On Wednesday night, Dead & Company headed to Cuyahoga Falls, OH for a performance at the scenic and storied Blossom Music Center. The show marked the 13th night of their 2018 summer tour, but on this night, the band was honoring a much more significant milestone: their 100th performance.

Contrasting their even-keeled start at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center the night before, the band got the show started with a thick, funky “Feel Like A Stranger”, Oteil Burbridge providing the groove’s melodic framework while Jeff Chimenti filled the space with an array of keyboard tones to light the night’s fuse. Let’s get on with the show…

Dead & Company – “Feel Like A Stranger” [Pro-Shot]

[Video: Nugs.tv]

Next up was a John Mayer-led “They Love Each Other”, a song that has consistently shined in the Dead & Co arena. This version was no different, as well-placed guitar harmonics by Bob Weir and gospel organ fills by Chimenti gave the accompaniment a sprawling sonic texture. A rendition of “It’s All Over Now”, the Bobby and Shirley Womack-penned rock classic popularized by The Rolling Stones on their 1964 sophomore album, 12 X 5, came next.

Dead & Company – “They Love Each Other” [Fan-Shot]

[Video: Borrowed Tune]

The band slowed things down next with a swaying rendition of “Row Jimmy”, their second of the tour. From there, they maintained their easy-going pace but once again picked up the funk they began with as they sauntered through “West L.A. Fadeaway”. Rather than fade away, this “West L.A.” maintained its steady forward march as John and Bobby traded guitar licks and Chimenti added an excellent organ solo.

“Loose Lucy” got the call next, the crowd singing along as Weir thanked Dead & Co’s centennial-show crowd for a real good time over the past three(ish) years. The smooth swing of Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter‘s From the Mars Hotel ballad “Ship of Fools” followed, Mayer and Burbridge trading lead vocals to the audible delight of the crowd. Finally, the band closed out the show’s well above-average first set with the tour debut of “Passenger”, the rocking Phil Lesh/Peter Monk original recorded for 1977’s Terrapin Station.

Dead & Company – “Ship of Fools” [Fan-Shot]

[Video: Borrowed Tune]

Following set break, the band led into set two with the classic pairing of “Lost Sailor” > “Saint of Circumstance”, returning them to the second set opener slot for the first time since 6/7/17 after closing the first set in their last two appearances.

Dead & Company – “Lost Sailor” > “Saint of Circumstance” [Pro-Shot]

[Nugs.tv]

From there, the band flowed into “He’s Gone”, taking their time as they stretched the song into a slow-burning blues breakdown. Out of “He’s Gone” bloomed “Scarlet Begonias”, led with gusto by Weir while the audience sang along. The “Scarlet” jam moved from high-energy rock peaks to ambient jazz-inflected space and back again before picking up the familiar wah-wah swell of “Fire on the Mountain”. After propelling the tune’s intro with some particularly impressive bass lines, Oteil Burbridge stepped to the mic to take lead vocals on the second half of the classic song pairing while Mayer peppered in cascading guitar licks.

A bellow from Mickey Hart‘s “Beam” signaled the start of his and Bill Kreutzmann‘s nightly “Drums/Space” segment, although the “Drums” portion remained light on percussion and heavy on the ambiance, setting it apart from many of their explorations this tour. The spacey “Drums” drifted further out there as the band rejoined the stage for “Space” proper, and only rediscovered Kreutzmann’s driving backbeat as they finally landed in a succinct “I Need A Miracle”.

From there, the band executed their second flowing cover of The Beatles’ “Dear Prudence” of the summer. Bobby led the way for the sing-along, which cemented itself as the set’s emotional climax as the entire band pushed it to a hair-raising peak. Finally, the band closed the set with a “Throwing Stones” victory lap featuring a sticky funk breakdown before returning to the stage on last time for a “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” encore.

Next up for Dead & Company is a two-night stint at the recently re-opened Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, WI on Friday, June 22nd and Saturday, June 23rd—a shed where the Grateful Dead had a rocky yet musically fruitful history. For a full list of Dead & Company’s upcoming dates, head here.

Below, you can check out a full gallery of beautiful shots from Dead & Company’s Blossom performance courtesy of photographer Daniel Ojeda.

Setlist: Dead & Company | Blossom Music Center | Cuyahoga Falls, OH | 6/20/18

Set One: Feel Like A Stranger, They Love Each Other, It’s All Over Now, Row Jimmy, West L.A. Fadeaway, Loose Lucy, Ship of Fools, Passenger

Set Two: Lost Sailor > Saint of Circumstance > He’s Gone > Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain > Drums/Space > I Need A Miracle > Dear Prudence, Throwing Stones

Encore: Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door

You can listen to a full soundboard recording of the show via Nugs.net.