Dead and Company performing at Wrigley Field in Chicago on June 15, 2019
Wrigley Field was the place to be on Saturday night (June 15) as Dead & Company took over the home of the Cubs for the second show of their two-night run in Chicago. Likewise, thousands of casual listeners and devout fans alike flocked to “The Friendly Confines,” filling the venue with warm vibes while subsequently dancing the night away.
After triumphing over a somewhat rainy Friday night with a packed setlist of fan favorites including “Brown-Eyed Woman,” “China Cat Sunflower” and “I Know You Rider” (to name just a few), a choice cover of Bob Dylan‘s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” and the live debut of “To Lay Me Down” (complete with John Mayer on pedal steel guitar), expectations were nothing short of sky high for Day Two. And the band did not disappoint, dishing up a healthy serving of music for the soul, both crowd-pleasing and complex.
Kicking things off with the mellow sounds of “Lady with a Fan” into “Terrapin Station,” the former with Mayer taking up lead vocals, the latter with Bob Weir, the night’s tone was set. The first notes of “Sugar Magnolia” had the crowd moving and grooving in step, as Mayer noodled his way through a welcome jam that peaked with smooth keys from Jeff Chimenti. A funky “Mr. Charlie” followed, giving bassist Oteil Burbridge some subtle spotlight, prior to his taking the mic for a round of soulful vocals on “High Time.”
Highlights from Set One came in the form of an epic late ’60s, early ’70s sing-song trio. “Friend of the Devil” found Weir plucking an acoustic guitar while trading vocal verses with Mayer, prior to the duo joining forces for an upbeat rendition of “Bertha” — elevated by Chimenti’s handiwork on the organ and some more traditional rock & roll guitar solo stylings from Mayer. The group completed the three-pack with a cover of Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried,” which saw the members gather for a mid-song pow-wow, only to reprise the tune for a welcome transition into a blazing “Turn On Your Love Light” to close out the first set.
Dead and Company performing at Wrigley Field in Chicago on June 15, 2019
Where Set One was more straight-ahead, Set Two found the band channeling their more explorative side, beginning with a slow and moody “Spanish Jam.” The tune evolved into fan fav “Scarlet Begonias,” before returning to the former for an introspective jam, fusing Chimenti’s keys with Mayer’s distinct style finger-picking.
Mayer dug further into his bag of tricks to compliment Weir’s gruff vocals with some patient bluesy guitar work on “New Speedway Boogie.” Later, the crowd erupted at the opening notes of “Help on the Way,” subsequently grooving along as the band tapped into one of the night’s more transformative jams on “Slipknot!,” complete with a trippy onscreen double exposure of Mayer and Burbridge hard at work on their instruments. A funky, upbeat performance of “Franklin’s Tower” with a slap-happy Chimenti brought the Blues for Allah segment to a satisfying close, laying the tracks for the group’s customary “Drums/Space” segment led by Bill Kreutzmann and Micky Hart.
The band grooved their way through a few more tracks before closing out the set, returning shortly thereafter for a concise two-song crowd-pleasing encore. Weir and Mayer traded lyrics on “Ripple” as fans joined, arm in arm, collectively transforming a song with folky campfire appeal into a stadium-wide sing-along, prior to closing out the set with a dance-filled rendition of “One More Saturday Night.”
Check out our complete photo gallery from Saturday night’s performance below.
(Photos by Laurie Fanelli)
