NYS Music 20​17

Tag: Dead and Company

  • Dead & Company Kick Off Their 2017 Fall Tour At Madison Square Garden

    Dead & Company kicked off their 2017 Fall Tour on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, NY. This was the first time back to the famous venue since their inaugural Fall tour in 2015. Dead & Company members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti took the stage shortly after 7 p.m.

    dead company Madison Square GardenWith the crowd excited to see what the band was going to open with, they started the night off with a unique “Shakedown Street.” Next, Dead & Company finally debuted “Greatest Story Ever Told.” The crowd erupted, making it one of the highlights of the night. This was followed by “Bertha,” giving John Mayer his first chance to sing. After a jam filled “Cassidy,” the band gave birth to the live debut of “Beat It On Down The Line” which was led by Bob Weir.

    Following the live debut was “They Love Each Other.” Towards the end of the the song, the band had a hiccup. It took them about a minute to figure out where to transition from the end of the song into “Cumberland Blues.” Once they were fully into the song, they shook off the cobwebs and went ahead leaving the awkward moment in the dust.

    Dead & Company started off the second set with the familiar combo of “China Cat Sunflower”>”I Know Your Rider” followed by “Ship of Fools.” Next was an electrifying “Terrapin Station,” leaving the Rhythm Devils to follow with their regulatory “Drums” > “Space.” The second set ended with “Casey Jones” giving the crowd another chance to sing along. With the crowd roaring for more, Dead & Company took the stage for a double encore featuring “Samson and Delilah” and “Werewolves of London” where Mayer and Weir traded verses.

    dead company Madison Square Garden

    Setlist:

    Set 1: Shakedown Street, Greatest Story Ever Told, Bertha, Cassidy, Beat It On Down The Line, They Love Each Other, Cumberland Blues

    Set 2: China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Ship of Fools, Terrapin Station > Drums > Space > Standing on the Moon, The Other One, Casey Jones

    Encore: Samson and Delilah, Werewolves of London

    dead company Madison Square Garden

  • Dead and Company Play Perfect Sets During Return to Citi Field in New York City

    Dead and Company’s third tour made its way to Citi Field on June 24 while the Mets were away in San Fransisco, defeating the Giants by a score of 5 – 2. The summer evening weather made for a spectacular night of music with a packed stadium.

    The long-standing game of guessing the show opener was on the tongues of many before the 7:30 downbeat and, regardless of incorrect guesses, “Dancing In The Streets” (which debuted earlier this tour) got the Queens crowd moving to the pace of the night. The relaxed but fun set continued on with the likes of “Jack Straw,” Tennesse Jed” and “Cold Rain and Snow” among others. Dead and Company jumped the gun by capping off the set with the party-rousing “One More Saturday Night,” more often seen in the second set of a Dead show.

    As the second set rolled onward from the beautiful “Scarlet Begonias” opener, they let Oteil sing, as some t-shirts have said. Burbridge has been making more of a vocal appearance on this tour and took the lead on singing “Comes a Time,” making for a spectacular performance of the song coupled with Mayer’s atmospheric noodling on Dead and Company’s debut of that song. Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzman put on a unique rhythmic soundscape for the drums/space break which was integrative of acoustic and electronic sounds and instruments including Hart’s multi-string, one-note Beam.

    The encore was truly something special for the New York crowd. The familiar opening riff of “Touch of Grey” rang through the crowd noise as the projection faded to the b-roll live footage of the synchronized light show atop the Empire State Building across the East River in Manhattan. Without much of a skip the happy feels were capped off in a rock-and-roll fashion with “Johnny B. Goode.”

    Dead and Company’s two night run at Citi Field last June was a good showcase of the chops of a Grateful Dead family lineup who had only been on tour for about one and a half years at that point. In this year’s single show at Citi Field, Dead and Company showed an ever-flourishing presence of musicianship on stage miles ahead of the band’s debut shows in Albany and NYC in the fall of 2015, which even then were noteworthy.

    Setlist:

    Set 1: Dancing In The Streets > Jack Straw, Here Comes Sunshine, Tennessee Jed, Cold Rain and Snow, Bird Song > One More Saturday Night

    Set 2: Scarlet Begonias > Viola Lee Blues, Estimated Prophet > Comes A Time > Eyes Of The World > Drums/Space > The Other One > Morning Dew

    Encore: Touch Of Grey > Johnny B. Goode

  • Empire State Building and Dead & Company Teaming Up for Citi Field Synchronized Light Show

    Saturday’s Dead & Company show at Citi Field will have a special sit-in for the encore. Empire State Reality Trust, owners of the iconic Empire State Building, has teamed up with Dead & Company and New York’s classic rock station Q104.3 to provide a synchronized LED light show to illuminate the famed tower as the band performs its encore at Citi Field.

    The Empire State Building’s light show will be designed by Marc Brickman and begins at approximately 11:00 p.m. Those not at Citi Field can still enjoy the music through the iHeartRadio app or over the air on New York’s classic rock station Q104.3.

    Once the show is over, it will be available for viewing on the Empire State Building’s Facebook and YouTube channels as well as the Dead & Company YouTube channel.

    Dead & Company recently performed at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. You can read the NYS Music review of that show here and video from SPAC below.

  • A Rainbow Shines over Dead and Company Performance at SPAC

    Dead and Company roared into Saratoga Springs on a rainbow for a show at SPAC on Tuesday, June 20 after a hot weekend of shows at Fenway Park. The national tour has Deadheads and Mayerheads alike buzzing about the continued pairing of the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart with John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti. Few tours of this nature attract an audience where grandparents bring grandkids to the show, tying music across generations and inviting fans of all ages to enjoy the music of the Grateful Dead with an infusion of new blood.

    dead and company SPAC rainbow

    Out of the gate, Weir led the troupe through “Hell in a Bucket,” and let Oteil take over on “Next Time You See Me,” laying down the deepest of bluesy grooves that Pigpen would nod at approvingly. “Loose Lucy” and “Mississippi Half Step” had the audience singing along with Bob and John, but “Looks Like Rain” was where the music connected with Mother Nature. Just as Weir returned to the chorus, the skies opened up and a soft sunshower began with a subsequent rainbow appearing over the gleeful crowd moments later. The refreshing rain led to a “Dire Wolf” sing along followed by “Lost Sailor > “Saint of Circumstance” that wrapped up a tight first set.

    The second set started with “Chinacat Sunflower” and instead of expected “I Know You Rider,” Mayer shifted gears into “Deal” where he let off steam, jumping up and down as he led through a rip roaring version of “Deal,” easily the highlight of the night. “China Doll” with Oteil’s heavenly vocals and “Terrapin Station” were the centerpiece of the second set feast. Bass ripples from “Drums>Space” rolled into mellow noodling that soon became “All Along the Watchtower” with Bob charging full ahead before pulling up the reigns for “Black Peter.” To sandwich the set, a patient segue into “Rider” tied the night together with tantric energy built up throughout. For an encore, “Goin Down the Road Feelin Bad” capped the night with a delighted crowd singing loudly and gleefully.

    Set 1: Hell in a Bucket, Next Time You See Me, Loose Lucy, Mississippi Half-Step, Looks Like Rain, Dire Wolf, Lost Sailor>Saint of Circumstance

    Set 2: China Cat Sunflower>Deal>China Doll>Terrapin Station>Drums>Space>All Along the Watchtower>Black Peter>I Know You Rider

    Encore: Goin Down the Road Feeling Bad

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