Dead & Company capped off 4th of July weekend at Sphere Saturday, marking the end of the seventh week of the Las Vegas residency, which so far has embodied the lyrics of “The Music Never Stopped”, “It’s been hot for seven weeks now / Too hot to even speak now,” both physically and musically.
It was surely no coincidence that the song appeared on the setlist, but not before Bob Weir, John Mayer, Mickey Hart, Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Chimenti, and Jay Lane opened with “Iko Iko”, which included a snippet of “Man Smart, Woman Smarter”—a song the band recently opened with as a way to express solidarity with women in the Deadhead community. Then it was via “Shakedown Street” that Dead & Co. arrived at the timely “The Music Never Stopped”, which they followed up with a Sphere debut.
After invoking the spirit Ron “Pigpen” McKernan with the debut of “Next Time You See Me” on Friday, and in keeping with the band’s pattern of rolling out fresh tunes, Dead & Co. once again dipped into its blues band repertoire to pull out “Big Railroad Blues”. A sauntering “Row Jimmy” and a memorable “Sugaree” completed set one along with “One More Saturday Night”, which typically gets saved for the end of the night.
Set two was highlighted by Weir-led epics “Greatest Story Ever Told” and “Morning Dew” as well as another blues-based selection, “Mr. Charlie”, and a sprawling sequence comprised of “Estimated Prophet” > “Eyes of the World” > “Drums” > “Space” > “Uncle John’s Band”.
Notably, The Roots drummer Questlove was in attendance and called the show “a hell of an astral travel display” in a social media post, writing, ” I’ve seen many a show in different configurations—but THIS one took the cake. Enjoyed every aspect immensely.”
Click below to view a collection of fan-shot videos from Dead & Company at Sphere. The band’s residency continues next week. For a full list of the band’s upcoming shows, head here.
Fans hoping to get in on the action with Dead & Company at Sphere can find tons of face-value tickets for the entire run via CashorTrade. By choosing CashorTrade over other sites you are supporting real fans, not brokers trying to offload inventory. Unlike other platforms, you may even stumble upon a miracle. Browse what’s available on the site here.
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Dead & Company – “Shakedown Street” – 7/6/24
[Video: The11]
Setlist: Dead & Company | Sphere | Las Vegas, NV | 7/6/24
Set 1: Iko Iko (Sugar Boy and His Cane Cutters) (with ‘Man Smart, Woman Smarter’ snippet), Shakedown Street > The Music Never Stopped, Big Railroad Blues (Cannon’s Jug Stompers), Row Jimmy, Sugaree (Jerry Garcia), One More Saturday Night (Bob Weir)
Set 2: Greatest Story Ever Told (Bob Weir), Mr. Charlie, Estimated Prophet > Eyes of the World > Drums > Space > Uncle John’s Band, Cumberland Blues, Hell in a Bucket, Morning Dew (Bonnie Dobson), Old News Broadcast of the Grateful Dead
Encore: Sugar Magnolia
There’s so much more to the Sphere experience beyond the four hours seeing Dead & Co.—just like there is so much more to the all-inclusive Golden Road Festival experience this November 8th, 9th, and 10th beyond the three days and nights of inventive collaborations from more than 25 musicians! Their programming includes immersive Storytime sessions, like an in depth conversation with Alan Paul, the NYT bestselling author of Brothers and Sisters. Gary Lambert will moderate this insightful discussion and guest Q&A devoted to Paul’s insider view of the Allman Brother’s Band and the iconic culture and music of the ’70s. Lambert will also be joined on Sunday, November 10th, by David Gans for their annual live, interactive onsite broadcast of SiriusXM’s Tales from the Golden Road! New package options are now available, including some for solo travelers and sober guests. Check them out here.
The post It’s Been Hot For Seven Weeks Now: Dead & Company Cap 4th Of July Weekend At Sphere With Bluesy Debut [Photos/Videos] appeared first on L4LM.
