Dead & Co "Summer" Tour 2018

     In one week (almost a full month before the first day of summer) Dead and Company will be starting their Summer Tour, so I thought it would be good to check in on the band's progress.  Since I last wrote about them they have done two trips to Mexico, and Summer and Fall tours in 2017, so they have had some real time to grow.  The Fall Tour was cut short by John Mayer's appendix trying to explode, but they finished it up this past February after their more recent Mexico run.

     These last two tours saw them breaking out some surprising songs like "Corrina," "Easy Answers," and a sleeper favorite of mine, "If I Had the World to Give," this one sung by Oteil.  My parents and I saw them at both Fenway shows this past summer, and then at two shows at the Boston Garden and one at the Hartford Civic Center in the Fall.  All five shows were absolutely incredible, with some really unique twists.  At Fenway they did "Help on the Way > Slipknot! > Estimated Prophet > Eyes of the World > Drums > Space > Eyes of the World" the first night, and the next night did an acoustic "Friend of the Devil > Dark Star (1st verse) > Ripple" to close the first set, reprising "Dark Star" out of "Space."

     The Fall Boston shows also saw some cool twists, with the first "Corrina" played the second night, as well as a beautiful "Comes a Time," followed by the longest "Playing in the Band" they had done yet (18+ minutes, only beaten by the Mexico performance by a minute or so).  I had never gotten a reprise of "Playin'," so you might be able to hear me bellowing "where's my fucking reprise?!" on audience tapes before the encore...where they went into the reprise after "Brokedown Palace," with John doing the Donna scream!  The first Boston night was fairly standard as far as song selection goes, with the exception of "Milestones" in the second set.  They followed that up with an excellent "Whaf Rat > The Wheel," echoing the classic "Wheel > Wharf Rat" from the old Garden 40 years previously.  The Hartford show was also fantastic, one of the best shows I've ever seen, with Jeff leading the way in many songs including the band's first ever "Spanish Jam."

     The Fall Tour might have been the strongest tour they've done yet, and the tail end of it in February carried that strength into the new year.  They not only debuted even more songs than they already had in the Summer, but they took songs like "Estimated Prophet," "Dark Star," and "Playing in the Band" (NYC, Philly, and Boston, respectively) to far out soundscapes that they had not previously reached.  Some songs like "The Other One" and "Terrapin" could still use some development to break them out of their usual molds, but most songs have a very mature feel right now.  The band isn't playing Fenway this year, instead doing just one show in Mansfield as the tour opener.  We sprung for VIP (but the lowest tier) tickets for that show, and lawn seats for Hartford in June.  In the interest of looking forward to more evolution from the band, here are some potential setlists I've made that include some songs I still haven't seen them do live, but mostly focused on a coherent structure.  I've switched around some of the singing roles to what I think they should be, and also added in some songs they haven't done yet, so they're not entirely realistic.  Feel free to criticize and leave your own; I know some look on this practice as kind of pointless, but I think it's fun to try to capture the create a show in your head with good flow between the songs.

2018-05-30 Mansfield, MA

First Set
Promised Land (BW)
West LA Fadeaway (BW)
Stagger Lee (JM)
Beat it on Down the Line (BW)
Easy Wind (JM)
If I Had the World to Give (OB)
Bertha (JM)

Second Set
Lost Sailor > (BW)
Saint of Circumstance > (BW)
He's Gone > (BW & JM)
Caution > (JM)
Drums >
Space >
Not Fade Away > (ALL)
Stella Blue > (BW)
Good Lovin' (BW)

Encore: Attics of My Life (OB)

OR...

First Set
Bertha > (JM)
Greatest Story Ever Told (BW)
High Time (JM &OB)
New Minglewood Blues (BW)
Row Jimmy (JM)
It Must Have Been the Roses (OB)
Dancing in the Streets (ALL)

Second Set
Music Never Stopped > (BW)
Eyes of the World > (OB)
He's Gone > (JM & BW)
The Other One > (BW)
Drums >
Space >
The Other One > (BW)
Wharf Rat > (JM)
Music Never Stopped (BW)

Encore: Hard to Handle (JM)


2018-06-13 Hartford, CT

First Set
Feel Like a Stranger (BW)
Tennessee Jed (BW)
Big Railroad Blues (JM)
Looks Like Rain (BW)
Here Comes Sunshine (JM)
Lazy Lightning > (BW)
Supplication (BW)

Second Set
Playing in the Band > (BW)
Scarlet Begonias > (BW)
Eyes of the World > (OB)
Terrapin Station > (JM & BW)
Drums >
Space >
Comes a Time > (OB)
Playing in the Band (BW)

Encore: Uncle John's Band (ALL)


My dad also came up with a couple, So I've included those here.  If you have problems with them, take them up with him, not me!

2018-05-30 Mansfield, Ma

First Set
Jack Straw
Brown-Eyed Women
Cassidy
Cream Puff War
Beat it on Down the Line
Dark Star (acoustic) >
Weather Report Suite

Second Set
Playing in the Band >
Drums >
Space >
The Other One >
Caution (Do Not Step on Tracks) >
New Potato Caboose >
Feedback >
Playing in the Band

Encore: Midnight Hour


2018-06-13 Hartford, CT

First Set
Promised Land
Mississippi Half-Step
Big Bad Blues (Furthur original)
They Love Each Other
Loser
Lazy Lightning >
Supplication

Second Set
Jam >
Truckin' >
Jam >
Morning Dew
Eyes of the World >
Drums >
Space >
Dark Star >
Stella Blue >
Uncle John's Band

Encore: Music Never Stopped