Dead & Company Tour Continues In Atlanta

Dead & Company‘s inaugural tour continued at the Philips Arena in Atlanta last night, where Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann along with John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti focused on some of the most beloved songs in the Dead canon over the course of two lengthy sets and an emotional encore.

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The sextet kicked off the show with “Feel Like A Stranger” sung by Weir before Mayer had his first turn leading the band on “Cold Rain And Snow.” Dead & Company continues to gel and gain comfort as they play Grateful Dead classics for the second and third time around on the now 11-show-old tour. The rocking opening stanza moved on with a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Promised Land” and the only slow-paced song of the set – “Loser.” John then delivered “Bertha” to bring the energy back up. “Cassidy” featured a standout jam that foreshadowed the improv to come in the second set. John Mayer led Dead & Company on the set closer and only tour debut of the night, “Don’t Ease Me In.”

Dead & Company came out of the gates for the second set with one of the highlights of the night as “St. Stephen” spanned a glorious 20 minutes. Mayer continues to try out new tones and the sounds he garnered from his axe were very different from what we heard on the tour’s only other “Stephen” at Madison Square Garden. Burbridge also shined on “St. Stephen” as he engaged Mayer in a call-and-response section. “Uncle John’s Band” came next and was followed by a riveting “Help On The Way” > “Slipknot!” > “Franklin’s Tower” sequence. The Rhythm Devils then started off “Drums/Space” which their bandmates finished. “Space” led into another powerful “I Need A Miracle.” “Morning Dew” gave John Mayer another chance to show off his Jerry-like tone before a joyous “Not Fade Away” brought the second set to a close. The tour’s second “Brokedown Palace” served as encore. Next up for Dead & Company is a visit to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville tonight.

Listen to last night’s “St. Stephen” thanks to Z-Man:

Setlist

Set One: Feel Like A Stranger, Cold Rain And Snow, Promised Land > Loser > Bertha, Cassidy > Don’t Ease Me In

Set Two: St. Stephen > Uncle John’s Band, Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Franklin’s Tower > Drums > Space > I Need A Miracle > Morning Dew > Not Fade Away

Encore: Brokedown Palace