After taking over Las Vegas for nearly two months, Dead & Company brought their 2025 Dead Forever Sphere residency to a close with a triumphant Saturday night finale.
The energy was electric well before showtime as Deadheads of all ilks and ages gathered at Shakedown Vegas to enjoy one final day of communal celebration. Everywhere you looked, there were hopeful fingers in the air beckoning last-minute miracles, but extra tickets were few and far between. Drummer Jay Lane even dropped by to jam with the tribe in an African-style drum circle before heading over to the venue for one more Saturday night.
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The scene was much the same outside Sphere as showtime drew near, with scores of optimistic fans pointing skyward in hopes of getting in for the final show—mostly in vain.
Those who did have tickets filled every seat before Bob Weir, John Mayer, Mickey Hart, Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Chimenti, and Jay Lane finally hit the stage, and when they did, they were greeted with a roar that would persist throughout the evening.
Opening with “Feel Like a Stranger” was an ironic choice in light of the band’s intimate familiarity with both the venue and the audience, it being night 18 for the band and probably also for some hardcore fans. It was clear from Mayer’s facial expressions that he was in the zone from the first notes as he laid into an auto-wah guitar tone reminiscent of Jerry Garcia. Oteil was all smiles, and Chimenti was locked in, experimenting with a spacey synth sound before switching to electric piano.
Dead & Company – “Feel Like A Stranger” – 5/17/25
[Video: Ellen Cook]
Achieving liftoff during “Help on the Way”, the crowd cheered as the Sphere embarked on one last space flight from 710 Ashbury up through the clouds, past a soaring (and roaring) satellite to the cosmos. As the band continued to loosen up, it was already becoming clear that it would be an especially special show. Mayer once again held his pick in his mouth and played a solo by slapping the strings of his guitar while the much-larger-than-life characters from the Mars Hotel album art danced on screen in a surreal ballet.
Dead & Company – “Help On The Way” > “Slipknot!” > “Franklin’s Tower” – 5/17/25
[Video: Mike Tarleton]
Taking the usual route to “Franklin’s Tower” via “Slipknot!”, Dead & Company were clearly enjoying themselves, and the boisterous audience assured them with ecstatic applause that they were along for the ride. Chimenti had his first moment in the spotlight, delivering a standout organ solo before “Franklin’s Tower” gave way to another fan favorite, “Tennessee Jed”.
The colorful paint by numbers landscape was a familiar sight to many, but there was one subtle difference. Puzzled fans searched for Jerry Garcia, whose cartoon likeness appeared on the porch of a rustic cabin on previous nights, but soon spotted him reclining atop a cloud, listening to the music play from a heavenly vantage.
Dead & Company – “Tennessee Jed” – 5/17/25
[Video: Mark Drakk]
Handmade signs are far less common at Dead shows than other concerts, but one fan could be seen near the front of the floor holding one with the message, “Let Jay sing.” Their hopes would be dashed, but an Oteil-led take on Jimmy Cliff‘s reggae classic “The Harder They Come”—debuted by Dead & Company in April—was a satisfying consolation.
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Dead & Company – “The Harder They Come” (Jimmy Cliff) – 5/17/25
[Video: Ellen Cook]
The energy remained high as the first set came to a close with “Casey Jones”, the crowd singing along to every word while a virtual tower of television sets showed a mix of cartoonish Dead iconography, swirling psychedelic patterns, and video feed of the band members. The audience’s perspective zoomed into one of the TV screens to reveal a technicolor dance floor where the Mars Hotel characters danced gracefully like the spinners on the left side of the floor. Weir and Mayer harmonized on the final lyric, adding a long dramatic pause before finishing the phrase, “Just crossed my… mind.”
Dead & Company – “Casey Jones” – 5/17/25
[Video: Ellen Cook]
Set two kicked off with two Weir-led numbers: first an impassioned “Passenger”—a song he used to sing as a duet with Donna Jean Godchaux—which was the soundtrack to Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty’s last joyride down the Vegas Strip, and then “Scarlet Begonias”, which was another joyous singalong.
Dead & Company – “Passenger” – 5/17/25
[Video: 84Westy]
For the statisticians in the audience, the placement of “Scarlet Begonias” early in the second set signified the start of a classic sequence of songs, and those who placed their bets on “Scarlet” > “Fire”, “Estimated” > “Eyes” (none of which had appeared on Thursday or Friday’s setlists) won big.
The crowd seemed to roar throughout “Scarlet Begonias”, cheering loudly at every peak and even louder when Mayer led the transition into “Fire on the Mountain”. The band took turns singing the verses, starting with Oteil, then John, then Bob, and finally Mickey’s rap, which has become a highlight of the tune since he revived the original lyrics in 2023 during Dead & Company’s final tour.
