Live Review- Dead & Company Rock Worcester

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Ken Abrams, GoLocal Music Critic

John Mayer Playing with Dead & Company (photo: Gary Alpert)

Dead & Company, the latest line up featuring former members of the Grateful Dead, pulled into Worcester Tuesday night for a sold out show at the DCU Center. It was “all systems go” for the band on tour for the past month, and really, for the last 50 years.

Seeing the Dead has always been as much about the overall concert experience as it is the music. It remains a spectacle, with hippies (and ex-hippies) and Deadheads from 8 months old to 88 years sharing in the fun. The energy was especially strong Tuesday, according to several tour regulars.

First Set

Since the death of cultural icon and founding member Jerry Garcia in 1995, the band has gone through several incarnations. The latest, “Dead & Company” includes three original members – guitarist Bob Weir, and drummers Mickey Hart and Billy Kreutzmann. They’re joined by guitar great John Mayer, bass wizard Oteil Burbridge, and veteran jam band keyboardist Jeff Chimenti. The line-up is tight, with the younger members bringing out the best in the veterans.

The set list was perfect for Deadheads and friends. The first set opened with “Cassidy,” with founding member Bob Weir establishing the tone for the evening - familiar Dead classics done only the way the Dead can do them. You can pretty much assume that every tune had a great solo from lead guitarist Mayer, along with great rhythm work from Weir.

The band was really locked in for Weir’s “The Music Never Stopped,” the lyrics a playful reference to the main act.

“They're a band beyond description, Like Jehovah's favorite choir
People joining hand in hand, While the music played the band,
Lord they're setting us on fire.”

Mayer traded vocals with Weir for most of the evening, and shined on the Garcia classic, “Sugaree,” another first set highlight. The various versions of the Dead have always featured bass guitar front and center and Oteil Burbride was just that all night long, with frequent guitar-like solos on his bass.

Mayer is probably better known than other members of the band, but he checked his ego for these shows and has been widely accepted by Deadheads. His guitar playing at times mimics Garcia’s voicing, with its twangy ”wah” tones and shimmering high notes. His vocals are different however; he brings a fresh take to Dead classics.

Earlier on the day of the show, Mayer posted to Instagram how grateful he was to be playing with the Dead. “It’s been a beautiful, intense and all-encompassing ride since the beginning of the @deadandcompany tour, and I didn’t have the words to express what this has meant to me.” In a sense, he’s describing the whole Dead experience for fans over the past 50 years.

Dead & Company (photo: Gary Alpert)

Second Set

The second set was positively epic as Dead shows go. Opening with “Deal,” the groove quickly moved into crowd favorite “Uncle John’s Band,” which turned into a full sing-a-long. It’s one of the more recognizable Dead tunes, recorded in the early 70’s and still a staple on classic rock radio.

Next up was the bass driven “Estimated Prophet,” behind the commanding vocals of Weir. It led into a Dead classic, “Terrapin Station,” a “suite” as close to an orchestral anthem as the band has. After the Drums/Space segment, an essential part of a Dead show, the band broke out into the Beatles classic “Dear Prudence,” with Weir taking lead vocals, a role once held by Garcia. A tribute to music legend Allen Toussaint, who passed away a day earlier, came next, with Mayer taking lead on "Get Out of My Life, Woman."

The show wound down with Dead favorites “Goin Down the Road Feelin’ Bad,” and the sacred hippie anthem “Ripple.” The lyrics haven’t lost their power:

“Reach out your hand if your cup be empty
If your cup is full may it be again
Let it be known there is a fountain
That was not made by the hands of men”

The funny thing about a Dead show is that with such a catalog, it doesn’t really matter which songs they play – their fans are always satisfied. And although the songs were quite familiar, the show felt energized and fresh. To be sure, the “youthful” talent - Mayer, Burbridge, and Chimenti had a lot to do with that.

Although the crowd was generally well behaved, the DCU Center (Centrum) still had a tough time keeping up – it felt over-crowded, lines were long, and it was hot for a mid-November night. The Dead experience is more than just sitting and watching a show, venues should be better prepared for the audience they serve. Inconveniences aside, this was a memorable show!

Ken Abrams reviews Roots, Rock and Blues for GoLocal. He welcomes comments here.