Two of America’s greatest pastimes, baseball and the Grateful Dead, collided on Sunday as Dead & Company performed at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. The show at the home of MLB‘s Philadelphia Phillies continued Dead & Co’s summer tour of the great American ballparks.
As has become customary on this backstretch of the tour, Jay Lane once again sat in for Bill Kreutzmann behind the kit. Playing in the band alongside Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, John Mayer, Jeff Chimenti, and Oteil Burbridge, Lane helped build up an ambient rumble to start the show that ultimately burst into “Truckin'”. The band rode the momentum of one of the Dead’s most enduring songs right into Bob Dylan‘s “All Along The Watchtower”, a long way from its typical home as the second set post-“Space” ballad. Of the cover’s 14 previous performances, only one came in the first set, on 10/29/21 at the Hollywood Bowl per Phantasy Tour.
Dead & Company – “Truckin'” [Pro-Shot] – 7/10/22
After that came the meteorological one-two punch of “Here Comes Sunshine” and “Looks Like Rain”. Dead & Company conquered the forces of nature to maintain a serene day at the ballpark, going next into “Brown-Eyed Women” and finally a pairing of “Estimated Prophet” and “Deal” to close out the first set.
Returning for the second frame, Weir led the band through the customary Sunday set opener “Samson and Delilah”. The traditional cover preceded the set-long series of segues that has become standard practice on Dead & Company’s 2022 summer tour, as “Help On The Way” kicked off the movement, followed by its partner “Slipknot!”. “Franklin’s Tower” would prove elusive, as the band instead set up another beloved pairing by going into “China Cat Sunflower” and “I Know You Rider”.
Dead & Company – “Samson & Delilah'” [Pro-Shot] – 7/10/22
This brought up the “Drums” and “Space” segment, with the band teasing the title track to 1975’s Blues For Allah during the latter. A late in the game “Cumberland Blues” sent the band down the mines with Jeff Chimenti’s incendiary grand piano work before Weir brought the mood down with “Days Between”. Dead & Company then executed their experiment in delayed gratification as “Franklin’s Tower” served as the crescendo for set two. Returning to the Citizens Bank Park stage once again, the band closed out the evening with a pairing of the contemplative “Brokedown Palace” and a roaring “Casey Jones”.
Dead & Company’s tour rolls on to The Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown, PA on Tuesday before wrapping with a two-night stand at Citi Field in New York, NY on Friday and Saturday. Check out fan-shot videos from Philadelphia below.
Dead & Company – Citizens Bank Park – Philadelphia, PA – 7/10/22 – Full Audio
[Audio: Travitz12]
Setlist: Dead & Company | Citizens Bank Park | Philadelphia, PA | 7/10/22
Set One: Truckin > All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan) [1], Here Comes Sunshine [2], Looks Like Rain, Brown-Eyed Women, Estimated Prophet > Deal
Set Two: Samson and Delilah (Traditional), Help on the Way > Slipknot! > China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider (Traditional) > Drums > Space [3] > Cumberland Blues > Days Between > Franklin’s Tower
Encore: Brokedown Palace > Casey Jones
[1] with “Cantaloupe Island” (Herbie Hancock) teases
[2] with “China Cat Sunflower” teases
[3] with “Blues For Allah” teases