Night two of Dead & Company at Madison Square Garden was so fun that Jeff Chimenti had to physically drag John Mayer off the stage at the end of the first set. Oteil Burbridge wasn’t ready for the break either, as the bandmates looked around at each other laughing, reluctant to leave the stage for at least a minute after they closed the set with a high-energized “Uncle John’s Band”. It was obvious the crowd was on the same page in not wanting the music to end, after having sung along in tunes like Bertha–>Sugaree–>Friend of the Devil, the only songs of the night that John Mayer took the lead in vocals for.
The Deadheads of NYC were treated with fan-favorites all weekend, with Sunday’s second set highlights including a stellar Scarlet Begonias–>Fire On The Mountain–>Shakedown Street jam. Bob Weir led most of the night’s vocals with strength, all while sporting an iconic Jerry Garcia shirt, as Mayer thoughtfully executed his guitar leads, bringing the crowd to cheers throughout the night.
Watch “Scarlet Begonias”:
“Fire On The Mountain”
The band’s chemistry was evident throughout the weekend; it was obvious they had spent a lot of time together perfecting these tunes, and it was even more obvious how happy they were to finally share them with us. There was no hesitation for anyone in the arena, especially in regards to Mayer’s performance. His seamless transitions were backed up by his rock and roll attitude, and he didn’t stop dancing the entire weekend. Meanwhile, Oteil won the room with his positive legacy– reminding the 18,000 fans that he is, indeed, the funkiest jam-band bass phenom to date and the perfect candidate for the newest rendition of the Grateful Dead.
Returning to the stage for a “Ripple” encore:
Dead & Company at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY – 11/1/2015
Set One: Samson & Delilah bw, Minglewood Blues, bw, Bertha jm > Sugaree jm, Friend of the Devil jm, Crazy Fingers bw > Uncle John’s Band all
Set Two: Scarlet Begonias bw> Shakedown Street bw > Jam > Dark Star bw > Drums > Space > Wharf Rat bw > Playing in the Band reprise bw > Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad bw jm jc
Encore: Ripple
Check out the full gallery of photos below, courtesy of Chad Anderson:
