Dead & Company continued their summer tour on Friday with an impressive performance at the Cellairis Amphitheatre At Lakewood in Atlanta. Guitarist John Mayer hinted on social media that the band was planning on playing one of his favorite setlist rarities last night. D&C made good on that promise as they offered not just one, but a handful of tunes that had been sitting on the shelf, including a classic duo and Chuck Berry cover that hadn’t seen action in almost a full year.
The six-piece act wasted no time getting their night going at the 18,920-capacity shed with “Iko Iko” as Bob Weir banged on a tambourine at the start of the New Orleans party classic. The band kept the upbeat energy going as Weir took the lead again on “I Need A Miracle.” As the tune from Shakedown Street began to fade to an end, there was barely a pause before Dead & Company dove into a straight-forward take on “Alabama Getaway,” which was debuted on the opening night of the tour. Weir strapped on an acoustic guitar next for the first “Black-Throated Wind” since November of last year.
Weir continued to dominate the first set as he sung led on “West L.A. Fadeaway.” The In The Dark track led to the first extended jam of the night as Mayer, Jeff Chimenti and Weir each delivered solos. A standout version of the Americana rocker “Brown-Eyed Women” followed with Mayer throwing down a number of feisty and fiery guitar licks and Chimenti chiming in with some impressive work on the piano. Dead & Company then reached for a pair of tunes that have fallen out of setlist rotation as “Lost Sailor” > “Saint of Circumstance” emerged for the first time since June 20, 2017 to close out the opening frame.
Advertisement
Dead & Company returned to the stage a little bit after 9 p.m. as they got their second set in “Hotlanta” off the ground with “Here Comes Sunshine,” delivering a jammed-out take on the Wake Of The Flood gem for the first time since last December. The band stayed in the Grateful Dead’s mid-1970s output as they drifted straight into “Eyes Of The World.” Last night’s take featured a number of gorgeous moments within including some stellar keyboard work by Chimenti, who served up a string of jazzy solos before Mayer dug in. Bassist Oteil Burbridge also got in on the action with a melodic bass solo as they continued to stretch out the song before segueing straight into what has become Mayer’s signature tune – “Althea.” Last night’s must-hear version didn’t disappoint and even elicited a big smile and a fist pump from Burbridge.
The sextet barely took a pause as they fed off the high energy and went with a scorching take on “Scarlet Begonias.” The transition into “Fire On The Mountain” saw Mayer again steal the show ahead of Burbridge singing lead for the first time all night. The stage was then turned over to Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann as the duo went to work on the “Drums” portion of the evening. The pair exited as Weir, Mayer, Burbridge and Chimenti offered up some psychedelic explorations in “Space” with the drummers eventually joining in. The sonic foray wound its way into Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower.” The summer’s first stab saw Mayer channel Jimi Hendrix throughout as the tune crashed right into an impassioned take on “Morning Dew” to bring the second set to a close. Dead & Company once again reached for a tune that hadn’t been played in nearly a year for the encore. The band served up a rendition of Chuck Berry’s rock and roll classic “Johnny B. Goode” to end the evening.
Dead & Company continues the tour on Saturday in Raleigh. A webcast is available via nugs.tv. Check out a full gallery from the band’s visit to Atlanta captured by Lisa Keel followed by pro-shot video of the songs that opened each set:
Advertisement
Photos by Lisa Keel
Pro-Shot Videos
Advertisement
Setlist
Set I: Iko Iko, I Need A Miracle, Alabama Getaway, Black-Throated Wind, West L.A. Fadeaway, Brown-Eyed Women, Lost Sailor > Saint Of Circumstance
Set II: Here Comes Sunshine, Eyes Of The World > Althea, Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain, Drums > Space > All Along The Watchtower, Morning Dew
Encore: Johnny B. Goode
- Upcoming Shows
