Bill Walton Helps Dead & Company Bring Tour To Triumphant End At Shoreline

After 24 shows and winning over countless Deadheads, Dead & Company brought Summer Tour to a rousing close on Saturday night at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. The Bay Area performance saw the band featuring Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart along with John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti focus on the most-beloved of Grateful Dead classics and welcome perhaps the world’s most famous Deadhead to share the stage.

The six-piece kicked off the tour closer with a strong “Help On The Way” > “Slipknot!” segment. Instead of transitioning into the usual “Franklin’s Tower” D&C instead began “Shakedown Street.” Both Oteil and Mayer were especially on point during “Shakedown.” Up next was “Cassidy” which Dead & Company used as a launching point for one of the evening’s most exciting jams. The band then took it down a notch with a gorgeous “Standing On The Moon” sung by John Mayer. A quick “Me & My Uncle” was followed by “Brown-Eyed Women” before Dead & Company ended the set with the joyous “Franklin’s Tower” fans had been waiting to hear.

Dead & Company started the second set with an adventurous “Dark Star.” Mayer showed off his skills over the course of the 20-minute “Dark Star” including a crushing blues solo. The sextet kept the focus on the Live Dead era with a passionate “St. Stephen” that ended with a monstrous peak. “Eyes Of The World” was another lengthy standout and as with other D&C versions saw Oteil leave jaws on the floor with an impressive bass solo. As if “Dark Star,” “St. Stephen” and “Eyes Of The World” wasn’t enough for the pre-“Drums” segment, the band threw in “Terrapin Station” for good measure to the delight of the audience.

Burbridge stuck around to aid The Rhythm Devils on the final “Drums” of the summer. The world’s most famous Deadhead and basketball legend Bill Walton also pounded away on Billy and Mickey’s massive setup during “Drums.” Eventually, Mickey Hart headed over to The Beam to lay a base for “Space.” The instrumentalists garnered wild sounds from their instruments as psychedelic imagery was displayed on the screens surrounding the stage. “Space” faded to near silence when Dead & Company started up a Bobby-sung “Days Between.” The set then came to a close with “Not Fade Away.” Chants of “you know our love with not fade away” rang out until the band returned to end the night and tour with a “U.S. Blues” and “Brokedown Palace” encore. There are currently no Dead & Company shows on the books.

Videos

[Pro-Shot Help On The Way > Slipknot!]

[Pro-Shot Dark Star]

[Brokedown Palace | Captured by nowiknowuryder]

[Drums w/ Bill Walton | Captured by nowiknowuryder]