SUNRISE, Fla. – Dead and Company brought some much needed sunshine to Sunrise on Monday, February 26th.
The recent school shooting tragedy in nearby Parkland is still fresh in many people's minds and donations were being gathered for the families of the victims. The band even met with students and parents from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the set break. Guitarist and lead singer Bob Weir wore a maroon "MSD Strong" shirt for the show!
Dead fans were ready for some jams and the band did not disappoint! Mayer seems particularly energized to be back on stage, playing GD classics to the faithful; especially after his emergency appendectomy forced the postponement of the Sunrise show.
Dead & Co. really stretched out the jams at the BB&T Center!
The band opened up with a stunning take on "Shakedown Street", with Mayer's lead playing taking the tune to new and strange places! In fact, Mayer was one of the leaders when it came to the jam detours; his breakdown near the end of "They Love Each Other" in the middle of the 1st set was jaw-dropping!
It was great to see the core of the Grateful Dead: Weir and drummers Billy Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, all back together performing live again. Their playing has taken on a new, exciting direction with the addition of Mayer's inspired leads and solid bottom-line work from bassist Oteil Burbridge (who spent years honing his talent in another big jam band-The Allman Brothers Band) and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti's outstanding fill work!
It was also inspiring to see how many new, young Dead fans were on hand. The band will always attract the older heads, who were there for the original lineup (and all of the variations that followed), and it looks like this version of the band will have its own audience to continue the legacy. Next time the bus comes by, make sure to get on board!
Here is the setlist for the BB&T show:
Set 1
1. Shakedown Street
2. Cassidy
3. Comes A Time
4. They Love Each Other
5. Bird Song
6. New Speedway Boogie
7. Bird Song Reprise
8. Deal
Set 2
9. The Weight
10. Help On The Way
11. Slipknot
12. Eyes of the World
13. Dark Star
14. Drums
15. Space
16. Days Between
17. Throwing Stones
Encore
18. Touch of Grey