Sphere Run

Nice poster

Tickets on the ground 

Emek

Will it never end?

this is the "last tour", mark...

50 dollar Tix on stubhub...

Cool  blessed are the miracles on the ground.. Taper Rob stream it if you can lol

fuck stubhub

lot cheaper on the set

if that's your cup of tea

What's the "SET"

the place to be

your movie

Holy cow the cringe factor around every turn in these vids

Which audemars do you guys think John will wear tonight?

phish already played there...

detroit chomp city

https://gratefuldead123.mixlr.com/events/3420166

il y a 7 min

Dead & Company | 05/16/2024 Sphere at The Venetian Resort - Las Vegas, Nevada, US Set 1: Feel Like a Stranger, Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo, Jack Straw, Bird Song, Me and My Uncle, Brown-Eyed Women, Cold Rain and Snow Set 2: Uncle John's Band, Help on the Way > Slipknot! > Franklin's Tower, He's Gone > Drums > Space > Standing on the Moon St Stephen....

just tuned in from Remulak. this sounds fun, Bobby's singing well

Set 1, Day 1

https://www.facebook.com/cosmic.carl/videos/916371906901225/

Why would they show video of themselves in the sphere?  Did phish break it and that's why tix are 50 bucks? 

Maybe they can play the Veneta ,72 dvd set for video in there..  Pole guy all over the screen would be a lot more interesting than mayo. Plus Jerry.

50 buck seams real fair to me

'cant wait for BMFS and his light shoe

I'll stay home and watch my screensaver, looks just like that 

and this? The Disney era has arrived... I feel like Charlie Brown walking around the Christmas lights and signs wondering how it fits into what it all meant to me 

The Facebook video looked like a travel video at an IMAX theater. Can they borrow the Pink Floyd videos? 

We really need all Baby Boomer Deadheads to stop wearing cargo pant shorts. It's just too tragic.

At the end it looks like 85% of the people are sitting down.    Maybe they had too much too fast. 

um St Stephen》 Hell in a Bucket.

I would of left early to avoid the Traffic ...even if I was walkin back to the room. no to be fair for me it was a fun wake up

From the last remnants of a living, breathing Band

To a robotic Mechanism that prints money

In less than a decade

...

What is real?

What is human?

How to Build a Universe That Doesn’t Fall Apart Two Days Later

Philip K. Dick, 1978

>>>We really need all Baby Boomer Deadheads to stop wearing cargo pant shorts. It's just too tragic.
 

Should we wear tennis shorts, gym shorts, biker shorts or just forget it's hot and wear long pants all the time.  
 

If you're lucky, you get to be old enough to look less than ideal regardless of what you wear.   Not getting older is what is tragic.  

and those cargo shorts are mighty handy when your carrying beers..

Encore: Heaven's Door   NFA

From Billboard:

The first visual stunner of the night was when the scaffolding on the screen split in two (in a lightning-bolt configuration, no less) to reveal a Victorian house in San Francisco.  As Dead & Co. played the jangly “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo,” the camera view got wider and wider, transforming from cars driving in front of the house to the full city grid of San Fran to the Golden Gate Bridge to amid the clouds to floating above Earth itself.

The band’s commitment to the music is very serious, but it wouldn’t be a Dead show without some fun too. One of the major differences between how U2 used the Sphere screen and how Dead & Co. used it was the amount of silly, colorful animations deployed on Thursday night. During “Uncle John’s Band” – which was also the sing-along moment of the night – the backdrop started out as a blank paint-by-numbers drawing before progressively filling in every color of the rainbow (including a literal rainbow arching above the band).

In honor of the fans, Vibee created Dead Forever Experience at the Venetian Resort. It will be open Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., throughout the residency.    Honor? It's 1 more place in Las Vegas to drop some $$$$

Just last year, Dead & Company embarked on what was billed as their “final tour,” which wrapped up in their home base of San Francisco, and while fans have now been gifted this 24-date residency, it remains to be seen what the future might hold for the band beyond that.      "Gifted?"

from what i can tell in the videos ive seen, the type of visuals that were playing during drums are pretty much what ive been expecting going back to when this/phish was announced for the sphere - visuals that genuinely sync up with the music. id heard from someone,  i think here, that the tech for real time manipulated visuals of this size simply isnt there yet, but it seems like they pulled off a simple version of this during drums last night -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWWOrClWP5Q (the part im referring to starts about halfway thru this vid)

this is a simplified version of what ive been imagining as ideal visuals for a band like phish or the dead at the sphere. so far, phish's best visuals were much cooler than what i saw from deadco, but regardless, phish fell short of my expectation that some of the visuals would be more in sync with the music, and this segment of drums seems to sync up pretty decently.

as for the rest of the vids ive been able to see, it seems a bit underwhelming, but so did phish night 1, and in general im not expecting the visuals at these shows to be better. hoping they keep it light on the cartoonish dead iconography.

> The Disney era has arrived

Looks more like a day at the mall in Anytown, USA.

looks like they used some rainforest cafe footage

 At the end it looks like 85% of the people are sitting down.<<<<<<

It turns out that on your ass is the correct answer to the Where is the best place to sit at  the Sohere quesion.

Does the Bear's Den sell raw steak?  Is there a dunking booth?

“Now off the escalator and into the casino, big crowds still tight around the crap tables. Who are these people? These faces! Where do they come from? They look like caricatures of used-car dealers from Dallas. But they’re real. And, sweet Jesus, there are a hell of a lot of them – still screaming around these desert-city crap tables at four-thirty on a Sunday morning. Still humping the American Dream, that vision of the Big Winner somehow emerging from the last- minute pre-dawn chaos of a stale Vegas casino.”

― Hunter S. Thompson

>>>looks like they used some rainforest cafe footage

Ha!  Noticed that framing of John Mayer  - how low can we go 

"John Mayer & Dead & Company."

