Oteil Burbridge Shows Off Steal Your Face Mohawk

Coming into the formation of Dead & Company Oteil Burbridge may not have been all that familiar with the music of the Grateful Dead, but the Allman Brothers Band/Aquarium Rescue Unit bassist has fully embraced everything about the Grateful Dead experience and has been a star of the new band. Last night Oteil showed his devotion by unveiling a new hairdo featuring a mohawk styled after the thunderbolt in the Dead’s iconic Steal Your Face logo.

Burbridge had another strong night as Dead & Company kicked off a two-night stand at Citi Field in New York City on Saturday night, where the six-piece was joined by former Grateful Dead member Donna Jean Godchaux. In a recent interview with JamBase Oteil discussed how much he enjoyed meeting Donna. “It was so cool to talk with her. I had a great time talking with her and making all those connections. I learned some great history about the Dead too,” Burbridge said.

One of Oteil’s shining moments from Saturday’s show was his contributions to the near 20 minute “Dark Star” that opened the second set. Burbridge helped steer the direction of the jam to keep it interesting throughout. The bassist switched between frenetic “lead bass” riffs and more rhythmic bottom end anchoring. Oteil is also an underrated vocalist and contributed backing vocals to “Dark Star.”

Watch fan-shot video of “Dark Star” > “Friend Of The Devil” captured by Sean Roche: