player with the Jerry Garcia Band survived scrapes with Covid-19 and another potentially very serious condition, both what he described as “mild.”

The last time Melvin Seals and JGB performed in the Crown Room was nearly five years ago, July 15, 2017. He appeared with the supergroup Zero on Nov. 23, 2019.

The pandemic struck just after the group added guitarist John “K” Kadlecik, formerly of the Dark Star Orchestra. The rhythm section is John-Paul McLean on bass and Jeremy Hoenig on drums.

“I think I have the best band that I’ve ever had,” Seals said. “The puzzle is now put together quite well. When you have the right pieces, it fits, it works, it’s good. In music terms, it’s the best we’ve ever sounded.”

The ensemble doesn’t include backup singers. With a quartet, Seals said he can go to his library of 130 songs when he meticulously prepares a new setlist for each show. The longtime player with Jerry Garcia plays in the spirit of the Grateful Dead, but will only play a few of the band’s songs, and never any that are often covered by other groups.