Last night, Dead & Company made their grand return to the stage! Playing at the fitting Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, CA, the band came out firing for a great performance to kick off their 2015 New Year’s run. The band wasted no time, opening with “Truckin'” and diving into some soulful renditions of “Cold Rain and Snow,” “Brown-Eyed Women” and “Black-Throated Wind.”
The first set rolled on nicely with a version of “Standing On The Moon,” seeing John Mayer belting out the song’s soulful lyrics. Before long, the tempo shifted into a version of “Cassidy.” Finally, a rockin’ “U.S. Blues” closed out the first frame.
The band came roaring in the second half for “Samson and Delilah,” and stuck with the bluesy vibe for “Deal” and “He’s Gone.” After an “Estimated/Eyes” classic pairing of epic proportions, the group faded into a psychedelic “Drums/Space” segment. They returned for a slowed-down “Black Peter” and closed off the second set with a bouncey “Goin Down The Road Feelin’ Bad.”
Dead & Company returned to the stage to perform an all-acoustic version of “Ripple,” a heartwarming moment for the local crowd. Finally, the band returned for one more encore: “Casey Jones.” This time, however, the band featured one additional member – John Popper. The Blues Traveler personality is no stranger to the Grateful Dead, having jammed with them in the past, and he fit right in for the classic tune. It was quite the performance!
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Check out the setlist below:
Setlist: Dead & Company at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA – 12/27/15
Set I: Truckin’ (BW) > Cold Rain and Snow (JM), Brown-Eyed Women (JM), Black-Throated Wind (BW), Standing on the Moon (JM) > Cassidy (BW), U.S. Blues (JM)
Set II: Samson and Delilah (BW), Deal (JM) > He’s Gone (BW, JM) > Estimated Prophet (BW) > Eyes of the World (BW) > drums > space > Black Peter (BW), Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad (BW, JM)
Encore: Ripple* (BW, JM)
Encore 2: Casey Jones** (JM, BW)
* BW and JM – acoustic
** w/ John Popper
[Setlist via Deadheadland]