Billy & The Kids Let The ‘Good Times Roll’ In New Orleans With Molly Tuttle, George Porter Jr. & More

Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann assembled his Billy & The Kids ensemble in New Orleans last night for a Fleur De Dead concert at the Saenger Theatre. Kreutzmann and Kids — bassist Reed Mathis, keyboardist Aron Magner, saxophonist James Casey and guitarist Tom Hamilton — were joined at various parts of the evening by guitarist/vocalist Molly Tuttle, percussionist/drummer Jeff Franca, percussionist Wally Ingram and NOLA’s own legendary bassist George Porter Jr..

The first Billy & The Kids concert since two nights at Red Rocks in July of 2021 came just days after the announcement Bill Kreutzmann pulled out of Dead & Company's “The Final Tour.” Bill The Drummer was in fine form as his project delivered an impressive pair of sets filled with Grateful Dead classics and a diverse mix of covers such as songs by Harry Styles, Jefferson Airplane and The Cars.

Fleur De Dead began with the core band taking on The Cars’ 1978 hit “Good Times Roll” helmed by Magner. Billy & The Kids worked the straight-forward opener into a well-jammed “Truckin’.” The “too close to New Orleans” line received huge cheers from the audience. After exploring a slow and throbbing improvisational space out of “Truckin’,” the band transitioned into “Scarlet Begonias.” Casey and Hamilton each took emphatic solos as Billy & The Kids stayed within the lines on “Scarlet.”

George Porter Jr. was the first special guest of the evening with Mathis moving to electric guitar for a one-two punch of The Meters’ “Fire On The Bayou” and Dead staple “Sugaree.” Porter provided lead vocals on both songs and then left the stage as Molly Tuttle emerged. Tuttle revealed it was her first time in New Orleans and was living out a dream by performing with the kids. The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter played acoustic guitar and gorgeously sang “China Doll” for her initial contribution to the concert. Franca also came out and took over a second drum set for the remainder of the show.

The biggest surprise of the night followed “China Doll,” as Molly Tuttle led the outfit through Harry Styles’ “Sunflower, Vol. 6.” Billy & The Kids nicely extended the song from Styles’ 2019 LP, Fine Line. However, it was the “Bird Song” that followed which featured the most adventurous jamming of the set. Molly sang both “Bird Song” and the ensuing cover of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit.” Thursday’s first set concluded with a Hamilton-led romp through Bob Dylan’s “Tangled Up In Blue.”

Kreutzmann, Magner, Hamilton, Mathis, Casey, Tuttle and Franca kicked off last night’s second set by tearing through The Beatles classic “Get Back.” The band slickly dropped into “Help On The Way,” which was followed by its frequent companion “Slipknot!” Yet, “Franklin’s Tower” would have to wait as “Slip” gave way to a substantial “Eyes Of The World.” Next, Tuttle beautifully sang the ballad “Standing On The Moon” before Hamilton handled lead vocals on “Dead Flowers” from The Rolling Stones’ catalog.

“Franklin’s” finally came next and was a joyous affair featuring fretboard fireworks a plenty from Tuttle on electric guitar and lead vocals by Reed Mathis. Then, James Casey addressed the crowd and explained it had been a hard day for him and advised he was about to attempt a tough song to sing. Casey teared up and at one point left the stage as he made his way through Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young.” The emotional high point of the night was followed by a rousing “Take Me To The River” that birthed a “Drums” jam featuring Ingram accompanying Kreutzmann and Franca on percussion. Fittingly, Billy & The Kids punctuated the evening with “Iko Iko.”

Watch pro-shot video of the first two songs followed by fan-shot video of other highlights:

Photos by Adam McCullough

Setlist

Set One: Good Times Roll > Truckin’ > Scarlet Begonias, Fire On The Bayou^, Sugaree^, China Doll, Sunflower, Vol. 6 > Bird Song, White Rabbit, Tangled Up In Blue

Set Two: Get Back > Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Eyes Of The World > Standing On The Moon, Dead Flowers, Franklin’s Tower, Forever Young, Take Me To The River > Drums* > Iko Iko*

Molly Tuttle and Jeff Franca emerged for China Doll and stuck around for the rest of the concert.

• ^ – w/ George Porter Jr. on bass on vocals
• * – w/ Wally Ingram on percussion