Dead & Company at the Las Vegas Sphere

Dead & Company put on an amazing show at the Las Vegas Sphere on June 20th.

Oteil Burbridge - Bass

Jeff Chimenti - Keyboard

Mickey Hart - Drums

Bob Weir - Guitar

John Mayer - Guitar

Jay Lane - Drums

Set 1:

Man Smart, Woman Smarter

Playing in the Band

They Love Each Other

Tennessee Jed

Dire Wolf

Greatest Story Ever Told

Sugaree

Set 2:

China Cat Sunflower

I Know You Rider

He's Gone

The Other One

Drums

Space

The Wheel

Franklin's Tower

U.S. Blues

Throwing Stones

Turn On Your Love Light

With the basics out of the way, I have to say that I really enjoyed being part of the concert.  We arrived at the Sphere close to when doors opened around 6:15 and easily found our seats.  We milled about talking to some of our neighbors.  The show started within a few minutes of the 7:30 announced start.  

The music was of course amazing.  The crowd was amazing.  It was mostly old men and women, but there was a smattering of younger folks.

I felt like John Mayer stole the show in the first set.  He was really incredible.  With the amazing angles it was also cool to see the band members blown up on the graphics system.  Mickey Hart was playing drums with something I later found out to be Regal Tip Flares.  Him and Jay Lane also both seemed to be wearing golf gloves.  Finally, I noticed a weird string instrument.  Google search tells me it is Pythagorean Monochord.  I was also particularly impressed with Oteil Burbridge on bass.

My favorite song from the night was a close toss up with Tennessee Jed and Sugaree, but Sugaree gets the nod.

The venue was the real game changer.  I expected the visual effects to be outstanding, but I was not prepared for how engrossing it would truly be.  The graphics department is next level.  The sound was incredible also.  It was crystal clear and not too loud.  Even the seats had some vibratory element that was tied into the bass for drums, space and some other songs.  Even getting in and out of the venue was relatively easy with a walkway from the Venetian hotel.

The 100 level was floor level with people dancing and very close to the band.  Then 200, 300 and 400 level stadium seats.  The whole thing was very steep.  I would argue the center of 200 or 300 is probably the best.  200 closer to the band and 300 would have a better visual effect.  We were in section 308.  Center would be best, but even sides would have a great view, but not truly the feeling of being inside a lava lamp or kaleidoscope at times.

They had a longish intermission between sets, but with the long lines at the men's room, 30 minutes was appropriate.

With the visual effects, sound quality and vibrating seats space was absolutely incredible.  My friend found it to be a little to trippy for his liking.

I would recommend the Sphere as a venue to anyone.  Well worth the price of admission.  If Dead & Co suits your taste then this is a must see and cannot even be compared to stadium shows in terms of visual effects and sound quality.  Relatively intimate as well with a capacity of about 20,000.

A big difference from my last show was being stone cold sober and I had a truly epic time, dancing smiling and hearing the music.  I will make a separate post on my overall Las Vegas experience.