Dead & Company are heading to Sphere in Las Vegas for a continuously growing residency, currently up to 24 shows across eight weekends. But for some, what will happen outside the immersive concert venue is just as important as what will happen inside. Ahead of the Dead & Company Sphere debut this summer, some enterprising Deadheads have taken it upon themselves to establish a Shakedown Street at the Tuscany Suites & Casino every show day from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Late last month, an Instagram account fittingly named @shakedownvegas popped up to announce that the Tuscany Suits & Casino had been booked for the entirety of Dead & Co’s Sphere residency. The Tuscany is less than a mile from the Sphere and only a 10–20 minute walk (depending on which entrance you use), with organizers calling it a “perfect” venue for the open-air bazaars that have popped up outside Grateful Dead concerts for decades. An announcement video states that the setup will have “music, art exhibits, and the usual vendor suspects that are at every shakedown.” Admission is free.
Securing a venue for Shakedown Street was necessary in Las Vegas given the tourist destination’s stringent laws on street vending. Last year, the Nevada Legislature passed Senate Bill 92 which banned street vendors from operating near popular Las Vegas attractions. Then in January 2024, the city proposed sweeping new regulations mostly aimed at food carts but which apply to anyone selling products on the street. In addition to paying $200 in fees, vendors must be at least 1,500 feet from a resort hotel or event facility with a capacity of over 20,000 (Sphere advertises that it has a standing capacity of 20,000 and is flanked on two sides by resorts). Food vendors also must provide a health card, health permit, and sales tax permit. Those who don’t comply risk a fine and confiscation of their merchandise.
Before the post-Jerry Garcia amalgamation of the Grateful Dead featuring Bob Weir and Mickey Hart with John Mayer, Jeff Chimenti, Oteil Burbridge, and Jay Lane takes over Sphere, Phish will stage a four-night run April 19th–23rd. As of publication, there is no word on an officially sanctioned Shakedown for Phish. However, Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas will host a PhanArt event on Saturday, April 20th. Similarly, Brooklyn Bowl will host PhanArt-presented “In All Good Company” events throughout Dead & Company’s Sphere residency on May 18th and 25th and June 8th, 15th, and 22nd.