Dead & Company 2019-06-22 Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA

     On the second day of Summer, Dead & Company played the 12th show of their Summer Tour.  Due to my own schedule and the (small) tour's schedule, this was the only show I could make; no pressure at all, right?  Foxboro is always a bit of a hassle to get to, and this is probably (I'm not checking) the biggest venue the band has played, so between travel worries, crowd anxiety, and first show shakes, there was a lot of tension in the air.  Especially given the surprise change in weather that led to rain and thunder on the way to the stadium!  But when my folks and I finally did get situated in the lot and met up with some friends, all those worries seemed to blow away with the clouds.  We had to get to Will Call to clear up some ticket confusion, which meant we got to hear the band soundcheck Big Railroad Blues, Help On the Way > Slipknot!, Friend of the Devil, and Black Throated Wind.  Some people claimed to have heard Box of Rain soundchecked as well!  We got our tickets, made it through the line, and got spots right in front of the soundboard with plenty of time to spare.  We wandered around, checked out merch, met and made friends, and all made it back to our spots ready for the show to start.

First Set

• Eyes Of The World > (BW)
• I've been following along with the tour through streams and recordings, and should have known to expect a strange opener.  They've been opening shows with Other Ones, Terrapins, and the like, but this one caught me off guard!
• It started off with a relaxed vibe.  A bit of vamping before the first verse, and then John took a very summery solo.  Not a lot of shredding, just easy, smooth licks, not so much soloing as plucking a string of notes from the air.
• And that was nice, but then it was Jeff's turn to solo...or so we thought.  Really it was a duo between Jeff and John, which at first irked me because Jeff deserves his own solo, but it was still the high point of the song.  Jeff and John would trade leads, Jeff taking the first part and leading John where he wanted him to go, then countering in the other direction.  This made for some amazing interactions between the band as they followed one leader or the other.
• After the final verse Oteil got his normal solo.  He got a new bass this tour, the body of which is a giant purple ankh, with a smaller ankh on the octave frets.  I had only heard it digitally up until now, and was impressed by what I heard, but seeing and feeling it live was another thing.  It rings like a bell on the higher end, rumbles deep and low on the bottom end, and has such clean sound across the whole sonic spectrum.  It was a bit shorter than some of his other solos (I mean it was the show opener, how much can you expect?), but still an incredible listening experience.  When he was done they brought the song back to a one chord vamp like at the beginning, and then went through a closing sequence that Jeff first started leading back at Fenway in '17.
• Deal (JM)
• They've done Eyes > Deal quite a lot in the last few years, but here in the first set it made a bit more sense to me.
• They did pause for a small beat before starting up Deal, but it does feel like a > situation.
• You've probably heard me complain of getting enough Deals in the past, but this one really was fun.  John did an excellent job leading the band through peaks and valleys in the various solos, and Jeff got to shine on the organ.
• Black Throated Wind (BW)
• Ok, one soundcheck song down!
• I love this song so much, and have been itching to see this band play it, but this version did feel a little plodding to me.  John seemed to have some tech troubles at first, and never really took off.
• And I have to say, Bobby (or his manager) must have been trying to troll the New England crowd.  The Bruins had just lost the Stanley Cup to the St. Louis Blues, and here was Bobby singing in MA the only Dead song with St. Louis in it, and throwing in additional "blues" references no less!  Well we all caught on to him and you could hear the crowd reacting for a good while afterwards.
