Dead & Company Closes Summer Tour At Wrigley Field

Dead & Company wrapped up their 2021 Summer Tour at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Saturday. D&C delivered a dream setlist to put an exclamation point on the memorable summer run in the city where the Grateful Dead played their final concert.

Dead & Company kicked things off on a rainy night in the Windy City with the favorite “Althea” featuring guitarist John Mayer on lead vocals. Mayer had some strong soloing on the tune as well as some inventive transitional riffs in the verses. A well-jammed “Uncle John’s Band” fell in the second slot with guitarist Bob Weir and Mayer sharing vocals duties. Mayer reeled off some bluesy licks during the jam before the band came together on the final lyrics.

“He’s Gone” emerged from “UJB” with Weir and Mayer trading vocals. The classic saw keyboardist Jeff Chimenti exhibiting a killer organ tone and John kept up the hot licks. Next, Mayer led the way on “Brown-Eyed Women,” which boasted some great interplay between lead guitarist and keyboardist. Bobby then helmed the tour debut of the Willie Dixon blues standard “Little Red Rooster.” Weir and Mayer would come together once again to sing “Jack Straw” before Bobby delivered a first set-closing “One More Saturday Night.”

The classic pairing of “China Cat Sunflower” and “I Know You Rider” got the second set underway. Bobby led the band through “China Cat” and “Rider” with the instrumentalists coming together for the choruses. The stellar Bob Weir and John Barlow composition “Estimated Prophet” came next and headed into the jam vehicle “Eyes Of The World,” the latter clocking in at nearly 15 minutes.

Drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart then presided over “Drums” before Miles Davis’ “Milestones” emerged from “Space.” The poignant “Days Between” fell in the ballad slot. Bobby led the band through Robert Hunter’s incredible and copious lyrics before D&C treated Wrigley to a set-closing section of “Help On The Way” > “Slipknot” > “Franklin’s Tower” with Mayer handling lead vocals on “Help” and “Franklin’s.” Dead & Company returned to the stage for a two-song encore that began with the beloved “Brokedown Palace” and finished up with a fitting “Touch Of Grey” to cap off Summer Tour.

Find pro-shot video of the first and second set openers below along with full-show audio taped by Jeff Travitz and processed by Keith Litzenberger:

Althea

China > Rider

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