Dead & Company Closes Summer Tour 2019 In Boulder

This weekend, Dead & Company closed their Summer Tour 2019 with their annual two-night run at Boulder, Colorado’s Folsom Field. Following Friday night’s excellent one-set show, which was delayed due to inclement weather, the Grateful Dead spin-off finished off their tour with a final performance on Saturday night.

The band opened the show with a spacious jam that eventually landed into “Scarlet Begonias.” A groovy transition led into “Fire In The Mountain,” with the band deciding to “let Oteil Burbridge sing” and lead the vocals during the fan-favorite track. After John Mayer‘s meticulous guitar solo at the tail end of the 1979 Shakedown Street song, the pop icon then lent his voice for a laidback take on “Brown Eyed Women,” which also sported a tremendous solo from keyboardist Jeff Chimenti.

“They Love Each Other” picked up the pace after a mournful “Loser,” with John Mayer offering soulful vocals and a patient guitar solo. Up to this point, the first set tended to lean into slower and more easygoing tunes, though the group built up the energy toward the end of “They Love Each Other,” with Mayer’s blistering guitar solo earning hoots and hollers from the crowd. From there, the group again shifted to a laidback “Bird Song,” which featured an intricate bass solo and an abstract and cacophonous jazz-inspired improvisational section. Bob Weir led the final two songs of the first frame, with a slinky “New Speedway Boogie” deftly transitioning into a final “Don’t Ease Me In.”

For the second set, Dead & Company opened with a celebratory “Playing In The Band,” with Weir leading the 1971 tune. Burbridge’s heavy bass led the way into “Estimated Prophet,” a dark-tinged tune with a reggae-inflected opening and a triumphant psychedelic jam. The group then wasted no time in dropping into a jubilant “Franklin’s Tower,” which featured an extended jam and Mayer on lead vocals.

Bob Weir sang on “Eyes of the World,” with Chimenti and Mayer initially alternating solos during the tune’s easygoing jam. At the end of the song, Burbridge riled up the crowd with his cascading and precise bass solo, before the band slowed down with “Standing On The Moon.” The graceful song transitioned into the drums portion of the night, which kicked of with an opening drum-kit solo from Bill Kreutzmann. In contrast to Friday’s “Drums,” the beat was more dramatic and high-energy, though Burbridge once again joined the Rhythm Devils for the segment. After a series of synchronized drum hits, Mickey Hart worked his way into “Space” with an echoing and ambient solo on The Beam.

With the full band for a latin-tinged groove, John Mayer continued the night’s Jerry Garcia hit list with a gorgeous “Althea,” a highlight of set two with its soaring solo from Chimenti. Weir then moved into a reflective “Days Between,” which featured a meandering guitar solo and an extended contemplative improvisation. An abrupt transition led to “Not Fade Away” reprise — completing Friday night’s show-opening take on the beloved cover — with the collective eventually walking off stage while the crowd continued to chant and clap the refrain.

For the encore, Weir thanked the crowd, noting “We want to thank all of you for showing up… because without you this ain’t happenin’!” He also took the time to thank the crew, exclaiming that “We’re not playing ’til they all come out.” Dozens of crew members joined the band on stage for a collective bow before Dead & Company moved into an acoustic take on “Ripple,” co-led by Weir and Mayer. Following the track, which featured Mayer taking on Jerry Garcia’s traditional mandolin part on guitar and was highlighted by beautiful instrumental ornaments at the end of each phrase, the band shifted to an emotive, gorgeous “Brokedown Palace.” To close the night in full, the group returned to “Playing In The Band,” with the reprise of the song cut short due to curfew.

Watch the first set opener of “Scarlet Begonias” and the second set opener of “Playing In The Band” below:

Scarlet Begonias

Playing In The Band

Setlist