Dead & Company’s Final Tour Rambles On To Raleigh

Dead & Company rallied the troops for a final go at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek in Raleigh, North Carolina on Thursday night. The band drew up a pair of tour debuts in a first set that ended with an impressive “Bird Song” and added another tour debut in the second set after a dynamic “St. Stephen” performance.

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Set one began with guitarist Bob Weir leading the band through a vigorous rendering of the ominously hopeful “New Speedway Boogie.” Guitarist John Mayer showed off his upper vocal register on the prevailing “They Love Each Other,” which was countered by Oteil Burbridge’s well-placed bass notes that thundered throughout the unhurried presentation of the song.

A pair of tour debuts came next as Weir steered a cover of Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried,” followed by Mayer helming the Workingman’s Dead rarity, “Easy Wind.” Weir played slide on “Easy Wind,” one of the few songs credited solely to Dead lyricist Robert Hunter that was sung by the late Ron “Pigpen” McKernan on the few occasions the band played the bluesy number. Dead & Co. then eased their way through “Ramble On Rose,” which gave Jeff Chimenti an opportunity to show off his impressive piano chops.

The set’s underlying blues flavor persisted through the ensuing “Dear Mr. Fantasy.” The Traffic cover bled into the often paired “Hey Jude” coda ahead of a transition into, “Bird Song.” The “Bird Song” jam saw Mayer turning around to lock in with drummer Jay Lane as the two established the path forward for their bandmates to follow. Burbridge kept a tight, jazzy feel flowing while Chimenti and Weir accentuated Mayer’s fluttering guitar runs.

Lane pushed a heightened groove to move the jam into a livelier territory and Chimenti’s Fender Rhodes added an element of fusion to the increasing frantic fold. Eventually the musicians coalesced around a pretty theme, letting the “Bird Song” jam fully expand for several expressive minutes before circling back to the song’s heartfelt conclusion.

Set two started with blues rock with a hint of country twang in the form of “Sugaree” and Mayer going all in on his solo. The signature opening riff of “St. Stephen” then signaled its welcomed arrival. A mighty jam developed, weaving in and out of the “St. Stephen” theme at various points to anchor the multifaceted improvisation.

After fully engaging in the ending of “St. Stephen,” Dead & Co. broke away from the previous structure and transitioned into another expansive jam sequence that surrounded a segue into and out of the “William Tell Bridge.” Pushing ahead, the intricate rhythmic pattern of “The Eleven” materialized and the seamless segue into the song was followed by another section of invigorated jamming. While deep in the jam, Chimenti seemed to be the first to hint at the easily identifiable “Iko Iko” rhythm, which Lane and fellow drummer Mickey Hart picked up and ushered in the tour’s first performance of the New Orleans classic.

Fueled by the percussive propulsion of “Iko Iko,” Hart and Lane were left alone for the free-form “Drums” segment. Lane began playing Hart’s recently acquired xylophone-like instrument known as a Balafon. The drummers progressed through their arsenal of drums, getting assistance from Burbridge who came back after a short break. Hart capped “Drums” by layering in the heavy drone produced by The Beam, handing the stage back to Weir, Mayer, Chimenti and Burbridge to break open their journey into “Space.”

Weir’s mid-1970s zinger “I Need A Miracle” launched the post-”Space” portion of the second set. The group then shifted to the sentimental “Wharf Rat,” letting the beloved ballad fly away to its hopeful conclusion. Dead & Co. rode the “Casey Jones” driven train home to close out the second the set.

The encore at Walnut Creek was the ever-poignant Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter latter-career masterpiece, “Black Muddy River.”

Dead & Company’s Final Tour continues on Saturday at The Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. Purchase livestreams for the Burgettstown show and all The Final Tour concerts via nugs.net.