Dead & Company add more classics to the Sphere rotation in week five

Photo credit: Alive Coverage

Dead & Company continued their Sphere residency in Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday nights. The ensemble took up their current concert theme and added classic Grateful Dead originals and related covers to their repertoire of venue-specific pieces. Other tried and tested material was joined by Bobby Weir’s Sin City-first pieces As Favorite “Black-Throated Wind” and the soulful “China Doll” on June 14, followed by the jam-catalyst “Viola Lee Blues” on June 15.

To start, Saturday was a flood of popular music, starting with The Olympics’ original adapted for the Dead, “Good Lovin’,” followed by “The Music Never Stopped” and “Row Jimmy.” “Black-Throated Wind,” heard for the first time on Sphere, hit the nerve with the line “I was a man when this all began” and served as a lyrically colored perspective; a moment of concern for both then and now. More seasoned pieces led to a set break, with “Shakedown Street” welcoming the crowd back halfway through Friday’s concert.

“Help on the Way” and “Slipknot!” formed a classic combination and segued into the seasonal “Cold Rain and Snow.” Next up was Friday’s final Sphere debut, which morphed into “China Doll.” The rest of the evening was in typical fashion, with regulars flanking the expected instrumental interlude of the second set, the Mickey Hart-led “Drums” > “Space.” From the depths of Friday arose a new morning and more musical magic to follow on Saturday night.

The first set was a mix of classics, in keeping with the previous night’s style, consisting of self-penned material and notable covers, including “Dancing in the Street” and “It Hurts Me Too.” Jerry Garcia’s “Sugaree” was the last piece before the set break. Dead & Company took their seats again for the final set of the fifth weekend of their Sphere residency, starting it off with sister pieces “China Cat Sunflower” through “I Know You Rider.” The only new addition to the Sphere roster was the jam-oriented “Viola Lee Blues” by Cannon’s Jug Stompers.

Without a break, Dead & Company inserted their Sphere debut in “US Blues” and the final song of Saturday’s main frame, “Dark Star.” For their encore, the group returned to Weir’s As LP, nods to the day of the week, You Guess what: “Another Saturday night.”

Scroll down to see the weekend’s setlists. Tickets are still available for Dead & Company’s Sphere residency.

Dead & Company

Ball – Las Vegas

June 15, 2024

Sentence I: I Need a Miracle, Eyes of the World, Dancing in the Street > I Hurt Too, Cassidy, Sugaree

Sentence II: China Cat Sunflower > I Know You, Rider, Playing in the Band > Cumberland Blues, Estimated Prophet > Drums > Space > Days Between, Viola Lee Blues+ > US Blues > Dark Star

Garnish: Another Saturday night

Remarks:

+ First time at Sphere

Dead & Company

Ball – Las Vegas

June 14, 2024

Sentence I: Good Lovin’, The Music Never Stopped, Row Jimmy, Black-Throated Wind+, New Speedway Boogie, Deal

Sentence II: Shakedown Street, Help on the Way > Slipknot! > Cold Rain and Snow, China Doll+, Terrapin Station > Drums > Space > Dear Prudence > Bertha > Hell in a Bucket > Morning Dew

Garnish: Ripple

Remarks:

+ First time at Sphere

Setlist via setlist.FM.