Dead & Company Reflections

With Dead & Company currently at rest before finishing up the year with four shows in California, here’s a collection of reviews, pictures and videos from their inaugural run.  —  TipJar.

(Fans in the light. Broomfield, CO, 11.25.15. Photo by Steve Fox)

Dead & Company Tour – 2015

October 29 Albany, NY—Times Union Center

October 31-November 1 New York, NY—Madison Square Garden

November 5 Philadelphia, PA—Wells Fargo Center

November 6 Washington, DC—Verizon Center

November 10 Worcester, MA—DCU Center

November 11 Buffalo, NY–First Niagara Center

November 13 Columbus, OH–Nationwide Arena

November 14 Greensboro, NC–Greensboro Coliseum Complex

November 17 Atlanta, GA–Phillips Arena

November 18 Nashville, TN–Bridgestone Arena

November 20 St. Louis, MO–Scottrade Center

November 21 Minneapolis, MN–Target Center

November 24 Broomfield, CO–1stBANK Center

November 25 Broomfield, CO–1stBANK Center

November 27 Las Vegas, NV–MGM Grand Garden Arena

November 28 Las Vegas, NV–MGM Grand Garden Arena

– break –

December 27 San Francisco, CA—Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

December 28 San Francisco, CA—Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

December 30 Los Angeles, CA—The Forum

December 31 Los Angeles, CA—The Forum

Madison Square Garden, NY, NY

11/1/15

My first Dead and Company show, 11/1/15 at Madison Square Garden, was fresh on the heels of two nights with Phil & Friends at the Capitol Theatre, featuring John Kadlecik and Stanley Jordan on guitars, and Jason Crosby and Tony Leone on keys and drums. I was impressed with the lineup at Phil’s shows and had a great time dancing with friends in the intimate and beautiful Cap theater, so when it came time to take the train to NYC for Dead & Company I was already riding a pretty nice GD high.

One of the best gifts that these post-Garcia Grateful Dead configurations have to offer is the chance to reconnect with old chums (and make new ones), and at MSG for my first DnC show, I reunited with five college friends, which helped make the trip a beautiful experience before the boys even hit the stage.

We were on the floor behind the soundboard. This provided a great vantage point for when the band launched into “Samson and Delilah” and the place started rocking from note one. Mickey and Billy picked up where they left off in Chicago with a jaunty and powerful vibe and the New York crowd welcomed them with gusto. John Mayer looked relaxed, considering it was only his third show with a rock’n’roll hall of fame band with an irreplaceable and adored lead guitar player. Jerry is always missed when any Dead-related band plays; Garcia’s shoes are not easy to fill, in fact impossible to fill, but Mayer seemed comfortable in his own skin, and his fluidity came through as he contributed clean, blues-inflected elongated leads that evoked Jerry at times, but clearly resonated as his own.

Mayer sang on “Sugaree” and “Bertha,” and I liked his voice better with Dead & Company than in my limited experience with his pop tunes, mostly because he seemed to be singing with less of that artificial character voice of his pop persona, and more with the natural lilt of the characters in the Grateful Dead songs. He is clearly more musician than pop star, and his tone, pitch and inflection were all satisfying.  “Uncle John’s Band” closed out the set, and it was there that we really felt like we were at a Dead show.

There is really nothing like the feeling of 18,000 Deadheads singing “Are you kind?!” It’s moments like this that nourish the spirit in a way that only a Dead show can.

The lights and sound were crisp and high tech, and the Steal Your Face backdrop and video screen provided a very satisfying sensory experience.  “Scarlet Begonias” > “Fire on the Mountain” kept things jumpin’ and I appreciated the groove that Oteil Burbridge’s bass brought. Both Burbridge and Mayer contributed to a tempo that did not slack or slow, which was a criticism I had of both GD50 shows and Furthur. I enjoyed both of those ensembles a lot, but things could get a bit plodding at times, and it seems as if these new “kids” in the band keep the pace a little zippier.

