Dead & Company continued their final trek on Wednesday at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Maryland Heights, MO near St. Louis, where they treated fans to a cosmic “Dark Star” > “Johnny B. Goode” > “Eyes of the World” > “Dark Star” sequence spanning both sets.
The latest incarnation of the Grateful Dead members, and the biggest since the original band dissolved following the loss of Jerry Garcia, took the stage and let the “Good Times” roll, once again opening with the jubilant Sam Cooke classic as they had in Dallas less than two weeks prior with John Mayer, Bob Weir, and Jeff Chimenti sharing lead vocal duties. After signaling that they were there for a good time, Dead & Company took a trip down Johnny Cash‘s “Big River” before opening the Grateful Dead songbook to “Friend of the Devil”. Then, after a bubbly “They Love Each Other” and a restless “Black-Throated Wind”, the musical centerpiece of the night came barreling down the tracks by way of Cannon’s Jug Stompers‘ “Big Railroad Blues”.
Dead & Company – “Good Times” (Sam Cooke), “Big River” (Johnny Cash) [Pro-Shot] – 6/7/23
Floating through the first verse of “Dark Star”, the band left the song unfinished, instead returning to Earth to remind Mayer, “Johnny B. Goode” for the first time since September 2021. They would ultimately finish “Dark Star” with the second verse upon returning for set two, but not before opening the set with a dreamy “Eyes of the World”.
Dead & Company – “Eyes Of The World” > “Dark Star” [Pro-Shot]– 6/7/23
Oteil Burbridge then took the lead on “Fire on the Mountain”, and the band offered the crowd one last chance to bust a move during “Shakedown Street” before launching into the time-honored ritual of “Drums” > “Space” featuring Mickey Hart, Jay Lane, and Oteil. The heavens offered a delayed response as Dead & Company broke out the calculators for “The Eleven”, with multiple fans reportedly seeing a shooting star tear through ether during the odd-timed jam.
Dead & Company wrapped up set two with the solemn “Death Don’t Have No Mercy” and the upbeat if downtrodden “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad” before winding down with the tour debut of Bob Dylan‘s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” with Weir wielding an acoustic guitar.
Click below to view fan-shot videos from Dead & Company at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Maryland Heights, MO.
The band’s Final Tour continues with two nights at Chicago’s iconic Wrigley Field on Friday and Saturday (June 9th–10th). For a full list of upcoming shows and ticketing details, visit the band’s website.
Dead & Company – “Shakedown Street” – 6/7/23
[Video: Frostbyte]
Setlist: Dead & Company | Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre | Maryland Heights, MO | 6/7/23
Set 1: Good Times (Sam Cooke), Big River (Johnny Cash), Friend of the Devil, They Love Each Other, Black-Throated Wind (Bob Weir), Big Railroad Blues (Cannon’s Jug Stompers), Dark Star (Verse 1) > Johnny B. Goode (Chuck Berry)
Set 2: Eyes of the World > Dark Star (Reprisal Verse 2) > Fire on the Mountain > Shakedown Street > Drums > Space > The Eleven > Death Don’t Have No Mercy (Reverend Gary Davis), Going Down the Road Feeling Bad (Traditional)
Encore: Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan) (Bobby – acoustic guitar)