A sea of grey hair and tie-dye descended upon Las Vegas last weekend as Dead & Company, the latest reunion of the Grateful Dead, kicked off the first weekend of their “Dead Forever” residency at the Sphere. The shows featured an array of stunning visuals that accompanied a band that delivered jam after jam.
When I walked to my seats in the 300-level on Thursday, March 20, the first thing that struck me was how steep the seats are set up. As I carefully walked down my section, I stared in wonder at just how massive the arena’s famous LED screen is, stretching from the stage all the way to the back of the highest seats. As is typical for any opening night, anticipation grew as the crowd slowly filed in.
Coming into the first show, I was expecting the band to start with “The Music Never Stops” or “Shakedown Street,” two of their classics that are often used as openers. Instead, the band surprised the crowd with the debut of “Gimme Some Lovin’” by The Spencer Davis Group, a song that was a staple of Dead shows in the late 1980s. With the fitting refrain of “so glad you made it” and Jeff Chimenti’s soulful Hammond organ playing, this was a great way to kick off the show.
Following that, the graphics began to take center stage, with the scaffolding background opening to reveal the iconic house in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district where the Dead lived in the late 1960s. From there, the view slowly panned up from the Bay Area and into space, where the arena turned into a planetarium as stars filled the screen while the band played a rolling version of “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo.”
The rest of the first set consisted of staples from the early 1970s as the band continued to pick up the energy. An early high point came during “Brown-Eyed Women” when Chimenti and lead guitarist John Mayer traded solos with each other with the crowd cheering along in approval.
The good vibes continued with bright versions of “Good Lovin’” and “Don’t Ease Me In” to end the set. Visually, the screen featured the group’s iconic dancing bears artwork and a collage of old ticket stubs.
The second set, which typically features more extended jams, started with “Feel Like a Stranger,” with the band extending the song’s outro jam with a deep, funky groove. From there, the crowd was treated to “Scarlet Begonias,” which was accompanied on the screen by an animated dance sequence inspired by the back cover of the group’s 1974 album “From the Mars Hotel.”
“Scarlet” then went right into its sister song “Fire on the Mountain,” where drummer Mickey Hart got on the mic for a rare rendition of the rap portion of the song, which I was thrilled to see. A majestic version of “Terrapin Station” followed, which featured an ever-growing circle of dancing bears, peace signs and skulls on the screen.
After the improvisational “Drums/Space” portion of the show, the band emerged with the ballad “Standing on the Moon.” Rhythm guitarist Bob Weir took center stage with his powerful vocal delivery and his subtle, yet effective slide guitar. As the last chords rang out, it was time for another dance number, “Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad,” where Mayer, Weir, Chimenti and bassist Oteil Burbridge took a verse as the crowd danced along.
The crowd was then taken back down to Earth to the Grateful Dead house, though it was depicted this time around as what it looked like in the ‘60s. An audio clip of Phil Lesh, the Grateful Dead’s longtime bass player who died in October 2024, was played to great applause before the final number of the night, “Touch of Grey,” sent fans home on a high note.
Thursday night’s show was an excellent example of an opening night for the Dead: classic songs with tight jams. But Friday night’s show saw them get into deeper, unexplored musical territory, resulting in what may have been the best Dead & Company show I’ve seen of the 26 that I’ve been to.
After a lively “Cold Rain and Snow” to start the night, the band went into the aforementioned “Shakedown Street” as the crowd was transported to space once again. During the closing jam, the graphics transitioned to show the Egyptian pyramids as a reference to the Dead’s 1978 famed concerts there.
The crowd was also treated to another debut this show with Eric Clapton’s “Lay Down Sally.” I did a double take at first when I heard the opening chords, as the song had only ever been done by the Jerry Garcia Band. Nevertheless, this was a welcome addition that fits squarely in the band’s repertoire.
One thing that was clear early on Friday night was that Mayer was locked in. Armed with a replica of Garcia’s Alligator Stratocaster, he kept the energy at a high level with his solos. The highlight of the first set came with the set-closing “Sugaree,” delivering skyscraping solos highlighted by Garcia-esque tremelo picking that sent the crowd into a frenzy. Though they only played six songs, we were all satisfied with what we heard.
But the second set was an absolute work of beauty. After an extended opener of “Uncle John’s Band” that was complimented by hypnotic flowers falling and dancers floating across the screen, the band settled into the menacing 7/4 groove of “Estimated Prophet.”
“Prophet” then gave way to a sparkling version of “Eyes of the World,” which featured another impassioned call-and-response between Chimenti and Mayer. Burbridge also had his chance to shine with a solo of his own at the end, leading the band as they vamped and grooved until the ending hits.
Then came the crown jewel of the two shows that I saw: “St. Stephen.” I’ve seen them play it multiple times, but nothing comes close to this. Every time that it felt like the jam was peaking, Mayer kept going and going, alternating between emphatic chords and blistering fast high notes. Drummer Jay Lane did an excellent job matching his energy, ebbing and flowing with Mayer as the band winded through the epic jam.
The latter portion of the set featured a similar structure to the night prior, with the slow “Wharf Rat” coming out of “Drums/Space” before jumping into a rocking “U.S. Blues.” The crowd was also taken back down to Earth, this time to the sounds of “Throwing Stones.”
After another audio clip, it was time for the closing number, “Casey Jones.” It’s always a good time when the Dead plays this one, especially when they jam out the ending like tonight. As the band hit the final chord, the crowd roared in approval at the masterpiece of a show they heard.
Though I wish I could have attended Saturday night’s show as well, these two shows rank among the best I’ve ever seen the band play. The combination of beautiful visuals and passionate jamming was remarkable, especially Mayer’s performance. Though the residency is called “Dead Forever,” the band was alive and thriving.