Drums with the Rhythm Devils was a highlight of GD50 for me, and likewise with Dead & Company. Billy and Mickey have a bond that only time can bring, and they have that shared history that bubbles mysteriously to the surface through their hands and onto their wide array of both primitive and futuristic rhythm makers. The result is a primal and organic feast for the ears, and a shaker for the booty. Long live the Rhythm Devils!

I will say that while the band sounded energized and pretty well rehearsed, it was clear that this was a new ensemble and a work in progress. None of the jams opened up any new territory, but they brought a new twist to the songs that was just different enough and yet familiar so as to keep us engaged and rocking! I would give the new ensemble Dead & Company a B to B+ musically, but you really can’t put a grade on the joy it brings me to see Bobby back squarely into health and inspiration, with Billy and Mickey holding down the pulse. Oteil is in the pocket, a great choice, and John Mayer exceeded expectations and showed enough promise that I went back a few times to take that ride again!

The “Ripple” encore brought us back to the land of sing-along heaven. These songs are what bring us back and to see them executed so passionately by our favorite troubadours is a sweet sound indeed.

Wells Fargo Arena, Philadelphia, PA

11/5/15

My cousin David provides a longer review of this show elsewhere on this blog [see Dave Foulke’s review below], so I will be brief.

My nephew Chico is 14 and idolizes John Mayer, so it was fortuitous that I could take him to his first rock concert with his Dad, who is my high school buddy.

Chico was a bit overwhelmed by the sights, sounds and smells of Deadhead nation, but thrilled to see his hero, John Mayer, in action. It was a great meeting of our respective musical worlds. There was a moment during “Playing in the Band” where the whole ensemble bore down onto a groove that blossomed into a fast and exciting jam that had me grinning so wide I thought the top half of my head might fall off. It had that feeling of excitement and discovery and the joy of the group mind. Of the four Dead & Company shows I saw, that “Playin'” jam in Philly was the most reminiscent of the good old wild and magical Grateful Dead.

Those few moments alone, coupled with the sight of my 14-year-old nephew with his eyes open wide taking in this new and adventurous world, was worth the price of admission.

(Chico and his father, Otto, sharing the magic at Dead & Company in Philadelphia)

Verizon Center, Washington, DC

11/6/15

This was a hometown show for me.  I live an hour South of DC.

(Nick Newlin and friends in DC)

There was some lovely reuniting with the tribe before the show, and I sat in the stands for set one with some local and out-of-town friends. During the second set I made it to the floor, which was spongy and danceable, and there was space to freak freely and groove.

We had such a blast; Deadheads are the most accommodating and space-sharing concertgoers ever.  “Bertha” and “Eyes of the World” took off to begin the set, and Oteil’s bass solo on Eyes was in a word: virtuosic. The Scarlet>Fire was my second Dead & Company version, having seen it the previous week at the Garden, but Mayer and Oteil had both loosened up through the best possible rehearsal process: touring! Mayer is such a quick study that his progress was palpable from show to show, and that in itself is a beautiful ride to be on. Bobby’s singing on “Looks Like Rain” was as impassioned as he gets: Bob Weir is a man who knows how to live in a song, and we were all with him for this one. He was fully given to the story and he delivered it masterfully and from the heart. Go Bobby!

The show closed with “Touch of Grey,” a song that gains weight and power with every year that we make it around the sun again together.  Life is not a given, my friends, and so I felt lucky to be be dancing with a beautiful friend on the bouncy floor of the Verizon center singing “We Will Survive”  in full voice. I know what if feels like to be alive, and I know I was not alone in that feeling!

(Photo by Nick Newlin. Verizon Center. 11.6.15)

Target Center, Minneapolis, MN

11/21/15

I was in Minnesota on business, and who should follow me there? You guessed it.

Bonus show!  For the first set I was on the floor with a random group of strangers, but after the first few notes of “Jack Straw,” we became dancing friends, and by the closing notes of “Casey Jones,” it seemed as if I had known them my whole life. That is the magic of Grateful Dead music and Dead concerts.

(Nick Newlin makes new friends in Minneapolis)

The tour had covered some ground at this point and the whole sound seemed more relaxed and confident. I think that Dead & Company wisely chose to pare down their song selection to a manageable list, so that Mayer and Oteil could get some reps, internalize some of the hooks and grooves and develop a few of their own.

