Dead & Company Wrigley Field Chicago, Illinois June 24, 2022
I’ve been to a dozen Grateful Dead concerts from 1975 to the early 90’s. (Most of those shows at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin in the 80’s.) Jerry Garcia died in 1995 and after that, I never saw any of the Grateful Dead spinoff bands. By 1995, I was well into full adult mode, owning a home, raising kids, and managing a career. My concert activity slowed down at that time in my life, and by the time it picked up a bit of steam again (2003, thanks to the Dandy Warhols), I had basically moved on from the Grateful Dead. My concert attendance reignited like a jet-propelled rocket once my kids were raised. Aware that Dead & Company had become a draw on par with the original band, with a couple of exceptions (Rolling Stones and Pearl Jam), I had mostly moved on from most stadium and arena shows preferring theaters, clubs, and outdoor festivals. However, when my wife expressed interest in seeing Dead and Company, I thought, “Why not? It’s been about 30 years, and Wrigley Field (Chicago) is an awesome concert venue. Let’s do it!”
DAMN, I’M SO GLAD I WENT!!! It was just so fucking awesome. I was back in the mood the moment they opened the show with Man Smart, Woman Smarter. The first set began at 6:45 in the beautiful sundrenched summer evening. They played 75 minutes before intermission. At 8:45, as the evening had transitioned to dusk, they returned to the stage and played a 130-minute set, finishing up just before 11:00. Having spent much of my lifetime in Wrigley Field (a few concerts, scores of Cubs games and even a Bears game), I used my knowledge of the old ballpark to select the perfect seats. Upper deck above home plate on the third base side provided an excellent view of the stage in center field. We also had the roof for cover, but it wasn’t needed with dry conditions, temperatures in the low 80’s, and a delightful breeze from Lake Michigan.
The band included original Dead members Bob Weir (guitar, vocals), Mickey Hart (drums) and Bill Kreutzmann. (Bill only played on two songs as he had suffered a minor injury a few days earlier.) The rest of the band included John Mayer (guitar and vocals), Oteil Burbridge (who I had seen once before in the early days of Tedeschi Trucks Band), Jeff Chimenti (keyboards and vocals) and Jay Lane (drums, sitting in for Bill). John Mayer is quite a competent replacement for Jerry Garcia. He is an excellent guitar player, although not as fluid as Jerry was. Bob Weir sounded and played great and seems to have not lost anything to age. Keyboards and the rhythm section were excellent. My overall impression was that they were a bit tighter and a bit more polished than the original band. Not to take anything away from the original band, because in those days, it wasn’t necessarily about being polished. It was more about the feel of the music. At this point in their career, the band has much better technology which aids their sound. Also, compared to my early concert days of the 70’s and 80’s, I think the audience has a greater expectation for the live bands to be at the top of its game, so there is that factor. On the other hand, Dead and Company have not been making any studio albums. Without that pressure, they can focus exclusively on honing their live sound. All-in-all, it was a wonderful night. My only regret is wondering why I didn’t see Dead and Company sooner.
Set 1:
· Man Smart, Woman Smarter (King Radio cover)
· Eyes of the World (Grateful Dead cover)
· Bertha (Grateful Dead cover)
· Next Time You See Me (Junior Parker cover)
· Dark Star (Grateful Dead cover - preceded by a Wharf Rat jam)
· Dear Mr. Fantasy (Traffic cover)
· Hey Jude (The Beatles cover - coda only)
· Althea (Grateful Dead cover)
Set 2:
· Throwing Stones (Grateful Dead cover)
· Brown-Eyed Women (Grateful Dead cover)
· Estimated Prophet (Grateful Dead cover - with The Other One tease)
· Sing Me Back Home (Merle Haggard cover)
· Truckin' (Grateful Dead cover - brief "Foxy Lady" reference
· Drums (Grateful Dead cover with Bill Kreutzmann and Oteil Burbridge)
· Space (Grateful Dead cover)
· All Blues (Miles Davis cover - D&C debut)
· Cumberland Blues (Grateful Dead cover)
· Stella Blue(Grateful Dead cover)
· Not Fade Away (The Crickets cover with Bill Kreutzmann)