Dead & Company continued their celebration of the “Days Between” the birth and death of Jerry Garcia (8/1/42–8/9/95) at Sphere on Saturday with an expansive overview of his 30-year tenure fronting the cultural phenomenon that is the Grateful Dead. In a cosmic coincidence, Jerry’s stand-in John Mayer is currently playing with nine fingers after slamming his fretting index finger in a car door. Garcia famously lost half his middle finger on his picking hand in a childhood accident.
The show opened with “Cold Rain and Snow”, the same traditional blues song that opened the Grateful Dead’s first concert at Magoo’s Pizza Parlor in Menlo Park, CA on May 5th, 1965. Those attendees who came to see the band then known as The Warlocks could likely never imagine the heights this group of wild-haired youngsters would climb to. Beyond that, those watching a concert unfold inside a pizza parlor could never imagine—even with the day’s still-legal LSD—that 60 years later we would be seeing concerts inside a massive TV globe. At the time, flying cars would have seemed a more realistic future.
Dead & Company — “Cold Rain And Snow” (Traditional) — 8/3/24
[Video: KaleidoSphere]
The concert moved through the band’s eras, into the Dead’s 1970 country/folk infusion with “Uncle John’s Band” in the first set and the “Ripple” that would close the show. An homage to another fallen member of the Grateful Dead, original keyboardist and frontman Ronald “Pigpen” McKernan, in “Mr. Charlie” conjured memories of the band’s landmark tour of Europe in 1972, while the set-closing “Sugaree” illuminated Garcia’s solo career which blossomed through the ’70s. Meanwhile, Bob Weir rescheduled his customary “Samson and Delilah” sermon from Sunday to Saturday in order to accommodate the Thursday–Saturday residency schedule.
Dead & Company — “Samson And Delilah” (Traditional) — 8/3/24
[Video: KaleidoSphere]
Dead & Company recalled the Dead’s various stylistic forays with the disco track “Shakedown Street” in the first set and the orchestral epic “Terrapin Station” in the second, the latter taking attendees across snow-capped mountains before enveloping the Sphere’s massive LED screen with familiar Dead iconography. The second set was filled with cemented staples from throughout the triumphant and turbulent 1980s, including the opening “Scarlet Begonias” > “Fire On The Mountain”, the latter of which gave bassist Oteil Burbridge the opportunity to chime in with his soothing vocals.
Dead & Company — “Terrapin Station” — 8/3/24
[Video: Gunnar Hanson]
Finally, the band reached the end of Jerry Garcia’s life with the last song he wrote with lyricist Robert Hunter, “Days Between”, from which the nine-day holiday takes its name. Arriving in Bob Weir’s post-“Space” ballad slot, the song struck the same chord of nostalgic melancholy as Thursday’s D&C debut of “Lazy River Road“. Just as “Stella Blue” (played in the same slot on Friday) looks back at the life of a dying blues musician—a song coincidentally debuted at Pigpen’s last show—”Days Between” reflects despondently on the passage of time and lost innocence.
“Days Between” remembers those days even before that fateful show at Magoo’s in the early 1960s “When all we ever wanted / Was to learn and love and grow.” In those days between, the Dead experienced their share of darkness, including addiction and death both inside the band and around them. Those iniquities are an indelible part of the Grateful Dead’s legacy, but the “Days Between” is a celebration of life and a celebration of what has outlived its creator and will continue long after Bob, Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh, and Bill Kreutzmann. The “Days Between” is about Jerry Garcia, but it’s also about all those who permeated those days between with songs to fill the air.
Dead & Company will return to Sphere next weekend for the final three shows of the band’s Dead Forever residency. 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.
Dead & Company — “Sugaree” — 8/3/24
[Video: KaleidoSphere]
Dead & Company — “Brown Eyed Women” — 8/3/24 — Partial
[Video: KaleidoSphere]
Dead & Company — “U.S. Blues” — 8/3/24
[Video: Gunnar Hanson]
Dead & Company — “Morning Dew” (Bonnie Dobson) — 8/3/24
[Video: Gunnar Hanson]
Setlist: Dead & Company | Sphere | Las Vegas, NV | 8/3/24
Set One: Cold Rain and Snow (Traditional), Shakedown Street, Uncle John’s Band, Mr. Charlie, Samson and Delilah (Traditional), Sugaree
Set Two: Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain, Terrapin Station > Drums > Space > Days Between, Brown-Eyed Women, U.S. Blues, Morning Dew (Bonnie Dobson), Ripple
Though Dead & Company’s Sphere residency is winding down, Golden Road Festival is coming up on November 8th, 9th, and 10th in Sanger, CA. This intimate, all-inclusive Grateful Dead-centric boutique festival offers an array of activities like horseback riding, canoeing, zip-lining, and go-kart racing along with a live broadcast of SiriusXM’s Tales From the Golden Road. Gary Lambert and David Gans will chat on-air with GRF guests and artists from their on-site studio as everyone gathers for this unique experience in the foothills of the majestic Sierras. Round out your day with stellar collaborations on the main stage, communal dining experiences, and dancing together for hours in the Late Night Lounge. Learn more here.
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