Second set I was on the lower level with some Minnesota friends and with plenty of room in our row and loose security. It was a treat. I enjoyed the treatment of “Cryptical Envelopment,” which was tight but slinky.  “Uncle John’s Band” and “Scarlet>Fire” got us all singing and dancing as they stretched it out on each song.  “Cumberland Blues” and “Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad” had shorter jams, as if the band was picking some jam numbers and concentrating more on delivering solid, tight versions of other songs. Again drums and space emerged as highlights, and Mayer seems to be finding his “space” with each show, venturing a bit further out with each concert, a trend of which I approve!

(Minneapolis. 11.21)

“One More Saturday Night” once again brought us to a dancing happy fever, and the acoustic “Friend of the Devil” encore was tasteful and sweet. As my Minneapolis friend Andrew, who initially was a little reluctant to even come to the show, exclaimed afterwards with a big smile: “Well, that was satisfying!”

Satisfying, indeed! Let’s keep the trip going into 2016!

Reviews by Nick Newlin, Brandywine, Maryland.  12/5/15

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Thanksgiving in Boulder, CO

I was excited when I got the message that Dead & Company would be playing just 20 minutes away from our Airbnb in Boulder.

After an eight-hour drive from Santa Fe, we needed to hug and greet our siblings, in-laws, nieces, and nephews and unload three turkeys, a box of squash, a bucket of green onions, and four suitcases. We also had to tactfully dump our kids with their loving grandparents before heading off in search of a pair of miracles.

Given the long drive and our unpredictable family obligations, we couldn’t risk spending the $150+ for tickets in advance, but we couldn’t categorically blow off Dead and Co either. They’d made the effort to play in our Thanksgiving’s backyard, and we’d be dammed not to cut a little hick’ry to fire that still.

As the setlist tricked in via texts from a friend who was streaming the show online (Bucket opener!), I was drooling for a taste of what they were putting down. (Brown-Eyed!  Stranger! the texts rolled in excitedly). As we rode out towards Boulder (Peggy-O!) and blew past the exit for the 1stBANK Center, we passed a bus and a semi (Little Red Rooster!) and could see a barnyard of heads nesting outside (Bird Song! the letters read). (Music Never Stopped closer!) Following the band’s thankfully long intermission, we drove back to Broomfield from Boulder with hopes of hearing some live music. As we neared the venue we noticed that the cool Colorado drizzle was not stopping a cluster of heads from enjoying some fresh air during the break.

As late as we already were, we managed to get an almost miraculous covered parking place only 100 yards from the arena. It was one of those parking places when you wonder what happened. Did someone suddenly fall ill? Did they space their tickets? As I popped open my small umbrella and my wife and I rounded a corner, we turned around to see that almost everyone had gone back inside (Truckin! came another text).

(Dead & Company in Broomfield, CO. 11.25.2015. Photo by Steve Fox)

When we got to the North Door, no chips were cashed in and no tickets were to be had. The show was officially sold out. Even the will-call window was closed. No one was scalping either, so we joined a handful of cops and security personnel who were experiencing the show from the North Door’s large antechamber. There, one could more or less distinguish songs by way of some muffled tunes — we could discern “He’s Gone,” but the crop of sound was by no means bumper.

We craned our heads and peered past the fuzz, and down a long hallway we could glimpse Billy’s snares and cymbals, but it was markedly lame. We kept a doleful eye on the ticket checkers in case they might give us that archetypal, numinous wink and sneak us in—out of sheer kindness or a blatant disrespect for their boss man.

But both seemed unlikely, so during the next song “Eyes of the World,”we walked around to the other door to find a similar situation—only with worse sound and no way to see even a tom-tom. With rain pouring down now, we walked back toward the North Door, but that night our compass seemed destined for somewhere other than Deadland. [And just then my friend texted Terrapin! Hang in there! The band is reeling you in!]