All I can say is that I know a lot of people that have been at this game for the last 45 years and more and were absolutely blown away last night.....I'm very much looking forward to going next weekend.

im sure its a great experience. i dont really understand the idea that the presence of a video element somehow detracts from the music. as far as i can tell, the band does not have much to focus on outside what they'd normally be focusing on when playing a normal show, so the quality of the music should be equivalent to a normal show, plus you have this giant sphere screen, cool sound effects in your seat, etc etc. it certainly seemed that way for all 4 nights of phish. their playing was excellent, jams were long and high energy...if you dont consider the visual aspect and just listen to the music, it seems like all 4 nights were musically equivalent to any number of above average phish 4.0 shows. it not as if the musicians are needing to do anything to control the visuals or need to adjust their playing to fit the visuals, it seems like 100% added bonus.

from what ive seen of deadco's visuals, id probably prefer to see a future phish run at the sphere. last night looked a bit to heavy on the cartoony dead iconography stuff, nostalgia images etc.

.Are they repeating video already? 

Dead & Co.

May 17, 2024

The Sphere

Las Vegas, Nevada 

First Set

Samson & Delilah

Shakedown Street

Bertha

Crazy Fingers

Big River

Good Lovin'

Deal

2nd Set

China Cat Sunflower>
I Know You Rider

Estimated Prophet>
Cumberland Blues>
Other One>
Drums

Never miss a Sunday show... oh wait

Space
Black Peter
Althea
U.S. Blues
Morning Dew

Old News Broadcast Of The Grateful Dead

Turn On Your Love Light

poster integrity is being called into question

"If these T-shirts are AI, I'm gonna have to kick this dude in the pecker" - Billy Strings.

The screen is a machine. 

Art must be hand made except the digital moving art for the sphere. 

its a bit hard for me to tell, im just checking out a few posts on d+c reddit and watching little bits of the videos that have been posted from last night...

but it seems like they are just using the exact same visuals they had on night 1, playing behind a different setlist. so far i cant find even one song from last night that has any kind of different visuals from night 1. i expected repeat visuals and i expected the visuals here to underwhelm compared to phish, who obviously put more effort into making cool, unique visuals, but to have every visual on night 2 be a repeat of night 1 seems lame in the extreme.

Integrity and DeadCo have never gone hand in hand. 

where's the 3m overhead projectors, a glass dish and some colored dye? 

^^ on Nick Mason tour

Buildings , < food

https://youtu.be/LUxhl1gLUOo?si=XYZaXGMwWkvTWCtq

>>>where's the 3m overhead projectors, a glass dish and some colored dye? 

This!   Don't need palm framed Mayer

I was fortunate enough to catch the opening night and it was fucking awesome!. Far exceeded expectations.   I invited Tatters but he declined.  The music sounded great but being completely  emersed  in the sound and visuals was very intense.  

Daylight - get a ticket and go.  Giving a review by watching YouTube  videos is pretty lame.  I haven't seen all the visuals from the last night but there were several at least that were not used on night 1.

^ did you eat the family medicine 

or

you just glad to be there

Did Russia or Ukraine win?

^ robert ate the acid

had no support 

also sucked at hockey

3rd Night From Ratdog.org

Good Times
Truckin' (>)
Smokestack Lightning
Sugaree
Loose Lucy
Ship of Fools
Tennessee Jed
Casey Jones

Set 2:
Scarlet Begonias (>)
Fire on the Mountain
Eyes of the World (>)
Terrapin Station (>)
Drums (>)
Space(>)
Stella Blue(>)
The Wheel(>)
Going Down the Road Feeling Bad (>)
Throwing Stones

Old News Broadcast Of The Grateful Dead
One More Saturday Night

Daylight - get a ticket and go.  Giving a review by watching YouTube  videos is pretty lame.  I haven't seen all the visuals from the last night but there were several at least that were not used on night 1.

nah. a vegas trip is to much time and money to invest into this band for me, at least ATM. i dont need to be there to understand that the style of visuals presented isnt really my thing or that there are enough repeated visuals to negatively effect the experience if going multiple nights in a row, which i would do if im gonna travel.

so far, it seems like the visuals presented during drums and space are by far the best, with second place going to the various "in space" visuals played during songs like dew or jack straw. it seems like the shows and visuals that phish put on are much more my style, and ill probably be making an effort to see phish here at some point rather than the dead. im happy getting my GD music fix with JRAD this fall.

Heaing to Vegas on Thursday. Starting the weekend with Santana at HOB followed by three at the Sphere. Psyched!

Did Jerry make it to the BIG screen?

> im happy getting my GD music fix with JRAD this fall.<

I just saw them in Balto on Thursday and although speed-metal Dead isn't my cup of tea, I had fun. They do what they do well, I'll say that. 

Even songs like Mission in the Rain and Second that Emotion were given the full-on constant-climax treatment, which was rather incongruous. They play everything with zero nuance. They don't even attempt emotional expression. 

At least the music was different than the regular Dead cover bands. Maybe the oddity factor kept me amused. And It was refreshing to have some youngsters (under 30) throwing down in the crowd around us.

It seems the only satisfying live fixes for me imho are with JGB offshoots and tributes.jmf Garcia project etc... even Melvin's band seems to be venturing into GD territory a bit more than I like

> JRAD...full-on constant-climax treatment...They play everything with zero nuance

Alan, I think we could argue for hours about whether JRAD plays with nuance, but "full-on constant-climax treatment" isn't an accurate representation of the dynamics JRAD brings to the music.

I'm with fishcane 

Not down with all the extra crispy guitar wanking, LED light shows, and "stylized" lyrical deliveries

Just give me the original recipe

I went Saturday and really enjoyed the show. I felt like I was in the holodeck on Deep Space 9. The band sounded good and the venue is a trip . 

