Dead & Company‘s four-show, two-city New Year’s run continued on Monday, as the latest iteration of the Grateful Dead and their fans charge their way towards a new decade on Tuesday night. Following a pair of shows at The Forum in Los Angeles over the weekend, the band made their way north to San Francisco’s Chase Center for the first of two performances in the heart of Dead country.
Related: Dead & Company Kicks Of New Year’s ‘Fun Run’ At L.A.’s The Forum [Photos/Videos]
Dead & Co. appropriately opened their triumphant return to San Francisco with a fan favorite in “Shakedown Street”, as the band noted the Dead’s deep connection to the California city in the lyrics, “Don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart.” The music continued right into “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo” as Bob Weir led the way on vocal duty. The first half of the show kept rocking with “Cumberland Blues”, a take on Elmore James‘ “It Hurts Me Too”, “High Time”, and “Cold Rain and Snow”. The first set came to a close with “Bird Song” as both Weir and John Mayer shared vocals on Jerry Garcia‘s beloved ballad.
Watch the band’s opening performance of “Shakedown Street” from Monday below.
Dead & Company – “Shakedown Street” – 12/30/2019
[Video: Dead & Company]
The band returned to the stage following set break with “The Music Never Stopped”, and the Weir-sung tune set the precedent for the rest of the night. The music kept rolling right into “Deal” before the band moved into some Primal Dead-era classics beginning with “St. Stephen”, which transitioned into “William Tell Bridge” and then “The Eleven” to keep the second-half momentum going strong. The music moved into “Turn On Your Love Light”, followed by the traditional “Drums” > “Space” instrumental segment. Weir and Mayer led the audience out of the psychedelic “Space” jam and right into the communal opening chorus of “The Wheel” before the band wrapped their nonstop second set marathon with a Weir-sung “Stella Blue”.
The second set came to a fitting close with “Casey Jones”, followed by a one-song encore of Bob Dylan‘s “Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)”.
Watch the second set performance of “The Music Never Stopped” and check out a gallery of photos from the first of two Dead & Company shows at the Chase Center courtesy of photographer Keith Griner below.
Dead & Company – “The Music Never Stopped” – 12/30/2019
[Video: Dead & Company]
Dead & Company returns to the Chase Center tonight to close what’s been another exciting year (and decade) for Deadheads with the latest New Year’s Eve performance in a city filled with Grateful Dead memories on December 31st. Head to the band’s website for ticket info.
Setlist: Dead & Company | Chase Center | San Francisco, CA | 12/30/2019
Set One: Shakedown Street > Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo, Cumberland Blues, It Hurts Me Too (Elmore James cover), High Time, Cold Rain and Snow, Bird Song
Set Two: The Music Never Stopped > Deal > St. Stephen > William Tell Bridge > The Eleven > Turn On Your Love Light > Drums > Space > The Wheel > Stella Blue, Casey Jones
Encore: Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) (Bob Dylan cover)