Throughout the ordeal, we’d been asking any poor and depraved former-John Mayer fan who happened to be departing early (and there were not many) if we could recycle their ticket stubs for them. But they’d mostly purchased tickets online, so their virtual “stubs” were on their phones. Finally, during Drums, we came across three kids walking toward a nearby bus stop. They had real, paper receipts and were, gratefully, willing to share.

With our gratefully acquired stubs, we encountered only one broken angel in a bright-yellow STAFF shirt, and then we swiftly melted past him and into the dream that would evolve into “Stella Blue.”

We wound up with two pretty darned good seats on Bobby’s side not far from the stage. It was a cool November night and it had been raining ever since we had crossed into Colorado. We had just experienced the receipt of two miracles and the band had not yet played “I Know You Rider.”

As “Stella” rolled to a quiet, cuddly conclusion, imagine our delight at the sound of the opening notes of “China Cat Sunflower.” From the rhythm of the simple G chord, you could hear it coming, and when they shifted to the F of the progression, the house rose to its feet. Of course, “China” is followed by “Rider,” and the line “I’d shine my light through the cool Colorado rain,” would soon be bringing the crowd to an ecstatic frenzy.

By the grace of Deadhead karma, we’d made it, and we were thrilled to take our places at the band’s ever-evolving altar of inspiration. As much as anyone would like to have had Pigpen, Keith, Donna, Brent, Jerry, and Phil there, the new guys now exemplify yet another exciting chapter in a long, talented testament to the transcendental power of Grateful Dead music.

(Bob Weir feeling it in Broomfield. Photo by Dan Katz)

With the choice of a “Not Fade Away” encore, the band’s 50-year-old message of eternal love crashed into the throng of dancing bears like a transitive nightfall of diamond-like fractals. In my experience, you don’t find such a big room full of so many elated people anywhere else in the universe. As Ken Kesey put it after the death of Bill Graham, “It’s a little heavy, but that’s what it’s about…the Grateful Dead…It’s as big a time as it gets!”

When we got back outside, my honey and I walked right past the place where we’d run into the kids with the stubs, and I realized I had left my umbrella behind. The rain was cool, but it was much lighter now than it had been earlier, more like a slow morning dew than a cold rain.

— Nate Downey, 2015

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Wells Fargo Arena, Philadelphia, PA

11/5/15

It was my first show in 25+ years and the excitement was palpable. As I surveyed the throng of Dead fans, many a little long in the tooth, streaming towards the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, it felt like a homecoming of sorts.

I was a little late into the show, and was rushing to my seat when I first heard it: a clear a capella introduction to “Here Comes Sunshine.” Although there were a few rough patches on the harmonies, and Mayer came in a little hesitant on the intro lick, Dead & Co. quickly settled into a groove. I was home at last. And it was good to be home! But what about John Mayer? Would he prove to be a sensible addition?

It wasn’t until an instrumental section in the middle of HCS when I got my first real taste of Mayer’s lead guitar. It was understated at first, but then…WOW. Once he had some scope to cut loose, I really started to hear how well he played. The jury is no longer out: this guy is a fantastic choice!

Next up was a classic from Mars Hotel: “Loose Lucy,” a song that is near and dear to my heart, although I had never heard it live before. Apparently, the Dead went 16 years without playing this song (1974 —> 1990), so it was great for me. The pacing was way slower than I think the song was usually played by the Dead.

This departure in cadence was representative of how they interpreted a number of songs I heard that night. While Dead & Co. sounded a lot like the original Dead, they sometimes put their own spin on things, changing up aspects of old favorites. Along these lines, the original version of LL had a bizarre time signature, with weird, syncopated rhythms, but Dead & Co. simplified these, which I enjoyed. Also, although Jerry used to sing this song, I thought Bobby sounded great singing it. Mayer also delivered a very bluesy solo reminiscent of BB King, which was a nice twist.

Next we were treated to a heartfelt “Candy Man,” and a nice version of “Mississippi Half Step Uptown Toodleloo,” another classic. Here I felt they pushed the envelope a bit too far, introducing some staggered verse singing which I found a bit jarring. Similarly, during “Casey Jones,” the band executed a speed-up maneuver, where they accelerated the song, which kind of threw me. Such is the price of experimentation.

