Photo Credit: Josh Hitchens
On Thursday, August 8, Dead & Company returned to Las Vegas’ state-of-the-art Sphere venue for the onset of their final residency weekend. Last week’s Jerry Garcia celebration, which marked his birth date (Aug. 1), and the ensuing Days Between carried through during the band’s latest stand. A nod toward the late, great Garcia, yesterday’s event carried a similar tone of reflection, a notion which excelled during a bust out of the Grateful Dead’s Terrapin Station LP originator, “Passenger,” played for the first time since June 20, 2018.
Prior to the standout moment, which was perhaps chosen for its consideration of existence in the wake of a reflective period garnered annually during Days Between, Dead & Company hit on the feel of celebration with the call-and-response favorite “Iko Iko.” Next, the thirteen-point lightning bolt gates opened to reveal the original ensemble’s 710 Haight Ashbury address, positioning one of the night’s most visual moments alongside “Eyes of the World,” an idyllic jumping-off point for entering the cosmos and the spacey jam that ensured.
On the other side of a high point of the initial set, Dead & Company picked up a relatively standard “Mr. Charlie” before coalescing “Playing in the Band” into “Brown-Eyed Women.” A nod to the nature and life on “Let It Grow” marked the conclusion of set one before the night’s dust-off welcomed folks back for the night’s latter half. “Passenger” was never a staple of Grateful Dead live shows; rather, the number was performed with some frequency between 1977 and 1981, tapping into the transitory nature of life.
Dead & Company continued set two with a well-jammed “St. Stephen” before igniting a sing-along on “Uncle John’s Band.” Mickey Hart-led instrumental interludes took the crowd on a journey harnessed to rhythm, timing, and determination before a truly introspective selection, “Black Peter.” Hitting on the timelessness of their Dead Forever experience, the sexet followed up with “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad” before a pause and pick up of the politically-infused “Throwing Stones.” To close the night, as archival photos appeared on screen, the band played through “Casey Jones.”
Two nights of Dead & Company’s Sphere residency remain. Tickets are still available for Friday and Saturday nights.
Dead & Company
Sphere – Las Vegas
August 8, 2024
Set I: Iko Iko, Eyes of the World, Mr. Charlie. Playing in the Band > Brown-Eyed Women, Let It Grow
Set II: Passenger+, St. Stephen, Uncle John’s Band, Drums > Space, Black Peter, Going Down the Road Feeling Bad, Throwing Stones
Enc.: Casey Jones
Notes:
+ Bust out last played on June 20, 2018
The post Dead & Company Dust Off “Passenger” for First Time Since 2018 During Onset of Sphere Close-Out appeared first on Relix Media.
