The reincarnation of the great American rock band, The Grateful Dead, is back with their old soul but with a new sound.
It all began when John Mayer was hosting The Late Late Show and invited Grateful Dead guitar player Bob Weir to join him in a studio performance on the show. Months later they decided that the magic was oh so real and that they needed to create Dead & Company. A band made up of previous Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Kreutzmann. As well as the wonderful additions of John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, and Jeff Chimenti.
In the beginning, everyone was skeptical. Thinking that this was the downfall for all Deadheads. John Mayer was the bad boy of pop with hits like "Your Body is a Wonderland", "Daughters", and "Half of My Heart". On October 31st, 2015 the band played a show at Madison Square Garden in New York. When everyone finally realized that they had created instrumental madness and the perfect resurrection of The Dead, it was clear to see that a tour needed to occur.
On February 8th, the band officially announced their summer tour. A tour with 24 shows full of love, history, and soul. I was lucky enough to attend a show in Bristow, Virginia and here is my review.
I grew up on John Mayer as a child. Loving everything he produced. From "Slow Dancing In a Burning Room" to "Who Says" I've loved his voice, soul, and pure lyrical bliss. In February my Mom bought us tickets to see Dead & Company for the sole purpose of finally being able to seeJohn Mayer.
In typical fashion, months before the concert my Mom and I begin rehearsing Grateful Dead songs from "Rain and Snow", "Casey Jones", and "They Love Each Other". We refused to listen to any Dead & Company songs on YouTube to make sure that we would be completely surprised by the obvious magical harmony that was to come. I became obsessed. The sound, the instrumentals, the old soul that came with it all - it was everything and more to me in that moment.
Finally June 23rd had come and it was the day that I would see John Mayer live singing all of my new, to me, favorite songs. We arrived at Bristow, Virginia at the Jiffy Lube Live outdoor arena and it was honestly a sight that I did not expect to see. Families. Hundreds and hundreds of families, ages ranging from toddler to grandparents. It was incredible. I'd expected previous Deadheads and a few kids my age but not an entire family. But that's what they were, a family. Everyone was friendly and hugging and just loving the entire atmosphere - the show had yet to even start.
Finally 7:15 had hit and the show had begun. They walked out on stage and I'm not going to lie, I began to cry. The guitars blending, the drumming mixed with the keyboard, and the vocals together were too much for me to bear. My heart couldn't take it. It was everything I expected and absolutely more. John Mayer's voice blended with Bob Weir's genuinely the best sound I have ever heard. It was angelic. It made everyone dance. It made everyone free.
As I began to calm down I looked around me - everyone was dancing with their eyes closed. Not caring about what they could see but only about what they could feel. The music that had touched their souls once as children had touched them again but with a new voice. It was so genuine and real, there was nothing better than this sight.
The show continued and so did the music. As I've been to several concerts in my life. I noticed something. There were no breaks only gaps between each song so that the ending of the previous song and the intro to the next song were to be heard individually rather than blended. It was incredible. There was no talking just singing and playing.
When the intermission began, my mom and I just sat in our seats. Completely and totally stunned. The atmosphere, the sound, the happiness it all surrounded us and was unbreakable. The blending of Weir, Mayer, and Burbridge on guitar was insane. There was never a sense that one was out playing the other. It was pure harmony and absolute bliss to everyone in the audience. Jeff Chimenti was the perfect addition on the keyboards and to their vocal sound. The Grateful Dead is resurrected and in the most wonderful, new way. I feel as if Jerry Garcia is proud and smiling down on them.
I promise you there are no shows that will ever compare to the one that Dead & Company puts on. A new era has arrived and it's incredible, so hear it for yourselves. I wish you could've been there.
