Dead & Company opens Sphere Residency with cosmic visual odyssey

LAS VEGAS – From modern landmarks like the Salesforce Tower to the 1960s Haight-Ashbury street scene, Dead & Company took fans on a visual and musical odyssey to their San Francisco home during the jam band’s debut performance at the Sphere.

Grateful Dead guitarist and co-founder Bobby Weir and longtime drummer Mickey Hart took the stage at the $2.3 billion Las Vegas venue on Thursday, May 16, for an eight-week, 24-show residency to begin with the title “Dead Forever”. They were joined by Dead & Company guitarist/vocalist John Mayer, bassist Oteil Burbridge, keyboardist Jeff Chimenti and drummer Jay Lane.

The stage structure initially looked like a huge warehouse that was still under construction, but it soon gave way to much more spectacular sights.

Dead & Company’s residency, which follows U2’s 40-night run at the same venue where the space was christened last September, took full advantage of the high-tech room’s 17-story video screen and integrated audio technology Effect. The band began their performance with a breezy version of the Grateful Dead’s “Feel Like a Stranger” from the 1980 album “Go to Heaven.” Then, as the multi-generational sextet launched into a spirited rendition of “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo,” the seamless 270-degree 16K LED video screen transported the Vegas audience to what is now 710 Haight St., complete with a parked Tesla. There, a crisp image of Victorian houses along the street framed the scene, revealing a location that Deadheads immediately recognized as the house where members of the Grateful Dead lived together from 1966 to 1968.

It was the first indication that the Dead Forever concert would delve deep into the Grateful Dead’s colorful 30-year history.

As the band performed live favorite “Jack Straw,” the images zoomed out to show San Francisco from an eastern perspective with the Bay Bridge in the distance, followed by a bird’s eye view of the entire Bay Area. Then the audience was soon floating in space. The rapid movement was reminiscent of the experience of a flight simulator ride like Disney’s “Soarin’ Over California.” The subsequent stargazing felt like we were in an oversized planetarium.

The Sphere’s creative animated or CGI visuals – featuring morphing rainbows, lava lamps and landscape paintings brought to life – allowed audiences to embark on a journey that Deadheads may have previously experienced using illegal substances. The images accompanied the music throughout the four-hour concert, including the band’s traditional 30-minute set break.

Dead & Company perfectly integrated their performance into the great visuals, much like an orchestra performing a live score to a projected film. Some video segments, like the colorful rainforest for “Snow and Rain” or the cinematic western setting of “Me and My Uncle,” complemented the music perfectly. Others provided the group with a versatile template to customize their setlist.

The simultaneous “Dead Forever Experience” at the nearby Venetian provided some creative synergies. Static displays in the two-story, 22,000-square-foot space matched some of the visual elements of the opening performance. For example, the powerful three-song run began with “Help on the Way,” “Slipknot!” and “Franklin’s Tower.” On the second floor of the exhibition, ephemera such as ticket slips, backstage passes and authentic photographs used as visual elements during the concert were displayed for closer inspection.

As the performance returned to Earth from space, the band revisited 710 Haight, this time transporting the audience to the 1960s. Vintage vehicles, including an old-school Volkswagen bus, filled the scene.

The evening ended with a cover of Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away.” The same classic closed last summer’s concert at Oracle Park, which was considered Dead & Company’s last ever touring show. But the band members, clearly energized by their Sphere residency, don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

Yoshi Kato is a freelance writer.

Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo

Knock on the door to heaven