• Easy Wind (JM)
• A first for me!
• John started playing Big Boss Man at first, but the band all stared at him until he realized he was wrong, looked at the setlist, and said "Ok, different song...same key," and kicked this one off instead.
• Unfortunately short, but they've had some troubles with it in the past, so maybe it was for the best.  As it was, John really made it his own vocally, and the solo he played was still hot, even if we all could have stood for another minute or 4 of it.
• Loser (BW)
• Two dark bluesy songs paired together, more or less successfully.
• This one was a little shaky up until the solo.  I think the drummers got lost or distracted, and tried to end the song after the first "got no chance of losing," maybe because Bobby had come in early just before?
• Either way, John saved it all in the solo section.  He started off restrained, but really took over and brought the house down by the third rotation.  He approached it a little like Jerry circa '78, really high on the neck and bending the notes, but ended with a fast barrage of spiraled leads.
• Big Railroad Blues (JM)
• Another soundcheck down, and a real highlight of the set.  Some smoking leads from John and Jeff, and at a great tempo!
• Bird Song > (BW& JM)
• I've seen a few of these, but this one really caught me off guard.  The intro, while obviously Birdish, felt like it could have gone into Jack Straw, He's Gone, or maybe an Allman Bros song.
• Jeff and Oteil provided excellent counterpoints and embellishments throughout the lyrics.
• The jam after the verses had Mickey on the Beam, and started off in the typical Bird Song way, but soon turned went in a whole new direction that sounded exactly like Loose Lucy and New Speedway at the same time.  I'm still shocked it didn't turn into one of those, especially the way Jeff was leaning into them.
• Instead, John went into total Mayer Mode, ripping off bluesy leads while Jeff, Bobby, and Oteil led the drummers back towards Bird territory gradually.  Through telepathic architecture they brought it back to the perfect launching point for the reentry into the chorus.
• The other versions this tour have featured a huge second jam before finishing the lyrics off, but instead this one drifted off into silence before John launched them into...
• Box Of Rain (JM)
• I had forgotten to tell my dad about this being soundchecked, and he was thrilled.  At least up until the trainwreck; then he was thrilled and entertained!
• First John forgot a verse, then Bob pitched in to remind him of what it was.  This seemed to throw John off for the next verse, but when he tried to skip ahead to where he thought the band was, the band had reverted to vamping for him to start the entire verse over.  At that point John threw his hands in the air to call the whole thing off, but the band kept rotating to see if he wanted to give it another shot, and then they all just called it quits.  Bobby gave a quick count off and they started the whole song over, Bobby stepping to the mic and saying "Take two!"
• John forgot one of the same verses, but the train kept rolling this time and it turned into a great version of the song!  They hadn't done it since 2016, and it's a damned complicated song, so you can't really blame them for getting it a bit off.
• They jammed out the end of the solo a little bit like Phil does, with some fireworks from John, but mostly played it a lot like the album version.  Bobby provided some nice, if sometimes questionable, harmonies and backups.
• We had gotten a bit of rain when we first got into the stadium, and the wind had been blowing all day, so between the "box of rain," "wind and water," "sun and shower," "wind and rain" lines and the "words have twisted and thoughts unclear" lines, it all felt very appropriate.

