Cover Alert | John Mayer Covers The Grateful Dead

Back in January Fairfield, CT product John Mayer talked to Rolling Stone about his new found appreciation for the music of the Grateful Dead. Mayer told the magazine’s Patrick Doyle, “I’ve been listening to the Grateful Dead nonstop. Mark my words, the Grateful Dead are gonna make a comeback, because of how that music cleanses your palate. When everything is processed and quantized and gridded out – to hear ‘Tennessee Jed’ played with that lope is a real palate-cleanser. They take their time, sometimes too much. This free expressive sort of spirit – I listen and I want to find a mix of that openness. I kind of want to go to that show, if it still existed. But I wish that there were tunes that I was more familiar with. I wish that I could be the singer. I wish I could have harmonies. And I wish that I could make it seven minutes instead of 13 minutes. Now I’ll get the opportunity to kind of try that.” On his summer tour Mayer has covered two Dead songs along with a traditional tune that was part of Jerry Garcia and Co.’s live repertoire. We’ve compiled a live video of each one.

First off, let’s took at Mayer’s cover of “Friend Of The Devil,” which he played at recent shows in Virginia Beach, VA and Saratoga Springs, NY:

Back in July Mayer covered “Althea” twice. Here’s a take from Red Rocks:

Finally, “Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad” has been a staple of Mayer shows this summer: