Sages and Spirits, the Grateful Dead tribute supergroup featuring Jerry Garcia Band organist Melvin Seals and his current guitar sideman John Kadlecik, Dark Star Orchestra guitarist Rob Eaton, keyboardist Rob Barraco, and Skip Vangelas, Dead & Company drummer Jay Lane, and Rocky Mountain Grateful Dead Revue drummer Jake Wolf made their annual return to Denver to celebrate Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom’s 22nd anniversary on Thursday, January 23rd and Friday, January 24th.

Thursday’s show began with Rob Barraco announcing the show’s dedication to Garth Hudson, the last member of The Band who died last week at age 87. The first set was made up almost entirely of Grateful Dead songs except one Bob Dylan cover—an upbeat “When I Paint My Masterpiece”—but the second set saw the materialization of that dedication as they added “The Shape I’m In” to the setlist to kick things off. While it is always a pleasure to hear the Grateful Dead’s most celebrated songs, one of the run’s biggest highlights was when the band dusted off Ronald “Pigpen” McKernan-era deep cut “The Stranger (Two Souls In Communion)”, which the Dead played only a dozen times in the spring of 1972.

Sages And Spirits — “The Shape I’m In” (The Band) — 1/23/25

[Video: kellypearson1000]

Before Sages and Spirits dug into set two, the Grateful Guitars Foundation (GGF) presented drummer Jake Wolf with a version of Mickey Hart‘s iconic hybrid percussion, stringed, electronic instrument known as “The Beam.” The new version of The Beam was constructed by St. Louis-based engineer Eric Mitchell and his company, Beam Me Up. The ceremony, led by GGF’s Jack Barton and Nate Bidner, also saw the presentation of a charitable donation to Denver’s Youth On Record, whose mission is to empower and enable Colorado’s underserved youth “to achieve their academic, artistic, and personal best by employing local, professional artists as their educators.”

Following the pomp and protocol, the second set treated the packed house to an array of mostly Grateful Dead songs, save for JGB’s Little Milton-co-opted “That’s What Love Will Make You Do” and Robbie Robertson‘s “Broken Arrow” for a touching tribute to Phil Lesh who favored the song in the Grateful Dead and various Phil & Friends configurations. To cap it all off, the night ended with a raging “Sugar Magnolia” > “Touch of Grey” > “Sunshine Daydream” encore.

Sages And Spirits — “Broken Arrow” (Robbie Robertson) — 1/23/25

[Video: kellypearson1000]

Friday’s show saw a first set filled with Grateful Dead standards as well as an array of crowd-pleasing covers including Van Morrison‘s “And It Stoned Me”, Hank Ballard‘s “Tore Up Over You” with special guest Skerik on saxophone, and perhaps the most surprising cover of the run, Otis Redding and Steve Cropper‘s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” sung sweetly by Melvin Seals. The second set featured a roster of Grateful Dead classics enveloped between a blistering “Shakedown Street” opener and “The Music Never Stopped” closer. Like the night before, it also included a wonderful mid-set “Drums” segment with Jay Lane and Jake Wolf duetting on drums and Jake’s new Beam. The audience was sent on its way with a meaningful “Box of Rain” encore that consoled hearts still tender from Lesh’s passing this past fall, followed by a sweet “Ripple” that seemingly had the whole ballroom singing along.

Sages And Spirits, Skerik — “Tore Up Over You” (Hank Ballard) — 1/24/25

[Video: kellypearson1000]

Sages And Spirits — “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” (Otis Redding, Steve Cropper) — 1/24/25

[Video: kellypearson1000]

Click below for some videos from Sages and Spirits in Denver by kellypearson1000 and scroll down to see a gallery of images courtesy of photographer David Tracer. Lane will return to Sphere with Dead & Company this spring for another 18-show residency. Find tickets and dates here.

Sages And Spirits — “Althea” (Grateful Dead) — 1/23/25

Sages And Spirits — “That’s What Love Will Make You Do” (Little Milton) — 1/23/25

Sages And Spirits — “Next Time You See Me” (Junior Parker) — 1/24/25

Sages And Spirits — “Loose Lucy” (Grateful Dead) — 1/24/25

Sages And Spirits — “Corrina”, “Uncle John’s Band” (Grateful Dead) — 1/24/25

Sages And Spirits — “Playing In The Band” (Grateful Dead) > “Drums” > “Space” — 1/24/25

View Videos

Setlist: Sages And Spirits | Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom | Denver, CO | 1/23/25

Set One: Feel Like A Stranger, Althea, Cumberland Blues, When I Paint My Masterpiece (Bob Dylan), They Love Each Other, Let It Grow, The Stranger (Two Souls In Communion), U.S. Blues
Set Two: The Shape I’m In (The Band), Samson and Delilah (Traditional), That’s What Love Will Make You Do (Little Milton), Broken Arrow (Robbie Robertson), The Wheel, Drums/Jam, The Other One, Terrapin Station
Encore: Sugar Magnolia > Touch Of Grey > Sunshine Daydream

Setlist: Sages And Spirits | Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom | Denver, CO | 1/24/25

Set One: And It Stoned Me (Van Morrison), Jack Straw, Tore Up Over You (Hank Ballard) [1], Minglewood Blues, Next Time You See Me (Junior Parker), Loose Lucy, (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay (Otis Redding, Steve Cropper), Cassidy
Set Two: Shakedown Street, Corrina, Uncle John’s Band, Playing In The Band, Drums/Jam, Not Fade Away, Stella Blue, The Music Never Stopped
Encore: Box Of Rain, Ripple

[1] w/ Skerik