On the heels of a spectacular two set performance in Charlotte the night prior, Dead and Company opened their second show in two days at Atlanta’s Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood, Atlanta, GA on June 29th with fan favorite Scarlet Begonias that hit the crowd on impact. The band opened with the same passion that those following the 2019 summer tour have come to expect, and sent the crowd into their first psychedelic ride of the evening. “Scarlet’s” partner-in-crime, “Fire on the Mountain,” did not immediately follow- but was not out of the picture for this thrill ride of a show.
As things got rolling, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart and the “new guys” (John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, and Jeff Chimenti) broke into an old fan favorite ‘The Music Never Stopped’. Mayer filled in nicely with backing vocals. In reference to Georgia’s neighbor to the west, which was not included on the current tour, Dead and Company entered into their third “Alabama Getaway” of the summer sour. This was Mayer’s first lead on vocals of the evening and as fans have to expect, absolutely ripping the guitar solos. Weir then broke into our first cover of the evening as he sang Johnny Cash’s “Big River” which featured Chimenti’s most noticeable keyboard solos of the evening up to this point; the band then brought out “West LA Fadeaway” for the first time on the summer tour.
Following the crowd favorite, Weir then started strumming the introduction to a familiar tune, before exclaiming what sounded like ‘oh f*ck’. It was apparent that he had started the wrong song. After a good laugh from the crowd, the band broke out into an ode to Georgia’s friendly neighbors to the north with the sing-a-long “Tennessee Jed.” A massive “Bird Song” sandwich was up next, as this was the high-point of the first set as the band seemed to be totally sync while playing this Jerry Garcia ballad. “Loose Lucy” followed and after a strong finish, the band jumped back into a triumphant second part of “Bird Song” to close out the first set. Bobby left the crowd wanting more, but purposefully leaving out the very last words of the song, and interjecting with ‘we’ll be back in just a few minutes’.
After the set break, Dead & Co started out with a mysterious yet familiar jam. After a few minutes or so, most deadheads knew that we were into “The Other One.” The jam took the crowd through quite a ride before the band segued into “Franklin’s Tower.” This was Mayer’s time to shine as he absolutely ripped the six-string and belted out the vocals. Towards the end of the song, the music got quiet, as did the crowd and the last verse was played unusually slow, but the last chorus was brought forth with as much energy as we’d seen all night. It was truly a spectacular moment during an absolutely beautiful evening.
The band then transitioned into a tour debut of ‘Crazy Fingers’, before electrifying the crowd as they started the familiar intro to “Terrapin Station.” As soon as Mayer hit ‘Let my Inspiration flow’, his vocals resonated throughout the amphitheater as he soothingly gave the “Lady With a Fan” segment to an audience singing along. The instrumental moments during “Terrapin” were the strongest of the entire show- even amongst a set that contained “The Other One” and “Franklin’s Tower.” Weir’s vocal section of “Terrapin” hit the crowd with power, and left an unforgettable moment of a show full of memories. Once “Terrapin” was complete, we realized that “The Other One” was not and psychedelic jams broke out in full-force as the whole band collided with incredible rhythm and groove.
After a “Drums/Space” adventure which including Burbridge on percussion, the band went into one of their specialties – “Althea.” Weir and Mayer were playing noticeably well with each other, and the band just sounded perfect after their short break off-stage together. Things got emotional during “Standing on the Moon” and those close enough to see say that they may have seen Weir shed a tear, and speculation is that it may have been because it was his wife’s birthday. Regardless of the reason, or whether there were tears at all, the crowd can all agree that this “Standing on the Moon” was one of the highlights of a hit-fueled second set. The energy picked back up for “One More Saturday Night,” which featured some of the most epic screams/yelps/sounds from Weir one would ever hear.
As the band wrapped up Saturday Night, we all knew they weren’t finished yet. The last song that Dead and Co graced us with was the partner of our evening’s first song. Burbridge got to sing “Fire on the Mountain” and everything felt right in the world. As the final notes were played, the crowd applauded ferociously. We all knew it would be some time until the Dead would return to Atlanta but we all left knowing that they gave it their all, both with this outstanding performance and a massive setlist.
Photos by Ian Rawn
One Response
I wasn’t there but a good friend was and said it all seemed slowed down (no, she wasn’t stoned), and was — dare I say it — boring! She said she heard the same thing from a few others (who also left early). Pretty different from a scorcher!