Glad to hear good reviews.   I have friends who did Phish and they said that videos online didn't do it justice.  Would try to make it down there to see for myself now that tickets appear to be easier to get, but summer is booked solid at this point.

>>>>> JRAD...full-on constant-climax treatment...They play everything with zero nuance

That's Tom Hamilton.  Scott Metzger is a lot more subtle and one of the best faux Bobs on the circuit. 

but "full-on constant-climax treatment" isn't an accurate representation of the dynamics JRAD brings to the music.

Don't kid yourself Mike, that is a 100% accurate assessment of JRAD LOL! Nothing breathes.  *I* get tired just listening to them. I enjoy them, but let's face it, it's 100%  Camaro crotch rock GD music.

HAHAHAHAHHA   I want to disagree but I don't.   

I do agree Scott is a little more tuned in.  

>>>speed-metal Dead isn't my cup of tea<<<

Damn, I thought I was the only one around here who didn't enjoy the Hallowed Q.

Woz, having seen a whole bunch of JRAD shows, that's definitely not my experience.
I agree they have some full throttle energy sometimes, but I find plenty of nuance withing those jams.
But jesus, when you compare them to the flaccid-ass pathetic drivel that Bob eeks out these days, I can see how that energy would be intimidating.
Sometimes they bring things down to a literal whisper, when the moment warrants it.
And yes, Hamilton is a way more agressive player than Scott, but he doesn't dominate every song.
Maybe try this track...vocals are not their prowess, but I don't feel a rushed, unbreathingness:

https://archive.org/details/jrad2022-12-03.cmc621.cmc64.sbd.matrix.flac2...

You picked a Pink Floyd track? LOL, yes it "breathes" for sure.....but I still do find their take on GD music pretty much as described above. It's different, and I've enjoyed every time I've seen them but "dynamics" are generally not in their musical vocabulary. I'm not comparing them to Bob, they are their own stand alone statement LOL!

And LOL, good one Tom!

Lol, I do really like their take on Floyd.
Ok, how about this:

https://archive.org/details/jrad2023-01-29.cmc621.cmc65xt.sbd.matrix.fla...

And my comparison to Bob was only due to this being a deadco sphere thread.
I (maybe wrongly) assumed that folks on here that were not enjoying jrad, probably liked Bro & Slow.

Neither of em really do it for me

Look all I'm saying is that Mission in the Rain was played at, like, 180 beats per minute and when Jerry played it at, like 12 bpm, most nights it could make your limbic system weep. You ain't gonna get all teary-eyed heartbroken during the JRAD version. Or during any other of their tunes.

They certainly can turn songs inside out. But there was no subtlety or emotional dynamics the night I saw them - it was all in-your-face jammin. Scott Metzger was doin full on Rockstar Bobby (Good Lovin teases throughout the night). And Russo can drum like a mutherfker. Don't they get tired?

I was enjoying myself the entire show. Didn't stop moving. We had a whole row to ourselves, as the place (outside, under a Shoreline-like tent, on a pier in Baltimore Habor) wasn't sold out. Lots of dads with their teen and young-adult kids in the audience. And quite a few other, younger, non-wookie post Jerry Deadheads, many of the female variety. I guess a lot of Deadco fans. (I was very impressed and surprised when a twenty something hipster looking dude complimented my Zero tee-shirt.)  Everybody, including the band, seemed to be having fun. They sure do what they do well. Well enough that I looked to see where they were playing the next night, just for curiosity. But it's not mood music.

> Mission in the Rain was played at, like, 180 beats per minute

Here's the MITR from Baltimore the other night. It's more like 90 BPM, I'd say.

https://archive.org/details/jrad2024-05-16/14+Mission+In+The+Rain+with+P...

90 BPM for reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slcdchaRQaw

And here's the Esau from that same show. Not what I'd call Camaro crotch rock GD.

https://archive.org/details/jrad2024-05-16/09+My+Brother+Esau.flac

Time for some actual science. My estimate of 90 BPM above was a bit low. I found an online tool that detects BPM, and it estimated JRAD's version to be 109 BPM. I also checked JGB's version of MITR from 03/01/1980 and it came in at 110 BPM. Maybe you guys are just listening to JRAD too damn fast.

An HONEST Review from a NON FAN of Dead & Company at The Sphere OPENING WEEKEND - 5/17/24

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQkILo4rNAM

This guy gives it a "9.8 out of 10"

He is not a Dead Head and has limited knowledge of their music and their songs, and especially the history of the band.

It felt like I had slipped into an alternate reality when I heard him explain how after Jerry died they continued on as "Dead & Company," and luckily found John Mayer whom he called a "worthy" successor to Jerry Garcia.

Another example of the era of "alternative facts."

Mike you know I love the science. There's just no moment in a JRAD show when time stops and you can hear a pin drop and your mind wanders to pondering your first love in elementary school. Maybe I'm referencing dynamics, not speed. Maybe I was distractted by the local eye candy twirling next to us. But I think we can all agree that a JRAD "ballad" is a far cry from a GD /Jerry ballad.

According to your tool, what's the slowest GD song? Comes a Time? Row Jimmy? High Time? Stella Blue? (Knowing it's era dependent). Which is still faster than Bobby's version of, well practically anything nowadays. 

To get it back to the Sphere, maybe run some Deadco metrics. 

and back to the Sphere -- my brother-in-law (not a Deadhead) had a layover in Vegas the other night and when he flew over the city skyline he was quite surprised to see a giant Steal Your Face peering up at him. He was amazed that the hippie cult band playing hockey arenas that his sister and her derelict friends used to follow around 40 years ago (driving his parents crazy) was now was an official American cultural artifact. Funny. 

> a JRAD "ballad" is a far cry from a GD /Jerry ballad

I totally agree, but at the same time, JRAD's not just balls-to-the-wall all the time. On the tension and release spectrum, they spend a lot of time whipping things into a frenzy, no doubt, but they don't crank it to eleven all night long. That would just suck, and be near impossible to listen to.

