Dead & Company Debuts ‘To Lay Me Down’ At Wrigley Field In Chicago

Dead & Company opened a two-night stand at Wrigley Field in Chicago with a concert featuring a slew of jam vehicles and a special guest. The sextet also worked their debut rendition of “To Lay Me Down” into the setlist on a rainy Friday night in the Windy City.

The show started in unusual fashion with “The Other One.” Bob Weir growled the first verse as John Mayer ripped an intense solo, especially so early on in the concert. Speaking of fashion, bassist Oteil Burbridge sported a “Gay For Trey” t-shirt in honor of Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio. Once Mayer had his fill of “The Other One,” he led a transition into “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo.” Weir sang that one as he did the Dead & Company debut of “To Lay Me Down.” John Mayer utilized a lap steel guitar for the Hunter/Garcia ballad.

Dead & Company presented more typical fare over the remainder of the first set. Mayer sang “Brown-Eyed Women” and “It Hurts Me Too” with Weir stepping into the spotlight for “Ramble On Rose” in between. Then, the band spread their wings on “Bird Song” before closing out the set with “Jack Straw.” Last night’s second set was heavy on the improv starting with an expansive pairing of “China Cat Sunflower” and “I Know You Rider.” Next, Mayer shredded through “Althea” before the six-piece embarked on a 20+ minute sequence of “St. Stephen” and “The Eleven.” The former included the “William Tell Bridge,” while the latter led into the evening’s “Drums”/”Space” interlude.

The Rhythm Devils of Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann were joined not only by Oteil during “Drums” but also by legendary Nigerian percussionist Sikiru Adepoju. Weir began the tender “Days Between” after a brief “Space” jam. Then, Dead & Company ended the set with a rousing “Not Fade Away.” Mayer went on to lead the group through Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” as the encore. Dead & Company returns to Wrigley on Saturday night.

Pro-Shot Videos Shared by Dead & Company

The Other One > Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo

China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider

Fan-Shot Videos

To Lay Me Down Captured by Sojahsey1

St. Stephen > The Eleven Captured by Still Dead

Setlist

Set One: The Other One > Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo, To Lay Me Down, Brown-Eyed Women, Ramble On Rose, It Hurts Me Too, Bird Song, Jack Straw

Set Two: China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Althea, St. Stephen > The Eleven > Drums/Space > Days Between > Not Fade Away

Encore: Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door