Dead & Company – “Scarlet Begonias” > “Fire On The Mountain” – 5/17/25
[Video: Ellen Cook]
“Estimated Prophet” confirmed the suspicions, leaving no doubt that the band was treating fans to a classic “Scarlet” > “Fire”, “Estimated” > “Eyes”, and featured impressive interplay between Mayer, Weir, and Chimenti.
Dead & Company – “Estimated Prophet” – 5/17/25
[Video: Ellen Cook]
Despite being the most predictable song choice of the night given the sequence that led up to it, “Eyes of the World” was undoubtedly the highlight of the show, and possibly of the entire residency. Less predictable was Bob Weir’s guitar solo, which kicked off a musical victory lap that saw each member of the band take their moment in the spotlight.
Known for his totally unique style of rhythm guitar playing, Weir rarely takes what you would call a solo. His lead playing perfectly exemplified his singular approach, with irregular upbeat accents and creative harmonic voicings. It was a special moment indeed, as indicated by the mile-wide grin on Oteil’s face, but it was nearly upstaged by Chimenti’s superb, jazz-tinged piano solo, which might have been his finest solo ever, but who could be sure?
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When the focus shifted to Oteil, the band brought the volume down and changed to a Latin feel. Still smiling, he delivered the last of many outstanding bass solos—you can always count on Oteil for that. The energy ramped up as Mayer played the final solo, blending his melodic leads with the band instead of stepping out in front of them, musically speaking.
After capping off the sequence with that unforgettable “Eyes of the World” jam, Weir, Mayer, Chimenti, and Burbridge exited the stage, leaving Mickey Hart and Jay Lane to initiate the final “Drums”. Those who knew to sit for the percussive interlude could feel the haptic seats shaking with every strike of the drum—just one of several reasons why Sphere is the best venue to see Dead & Company.
Joining Jay and Mickey, Oteil gave the big gong drum one last beating before exiting the stage, probably thinking about how it was the last “Drums” of the residency but also reminding fans that he is an extremely competent drummer in his own right. Ultimately, he and Lane left Mickey to finish the residency’s final “Drums” segment ceremoniously on the Beam.
Emerging out of “Drums”, “Space” was exploratory and ethereal, ultimately giving way to a powerful “Looks Like Rain”. Oteil played a replica of Phil Lesh‘s Mission Control bass while Weir sang the ballad with utmost sincerity and stoic conviction.
Dead & Company – “Looks Like Rain” – 5/17/25
[Video: Ellen Cook]
The band then took fans on a tour through notable venues from Grateful Dead history during a high-energy cover of Bob Dylan’s “Tangled Up in Blue”—another song that had its Dead & Co. debut in April. Oteil invigorated the tune with a thumping bassline, and Bob sang it almost perfectly, but at one point had trouble keeping up with Dylan’s verbose lyrics—and who could blame him for that?
Dead & Company – “Tangled Up In Blue” (Bob Dylan) – 5/17/25
[Video: Ellen Cook]
Another Bob Dylan cover and another emotional Weir-led ballad followed with “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”. The audience cheered with love and longing as images of Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh appeared on screen, and again when they completed their descent from space back down to 710 Ashbury.
Instead of the same old vintage news broadcast that announced the end of Thursday and Friday’s shows, Phil Lesh’s voice boomed over the PA, describing the magic of the Grateful Dead community. That touching tribute meant just one song remained, and no, it wasn’t “One More Saturday Night”.
With its poetic, profound, and contemplative lyrics penned by Robert Hunter, “Ripple” was the perfect closer for an outstanding show and a spectacular residency.
Dead & Company – “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” (Bob Dylan) – 5/17/25
[Video: Ellen Cook]
The crowd erupted as the band finished the final song and took a triumphant bow. They continued to roar when the credits appeared, acknowledging the extensive team that made this year’s Dead Forever residency a smashing success, and they didn’t relent until the lights came up, signaling that it was really over.
Only one word can describe the 20,000 fans as they filtered out of the Sphere and onto the Strip one last time—grateful.
Next up, Dead & Company will reconvene in San Francisco for a three-night celebration of the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary at Golden Gate Park. Find more information here.
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Setlist: Dead & Company | Sphere | Las Vegas, NV | 5/17/25
Set One: Feel Like a Stranger, Help on the Way > Slipknot! > Franklin’s Tower, Tennessee Jed, The Harder They Come (Jimmy Cliff), Casey Jones
Set Two: Passenger, Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain, Estimated Prophet > Eyes of the World > Drums > Space > Looks Like Rain, Tangled Up in Blue (Bob Dylan), Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan)
Encore: Ripple