Dead & Company Add ‘Broken Arrow’ To Quiver At Las Vegas Sphere

Dead & Company launched the second weekend of their 18-date 2025 Dead Forever Sphere residency in Las Vegas on Thursday night. The sextet led into the evening’s “Drums” segment with the Sphere debut of “The Eleven” and went on to deliver their first-ever performance of Robbie Robertson's solo gem “Broken Arrow.”

Robbie Robertson included “Broken Arrow” on his 1987 self-titled solo debut album. Rod Stewart scored a hit with his version of the song in 1991. The Grateful Dead performed “Broken Arrow” over 30 times between 1993 and 1995, each time with Phil Lesh on vocals. The ballad was a “rare near-contemporary hit the Grateful Dead covered, joining ‘Hey Jude’ from 1969 and ‘Werewolves Of London’ in 1978,” as pointed out by GD archivist David Lemieux.

Dead & Co. guitarist John Mayer handled lead vocals on “Broken Arrow” last night. The cover debut was the penultimate song of the concert. As with the first and third shows of the 2025 Dead Forever residency, the visual journey back to Haight Ashbury and the Grateful Dead’s former San Francisco home was accompanied by an audio recording of Phil Lesh discussing the bond between the Grateful Dead, their music and their fan community. This replaced the old news segment aired both last year and on the second night of this year’s run. “Sugar Magnolia” then brought Thursday’s show to a rousing conclusion.

Watch fan-shot video of Dead & Company’s “Broken Arrow,” the Lesh clip and “Sugar Magnolia” finale below:

Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir and drummer Mickey Hart and their Dead & Company bandmates — guitarist John Mayer, bassist Oteil Burbridge, keyboardist Jeff Chimenti and drummer Jay Lane — opened the first set with their first “Alabama Getaway” in 21 shows. “Truckin'” followed along with “The Music Never Stopped” and “Cumberland Blues.”

Dead & Company moved forward with “Loose Lucy,” which had only been played twice previously at the Sphere. Mayer shined on the set-closing “Sugaree,” as he unloaded fretboard fireworks galore over the course of 15 minutes.

John Mayer channeled Ron “Pigpen” McKernan on the “Mr. Charlie” that kicked off the second set at the high-tech venue on Thursday, accompanied by visuals similar to those found on a graphic equalizer. From there, the six-piece linked “Scarlet Begonias” and “Franklin’s Tower,” two Grateful Dead classics usually paired with “Fire On The Mountain” and “Help On The Way”/”Slipknot!” respectively.

The ensuing “St. Stephen” was the improvisational highlight of the night. Dead & Company fit the “William Tell Bridge” within the lengthy jam. “St. Stephen” dissolved into the beloved psychedelic era favorite “The Eleven.” Both the “William Tell Bridge” and “The Eleven” were Sphere debuts that had been missing in action since July 8, 2023.

As previously mentioned, “The Eleven” bled into the concert’s “Drums” excursion. Outrageous imagery filled the Sphere screens while Lane, Hart and Burbridge focused on pulsating beats. Both “Drums” and the subsequent “Space” were kept fairly concise, connected by Mickey Hart working over the Beam.

The final notes of “Space” paved the way for “Days Between,” one of the last Grateful Dead songs. Dead & Company patiently played the Weir-helmed tune. Bobby also led the cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower that came next. The D&C debut of “Broken Arrow” and “Sugar Magnolia” punctuated the show.

Scroll on for photos, videos, an audio recording, the setlist and The Skinny from Thursday’s Dead & Co. Sphere show:

Audio (Taped by Hunter S II)

Want more Dead & Co stats?

Visit JamBase’s The Skinny Hub

More Skinny

Videos