Dead and Company
2015-12-31
the Forum
3900 W Manchester Blvd, Inglewood, CA 90305
8:00 PM, Thursday, December 31, 2015

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2015 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2015 event list! ☸ On to the next event!

[8:16 PM lights down, band out in a minute]

1. [8:18 PM] Feel Like a Stranger (B)
2. [8:31 PM] They Love Each Other (J)
3. [8:39 PM] Ramble On Rose (B)
4. [8:48 PM] Loose Lucy (B)
5. [8:56 PM] Sugaree (J) »
6. [9:08 PM] Hell in a Bucket (B)
   [set ends 9:18 PM]

[9:48 PM lights down, musicians onstage shortly thereafter]

1. [9:50 PM] Dark Star (weir voice crack and laugh at start of v1)» [10:04 PM] (v2) » [10:05 PM] chaos »
2. [10:06 PM] Uncle John's Band »
3. [10:17 PM] Terrapin Station (J) » [10:24 PM] “Inspiration” (B) »
4. [10:30 PM] drums (all off but the drummers) » [10:31 PM] OB on BK kit » [10:38 PM] (OB, BK off; JC, JM, BW out; MH > beam) » [10:40 PM] (add OB) » [10:42 PM] (add BK) Dear Prudence jam »
5. [10:43 PM] Dear Prudence (B)
   [set ends 10:53 PM]

[11:43 PM lights down; band out immediately to noodle]

1. [11:44 PM] In the Midnight Hour (B) »
2. [11:55 PM] (Countdown spectacle)
3. [12:03 AM] Sugar Magnolia (B) »
4. [12:12 AM] Scarlet Begonias (J) »
5. [12:18 AM] Touch of Grey (B/J) »
6. [12:25 AM] Fire on the Mountain (B)
7. [12:33 AM] St. Stephen (B/J) » (12:40 nice jam) »
8. [12:47 AM] Sunshine Daydream
   [set ends 12:51 AM; all off, back after a minute; JM thank you speech]
    
   Encore
9. [12:53 AM] Brokedown Palace (Auld Lang Syne tease at end)
   [show ends 12:59 AM; Group bow, then off]

Dead and Company

• Oteil Burbridge: bass, drums, harmony vox;
• Jeff Chimenti: piano, Hammond B-3 organ, keyboards, harmony vox;
• Mickey Hart: drums;
• Bill Kreutzmann: drums;
• John Mayer: guitar, lead and harmony vox;
• Bob Weir: guitar, lead and harmony vox.

Kind of busy for a show day. Rallied for lunch at the Sidewalk Cafe in Venice with our pals Sid and Julie, and added a leisurely stroll up and back along the beach side promenade. Lots of other folks enjoying a fine sunny day by the ocean; plenty of people-watching to fill the dull moments!

Had enough time for a short rest at the hotel, then Ubered over to Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles for a bit of soul food with Joe Herzog and a bunch of other folks. Strangely, while we were the only people sitting and eating the whole time we were there, the kitchen was super busy with takeout orders. Guess that's how things work on New Year's Eve!

The short drive to the Forum was uneventful, and aside from our driver's frustration that things were different from last night, we scored an amazing parking spot – perfectly lined up for a quick exit after the show. Of course, that assumption is predicated on our ability to meet up too, which could require some post-show heroics. Whatever, 'tis of no concern for the moment!

Set One? Good enough. Feel Like a Stranger was full of fire and vim, but then they modulated back to that slow lazy shuffle that defines the current band. Great for a lazy afternoon, not so much if you're in the mood to rage. Sugaree brought a huge surge in energy, with no small thanks due to John Meyer for doing his best take on the “amped and shredding” version of the tune pioneered by Garcia. And the closer? Well, it rocked too, even if Bobby voice was kinda ragged. Break seemed to arrive a little quicker than the other nights on tour, but that's probably a function of tonight's altered schedule as much as anything.

Second set was significantly more interesting. Dark Star to open? Yeah, I'll go for that! And the rest? Not too shabby at all. Weir seemed to be laughing at himself every time his voice cracked. Good to know he wasn't taking things too seriously. I was really happy to hear Dear Prudence, everybody loves the Beatles, right? Still, the set was kinda short overall. Logically, another concession to the schedule, but it seemed to me that they had time for another tune or two. I'd rather dance to the music than sit around listening to the PA – wouldn't you?

As it got closer to midnight, strange sounds began to emanate from the PA – creaking and groaning; engine sounds; mechanical throbbing – weird, right? Just something to throw us all on edge, I guess! About quarter til midnight, the lights went down and the band ambled out to noodle, morphing soon thereafter into a lazy version of Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour. Get it? Such jokers they are! The jam skidded to a halt after a lengthy call-and-response segment, and the New Year's spectacle began. Given our vantage in the back, it looked mostly like crazy characters running around aimlessly onstage while waiting for the giant joint to fly in over the crowd. Bill Walton reprised his role as Father Time. A bunch of Star Wars characters were present, along with Groucho and Marilyn Monroe (the New Year's babe? Nah, I don't think so…). If there was any sort of theatrical organization to this part of the event, it was lost on me. Finally it was time for the countdown (a little early by my count, but whatever), and then it was smiles and joy and hugging and kissing while the band played Sugar Magnolia. Happily, that segued into another hour of music, marked most noticeably by a truly awkward transition from Scarlet Begonias into Touch of Grey, and by a magnificent jam on the outskirts of St. Stephen before winding back into Sunshine Daydream to close the set.

As the band returned to the stage for the encore (Brokedown Palace, natch!), John Mayer made a nice speech to the crowd, thanking us for accepting him into the Grateful Dead world, and mentioning that the band would be touring again in the future. Three cheers to that!

Shirley Halperin posted a review of the show for Billboard. Alex Kluft posted a brief review for the Los Angeles Examiner.

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2015 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2015 event list! ☸ On to the next event!