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Dead & Company at The Sphere–Live Review
Dead & Company at The Sphere–Live Review
“Picture a bright blue ball just spinning, spinning free, dizzy with the possibilities.” This John Perry Barlow-penned lyric memorably described our majestic planet Earth; yet in the midst of Dead & Company’s residency at Sphere in Las Vegas, it is the attending Deadheads who are dizzy with the possibilities provided by this immersive, awe-inspiring concert experience. The prevailing successor to the Grateful Dead, Dead & Company is just the third act to perform at the Sphere, following U2 last fall and Phish this past April.
This “Dead Forever” residency – the first in Dead & Company’s nine-year history – was initially announced as an eighteen-concert run but soon expanded to thirty shows extending from May to August. This protracted run of shows has elated and rejuvenated throngs of fans of all adult ages, many who doubted they would see the band perform live again after their “final tour” last summer. This reviewer and lifetime Deadhead attended the band’s May 31st concert at Sphere, and it was truly one for the books.
The venue itself is a modern marvel, impressive in its spherical architecture and its enhanced LED-laden visage, encompassing the outside and the periphery of attendees on the inside. As described in this recent review of Phish at Sphere, the concert experience is like seeing your favored band inside of a planetarium; however instead of merely displaying stars, Sphere is an imaginarium that can conjure any setting or place that the mind can conceive.
Julie Kurzenberger
On this fine evening in the waning hours of May, Dead & Co. kicked off the proceedings at Sphere with “Shakedown Street.” The crowd started grooving to this danceable disco-Dead favorite, while magnified real-time images of the band members were superimposed onto the round screen along what appeared to be the external scaffolding of the venue. As the group playfully included the “shake it down, shake it down now” lyric from The Commodores’ contemporaneous “Brickhouse” – a song the band has never performed – they veered to an unexpected key change while John Mayer’s guitar lead took flight. “Don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart, just gotta poke around.” The Deadheads showed plenty of heart for the band on this night, and their members played with a lot of heart as well.
Concluding “Shakedown,” the Sphere’s round wall provided the optical illusion of the scaffolding seemingly opening up in the middle, in the shape of the GD’s trademark lightning bolt. Behind the parting walls lay Ashbury Street in San Francisco, focusing on the Dead’s original domicile at 710 Ashbury. As Dead & Company launched into “Jack Straw,” the entire venue ostensibly ascended upwards into the sky. The landscape slowly revealed the Haight-Ashbury district that originally gave birth to the psychedelic music scene in the late 1960s, Golden Gate Park’s panhandle, the entirety of the San Francisco Bay, “the highway, the moon, the clouds and the stars.” After ascending through the atmosphere and escaping Earth’s orbit and solar system, we lost and found ourselves in the vast cosmos of nebulous deep space. Mayer’s guitar lead was spectacular, extending longer than in the Jerry Garcia-fueled GD versions of “Jack Straw.”
“New Speedway Boogie” quickly brought the concert back down to Planet Earth with mountain views and swampy blues from the GD’s Workingman’s Dead era. Before our eyes, the enormous Wall of Sound (used by the Grateful Dead in 1973-74) was constructed sans stagehands on the screen behind the band. “One way or another this darkness got to give,” the crowd sang along with the band, as grizzled bandleader Bob Weir repeated the “darkness got to give” lyric multiple times.
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Up next, Mayer assumed Garcia’s vocals for the relaxing quasi-reggae song “Row Jimmy.” The lakeside fly-over displayed on the Sphere unexpectedly plunged underwater. The submerged environment momentarily recalled Phish’s 4/19/2024 Sphere concert as various aquatic life swam around us, before revealing a pirate ship of fools complete with ‘stealie’ flag masts.
The band followed with an ambling, laid-back rendition of “Tennessee Jed.” Weir handled the vocals in his usual arrhythmic fashion, while Jeff Chimenti’s ragtime piano flourishes provided lively color between the lines of Mayer’s guitar lead. As the visuals continued to lean heavily to traditional imagery associated with the GD’s legacy, Dead bears emerged to dance in rotation around a colorful tie-dye backdrop.
The unmatched optical experience currently has no equal, providing imaginative and immersive views that extend to the periphery of the concert-goers.
“Playing in the Band” succeeded “Jed” as a welcome addition to the first set, rarely played pre-intermission in Dead-related projects since the mid-1970s. A typically exploratory jam vehicle, this interpretation was pleasantly improvisational. As Weir signaled the subtle change from the major to minor key, drummers Mickey Hart and Jay Lane soon picked up the pace, increasing the musical tension. Bassist Oteil Burbridge’s agile fingers did the talking for him moreso than his under-utilized voice, madly bounding around the fretboard in an intense duel with Mayer. The tension released and returned to form for the song’s reprise, extending over fifteen minutes.
