As Dead & Company keep truckin’ through their monthslong, 30-show (as of now) residency at Sphere, Deadheads have settled into Las Vegas and added their tie-dye touch to Sin City. One of several ongoing events surrounding Dead & Company Dead Forever at Sphere is a fan-organized, legally sanctioned Shakedown Street located at the Tuscany Suites & Casino just off the Las Vegas Strip. After a few weeks of bringing vendors, artisans, and musicians to the Tuscany parking lot, organizers have announced that Shakedown Street will move inside and take refuge from the desert heat.
Though the classic Shakedown motif conjures images of a bustling parking lot bazaar filled with the sights, sounds, and smells of Grateful Dead fans, those in charge of the Vegas market have gone to great lengths to make Heads feel comfortable inside the hotel. Moving indoors has allowed them to utilize the entire main ballroom and some space in the entryway to create the familiar Shakedown environment. The response to the pop-ups, which occur every show day from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., has been overwhelmingly positive with 80 vendors from all over the country and organizers having to turn away new vendor applicants. Dead & Company bassist Oteil Burbridge came to see what was shaking down on Shakedown Street, in addition to Grateful Dead family Mountain Girl, Trixie Garcia, and Chloe Weir, and Bravo TV host Andy Cohen. The outspoken Deadhead and TV personality, who proudly takes credit for getting Jimmy Fallon into the band’s music, even plugged the Vegas Shakedown on his radio show the following week.
Related: In Town For Dead & Company? Check Out Dead Forever Experience & Shakedown Vegas [Photos]
Along with the move indoors, event coordinators have shared a partial lineup of the bands performing at the Free After Sphere Concert Series. After taking off with local acts like Mojave Blue, Brown Chicken Brown Cow, and Thee Mess Arounds along with out of state artists The Pits Players and DJ Logic, the series will continue with shows from Jimmy Does Jerry, Catfish John, Token Rhyme, Shakedown String Band, Detroit Lightning, and many more throughout Dead & Co’s residency. All the Tuscany after-shows are free and open to the public in the hotel’s Copa Room until 2 a.m. or later. Stay tuned for additional lineup announcements and details for a run of daytime shows by Shakedown Strings on July 11th, 12th, and 13th. See below for the currently announced concert lineup and head here for more info. In addition to music, Shakedown Vegas will host an exhibition by photographer Joshua Hitchens showcasing his life on the road documenting many famous acts.
Entering the fourth weekend of their mammoth residency, Dead & Company continue to mystify Deadheads making the pilgrimage to Vegas to see the majesty of Sphere. While sticking with a solid base of beloved Grateful Dead songs and familiar iconography on screen, the band keeps innovating with a gradually expanding songbook and new visuals sprinkled throughout nearly every show. Revisit Live For Live Music‘s coverage of the most recent three-night weekend run: Thursday | Friday | Saturday.