> what's the slowest GD song?

High Time, Black Peter (depending on the era), and Blues for Allah come to mind. I need to get on the road for LA this morning, but I'll check out some other GD tunes later, and some D&C too.

Good gosh, Stonesculptor, I def was not holding up Mission to be compared w Jerry.
Never, Jerry will always be it, re: the cannon.

My meager point was simply that not all JRAD is balls-to-the-wall wanky wank.
I get folks who don't like it, for various reasons. I enjoy the different direction & tratment.
There are various reasons that deadco will never do it for me.
It just feels like dwelling in the shadow of what used to be, or something.
Of course I would love to check out the sphere, just not for this band.
 

OK, we went Sat night and here's teh review:

We went over the the Venetian around 3-4 pm as we had an ulterior motive for buying some swag before the show, more on that later...the Dead and Co experience was fine enough, it was a swag mart downstairs but if you made it up the staircase you'd find a bunch of art and highly curated photos and bits...we met Big Steve up there and he was super kind and it was cool...now, onto the experience. We made it over the Bridge to the Sphere quite easily and the people and security were as pleasant and pleasant could be...getting over and getting thru security was a piece of cake. We each had a small fanny pack ( later ) and the guard went thru my bag, saw my pre-rolls and flower and said ' no smoking in the sphere , son ' and i said ' yes sir ' and that was that...

Made it up to our seats and we were near the top of 405 and the seats were fucking great...the venue is pretty easy to navigate and there are people everywhere to guide you. Bathrooms are clean and plentiful. The food and drink are expensive but you can bring in an empty water bottle and fill them up inside. 

The visuals were good and not, thankfully, relentless but effective. The AUDIO is beyond the pale. This is the 21st century realization of the Wall of Sound...

the singly most crystal clear audio i have ever heard in my 40+ years of being a stagehand and Technical Director. Just outstanding. My wife's comment was ' i never heard the vocals and music so clearly and yet not so loud at all.'

I saw some comments around ' at the end everyone was sitting down. meh ' - well, the seat haptics were BANGING and slamming...Mickey rattled our bones and the drums/space was not to be missed, visually and audio spatially indescribable, everything was synced up.

lastly, we had to escape a bit early due to catching the redeye back to the east coast...hence the fanny packs as i wouldn't let my wife bring any luggage for the return trip...we packed a duffle we were willing to part with and for the flight out we wore clothes from our donate pile and we only brought limited amenities that we could part with at the end of the day.  We ended up filling up the duffle with snacks and water and amenities and gave it away to someone who was obviously less fortunate than us.We bought some of our swag in the Venetian ( we like hoodies/sweat shirts ) so we got a hoodie each and packed the pockets with our travel blanket and neck pillow...to escape, we took the elevators straight to the 2nd floor and boogied down to the ride share area and made it to the airport and to our gate with minutes to spare...we missed the encore - OMSN and im fine with that overall though if we didnt have to book out, we'd a stayed...

Overall, id say go and HEAR what is essentially a 21st century wall of sound....you may never get this chance again

Mike you're a pro. Very impressive outing. Sounds hectic, but worthwhile.

I'm still curious to hear if/how the new venue affects the music (not the sound or the entertainment value). Until then I'm going back to the original Sphere:

When are they gonna bust out the drones in the sphere?, boy they could have some big fun with that. 
 

and the bees made honey in the lions head!

It felt like I had slipped into an alternate reality when I heard him explain how after Jerry died they continued on as "Dead & Company," and luckily found John Mayer whom he called a "worthy" successor to Jerry Garcia.

Another example of the era of "alternative facts."

I'll see that,

And raise you:

Discovered at last, the legendary lost manuscript of Grateful Dead co-founder and primary lyricist Robert Hunter, written in the early 1960s—a wry, richly observed, and enlightening remembrance of “the scene” in Palo Alto that gave rise to an incredible partnership of Hunter and Jerry Garcia, and then to the Grateful Dead itself—with a Foreword by John Mayer...

 It's all according to plan.

There's gotta be one there

more interested with the sound

like to hear if the sound was different or same quality between phish and deadco 

hopefully d/treeflo can shed some light on both runs 

thanks in advance

- tod

^ I was hoping it would sound like this Alligator I'm listening to from 05-18-1968.

There's an idea. Ditch the DeadCo, play old tapes, and have AI generate synched visuals. A Sphere time machine. 

i like the idea of a sphere time machine.  If I could go and listen to a 1968 Grateful Dead show (my favorite year) and have the band somehow recreated on that Sphere stage with that sound system, why I do believe I would go. 

Tod-

I would be glad to compare and contrast. Not going until the 12th of July run though. 

^^There's an idea. Ditch the DeadCo, play old tapes, and have AI generate synched visuals. A Sphere time machine.^^

Getting Charlie Miller on the horn now.  He would be the one with the audio, unless Lemieux wants to unleash the vault.

Would be so great, seriously!

>>>Sphere time machine

Sounds like the original plan for the Terrapin Station Project.

Have you ever had the feeling that even though you were listening to a recording of a show from 30-60 years ago, that you were actually affecting the music as much as it was affecting you? As if the making of the music is an eternal process, not something that is ever completed. Every time someone perceives it, it grows and changes, no matter future or past. Extra dimensions are folded up in something that appears finite. 

Time is strange. A Sphere Time Machine would be the perfect place to study this phenomenon.

I'm headed down tomorrow for Saturday only 

seat in 300's

whatcha got?!

Floor tomorrow night.

Right on!

Please report back, as so many views to explore!

~I'd travel multiple hours and cross state lines to see Vorty and Dark Star Orchestra crush a run in The Sphere!... 

Until then, as a Never-Mayer [Deadhead] im still looking forward to Bob & Mickey's post-Dead Co project:  Rat Planet? Dog Drum?
Glad everyone is enjoying their experience, regardless of who is Playin In The Band....  Live music has an amazing healing/restorative/celebratory gift given to those who attend.
 

