Dead & Company closed out a two-night stand at the friendly confines of Chicago’s Wrigley Field on Saturday. The marathon concert celebrating the legacy of the Grateful Dead came as part of Dead & Co.’s The Final Tour and saw the sextet conclude a pair of songs started the previous night at the home of the Chicago Cubs.
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Grateful Dead members guitarist Bob Weir and drummer Mickey Hart along with bassist Oteil Burbridge, keyboardist Jeff Chimenti, drummer Jay Lane and guitarist John Mayer began the show with noodling that picked up in speed, fluidity and passion before dropping into the “Truckin’” opener. Weir and Mayer gave a spirited vocal delivery as the “Chicago” lyric received an enthusiastic response from the crowd. “Truckin’” gave way to a cover of Chicago bluesman Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightning,” the evening’s lone tour debut. Weir moaned through the lyrics after which Mayer led the group back into “Truckin’” to conclude the song sandwich.
“Althea” came next and became the first song played four times on The Final Tour. Considering the Go To Heaven standout was the tune that sent John Mayer down the Grateful Dead wormhole that led to his membership in the band, it’s no surprise “Althea” was been in heavy rotation with Saturday’s version another fiery one. A powerful “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo” followed along with “High Time,” the lone number of the night helmed by Oteil Burbridge.
Then, Weir lit into “All Along The Watchtower,” a Bob Dylan cover that has been a staple of his myriad projects dating back to the Dead’s first performance of the song on June 20, 1987. Mayer channeled Jimi Hendrix on his solo before the band broke down into a reggae groove featuring stellar interplay between John and Jeff Chimenti.
“Watchtower” bled into a Mayer-sung “Bertha,” which was coupled with “Good Lovin’” to close Saturday’s first set. The “Bertha”/”Good Lovin’” pairing was one played at 78 Grateful Dead concerts including notable appearances at Raceway Park ’77, Red Rocks ’78 (second night) and on New Year’s Eve on 1981.
The six-piece kicked off their last set at Wrigley Field with the beloved “Help On The Way” into “Slipknot!” into “Franklin’s Tower” trifecta. “Help” saw Chimenti on Fender Rhodes while Mayer uncorked one angular lead after another. Dead & Co. nailed the transition into “Slipknot!” thanks in large part to drummers Lane and Hart. The ensuing jam was a jazz-fusion affair anchored by Burbridge. Mayer fronted a build to a peak and then laid off as the group made it through the section heralding the arrival of “Franklin’s Tower.” The last song of the trilogy was played at a fairly slow tempo, which made Mayer’s fretboard fireworks stand out even more than usual as he strung together one hot lick after another. John Mayer also expertly handled lead vocals on the tune.
“St. Stephen” has been a highlight of Dead & Company’s shows ever since it first appearance during the band’s first tour in the fall of 2015. The version played at the friendly confines on Saturday after “Help/Slip/Franklin’s” was no exception. Mayer unfurled psychedelic riffage at a fast pace as the group worked through both segments of the “Stephen” jam. The second was infused with Chimenti’s jazzy piano. After the final notes of “St. Stephen,” the instrumentalists left Lane and Hart to embark on “Drums.” Mickey started the sequence on The Beam as he later revealed both “Drums” and “Space” were “inspired by the mysticism of Serpents.”
Hart mixed samples with drones from The Beam as Oteil returned to pound out a steady beat and Lane triggered samples of his own by hitting a skull setup in drum world. Mickey then moved next to Burbridge and Lane for a rhythmic excursion. The trio brought “Drums” to a crescendo before Hart went back to The Beam to pave the way for “Space.” Saturday’s free-form exploration covered plenty of ground ahead of a transition into “Uncle John’s Band.”
The Hunter/Garcia classic off 1970’s Workingman’s Dead appeared to be an audible as it was written into the pre-printed stage setlist. Weir, Mayer, Burbridge and Chimenti displayed beautiful harmonies before the band painted outside the lines during a short but excellent jam. Up next was a rousing “Cumberland Blues” sung by Mayer and Weir and the end of “The Other One” started on Friday at Wrigley. More “Other One” jamming surrounded Weir delivering the song’s second verse. Dead & Co. then came around to a set-closing “Morning Dew,” sung passionately by Bobby and featuring an exceptional solo from Mayer.
The band began their three-song encore in Chicago on Saturday by faring the Windy City well with “Brokedown Palace.” Mayer and Weir then led the group into “Playin’ Reprise” after Friday’s show opened with “Playing In The Band.” While some may have thought the “Reprise” would end the run in bookend style, Dead & Co. had other ideas as they treated fans to the day-appropriate “One More Saturday Night.”
Anthem of the Sun – 1, Aoxomoxoa – 1, Workingman’s Dead – 3, American Beauty – 2, Wake of the Flood – 1, Blues for Allah – 3, Shakedown Street – 1, Go To Heaven – 1, Built to Last – 1
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