They did a great job on “Bird Song,” with a pleasant experimental section that took me to a nice place. “Cumberland Blues” was another crowd pleaser, and the band handled the harmonies beautifully.

One thing that was kind of amusing to me throughout all this was Mayer’s stage presence. Jerry tended to stand almost stock still on stage, which was sometimes at odds with his exciting guitar playing. By contrast, Mayer is way more energetic than Garcia, and is constantly moving and jumping around. He has this signature deep knee bend move, where he bounces up and down in time with the music, that couldn’t be more different from Garcia, but it’s contagious and gets you grooving with him. I think he was wearing out Bobby, who I noticed even sat down on an amp a few times to rest his aging bones.

The second set opened with an upbeat version of “Aiko Aiko,” but at the beginning they seemed to tease the “Women Are Smarter,” just like in the old days. I have to believe that as they play together more, Dead & Co. will have fun taking a stab at more freeform exploration like this.

Next up was “Feel Like a Stranger.” Mayer really captured the wistful tone of Garcia’s opening guitar riff, which was crisply and precisely delivered. Mayer made ample use of his wah peddle which reminded me of how Garcia played it.

In general, I found there were stretches of the show where Mayer was essentially indistinguishable from Garcia. It was remarkable. If you closed your eyes, you literally would not know the difference. I overheard someone at the show saying that Mayer had stumbled on the Dead on Sirius radio a few years ago, and he has obviously spent some time listening to and studying Jerry’s style. He plays Garcia better than anyone I have ever heard, including Trey Anastasio. In fact, I think it is hard to overstate how much better Mayer is than Anastasio. Don’t get me wrong: I like Phish, and I think Anastasio is a great song writer and arranger, but in terms of raw guitar talent, I don’t feel that Anastasio holds a candle to Mayer. But that’s just one man’s opinion.

The band then played what I thought was probably the highlight of the show: a ripping “China>Rider.”  “I Know You Rider” included some truly great moments, with seriously energetic lyrics by Bobby, who can still project when he’s feeling it.

During the band’s version of “Sugar Magnolia,” we even got some old-school Bobby yells, of the kind we used to hear during “Estimated Prophet.”

It was great to hear that he still had the chops. I watched a video feed from last summer’s Dead shows, and during those shows, it seemed Bobby was somewhat tired and when he tried some yells like that they came out a little hoarse. I felt Bobby sounded quite lot better with Dead & Co. He also seemed calmer than last summer, and wasn’t doing as much stage directing. I wonder if Mayer and his prodigious musical talent act as a kind stabilizer for him?

As I was standing there waiting for the encore, I asked my friend Alec what he thought they might play. He immediately responded with, “US Blues.”

Nailed it. So first show in 20+ years and my buddy calls the encore. I love it. And boy did they do this great song justice. The audience was on their feet, with everyone dancing. “Wave the flag, pop the bag,” indeed. It was a hell of an encore, even by historical standards. We left the facility feeling fired up and ready to see more of this incredible new incarnation of the Dead.

Yet, on the ride home, Alec and I were listening to a very slow version of the Dead’s “They Love Each Other.” I was struck by how soulful Garcia’s playing was. Jerry was very slow and deliberate. They say the best musicians know how to use silence – the sound between the notes – to really add to the music. Garcia was a master of this.

Looking back on the show, I felt that while Mayer had a tendency and an ability to really tear it up and shred the whole time, Garcia had more versatility and a style that was more reflective and at times poignant. And so while Mayer captures much of what Garcia brought to the Dead – the energy, the technical skill, the freewheeling style – he lacks something essential that Garcia brought to the table. But that’s okay. This is still a great band any Dead fan should go see. You will not be disappointed!

— David Fouke

Set 1:

Here Comes Sunshine

Loose Lucy

Candyman

Bird Song

Cumberland Blues

Casey Jones

Set 2:

Aiko Aiko

Feel Like a Stranger

China Cat Sunflower à I Know You Rider

Drums>Space

Playing in the Band

Standing on the Moon

Sugar Magnolia

Encore:

U.S. Blues