Still rather see Phil in a li'l old park in Marin. No sphere, no light show, no custom stereo sound for each seat.

Just the music, please.

"Have you ever had the feeling that even though you were listening to a recording of a show from 30-60 years ago, that you were actually affecting the music as much as it was affecting you? As if the making of the music is an eternal process, not something that is ever completed."

I had more than a few times back in the day when I could distinctly feel the presence of many time travelers listening into the show from far in the future. That was part of what made it sometimes seem so crowded in there (along with Bill Graham selling the same tickets twice). 

u

^ south gets the finger all the time

JMF, don't forget us

Night 4 per Ratdog.org   Bob does not sing Bob on his 83rd B Day

I Need a Miracle
The Music Never Stopped
They Love Each Other
The Weight
Cassidy
Mama Tried
Althea

Playing in the Band (>)
Dark Star (>)
St. Stephen (>)
Let It Grow (>)
Drums (>)
Space (>)
Days Between (>)
Dear Mr. Fantasy(>)
Hey Jude (>)
Sugar Magnolia

Brokedown Palace
Touch of Grey

setlist from 5/25/24 Sphere show, as reported in the chat on Toph's Mixlr audio stream... I only listened to the last part of the show and it sounded OK

Dead & Company | May 25, 2024 (Saturday) | The Sphere | Las Vegas, NV

1st Set 
Bertha
Mississippi Half Step > 
Dancing in the Street > 
Maggie’s Farm
Deal

2nd Set 
Shakedown Street 
China Cat Sunflower > 
I Know You Rider 
Eyes of the World > 
Drums > Space > 
Black Peter
Brown Eyed Women
Hell in a Bucket
Throwing Stones 

E - Casey Jones

Toph announced, before signing off following tonight's Sphere show, that he was gonna hurry over to catch Jerry's Middle Finger playing their after-party gig... if Toph streams it, I'll try and post the link here

live audio stream of JMF after-party in Vegas...

https://toph-mac-dhuibhshithe.mixlr.com/events/3441678

Maybe Bob was watching the clock. They probably have a hard curfew at the venue.

Since Jerry died, I've been to numerous shows where I felt Bobby wanted to control things to a fault.  Two that immediately come to mind are The Rex benefit in Marin with Bruce - who actually had someone respond to me when I wrote him and called it out.  He acknowledged but wouldn't share the details.  The other was Fair the well - Fire on the mountain when Trey was trying to go into the final part and bobby cut him off,   But beyond that, I feel like most shows I've been to with Bobby in the past two decades, that he doesn't allow for things to drift where ever they may want to go.  There was a video from one of the first two nights of the sphere where Mayer wanted to jam out a bit and you could see how uncomfortable bobby was with this.   Who knows if it's control or age or just being booby.    Just my take...

Maybe he really had to pee.

I saw Jerry give Bob a dirty look for cutting him off during Estimated at Shoreline 88, I think.

a little late to the party here... with a link to a live Mixrl audio stream of marginal quality:

https://toph-mac-dhuibhshithe.mixlr.com/events/3444437

setlist so far:

Dead & Co. | May 26, 2024 | The Sphere | Las Vegas, NV

Set 1 - Samson & Delilah, Franklins Tower, Jack Straw, Friend of the Devil, Ramble on Rose, Feel Like a Stranger

Set 2 -Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain, All Along the Watchtower

Terrapin

live FB video:

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/vS1s67SbUM9K3T7o/?mibextid=oFDknk

video/audio quality is pretty darn good, thanks for link

Dead & Company | May 26, 2024 (Sunday) | The Sphere | Las Vegas, NV

Set 1 
Samson & Delilah
Franklins Tower
Jack Straw
Friend of the Devil
Ramble on Rose
Feel Like a Stranger

Set 2
Scarlet Begonias > 
Fire on the Mountain
All Along the Watchtower >
Terrapin Station >
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[Old News Clips of the Haight & the GD]

E - Not Fade Away

Bobby's starting to realize that he's not really in charge, anymore. The guy who owns the controlling share of the band is. The guy who fired Bill Kreutzmann.

Pretty sure if the internet was there in the 60's, 70's and 80's, Grateful Dead would not have had their remarkable 30 year run.  

Looks like they have about 4 shows worth of songs. 1st Set songs out of space isn't really "mixing it up".

First sets have shrunk down to 6 songs at least twice on this run....

1st Set songs out of space isn't really "mixing it up">>>that's where the missing tune(s) are going?

What an epic weekend and experience! 

"The guy who fired Bill Kreutzmann."

How is that even possible?!

Must not be selling as many tickets as they hoped... as predicted, more dates through 8/10

Nino^

For discussion sake, and this may  be nothing new to anyone:

Maybe things have slowed down since the post covid rush with lots of shows and festivals competing. Im sure alot of sales are down and could possibly result in Skull and Roses type implosions.

 "Low sales for every act", wasn't my experience for Phish. Tickemaster sold out instantly, then prices jumped to the $500-$800 range on Stubhub and never dipped. Subsequently prices went through the roof, the week of.  I was monitoring Cash or trade constantly and it was commonplace to see over 500, almost instantaneous offers on not optimum seats, for over $1400 a pair during the week leading up to the show. Conversely, one can get below face value tix for any D & C show on Cash or Trade, right up to doors, and Ticketbastard still has original, never sold seats for every show.  Just sayin' & that being said; im glad D&C is playing an extended run and it was easy and "cheap", comparatively, to get good seats for D&C  July 11-13. Looks like a fun time and happy to be going. The Sphere is next level and just getting started.