While some fans in attendance expected an imminent set break, Mayer cued the band to start “Don’t Ease Me In.” This short and sweet rocker was highlighted by Chimenti’s spirited organ solo, while the visage was filled hundreds of backstage passes illuminated by black light. The band shuffled offstage to huge applause after an ambitious first set that lasted 78 minutes, one of their longer first sets of the residency to date.
Julie Kurzenberger
After intermission the band returned to the stage with “Uncle John’s Band,” another Workingmans’ Dead chestnut and fan favorite. This easy-going rendition was backed by a cartoonish landscape and rainbow, as the band again gravitated from major themes to a moody D minor during the improvisational section, not unlike “Playing” from the first set. “Uncle John’s” reached its reprise in under twelve minutes, relatively short by comparison.
“China Cat Sunflower” followed as another favored gem, with Mayer adopting Garcia’s signature guitar riff preceding Bobby’s vocals. As drummers Hart and Lane kicked into double-time to segue into “I Know You Rider,” the screen displayed reproductions of some of the most famous venues occupied by the Grateful Dead long ago – including Winterland Ballroom, Cornell University’s Barton Hall, Red Rocks Amphitheater, Fillmore West at the Carousel Ballroom, as well as New York City’s Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden. This optical illusion was quite effective as we were transported from place to place, seemingly no longer in a sphere at all.
“Dark Star” is a treasured jewel and mind-bending odyssey from the Dead’s vast repertoire dating back to 1968. There is perhaps no better venue to experience this stellar excursion than a giant spherical planetarium and imaginarium, and the visual psychedelics exceeded all expectations of this reviewer. The group charted a course to the second star to the right and reached escape velocity to provide astonishing interstellar views. Weir assuredly handled the traditionally Garcia-led vocals, while Mayer’s guitar patiently provided all the feels during this eighteen-minute excursion.
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The galactic panorama that supplanted “Dark Star” voyaged boldly from the vast cosmic realm to an alien landscape, with the band members superimposed inside an ancient circular monolithic structure that resembled bones of a giant saurian beast. Mayer’s expressive guitar lead – utilizing minimal effects unlike Garcia before him – was soon joined by Weir’s angular insertions and Chimenti’s percussive piano which often gravitated between lead and rhythm instrument. Upon reaching the song’s second verse, Weir and Chimenti took pause to accentuate the song’s “nightfall of diamonds” final lyric.
The spotlight turned to the Rhythm Devils for the “Drums” section of the night. An essential part of live concerts by the Grateful Dead and successive projects for nearly fifty years, this Mickey Hart-masterminded percussive segment consisted of Hart and Bill Kreutzmann from the late 1970s until 2022. Kreutzmann, having bowed out of Dead & Company’s last tour in summer 2023, has now been capably replaced by Weir’s long-time drummer Jay Lane. While Burbridge joined in the fun for “Drums” as he often does, on this night the Rhythm Devils were also joined by special guest Zakir Hussein, a long-time collaborator of Hart’s dating back to the 1970s Diga Rhythm Band.
During the raucous “Drums” section, the Sphere’s extrasensory concert experience was highlighted by the geometric fractals displayed, as well as the addition of seat haptics which vibrated 10,000 of the seats and the attendees’ posteriors. The vibrations matched the low-end frequencies dominated by the drummers and especially by “The Beam,” the Hart-created instrument which emanates the lowest frequencies audible to humans. As “Drums” gave way to “Space,” Weir, Mayer, Burbridge and Chimenti re-assumed their instruments to provide ambient, ethereal sounds while the drummers took a pause.
Julie Kurzenberger
Following the twenty-minute Drums/Space excursion, the ensemble settled back in for a poignant version of the Garcia/Hunter ballad “Stella Blue.” As Weir – still known as Bobby at age 76 – crooned the first lyrics “(a)ll the years combined, they melt into a dream,” it was impossible not to acknowledge the fleeting passage of time. Bobby vocally reminded us that “there’s nothing you can hold for very long,” spurring reflection that this moment will not come again, and that no future moments are guaranteed on this plane of existence.
