Review & Photos: Dead & Company Kick Off Tour In Albany

Dead & Company :: 10.29.2015 :: Times Union Center :: Albany, NY

This year is an important one for everyone in the Grateful Dead community with 50th anniversary celebrations happening all over the country. Those that were in Santa Clara and Chicago for Fare Thee Well this summer saw that the magic can still happen after all these years. Those vibes have continued to pulsate throughout the land and have brought us a new project with Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart teaming up with John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, and Jeff Chimenti to form Dead & Company. The band kicked off their first tour last night in Albany, New York at the Times Union Center and showed that there is a lot of potential for this interpretation of the band.

Out of the gates came a nice 15 minute “Playing in the Band” that showed the jam possibilities this group has. The mix was clear and each member of the band could be heard easily. Bob was definitely in control, leading the band through the opening song. The jam didn’t go too far from its core, but it was a great way to start the show. Next Mayer stepped up to the mic for “Cold Rain and Snow.” He sounded great vocally, but unfortunately it was the slowed down version. With the way Mayer can channel a psychedelic sound, they should ramp up the 1967 version of it and let him loose. The slower tempo of songs would be seen all night and at times hurt the music that was being played.

“Tennessee Jed” was the first big sing-a-long for the night. The room lit up at the first notes and Bob’s voice sounded wonderful. Hopefully his voice continues to be as strong as it was last night as the tour continues. “Feel Like a Stranger” showed the band could get funky when called for. Burbridge and Chimenti led the way through the song and Mayer was about to let loose during the song’s ending, but was reeled in by Weir as the tune came to a close. “He’s Gone” became the second sing-a-long as the entire building erupted. Mayer took over with his guitar toward the end of the song and led the band to the ending scatting. His solo was the highlight and as the tour continues hopefully he leads more often, as anytime he did in Albany the songs and jams really had an extra kick to them.

The first segue came as the band dipped into “Bird Song” and although it wasn’t the smoothest transition, it was a treat to hear them figure out how to drop into a new song out of the ending of “He’s Gone.” The first exploratory jam took place after the lyric portion and got the crowd hollering for more. As the song strayed from its confines it almost sounded like it was going to dip into “The Other One” but instead went into a set closing “The Music Never Stopped.” Again Mayer was set to let loose, but was pulled back into the end of the song by Bob. With a huge ovation the band headed to set break, and while not as long as the Chicago Fare Thee Well intermissions, it could have been shorter.

“Lost Sailor” > “Saint of Circumstance” isn’t what one would think of as a springboard into a second set, but the band chose to lead off with it anyway. They didn’t drag out “Sailor” at all and went almost immediately into “Saint.” During the latter half of the jam, Mayer really let loose and almost started jumping around with how much he was feeling the solo he was playing. The amount of effort he has put into preparing for these shows could be easily seen. While he still has to figure out his voice when singing the songs and his role in the band, he definitely did his homework on the guitar and appeared ready to bring it this tour. “Help on the Way” > “Slipknot” showcased this as the highlight of the night. Mayer took over and drove the band forward. The jam completely moved away from the basic song structure and went into the ether. Just as Trey Anastasio started to take over after the first couple of GD50 nights, Mayer will hopefully feel ready to take control after a few shows and push the band like he did during the ”Help/Slip” jam.

“Slipknot” turned many corners throughout the jam with Oteil, the secret weapon of Dead & Co, leading for a bit as well. The transition into “Franklin’s Tower” was cringe worthy, but not everything can be perfect. It looked as though Billy and Bob weren’t on the same page for a moment, but the energy of “Franklin’s” made up for it. Mayer led “Franklin’s” vocally and it wasn’t pretty. Again it’s early in the tour, but the way he sang it was off by just a little. Drums > Space was next and turned the Times Union Center into a dance party on the floor and a rest stop for folks in the seats. I know it’s going to be done every night, but sometimes this portion of the show feels unnecessary. The Drums portion was its usual tribal beat, while Space was a tight jam that eventually dropped into “The Other One” which had been teased earlier in the night. The jam that followed was another strong highlight with the band becoming a hive mind and taking chances. There was no leader throughout the entire jam, showing what this band could achieve when they put their heads down and go for it.

“Stella Blue” had Bob leading the way again vocally and was another solid band full effort that transitioned into “Not Fade Away” to put a cap on the evening. The beginning of the song was rough as Bob again wasn’t on the same page the rest of the group, but the energy in the room pulled him back up and it was a fun end to the evening. The “NFA” chants continued until the band came back for the encore with a mission statement in “Touch of Grey.” “We will survive” seemed an even stronger point last night than usual, considering everything that has happened this year. Unfortunately it was a half tempo slower than it should be and took away from the song a little.

Overall this band is a fantastic way to celebrate 50 years of The Dead, whether you were in Santa Clara or Chicago or not. The fact that the guys can still have those special moments should be celebrated. Not every Dead show was perfect back in the day and neither will Dead & Company’s, but for those moments when it all comes together and the crowd is going wild, it’s worth it to check this band out. If Mayer gets comfortable and is given some more rope to lead, this band could really take off.

Setlist

Set One: Playing In The Band, Cold Rain And Snow, Tennessee Jed, Feel Like A Stranger, He’s Gone, Bird Song, The Music Never Stopped

Set Two: Lost Sailor > Saint Of Circumstance, Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Franklin’s Tower, Drums > Space > The Other One > Stella Blue > Not Fade Away

Encore: Touch Of Grey

Audio [Taped by Bill Goldberg, Via Archive.org]

Videos

[Playing In The Band – Captured by InnovAsianTravel]

[The Music Never Stopped – Captured by Sean Roche]

[Feel Like A Stranger – Captured by Sean Roche]

[Lost Sailor > Saint Of Circumstance – Captured by Sean Roche]

[Touch Of Grey – Captured by Sean Roche]