     I think the original plan was probably to have gone back into Bird Song, but instead this wound up the set.  The crowd had really filled in by now, so I stayed rooted in place while my dad ventured out for bathrooms and drinks.  The venue staff had been very chill all night, and there was just one lady with a headset wandering from one smoke cloud to another telling people they couldn't smoke, then walking away before they had put it out.  We had lucked out with our neighbors, and everyone was having a good time.  A friend of mine was at the show hoping for her first Dark Star, which hadn't been played for a while.  Would she finally get one??  Well the lights went down and we soon got our answer.

Second Set

• Help On The Way > (JM)
• Even if I hadn't heard the soundcheck, this was obviously what they were tuning up to.  Right when Bobby was counting off I muttered "Help on the Way..." and when they hit those opening chords the guy in front of me lost his shit!
• This set the tone for the rest of the night: they were gonna play the best show they could play, and we were gonna have to dance to not get knocked off our feet.
• John's solo was a little more laid back than previous performances I've seen of the song, but it was still engaging, especially with the rest of the band feeding him their own ideas for him to bounce off of and run around.  Jeff's Rhodes sounded amazing, very clear and splashy.
• The transition into Slip! was played so perfectly I could have cried, they were clearly firing on all cylinders.
• Slipknot!
• The Slip Riffs were equally perfect, and felt simultaneously organic and mechanized, like the band was some kind of techno-organic force churning out these sounds.
• John wasted no time laying into the jam, rocketing the band into far out territory.  Jeff and Bobby sat back a little to provide atmospheric whispers and current, while Oteil followed right under John's part.
• While this didn't really leave typical Slip! territory, it sure did explore every corner of it before they were done.  John and Jeff, who have been next to each other on stage for about a tour and a half, started building each other up as they approached the Slip Cord until Bobby was finally ready to slide into it.  I thought they might have gone into it a bit early, but it ended up being as perfect as the rest of the song.  Oteil delivered a ground shaking bass bomb right at the end.
• There may have been a wrong note in the fast ascending section of the Slip Riffs, but all of the timings were still just exactly perfect.
• Franklin's Tower > (JM)
• Even though they had soundchecked Franklin's, I was expecting them to throw us a curve ball here.  Oh well!
• John kicked it off with a little "Eyy!" and the whole stadium was bouncing and dancing.
• This version felt a little thin and rough to me at first, especially when Jeff wasn't given time to really grow his solo.  But right after that he and John worked together again to make things a little raucous.
• In the quiet section before the final verse, John totally took over and created his own little minijam that brought this performance from average to awesome.  The crowd was going nuts as he built up from a simple riff to what felt like a whole other song, before he led the band back to the lyrics.
• Instead of coming back to the closing riff from Slipknot!, Bobby counted them off into...
• He's Gone > (BW & JM)
• Amazing set so far, but our Dark Star hopes were dwindling!  "Maaaaaybe they could go into Dark Star, but it's a long shot," we said to each other.
• Not that we were complaining, this was an excellent version.  It's always been a slower song, and this one felt particularly slow, but not in a lazy or sloppy way.  Each note dripped with intention and focus, and the solo really took off.  Bobby has a new guitar this tour that sounds great, but he was playing our favorite green guitar during this song to great effect.
• The outro jam wasn't very long, and for about 30 seconds I was sure Bobby was starting up Easy Answers, a song I would like to hear but is a far shot from Dark Star.  But then Jeff played some unmistakable notes and led the band into a sloppy intro to
• Dark Star > (BW)
• IT HAPPENED!  The crowd picked up on it during the intro, and drowned out the slightly flubbed riffs, but then Bobby settled into his main holding pattern and the others locked into sync around him, Mickey getting the Beam droning; I'm not trying to knock Mickey's drumming, but this band seems to jam best when he's got the Beam doing its thing and Billy handles the actual drums of it all.  Remember, the original Dark Stars had barely an percussion in them until mid '69!
• This at first followed the outline they've been doing since last year: a jam on the main theme, an instrumental take on the lyrics section, some more theme, and then the verse.  But even in this relatively formulaic part of the song, Bobby surprised us by jumping into the lyrics before the theme had really settled, instead coming out of seemingly nowhere.  Jeff provided some mind bending reinterpretations of the old organ riff that Pigpen and TC used to play.
• And then magic happened.  I have often faulted this band, especially John, for seeming uncomfortable in formless jams, but tonight they made me eat my words.  In the past they never drifted too far from the theme even between verses, but this time it was like they had an agreement that no one would play remotely near the theme.  Instead they proceeded to get weirder than I've ever seen them get, live or recorded.  Jeff and Oteil provided forms or absences thereof that Bobby and John would pick up on or let pass by, depending how they felt.  Mayer too contributed many ideas to the mix, leading to a Dark Star that was dense and weird, but manically danceable.
