Dead & Company Brings ‘Supplication’ To Pine Knob

Dead & Company debuted the Grateful Dead/Bob Weir song “Supplication” during the second set of their show at Pine Knob Music Theatre on Wednesday night. The concert in Clarkston, Michigan once again saw drummer Jay Lane playing most of the show in place of Bill Kreutzmann.

The set began with “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo” and the lengthy opener gave guitarists Weir and John Mayer, bassist Oteil Burbridge, keyboardist Jeff Chimenti and drummers Mickey Hart and Lane ample room to warm up. “Feel Like A Stranger” filled the second slot. The funky number debuted by the Dead in 1980 was the only song played on Wednesday night not first performed by the group in the 1970s or 1960s. Dead & Co. followed with a Mayer-led run through the classic traditional “Cold Rain And Snow.”

The tour’s first “New Minglewood Blues” featured a barefoot Weir playing slide guitar and dropping a mention of Detroit into the lyrics, which elicited a cheer from the crowd. Burbridge then helmed a tender “China Doll.” Weir and Mayer traded verses on the subsequent “Jack Straw,” the lyrics again drawing cheers for mentions of the pending July Fourth holiday and “catching the Detroit Lightning.”

The set continued with Weir fronting a cover of Johnny Cash’s “Big River.” The journey down the Mississippi River was trailed by “Bird Song.” Much like the set opener, the set-closing “Bird Song” was stretched out into a well-representative jam.

Read on after The Skinny for the rest of the recap and more.

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“Here Comes Sunshine” kicked off the second set, with Lane still seated next to Hart. After a sweet ending to “Here Comes Sunshine,” Weir counted off “Playing In The Band” and the frequently jammed song delivered on its reputation, leading to a funky sequence that eventually found its way to “Uncle John’s Band.” The classic singalong segued into Dead & Company’s first public performance of “Supplication.”

Written by Weir and his longtime friend and writing partner, the late John Perry Barlow, “Supplication” was recorded by Weir’s side band Kingfish for their 1976 self-titled debut album, where it followed “Lazy Lightning.” Weir brought it to the Grateful Dead’s live repertoire later in 1976, also coupling it with “Lazy Lightning.” The band continued playing “Lazy Lightning” into “Supplication” through 1984 and resurrected a standalone “Supplication” once in 1993.

“Supplication” was not on Dead & Company’s pre-planned setlist. Weir appeared to call for it amid the “UJB” jam and once again heard a cheer from the crowd when he sang its opening line. D&C followed their debut with a brief detour back to “Uncle John’s Band.” Longtime companions “China Cat Sunflower” and “I Know You Rider” fulfilled Lane’s drumming responsibilities for the night as Kreutzmann emerged for the “Drums” segment of the set.

Kreutzmann hugged Lane before joining Hart for The Rhythm Devils’ showcase. Billy’s return was also met with a welcoming response from the audience, and he and Hart quickly dug into primal rhythms. Billy exited to leave Hart alone to go deep into the drone of The Beam, which called back Weir, Mayer, Burbridge and Chimenti to pick up “Space.” After several minutes of the free-form improvisation, Billy resumed his spot sitting next to Mickey and the full band coalesced around John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme.”

The jazzy jam, featuring Burbridge’s skillful playing, led into the ever-emotional “Wharf Rat.” Dead & Co. brought an end to the second set with the patriotic rocker “U.S. Blues.” Weir and Mayer donned acoustic guitars for the evening’s “Ripple” encore.

Dead & Company Summer Tour 2022 continues on Friday at Bethel Woods Center For the Arts in Bethel, New York. Livestreams are available via nugs.net.

Watch pro-shot previews of the set openers below:

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