Dead & Co Lockn'

Dead & Co played Lockn'; Bob Weir joined Lettuce for JGB tribute (videos, setlists)

Then, the second of the three major setlist surprises came when the band dropped into “Fire On The Mountain” instead of the expected “Franklin’s Tower’. Not only did this immediately recall the lone time that the Grateful Dead did this on the opening night of their legendary six-show run at Boston Garden in the fall of 1991, this version was noticeably faster and funkier, also feeling as if it had been influenced by the earlier Foundations of Funk set. Oteil (who’d just celebrated his birthday the day before) sang his now-customary lead vocals, and he became so engrossed in one jam that he forgot to un-mute his microphone before the final verse, which prompted a cross-stage shout from John and smiles all around as Oteil hit his foot pedal to make himself heard. The song finally wound down with a dramatic musical nod to the “Scarlet Begonias” jam theme.

After a pause of several minutes, John switched to his silver PRS guitar that gives him a fatter tone, and launched into the crowd-pleasing duo of “China Cat Sunflower” and “I Know You Rider”, in which the band concentrated on accuracy. With Bob leading the charge with some smooth execution of his rhythm guitar licks, it was a strong choice for a jam-band festival crowd that was not 100% Dead & Company fans. “I Know You Rider” led to a Drums segment that had a heavy electronic bent at first, while Bill Kreutzmann moved from drum to drum adding the human touches, followed by drummer Mickey Hart coaxing a warm droning monochord from The Beam, which washed over the crowd like waves. The rest of the band then returned for the Space segment, which started with quirks and beeps and found John Mayer sounding positively Garcia-esque at times. [Live For Live Music]

Dead & Company played their final shows of 2018 this past weekend when they headlined two nights of Virginia’s Lockn’ Fest, which was Dead & Co’s Lockn’ debut (though Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart have all played Lockn’ with other projects). They were joined by special guest Branford Marsalis on night two. That’s a review of night one above, and you can watch a full-set video of night one, plus see the setlists from both nights, below.

While at Lockn’, Bob Weir and his Dead & Co bandmates John Mayer and Oteil Burbridge also joined Lettuce for their Jerry Garcia Band tribute set. Bobby sang with them on “Sugaree,” plus a few of JGB’s regular covers. You can watch the full set video and see the setlist below.

Though Dead & Co are done touring for 2018, they’ve already announced their first 2019 shows: their second annual Playing in the Sand Mexico vacation. Before 2018 is up, Bob Weir will tour with his trio Bob Weir and Wolf Bros who are promising “the songs of the Grateful Dead and more.” That tour includes NYC-area shows at the Capitol Theatre on 11/9 & 11/10 (night 1 on sale, night 2 sold out) and Beacon Theatre on 11/18 & 11/19 (night 1 sold out, night 2 on sale).

PREVIOUSLY: GRATEFUL DEAD STUDIO ALBUMS RANKED WORST TO BEST

Dead & Co night 1 setlist (via)
Set I: Jam > Hell in a Bucket > Scarlet Begonias > Casey Jones, Ramble on Rose, Alabama Getaway > Cassidy, Deal
Set II: Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Fire on the Mountain, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider > Drums > Space > The Other One > Wharf Rat > Franklin’s Tower
Encore: The Weight > One More Saturday Night

Dead & Co night 2 setlist (via)
Set I: Playing in the Band > Uncle John’s Band > Loser* > Mr. Charlie, Tennessee Jed, Althea, Sugar Magnolia
Set II: Shakedown Street > Bird Song > Eyes of the World > Terrapin Station > Drums > Space > Morning Dew > Not Fade Away
Encore: Brokedown Palace > U.S. Blues > Ripple^

Notes:
* – “Loser” transitioned into a brief “Playing in the Band” reprise after the tune and transitioned into “Mr. Charlie”
^ – with John Mayer on acoustic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnnXtIEoMQE

Lettuce – JGB tribute setlist (via)
Set: Finders Keepers, I Second That Emotion, Stop That Train$*+, After Midnight*#, Sugaree*#%, Tangled Up In Blue*#%, That’s What Love Will Make You Do*#%, How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)*#%, Cats Under The Stars*#, They Love Each Other*#

$ with bassist Oteil Burbridge | + keyboardist Kofi Burbridge | * vocalist Alecia Chakour and vocalist Mark Rivers | # with John Mayer | % with Bob Weir