On Friday night, Dead & Company continued their summer travels with a stop at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre (formerly known as Sleep Train Amphitheatre) in Chula Vista, CA, just north of the Mexican border. Though just a short drive away from Mexicali, the band somewhat surprisingly didn’t include a “Mexicali Blues” on the evening’s setlist. However, while the blues may not have been of the “Mexicali” variety in Chula Vista, they certainly were present in abundance throughout the performance.
Fresh off a two-night NorCal run and a two-day break, the band eased into their the Friday show with a bluesy, Bob Weir-led “Hell In A Bucket” featuring some early musical conversation between guitarist John Mayer and keyboardist John Mayer propelled by Bill Kreutzmann‘s airtight backbeat.
Dead & Company – “Hell In A Bucket” [Pro-Shot]
[nugs.tv]
The first set blues continued with the tour debut of Luther Dixon and Al Smith-penned classic “Big Boss Man”, originally recorded by Jimmy Reed and later adopted by a slew of notable artists from Elvis Presley to B.B. King to, of course, the Grateful Dead. Mayer took the lead this time, adding his new-blues flare (and some “Smokestack Lightnin'”-like riffing) to the half-century-old cut as he sang the Dead’s variation of the lyrics, trading in Reed’s “drink of water” for Pigpen‘s “drink of whiskey.” “Tennesee Jed” followed in kind, with Mayer and Chimenti continuing to establish the set’s saloon-style swing while Weir resumed lead vocal duties.
A buttery “Row Jimmy” came next with Mayer at the helm. “Friend of the Devil” followed, Weir and Mayer trading verses as has become the custom for Dead & Co’s renditions of the Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter/John Dawson American Beauty track. From there, Dead & Company closed set one with a continuation of their “Bird Song” experiment, once again using the soaring song to glide into—and back out of—other tunes. The band has used “Bird Song” as a launching pad for segued song sandwiches on all but one rendition this summer (the Alpine Valley version featured an added player, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, rather than an added song), and the new explorations of the classic track continue to impress. This time, like at the tour opener in Mansfield, a bluesy “Loose Lucy” served as the meat of the “Bird Song” sandwich, making for a nearly 30-minute segment of must-listen musicianship.
Set two began with Dead & Co’s second-ever rendition of “Mr. Charlie”, following its debut at The Gorge. The short-and-sweet reading of the Pigpen favorite led into meandering intro jam inflected with the sounds of the set one-closing “Bird Song” before steering into a full-throttle “Truckin'”, Oteil Burbridge‘s thumping bass line acting as the diesel powering the band’s engine.
Dead & Company – “Mr. Charlie” [Pro-Shot]
[nugs.tv]
The band dropped straight into “New Speedway Boogie” from there, bringing the pace back down to a steady swing before the Mayer/Chimenti one-two punch once again drove the song to a climax. As the “Speedway” disappeared in the rearview, Weir counted off “Estimated Prophet”, the band taking their time as they navigated the song’s complex rhythmic structure. “Shakedown Street” came next to the audible delight of the crowd, winding through several minutes of jazzy improv before ceding to Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann’s nightly “Drums/Space” voyage.
Another classic Grateful Dead blues number, “I Need A Miracle”, got the call out of “Space”, Bob Weir flubbing a few lyrics but powering through on sheer charisma with spirited mumbles in place of the forgotten words. Next, the band slid into The Beatles‘ “Dear Prudence” for their third time on the summer before closing the set with a holiday weekend-appropriate “U.S. Blues”. Finally, Bob Dylan‘s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” served as an encore sing-along for the third time in its third appearance of the tour to send fans filing back to the parking lot.
Dead & Company’s summer tour continues with a stop at L.A.’s Dodger Stadium this evening, July 7th. For a full list of Dead & Co’s upcoming summer dates, head here.
Setlist: Dead & Company | Mattress Firm Amphitheatre | Chula Vista, CA | 7/6/18
Set One: Hell In A Bucket, Big Boss Man, Tennessee Jed, Row Jimmy, Friend of the Devil > Bird Song > Loose Lucy > Bird Song
Set Two: Mr. Charlie, Truckin’, New Speedway Boogie > Estimated Prophet > Shakedown Street > Drums > Space > I Need A Miracle > Dear Prudence > U.S. Blues
Encore: Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
A full soundboard audio recording of the show is available now via Nugs.net.