Not sure how you define " not selling as many tickets as they hoped" it seems every show is just about sold out with I believe the exception  late release of " package tickets"  .  I would say the opposite, it is highly successful .   The Sphere holds 18,600 so even if the sold only 15K per night, 85% of the seats each night  that is still 360,000 tickets.   It's safe to say that they will probably sell close to 500,000 tickets, that translates to about $125,000,000 gross with the additional August shows with and average first ticket cost of $250.  Also the relative cost of doing these shows is much lower than traveling from city to city.  I think by every metric starting from ticket sales to overwhelming positive reviews its been a great success and they can settle into the Sphere once a year .

It's hard to know what's a sell out and what isn't as they hold tickets, pull tickets to increase demand and push up prices. The late drops  before the shows have demonstrated that they are undersold to me

Not sure how you define " not selling as many tickets as they hoped" it seems every show is just about sold out with I believe the exception  late release of " package tickets"  .  I would say the opposite, it is highly successful .   The Sphere holds 18,600 so even if the sold only 15K per night, 85% of the seats each night  that is still 360,000 tickets.   It's safe to say that they will probably sell close to 500,000 tickets, that translates to about $125,000,000 gross with the additional August shows with and average first ticket cost of $250.  Also the relative cost of doing these shows is much lower than traveling from city to city.  I think by every metric starting from ticket sales to overwhelming positive reviews its been a great success and they can settle into the Sphere once a year .<<<<

Fluffer.

Yes overall, your are correct concert revenues will be down, mostly because of Taylor Swift.   I think the Sphere and and the Dead and Co residency has a different set of metrics than traditional touring from stadium to stadium.  Had it only be 4 nights, I am sure it would have sold out.  Extended residencies are about long term consistent minimum box office not necessarily selling out.  The Vegas destination makes it even a bit trickier. In the end if they sell 85-95% of their seats its pretty remarkable.  

Festivals seem to be struggling as well, which is a shame.  

"The guy who fired Bill Kreutzmann."

How is that even possible?!

It shouldn't be.

A bit like when Roger Waters canned Rick Wright and then rehired him as a sideman in his own Band. 

Everything's done under the sun.

Money

It's a crime

Share it fairly but don't take a slice of my pie

"The guy who fired Bill Kreutzmann."

How is that even possible?!

Billy was once one of the greatest rock Drummers ever, But he can no longer play worth a damn, nor can he be relied on to by physically capable of playing. His playing with Billy and the kids was awful. "Firing" him was the right move as at least Jay can play. And the dude is still getting paid....

c'mon, billy's body couldn't handle much more

billy did what billy does

is the music good or what?

i just can't do bobby or mayo. the tempos are up? or is it still plodding and shaternized?

i mean pretty lights are cool but is the engine running or what?

I just went to three at the Sphere and thought the music was fantastic and the entire presentation was mind blowing. That band is tight as a drum and very good at what they do. Beats the half assed bands that Phil fields for $150 a throw.

Bobby hasn't "Shatnerized" in years, and IMO Mayer is a great guitar player and has really grown into the roll. DeadCo is for my money by light years the best post Jerry band, period.

c'mon, billy's body couldn't handle much more

Exactly and it is why he should enjoy Hawaii, retirement and his hot young wife

I thought Dead and Co. really hit a stride last summer tour. I thought their tempos were fine. I don't know if they can continue what they accomplished in the summer of '23 , but sounds like folks are having fun at the Sphere. My favorite post Jerry is still the Q from the early 2000's. If you are not a Warren fan then I could see thinking otherwise, but for me nobody can do the Jerry ballads as good as Warren. 

im not really a warren fan, but the Q has a special synergy and he works well in that group. everyone melds together like peanut butter and jelly. IMO gripes about the playing or style of individual band members are a bit silly in the face of such undeniable group chemistry. i feel similar about JRAD - the complaints about the music being to amped up or not enough nuance just fall flat for me because those 5 guys gel together as a band perfectly, and regardless of tempo or how much climax the band offers, the improvisations are more creative and more exiting than the vast majority of bands playing GD music, especially now in 2024.\

overall i feel like deadco gets a bit to much hate here on the zone, just like furthur did before them, but to call them the best post jerry band is getting pretty out there imo. i feel like even furthur threw down harder than deadco most nights. it was enjoyable to poke fun at JK and there were very clear issues to criticize with furthur, but overall thats another group that just happened to gel very well together from the get go. it seemed like they kept JK turned down a bit to highlight phil and bob, and tone down the "fake jerry" vibes, and unwittingly ended up with a sort of ensamble sound that really upended the tyraditional mix for a rock band  and lent itself extremely well to improvisation. phil, russo and chimenti are just incredible, incredible players.

>>>i just can't do bobby or mayo<<<

That's the thing Turtle. You don't have to DO them, you just have to LISTEN to them.

And they just added six more shows to the run and people think the shows aren't selling well?

The Dead & Company hate is starting to get desperate.

^ dead co

the wayne newton of dirt

btw, I will see this

just gotta figure it out when

24 shows left

vegas, middle of summer, hot as fuck

odds are in my favor

has Deadco ever written or played an original tune? If no, why not? (asking for a friend)

^ that's all they do homie

play written original tunes

'it was enjoyable to poke fun at JK and there were very clear issues to criticize with Furthur, but overall that's another group that just happened to gel very well together from the get go. it seemed like they kept JK turned down a bit to highlight Phil and Bob, and tone down the "fake Jerry" vibes

I agree, and that was to the band's detriment. I recall the last three shows I saw them play at the Greek in Berkeley that JK was finally "unchained" and tis were the best three shows I saw thm play, and I saw well over 50 Furthur shows.

It is also why I think DeadCo is better, the band allows JM to play lead and lead the band the way ot should be and the results are better. Phil is really missing as nobody plays bass like him, but that shipped sailed a log time ago.....

I'm going to try and go back in August. The totality of the experience from the sound to the visuals is something every person that loves live music should experience. It's mind blowing.

