Dead & Company and their fans braved what was some intense Colorado rain as the rock band returned to Folsom Field in Boulder for the first of two shows at the college football stadium on Friday. What started as a rain delay early on in the show ultimately led to one long, strange performance from the band as their 2019 summer tour winds down over the holiday weekend.
The show began with a rare opening performance of “Not Fade Away”, the tune by The Crickets which was used as an end-of-show anthem by the Grateful Dead over the years, but rarely to start a show. The start of the performance carried into “Cold, Rain & Snow”, but in typical Dead mystic, the clouds opened up to some heavy rain, forcing the band and the fans to seek shelter as the show went into a rain delay.
Related: John Mayer Plays Jerry Garcia’s Wolf Guitar At Dead & Company’s Return To Citi Field
Following the band’s return to the stage, they decided to ditch their traditional two-set performance and go with one long set in hopes of getting as much music in as possible before their end-of-night curfew. The show picked up again with a “Cold Rain & Snow” reprise before getting everyone dry and dancing again with “Bertha” “Me and My Uncle”, “Ramble On Rose”, and “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo”. Next came a two-song combination of “Cassidy” and “Deal”, which was where the first set was intended to stop.
In a salute to the night’s inclimate weather, the band kept on playing with their rendition of “Box of Rain” with Mayer stepping in for Phil Lesh on vocals, followed by the classic “China Cat Sunflower” into “I Know You Rider” combo. The show kept truckin’ as the band continued with “Lady With A Fan”, “Terrapin Station”, the “Drums” and “Space” instrumental portions, “Casey Jones”, and “The Other One”. The whirlwind of a show finally began to come back down to earth with a steadily climactic rendition of “Morning Dew” to close the set.
The band returned to the stage for a two-song encore beginning with their cover of The Band‘s “The Weight”, followed by “U.S. Blues” in salute to the holiday weekend.
Watch the performances of “Not Fade Away” and “China Cat Sunflower” into “I Know You Rider” from Friday’s show below.
Dead & Company – “Not Fade Away” – 7/5/2019
[Video: Dead & Company]
Dead & Company – “China Cat Sunflower” > “I Know You Rider” – 7/5/2019
[Video: Something Like Mayer]
Dead & Company return to Folsom Field on Saturday for the final show of their 2019 summer tour. Head here to find remaining tickets for tonight’s performance.
Scroll down for a full photo gallery from Friday’s rain-filled show, courtesy of photographer Andrew Rios.
Setlist: Dead & Company | Folsom Field | Boulder, CO | 7/5/2019
Set: Not Fade Away (The Crickets cover) > Cold Rain and Snow*, Cold Rain and Snow Reprise, Bertha, Me and My Uncle (John Phillips cover), Ramble On Rose, Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo, Cassidy > Deal, Box of Rain, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Lady With A Fan > Terrapin Station > Drums > Space > Casey Jones > The Other One, Morning Dew
Encore: The Weight (The Band cover), U.S. Blues
Notes:
*Band left the stage for brief delay after the end of the song due to rain
