Dead & Company Plead For ‘Supplication’ At Las Vegas Sphere

After a couple of weeks off, Dead & Company were back at the Las Vegas Sphere Thursday night to kick off the third weekend of their 2025 Dead Forever residency at the visually impressive venue. The band continued shuffling the setlist deck, pulling out more rare cards like the unexpected “Supplication” draw in the first set.

The band composed of Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir and drummer Mickey Hart with guitarist John Mayer, bassist Oteil Burbridge, keyboardist Jeff Chimenti and drummer Jay Lane used the frequent opener “Feel Like A Stranger” to set in motion the evening’s audio and visual journey.

“Uncle John’s Band” accompanied the nightly opening video chapter that starts at the Dead’s old house at 710 Ashbury in San Francisco and ascends to outer space. Dead & Company’s surprise seamless transition into “Supplication” marked the song’s second D&C setlist appearance, having been played once prior in 2022.

Written by Weir and the late John Perry Barlow, “Supplication” was first played by Weir’s band Kingfish and was often paired with “Lazy Lightning” when performed by the Grateful Dead. The deviation into “Supplication” ended with a return to “Uncle John’s Band.”

Though each song had been performed multiple times during this year’s Sphere residency, Thursday’s show saw the first “Help On The Way” into “Slipknot!” into “Franklin’s Tower” sequencing of the 2025 run. Weir then led a rocking “Sugar Magnolia” ahead of the call for set break.

“Greatest Story Ever Told,” which was written by Weir, Hart and the late Robert Hunter, was selected for the second set’s opening song. Played twice last year, Thursday’s performance brought its D&C tally to just 10 total attempts.

Set two rolled on with a bouncy “Bertha,” the consistent pairing of “China Cat Sunflower” into “I Know You Rider” and the multidimensional “Terrapin Station.”

Hart, Lane and Burbridge’s “Drums” segment was up next and the percussive jam was infused with elements of the theme song to HBO’s hit series The White Lotus. Hart shifted from TV show music to the drone of The Beam to form the viaduct to “Space” and the return of Weir, Mayer, Chimenti and Burbridge.

“Wharf Rat” was summoned from the depths of “Space” as the latter half of the set began to formulate. The first Dead Forever 2025 “Dear Mr. Fantasy” followed and the Traffic cover morphed into the ending of The Beatles’ “Hey Jude.”

The visual saga’s descent from outer space back to the Haight Ashbury neighborhood in San Francisco was paired with the potent “Morning Dew.” The Dead Forever story continued with the playing of the archival Grateful Dead news report ahead of the “Sugar Magnolia” coda, “Sunshine Daydream,” closing out the concert experience.

Dead Forever 2025 continues tonight at the Las Vegas Sphere with show eight of the 18-date residency. Scroll on for Thursday’s setlist, The Skinny, audio and videos posted attendees of last night’s show.

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Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL5yn_ahgxY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhdkOus53K8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3qQL2jxlJ8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZxamOpV9XU

Audio Taped by Cam Keough