I don't think JK was chained in Furthur. His best schtick was fake Jerry. Haven't heard anything from him since that would qualify as improv or indicate that he was held back. However, for my ear, Furthur had a much better sound than D&C because of the Phil, Chementi, Russo combo with the added fake Jerry Jk.  Song selection and slightly faster tempo ( much slower than average  JRAD) was more to my taste as well. I agree, the Berkely shows were very good Furthur esp the Franklin's Tower.  Just my .02 cents. Not hating just comparing and contrasing for discussion sake, ymmv

The Dead & Company hate is starting to get desperate.<<<

I disagree on the hate part. It's more of a disdainful indifference, mixed with morbid curiosity.

Let's ask Mr Peabody and Sherman to fire up the the WayBac machine and revisit the year 2010:

from crackbook:

In an over saturated market

Only one man was brave enough to go for the ultimate cash grab

simultaneously pawning not only his own soul but Jerry Garcia's too

Bob Sphere

Dead Forever

> disdainful indifference

That's D&C's business model, isn't it? For the community, for the music, for their legacy?

I'm just happy no one is saying, "These are the last shows Weir doing."  It sounds like everyone who has gone has thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and that's all that matters. Jerry once said something regarding Licorice ;)

I'm a stubborn fuck who misses Jerry. And although i don't really care for Mr. Mayonnaise's love for excessively expensive trinkets, he is talented and has dedicated himself to the songbook, and many like him. I just feel like adding him to the roster was designed to specifically attract a younger crowd, and he did.  It's nice to read of older heads enjoying the experience.  TETO.

just asked a question...

put on some Sphere vids on the you tube Television, watched the cool vids, then had to go to the kitchen where I had no view of the vids, after a while my you tube shuffled to Gd 5/8/79...my wife said.." Now This Sounds Good!" I understand completely I think The August 1st show should be something Special though Have Fun

Something just feels right about Bobby winding up a Vegas act.

Really miss Phil's bass in the mix.  It's that whole contrapuntal improvisatory style of playing that adds another lead voice to the music.  Maybe Dave Schools or Les Claypool could bring it?  I've seen Oteil solo and he sounds fine.  I haven't heard him turned up that much in D $ Co.

I'm still trying to figure out what Mickey does

and they'd better not fuck up he's gone tomorrow night!

>>I'm still trying to figure out what Mickey does<<

well, he is back to rapping FOTM so there is that ....

Please tell me he isn't really rapping Friend of the Devil again.  

I mean Fire On the Mountain

>>>he is back to rapping FOTM so there is that

Shit...don't say that.  Between Booby's ending and Mickeys talking, they sure butchered a great jam

>>>Something just feels right about Bobby winding up a Vegas act.

Nahnahnah I know where to go...

Las Vegas! A profit in the burning sand.

Las Vegas! Like the Grateful Dead in Disneyland.

I think Billy Shears just won the thread.

Every time I see this title, I wanna jump into a verse from Todd Snider's "Beer Run".

B double E double R U N.

$5 and a sober driver!

LOLOLOL

In terms of payment in Dead Co. someone told me the order is

1- Mayer

2- Manager

3- Bobby 

that can't be true can it? 

I actually think it is:

Azoff

Mayer

Bobby

But yes, Mayer has been getting a larger cut than Bob for awhile now.

break out tonight

i fought the law

.

Bobby- a slave to the grind 

It's Alright Ma.....

well shit this is all too long to read lol

props to GaryFish for the DNB stuff

is all i got to say

5/30 from Ratdog.org.....   Added August 1,2,3 & 8,9,10  On sale today via Ticketbastard

Iko Iko
Eyes
Bertha
Loser 
El Paso
Cold Rain

Ripple
Estimated >
Mr Charlie
Help>
Slipknot>
Franklin>
Drumz>
SOTM >
Althea
GDTRFB >
Knockin On Heaven's Door

E: Fire

Estimated >
Mr Charlie

No spot taken.  But I  am curious about that ">".

^   S-P-H-E-R-E, Sphere Run.  Nice Mark. 

All you need is a grand for the scene

See slowed down bears dancin' on that screen 

Why isn't  Oteil singing lead at the Sphere?  Great voice on ballads.....

Note to Bobby: Put China Doll, High Time, World to Give & Comes a Time back in the rotation.

So far I have been to 4 of the 6 and enjoyed each one a lot. They are playing great, the venue is a trip, literally, and San Diego to Las Vegas is easy peasy. 

I have been going with my son or my wife and Sunday I went solo. I will be back in three weeks to go with my dad and son that'll be awesome. 

Woz I am on the exact same page as you including the comment on my last three Furthur shows when JK was truly unchained and those shows were great but I do not think Furthur holds a candle to Dead & Co. That said my favorite post Jerry band was The Q. 

Many who bash Dead & Co have never even seen them which I find ridiculous. Just don't go but no need to bash the band as that is WEAK SAUCE. 

So far I have been to 4 of the 6 and enjoyed each one a lot. They are playing great, the venue is a trip, literally, and San Diego to Las Vegas is easy peasy. 

I have been going with my son or my wife and Sunday I went solo. I will be back in three weeks to go with my dad and son that'll be awesome. 

Woz I am on the exact same page as you including the comment on my last three Furthur shows when JK was truly unchained and those shows were great but I do not think Furthur holds a candle to Dead & Co. That said my favorite post Jerry band was The Q. 

Many who bash Dead & Co have never even seen them which I find ridiculous. Just don't go but no need to bash the band as that is WEAK SAUCE. 

