On Tuesday night, Dead & Company rolled through Orlando, Florida’s Amway Center, bringing a close to the Grateful Dead-inspired band’s run of postponed shows following guitarist John Mayer’s emergency appendectomy in December. On the heels of Monday night’s soulful tribute to the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Dead & Company capped off this mini-run with a stand-out performance.

With the group finally wrapping up their 2017 fall tour (albeit a few months late), it’s hard not to notice the immense growth the ensemble has undergone since its inception in 2015. Even outside of the group’s inaugural Playing In The Sand destination getaway in Mexico earlier in the month, which saw them playing arguably the best they’ve played, this mini-run has been really special. With the initial stages of getting to know each other musically now out of the way, the group seems to be getting tighter and more comfortable experimenting and taking risks with each show—traits that were on full display last night.

Dead & Company opened the show with the fan-favorite “St. Stephen”, marking the first time the ensemble has opened a performance with the tune since their show at New York City’s Citi Field on June 26th, 2016. After a spirited take on “Hell In A Bucket”, the band landed in a pristine cover of “Next Time You See Me”, a blues tune made popular in the ’50s by Junior Parker and an appropriate choice for the final show of this mini-run ahead of the band’s summer tour.

A meandering take on “Ramble On Rose” was followed by “Row Jimmy”, which gave John Mayer the space to branch out. After the show’s first set accelerated toward its close with crowd-pleasing renditions of “Loose Lucy” and “Brown-Eyed Women”, the band hit “The Wheel”. The band eventually worked “The Wheel” into a jam on Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al”, marking the first time the latter had been played by Dead & Company.

“St. Stephen” [Pro-Shot]

[Video: Nugs.tv]

“Ramble On Rose”

[Video: Borrowed Tune]

“Brown-Eyed Women”

[Video: jfayiii]

“The Wheel”

[Video: Borrowed Tune]

Coming back for set two, Dead & Company offered up the traditional one-two hit of “China Cat Sunflower” into “I Know You Rider”. The powerful combo proved to be the start of a truly special tour-closing set, with the band fully dialed in and showcasing how much the project has grown into itself over the last few years. “Althea”, sung by Mayer, was given the proper space and weight it deserved, followed by a powerful take by Bob Weir on the Weir/Barlow fan-favorite “Estimated Prophet” and the triumphant “Terrapin Station”.

The show boasted a wild drums section, which saw bassist Oteil Burbridge come out and join the Rhythm Devils. During this segment, Mickey Hart heavily sampled a woman repeating “The best form of government is no government at all,” making for a truly psychedelic if not political moment of the show. After the rest of the group reemerged for “Space”, the band trickled back into a more traditional sound with a standout rendition of “Wharf Rat” ahead of the upbeat sing-a-long “Casey Jones” to close the set. A rousing rendition of “U.S. Blues” ended the group’s run of postponed shows, much to the delight of fans in the Amway Center.

“China Cat Sunflower” [Pro-Shot]

[Video: Nugs.tv]

“U.S. Blues”

[Video: jfayiii]

Dead & Company will now take a break from the road until they begin their summer tour on May 30th in Mansfield, MA. For a full list of upcoming Dead & Company dates, head to the band’s website.

This weekend, Weir will begin a run of duo shows with fellow founding Grateful Dead member Phil Lesh. For more information, head to the Bobby & Phil website.

Setlist: Dead & Company | Amway Center | Orlando, FL | 2/27/2018

Set One: St. Stephen, Hell in a Bucket, Next Time You See Me (Junior Parker cover), Ramble On Rose, Row Jimmy, Loose Lucy, Brown-Eyed Women, The Wheel (Jerry Garcia cover), You Can Call Me Al (Paul Simon cover)

Set Two: China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Althea, Estimated Prophet, Terrapin Station, Drums, Space, Wharf Rat, Casey Jones

Encore: U.S. Blues