Grateful Dead music filled the air once again on Friday night at Golden Gate Park.
And, really, there was nothing left to do but “smile, smile, smile.”
The joy was simply overwhelming as some 55,000 Deadheads — some old enough to remember when Jerry Garcia and company used to play this iconic San Francisco spot; while others hadn’t even been born when Garcia died in 1995 — turned out to Night 1 of the three-day celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Bay Area’s own Grateful Dead.
Our host for the evening was Dead & Company, the phenomenally popular Grateful Dead offshoot featuring longtime Dead members Bob Weir on vocals and guitar and Mickey Hart on drums as well as as well as guitarist-vocalist John Mayer, bassist Oteil Burbridge, keyboardist Jeff Chimenti and drummer Jay Lane.
Yes, this is the same Dead & Company that famously concluded its touring career in 2023 with three sold-out shows at Oracle Park in San Francisco. Yet, Mayer and his buddies have found plenty of loopholes in that original band decree in order to keep playing — and keep making mountains of loot — most notably by performing two lengthy residences at the Sphere in Las Vegas, the most recent of which just finished up in May.
But, hey, Deadheads certainly aren’t complaining. Indeed, they cherish pretty much any chance to hear Grateful Dead music played live.
The healthy dose that they received on Friday included 16 songs over the course of more than three hours and two sets. It wasn’t, however, primetime Dead & Company — a band that can occasionally hit such great heights in concert (listen to tapes of its March 21, 2025 Sphere show for proof) — but it still contained some nice moments.
(This review will be updated shortly please check back)
Dead & Company Night 1 setlist
1. “Feel Like a Stranger”
2. “Dancing in the Street”
3. “Tennessee Jed”
4. “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo”
5. “Big River”
6. “Althea”
Set 2:
7. “Box of Rain”
8. “Playing in the Band”
9. “Estimated Prophet”
10. “Eyes of the World”
11. “Terrapin Station”
12. “Drums”
13. “Space”
14. “Wharf Rat”
15. “Not Fade Away”
Encore:
16. “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”
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