Last Saturday's Sphere show for me was the best post GD show I've been to, and that's not counting the visuals.   There's an amazing lift off from the Haight (since the visual field is about 210 degrees, you feel as though you are hanging out in space) and the Sphere appears to go up into space where all sorts of things happen.  I mean just zooming through the universe is amazing if you buy into it, but then there's a lot of other stuff that happens.  There are some beautiful nature and mountain scenes, some strange and beautiful organic morphing shapes, other much more complicated things.  There was a really lovely pyramids and moon scene that was so realistic.  Does it all fit with the music? No but it doesn't really detract from it either.  Too many bears?  Well if 20% bears is too much for you then yes.  If you like the psycle Sam from the GD movie there is an expanded version of that.   If you don't like Mayer then don't go, but for me, he's more in the GD song groove than ever.  Just plain psychedelic, I'd say.  Tempos are up.  Also hard to believe but his voice is less affected.   Plane flights round trip from Boston were $200 and hotels totaled about $100 a night.   There are some pretty affordable food options off the strip. Ticket prices are down.  

That said my favorite post Jerry band was The Q. 

From the start to Red Rocks 2001 they had something super special. After that it became like summer reruns, that band was only able to catch lightning ina bottle once. Still Phil's best ban by a country a mile, but that initial run was really special.

I'm plotting my return to Sphere. A weekend in August for sure, and when I think about it I could do an overnight on a Thursday and not get a hotel, buy a cheap ticket last minute and leave on the 6:00am flight Friday morning. No hotel, just a couple of hours hanging blazed in a casino post show LOL!

but for me, he's more in the GD song groove than ever.  Just plain psychedelic, I'd say. 

Yup. Totally agree.

>Why isn't  Oteil singing lead at the Sphere?  Great voice on ballads.....<

Corporate Rock -- it's the Meyer / Weir show -- Oteil is (now more than ever) a hired hand on a short leash and Don Was is waiting in the wings.

I wouldn't invest in the Sphere concept right now.  It's almost outdated. Currently Ii's  basically Taylor Swift for baby boomers wrapped in the Vegas package. Another multi-million dollar dancing water fountain on the Strip. Disguised as a concert hall to do what Vegas does best --- take your money in return for glitter and pretty colors and a shot of dopamine.  (Need a drink? A robot will deliver it to your seat just the way you like it --- it's in your Live Nation profile -- if you order the silver premium ticket package.) But really, why build a venue at all?

If you want to take the next step in the "sit-in-your-seat-and-watch-amazing-visuals-and-hear-superimpressive-sound," just wait til the entertainment industry markets disposable virtual reality headsets with holographic audio. Buy your ticket and Amazon Prime delivers them to your door the next day. A one-shot deal so you have to buy them again for the next concert.

At first concerts will be "streaming" to attract the couch tour audience who will gladly pay to be part of live shows in real time.  Your friends on social media will appear to be in your row -- but they will be in their own homes, miles away.

Eventually  AI will be added to personalize the experience -- Bob Weir will give a shout out just to you, while he plays your chosen set list.

It's a logical progression in individualized entertainment. (Modern venues have already gotten rid of communal dancing, the essence of the ballroom experience that the Grateful Dead embraced at the start. Sure there were always people that were content to watch the show from their seats, or were too stoned to move, but people passed joints around and mingled. In other words, a Grateful Dead concert was a social experience. Even Deadco stadium shows provided that.) Getting large groups of humans together under one roof is just not all that efficient.

Corporate rock is intent on maximizing profits and infrastructure is the next big expense to go. See ya Mr Sphere.

Enjoy it while it's here.

Setlist FM 5/31

Shakedown   J Straw   Speedway   Row Jimmy   T Jed   Playin'   Don't Ease

UJB   China   Rider   Dark Star   Drums/Space   Stella   Terrapin   Bucket   Black Muddy   E: Casey Jones

"John of the Dead"

Wild to see the divisiveness on John at this point. He is IT guys. This thing doesn't move forward without him, and we want it to move forward. He doesn't miss a note. He is the one. He is chosen.

Let's pass the torch peacefully when the time comes. Do yourself a favor and get on board.

 https://old.reddit.com/r/deadandcompany/comments/1d4p1nu/john_of_the_dead/

just in case anyone wants a little chuckle. john mayer is the chosen one guys, better get on board before the official torch passing. apparently GD music can not move forward without him.

Kinda surprised ^that^ post isn't from r/deadheadcirclejerk/

>>>E: Fire

Assume that one was for Bill Walton.  Just learned that it was his favorite song.  RIP.   

^ As mentioned,  I think once they get the googles / headsets comfortable enough to wear, and cheap enough, places like the Sphere are doomed. Since all the social interaction at such places is already being subtracted (no dancing in the hallways anymore) --- why have a super-expensive building at all? I hear Apple's units are pretty amazing and can recreate looking around a room with high res trippy visuals. If it's exactly like "being there", why travel to Vegas? Perhaps Deadheads have an innate need to physically congregate with like-minded souls, but does the next generation of music fans? 

Virtual-reality concerts could redefine the live-music experience — but it'll take more time

"The market for immersive concerts and live experiences in VR will be a massive shift in the paradigm of performance."...For fans, skirting painful concert-ticket prices, avoiding large crowds at venues, and experiencing their favorite musicians in an alternate world are convincing perks....

The company is using visual-effect modules and a custom renderer — used to generate an image from a 2D or 3D model — powered by artificial intelligence and Unreal Engine, a real-time 3D-creation tool. With the help of a top engineering team, the company's technologies allow it to capture immersive concert footage in 8K resolution, creating sharp visuals.

"These technologies empower us to produce hyperrealistic VR concerts that make attendees feel as though they are face-to-face with the artists," Lee said.

https://www.businessinsider.com/extended-reality-meta-quest-vr-music-art...

Goose and Umphreys are already in on it -

TUNE IN FROM HOME. VIBE OUT IN PERSON. - A creator portal designed for Artists that enables the broadcast of live concerts, VR music video, and 360-degree music visualization. Produce, host, and perform live in VR from anywhere.

https://www.soundscapeuniverse.com/vr-concerts/

big hair night

who got that audio

ol' skool 

chinger action

kinda scary 

i know

dig deep

post

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