Dead and Company Final Tour Kick-Off Brings the Faithful to the Forum
variety.comShirley Halperin Executive Editor, Music Dead and Company’s summer tour — the group’s last ever, at least in its current incarnation — had its official kick-off on Friday, May 19, at Los Angeles’ Forum.
The first of a two-night stand, the band — featuring original members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart along with John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Chimenti and Jay Lane (sitting in for Bill Kreutzmann who had to sit the 2023 trek out) — was in top form musically, playing for nearly four hours and spanning the Grateful Dead catalog from early studio cuts (“St.
Stephen,” “The Eleven”) to Jerry Garcia solo songs (“Deal,” “The Wheel”) to fan favorites (“Eyes of the World,” “Wharf Rat”).
The show’s arena-sized production complemented the grandness of the moment, the video screens cycling through psychedelic colors and imagery to match the lighting, which felt more Phish-like than previous outings.
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