Concluding “Stella,” Mayer rang out the introductory chord to “Terrapin Station” on his custom PRS Silver Sky guitar to much applause. A signature composition from the 1977 GD album of the same name, “Terrapin” is a cherished favorite among Deadheads due to its timelessly descriptive storytelling complete with Shakespearean love triangle. Mayer soulfully sang its opening segment “Lady with a Fan” while faithfully reproducing the Garcia-composed lead. Meanwhile behind and above the stage, live images of the band members were bathed in the Aurora Borealis which shimmered in the water of a tree-lined lake. “Inspiration moves me brightly,” Bobby exclaimed while reclaiming vocal duties for the song’s climactic resolution, as the fans proclaimed “Terrapin” in call-and-response.
“Hell in a Bucket” effectively re-energized the crowd, bringing many back to their feet for the mischievous Weir/Barlow-penned jaunt. Appearing on the Sphere’s visage was a lively hundred-foot-tall animation of skeletal Uncle Sam from the intro to 1974’s The Grateful Dead Movie, momentarily joined by a chorus line of fellow skeletons. Uncle Sam soon jumped onto the referenced chopper-style motorcycle, taking concert-goers on a Fear and Loathing-inspired trip from old Vegas through a psychedelic countryside complete with dancing bears, blue mountains, enormous roses and flying eyeballs, briefly passing Terrapin Station along the way. It was one of the evening’s most memorable and vivid visuals, as Sam joined tens of skeletal motorcyclists to ride around the Sphere wall, executing the carnival stunt known as the globe of death. “At least I’m enjoying the ride!” Bobby belted repeatedly to embellish this flippant rocker.
Julie Kurzenberger
The band took the tempo back down for “Black Muddy River,” spotlighting Mayer for this heartfelt, wistful GD ballad which was one of the last to be co-written by Garcia and Robert Hunter. Initially displaying a starfield, the visage set its course back to our planet, descending through the atmosphere and back to the group’s hometown of San Francisco and their former abode in the Haight depicted at the concert’s onset. It truly provided concert-goers with the impression that they were returning to Earth from a sublime astral voyage.
While the group briefly stepped off stage for the encore break, an early news segment about the Dead from the late 1960s was displayed on the screen and audible in the sound system. The band stepped back onstage to close out the show with a mid-tempo version of “Casey Jones.” Behind the stage, the round wall nodded to the past while displaying images of all twelve members of the Grateful Dead during their thirty-year career, critically including Jerry Garcia and four of their keyboardists who have since passed away.
For this rendition of “Casey Jones,” John Mayer enthusiastically claimed the spotlight once more on lead guitar & vocals to put an exclamation point on the night, with smiles all around from Burbridge and Chimenti to the song’s energetic end. The band gathered at the front of stage to take a well-earned bow to a hearty cheer from attending Deadheads.
Dead & Company as a unit and as individual members have notably stepped up their game to rise to the occasion for this consequential extended residency.
Dead & Company at the Sphere provided an exceptional, unforgettable performance with extravagant visual and audial production. The sound itself was impeccable and crystalline, even in the upper levels. The unmatched optical experience currently has no equal, providing imaginative and immersive views that extend to the periphery of the concert-goers.
Even having attended Phish there the previous month, the “Dead Forever” experience was truly unique and sentimental. The main difference – aside from the former’s jazzy prog-rock versus the latter’s Americana rhythm & blues – was that while Phish’s visuals were more abstract, Dead & Company’s nostalgic visuals borrowed heavily from familiar settings and trademark imagery from the GD’s and Dead & Co.’s history.
Dead & Company as a unit and as individual members have notably stepped up their game to rise to the occasion for this consequential extended residency. After taking time to fixate on their solo projects following Dead & Co.’s “final tour” a year ago, they appear rejuvenated with newfound purpose and focus, seemingly enjoying the incomparable venue as much as attendees. The end result was far and above the best Dead & Company show that this reviewer has attended throughout the band’s nine-year history.
The group’s “Dead Forever” residency currently extends to mid-August, providing throngs of Deadheads with twelve additional opportunities to enjoy this momentous concert experience which I highly recommend.
– Bill Kurzenberger
Dead & Company 5/31/2024 Sphere, Las Vegas, Nevada
Set I: Shakedown Street, Jack Straw, New Speedway Boogie, Row Jimmy, Tennessee Jed, Playing in the Band, Don’t Ease Me In
Set II: Uncle John’s Band, China Cat Sunflower> I Know You Rider, Dark Star> Drums> Space> Stella Blue, Terrapin Station, Hell in a Bucket, Black Muddy River
Encore: Casey Jones
Related links:
Dead & Company 5/31/2024 Sphere, Las Vegas – complete taper-provided audio on Archive.org
Dead & Company 5/31/2024 Sphere, Las Vegas – fan-provided videos on YouTube
The Music Never Stops – The Grateful Dead’s Enduring Legacy
