Concert Reviews

Dead & Company: blues, ballads, and lots of drums for ‘One More Saturday Night’ at Fenway

As long as the band’s legacy continues to evolve in some way, shape, or form, there’s no sign that it will be stopping anytime soon.

In 2017, Dead & Company also performed at Fenway. Pictured on stage, (from left) are Oteil Burbridge (bass/drums), John Mayer (guitar), Bill Kreutzmann (drums), Mickey Hart (drums), and Bob Weir (guitar) also on the video screen in concert at Fenway Park. (Matthew J. Lee/Globe staff)

By Perry Eaton

4 minutes to read

In the Grateful Dead’s vast, near-60-year history, the term “final” used to describe a show or tour has grown increasingly dubious, yet simultaneously contested.

Many longtime Deadheads would say that the band’s definitive end came upon the passing of founding guitarist Jerry Garcia in 1995. Others might point to 2015’s “Fare Thee Well,” a three-night run of shows at Chicago’s Soldier’s Field that marked the last appearance of remaining members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann together on one stage, as a closing of the book.

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Now, Dead & Company, a band never claiming to be the Grateful Dead, but formed around the nucleus of Weir, Hart, and Kreutzmann, with a supporting cast that includes guitarist John Mayer, has embarked on its “Final Tour” — a trek that landed at Fenway Park for the first of two shows on Saturday night. 

For many, the prospect that any Dead-adjacent tour could be the last we see a collection of original members onstage together is an alarming one. Enough, at least, to pack Fenway Park despite rainy skies earlier in the day.  

After a brief warmup jam, the band landed quickly on “Cassidy,” a song first appearing on Weir’s 1972 solo album “Ace.”

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A sign of things to come for the evening, the band opened the song up to breathe, allowing Mayer to hit some early peaks in the solo section. Perhaps nothing but coincidence, Weir acknowledged the weight of the occasion with the repetition of the lyrics, “Fare thee well now, let your life proceed by its own design.”

“Brown-Eyed Women” proved to be the gem of set one. Not only did Mayer’s vocals shine, but keyboardist Jeff Chimenti answered the call and provided energy and vibrance when the rounds of improvisation pointed to him. 

A nod to the resilient Boston weather, “Here Comes Sunshine” showcased Mayer’s evolved sound within the collective.

Growing up idolizing blues legends like Buddy Guy and B.B. King, Mayer spent the early part of his tenure with Dead & Company adding his own shades of 12-bar brilliance to the equation. Eight years later, he’s picked up more than a few tricks of the Dead trade, finding a comfortable pocket within Weir’s signature rhythm playing, and stirring in an impressive Garcia-esque twinkle, trading the tendency to play a lot of notes for the instinct to play that one essential note.

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Bassist Oteil Burbridge owned the vocal duties on Jerry ballad “China Doll” and took full advantage, pulling the pulp from every lyric and pacifying the Fenway crowd as the sun began to set. 

A blues-driven first set spilled over into set two as the group launched with “New Speedway Boogie.” An oft-held critique among Dead & Company fans points to slower tempos relative to the Dead’s touring heyday, and this rendition was the clearest example of the evening. It didn’t stop the crowd, however, from echoing some fan-favorite lyrics along the way.

“Dark Star,” perhaps the definitive live staple in the band’s repertoire, meandered at times and swelled at others, though anyone familiar with the Dead’s exploratory nature knows that you can’t have the latter without the former.

“Dark Star,” along with the proceeding “The Other One,” put the spotlight on Weir. As the rhythm guitarist, he does more than set the tone for the group. He seems to always be in search of new threads to weave into the overall fabric, and every so often, his mastery truly manifests in the open spaces of a jam. 

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A triumphant “Terrapin Station” was the centerpiece of set two — a soldiering movement of tension and release enveloping with the harmonized guitars of Weir and Mayer. A transfixed Fenway faithful were at no point more locked in than with the culminating chants of “Terrapin.”

Percussionist Mickey Hart is constantly in the laboratory, and welcomed the audience into his mind during an extended and particularly experimental “Drums” into “Space.” A second-set tradition, Hart sparred with guest drummer Jay Lane, who tagged in for Bill Kreutzmann upon Kreutzmann’s decision to forgo this final tour.

Already a member of the Dead extended family, Lane fit like a glove both within the full band’s sound and as a complement to Hart’s thunderous rhythms.

Teary ballad “Black Peter” gave way to “One More Saturday Night,” a Weir original and familiar closer. Not only did the blues number cap off the night with immense spirit, it seemed to provide a “see you later” to the crowd rather than a “goodbye,” whether later means at Sunday night’s show or somewhere else down the road. 

An evening with Dead & Company is a welcome reminder that the more things change, the legacy of the band will always feel familiar.

Whether it’s the buzz of Shakedown Street, the popular pre-show parking lot bazaar that appeared to be alive and well off of Brookline Avenue or the ability to stretch 17 songs into a show that clocked in at three hours and 45 minutes, there are certain truths that one can always depend on when any formation of the Dead come to town. 

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And while many fans of the Grateful Dead may have gotten off the bus long ago, the magic is still alive for others. When asked, “What’s your favorite Dead show?” It’s no coincidence that a common response among fans is, “the next one.”

Saturday night’s performance proved that, in the words of the band, “the music never stopped.” And as long as the band’s legacy continues to evolve in some way, shape, or form, there’s no sign that it will be stopping anytime soon. 

Setlist

Set 1: Cassidy, Brown-Eyed Women, I Need a Miracle, Here Comes Sunshine, Tennessee Jed, China Doll, Viola Lee Blues, The Music Never Stopped

Set 2: New Speedway Boogie, Dark Star, The Other One, Terrapin Station, Drums, Space, Black Peter, Casey Jones, One More Saturday Night  

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