Sphere Entertainment Co presents Dead & Company
Sphere
255 Sands Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89169 USA
7:30 PM, Thursday, May 30, 2024

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2024 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2024 event list! ☸ On to the next event!

A spherical envelopment

[7:36 PM] {lights down, performers out}

1. [7:37 PM] Iko Iko
   [7:43 PM] {1st blown ending? Or just Bobby's way of dealing with the video transition? Hard to say…}
2. [7:45 PM] Eyes of the World
3. [8:01 PM] Bertha (JM)
4. [8:10 PM] Loser
   [8:20 PM] {pause while Bobby swaps to acoustic guitar}
5. [8:21 PM] El Paso
   [8:29 PM] {Bobby swaps back to electric}
6. [8:29 PM] Cold, Rain, & Snow
   [8:36 PM] {set ends}

[9:17 PM] {lights down, performers out}

1. [9:18 PM] Ripple
2. [9:23 PM] Estimated Prophet … O1 teases…
3. [9:39 PM] Mr. Charlie (JM)
   [9:44 PM] {pause to regroup}
4. [9:45 PM] Help on the Way » [9:49 PM] Slipknot! »
5. [9:59 PM] Franklin's Tower (JM) »
   [10:13 PM] {front line off}
6. [10:13 PM] Drumspace: Jay & Mickey bashing away » [10:15 PM] {crowd roar for Bill Walton on video; OB out now too} » [10:22 PM] {drop JL, then OB; MH swaps to beam} » [10:24 PM] {fluorescing rainbow chia seed drink animation} » [10:28 PM] {MH off, drone continues, slowly fades} » [10:29 PM] {front line back for Space} »
7. [10:31 PM] Standing on the Moon {JL back on his kit at 10:32 PM, MH joining a few moments later}
8. [10:43 PM] Althea (JM) »
9. [10:54 PM] GDTRFB
10. [11:03 PM] Knocking on Heaven's Door
    [11:12 PM] {set ends; news interlude: Hippies in SF }
     
    Finale
11. [11:13 PM] Fire on the Mountain (MH)
    [11:22 PM] {show ends, bow & hugs, then all off}
    [11:24 PM] {all done!}

Dead & Company

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

We take a definitely non-approved unsafe path from Harrah's through the back loading docks behind the Venetian to get to the Sphere. Fortunately, the forklift guys run their tractors around us, and we didn't get squished by any 18-wheel trucks on our way by, so all's well that ends well! Joining the VIP line is easy: less than 30 folks out there this early (5 pm), and shortly after we settle down, the house crew move us to a shady spot to wait for doors: muy bueno! Half our crew is here, so all is good: it's nice to know we'll be hanging with our compadres tonight!

5:45 PM and it's time to enter the venue: 7 minutes of chaos; walk a little, wait some more, get searched and tagged, then walk a little more and wait again. 5:52 PM marks our actual entrance to the floor, and we score a prime spot 2nd row center next to John Dewey. Yeah!

6:08 PM: the waitress tries to give me someone else's drink: am I a fool to turn it down? (Don't bother answering that one folks)

7:04 PM and the floor has recently loosened up quite a bit: my guess is that folks are making that last chance run outside to the hallways to pee, buy drinks, grab a bite to eat, or just hang out with other friends before the main action starts.

Ehrlich and family cruise in and find us on the floor around 7:15 PM or so: cutting it kinda close in my opinion, but he made it, right? Bafflingly, they don't hang out, but head back to seats before the show starts. Must be here for the light show instead of the band!

I was kind of underwhelmed with tonight's opening set, but in retrospect, I think that was mostly me: getting up early for travel will always sock you upside the head. And arriving in an environment where staying out of the sun is a prime imperative is also disorienting: it was way too hot outside today!

It was fatiguing just negotiating the three or four block walk back and forth from Harrah's to the Venetian mall entrance to see the 'Dead Forever' exhibit (and pick up our credentials). I'd been mildly interested in checking things out, but I was too tired to appreciate much besides a cool seat under an A/C vent once we found the place! If we go back later, I think I'll lobby for adding an extra travel-in day to the schedule.

Happily, set break is surprisingly chill: no crashers to speak of in our immediate space. Maybe folks are more interested in spending time in the bar than the floor? I realize later that the primary issue is that while the show might be sold out, actual attendance is in the 60-70% ballpark: there's plenty of room for everyone tonight, yay! And shame on folks who overbought, expecting to make book on their fellow heads.

Set two seems much stronger than the first (ain't it always?), and Going Down the Road Feelin' Bad is strong enough to get me dancing hard despite my malaise. I was really surprised to hear Mickey reprise his rap-style vocals for Fire on the Mountain: seems like it's been awhile since he's done that, but maybe that's just my memory playing tricks on me. Anyways, it was an unexpectedly fun way to end night one.

We take our time leaving, end up following a slow moving stream of head back to the Strip slightly away from our hotel, and don't get back to the room until 12:50 AM, oy! Gonna need some down time to recover!!

Big thanks to Ting for the photo gallery!

Whoa! This section is incomplete for now, sorry!

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2024 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2024 event list! ☸ On to the next event!