After taking the week off, Dead & Company arrived at the Moda Center in Portland, OR eager to rock. The band has been bringing out new songs throughout the summer, debuting a handful of Grateful Dead classic setlist selections – including some originals, Bob Dylan covers, and more. Last night continued that trend, as this band amazingly finds more new material to play for their fans.
With an opening “Feel Like A Stranger” to get fans in tune, the band broke out into their first-ever performance of “Easy Wind.” The Workingman’s Dead track was a Pigpen specialty, but John Mayer’s vocals and guitar playing really breathed new life into the classic song. The first set kept rocking with “Me and My Uncle,” “Tennessee Jed,” “West L.A. Fadeaway,” a “Lost Sailor’ > “Saint of Circumstance combination that highlighted Bob Weir’s playing, and the set closing “Don’e Ease Me In.” They were eased in, alright, and bringing the heat with each note.
The second set got off to a rocking start with “Here Comes Sunshine,” before veering into a perfect “China Cat Sunflower” > “I Know You Rider” combination. The fans were on their toes through this wild exchange, and only kept things more rocking as they jammed into “Viola Lee Blues.” The classic Dead jam bled into a psychedelic “Drums/Space” segment, which saw Oteil Burbridge join Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann on the drums. Eventually, the band emerged with a cover of The Beatles’ “Dear Prudence,” rocking the room with its sing-along status. It was “The Wheel,” a Jerry Garcia classic, that would close out this great set of music.
After an encore that featured both “Sugar Magnolia” and “Ripple,” two classics from American Beauty, fans were sent home smiling for the night. What a show! Watch some video highlights below.
Here Comes Sunshine
Check out the setlist below:
[Photo via dasherenow/Instagram]