• Then suddenly, out of the chaos, Bobby started singing the second verse!  This was done kind of like how he's been doing The Other One, with big gaps between the lyrics for the band to fall back into chaos before singing the next line.  This felt very JRAD-y, and maybe confused Bob a bit, but ultimately was very cool.  They locked back into sync to finish the lyrics, and then went off on their "Nightfall of Diamonds" jam/refrain.  This jam is in 12/4 time, and even before they started playing The Eleven last year, I've always thought that was the logical destination.  Unfortunately no Eleven tonight, just a spritely jam that drifted off into nothingness as Billy and Mickey got in position.
• *Editor’s Note: David’s friend Dreamflower was at peak face-stolen bliss. Her entire section hugged and high-fived her on hearing her first live Dark Star, and she lived happily ever after*
• Drums >
• This could be the best Drums I've seen live.  Oteil joined in as always, and Mickey set some rhythms looping from his Beam computer, and then the three of them crafted some very compelling polyrhythms on the actual drums.  I know a lot of people will excuse the drummers for their sloppiness by saying that they're actually just playing complicated rhythms that sound sloppy to the untrained ear, but these felt intentional and well executed.
• They had a cam right on one of the center drums that turned into a very intimate Oteil cam on the Jumbotrons.
• Space >
• Eventually Mickey gave that Beam a whack, and Billy and Oteil ran for cover.  I've seen Mickey kick, lick, and assault the Beam before, but tonight was the loudest and deepest I've ever felt it.  He would pluck a low string, then play the others with a bow, and this would create a giant harmonic frequency that could be felt in every bone of my body.
• Eventually he even blew a speaker in the top left stack!  They eventually cut the feed to that one I think, because it stopped once the rest of the band came out.  On the soundboard you can't feel the real resonance of the Beam, but you can sure hear that casualty crackle.
• Mickey left with a mischievous grin on his face as the others returned for their half of Space.  They played a very light and empty kind of a jam, Oteil sitting down and running his arms up and down his bass while Bobby took most of the directional work.
• John quoted something that I swear I've heard him quote before, but I just can't place what it's from.  It sounds like something from a sci-fi show or movie, but I can't place it for the life of me.  If you have the soundboard recording, listen to Space from 2:00-2:20  and tell me what you think.
• Stella Blue > (BW)
• Eventually the jam wound up to a perfect jumping off point for them st start up a beautiful Stella.  It started a little shaky, but they locked it down almost immediately.
• While I would love to hear Oteil sing this one, Bobby still does a great job on it.
• Like with He's Gone, this slow song felt very full and alive, not a dirge or a drag at all.  John's solo really shines too, very piercing and heartfelt.
• The outro jam takes off nicely for a while before drifting back down to a mellow melody.
• Not Fade Away > (ALL)
•  Bobby starts up the unmistakable Bo Diddly riff, and everyone who had been blissing out got down to boogie.  Some people had left already (cowards) so there was more room than ever to cut a rug...or a piece of plastic or metal, take your pick.
• Hot leads between verses, and then right when it seemed like they were going to wrap it up into a short version, they instead shifted into the classic follow-up.
• Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad > (ALL)
• Honestly I think this is the first time they've paired these two?  It was certainly the first time I've seen them paired, so I was thrilled.
• Probably not the best version I've seen, but it was one of the few times Oteil got a lead tonight, so we all cherished it for that at least.  John and Jeff did have some good back and forth too.
• Not Fade Away > (ALL)
• No real jam back into this like back in the seventies, instead it just wound down until they started up the NFA beat again.
•  Bobby took a short little Wolf Bros-esque solo on the way back to the lyrics that sounded great, John providing shredding backing rhythm.
• Encore: The Weight 
• I figured we would get something soulful for the encore, but was expecting something more like Brokedown.  This was a pleasant surprise!
• Their arrangement of the song is great, very deliberate and mellow with a bit of an island groove.  John even took a little solo before the final verse!
• Everyone but the drummers got their own verse of the song, and the crowd (predictably) went nuts for Jeff singing.  He has a strong, gravelly voice that I feel could easily be put to a Brent song or two, but I'll take what I can get.  Everyone loved Oteil's verse too, but I felt a little bummed out that he didn't get to do a full song of his own this night.
• The song ended with a little call and response of "put your load" between Bobby and the crowd, which I've heard fall apart on other recordings, but worked great here, it felt cathartic.

     And that was it.  The band took their bows and departed, and suddenly we were bathed in the blinding stadium lights.  We were surprised to not hear One More Saturday Night, but we were in no position to complain about what we had just received.  This was one of the most amazing shows I've seen live, and I'm going to be listening back to it for a long time.  The first set had some hiccups, but the entire show was filled with top notch playing and surprising twists that kept everyone on their toes, onstage and off.  The crowd leaving seemed so content on the way out, and the lot was surprisingly quiet.  Everyone seemed to have burned up their energy at the show, and was just looking to get home comfortably.  I wish I was seeing more shows this tour, but if I was to see any of them, it would have to be this one.