Michael Doherty's Music Log: Dead And Company at The Forum, 5-20-23 Concert Review

Dead And Company’s final tour continued last night with the second of two shows at The Forum, and it was another strong performance from the band. There was a bit less traffic, and so my friend Jon and I got there with time to explore Shakedown Street a bit before heading inside. Shakedown Street was crowded with folks, but we each bought a few stickers before claustrophobia led us away. One of the stickers I bought says, “The Final Tour.” It’s interesting, because there are lots of shirts, buttons, stickers and so on commemorating the occasion of the band’s last trip, but it doesn’t really feel like the end to me. I mean, really, the end happened in the summer of 1995, and everything since then, in a sense, has been, more or less, epilogue. But also, remember, Bob Weir said, in the announcement regarding the tour, “We will all be out there in one form or another until we drop.” So there is life in it yet. The shirt I bought after the first show says, “This is the season of what now.” But I don’t think it will be all that long before we find out just what is next. And I have little doubt that something will be next.

As we settled in and got to know our neighbors, we played the usual game of guessing what the band might open with. I was thinking “Hell In A Bucket” or perhaps “Jack Straw.” But who knows? These guys are obviously still capable of surprising us. At 7:25 the lights went out and the band took the stage. They opened with “Bertha,” while a variation of the skull and roses picture appeared on the screen behind the stage. And, you know what, the pace wasn’t bad at all. The night before, the pace also seemed perfect. There was all that talk of how Dead And Company play everything too slowly, but all indications from the first two shows demonstrate no trouble with keeping things moving. So again, whatever they’re doing, it’s working. Of course that led to some speculation that Bill Kreutzmann, rather than wanting to go faster, as some had thought, maybe wanted to slow things down even more. I mean, seriously, what the hell is the “shift in creative direction” they were talking about? Bill really ought to clarify that statement. Perhaps in another book, Deal: Set II? Anyway, the energy was there again last night, and the band went straight from “Bertha” into “Good Lovin’,” and the audience was singing along. That fantastic feeling we all had at the show the previous night was back in full force. So it was not just the tour opener. These guys seem determined to make the whole trip something special. Everyone was bouncing about the place, a great joy rising from the audience. And with the shouts of “Doctor,” the lights were shining on the crowd. I suppose we could all use a bit of help, right? There was some cool vocal riffing by Bob toward the end.

The pleasant groove of “Brown-Eyed Women” kept everyone feeling good. And things started to really take off with Jeff Chimenti’s lead on keys. What is it about this guy? He was phenomenal the night before too. And when the guitars start spiraling, there is even more energy. And that somehow only spurs Jeff to reach greater heights, to rock those keys even harder. The crowd was enthusiastic about every song, responding with cheers to each new height. Part of it was to let these musicians know how much they are appreciated, how much they are loved. Part of it was knowing that this might be the last chance to see at least some of these guys. But mainly it was because the music was just so fucking good. They followed “Brown-Eyed Women” with “Jack Straw,” as the light rose like an eager sun wanting to dance on its favorite mountainside. I liked Bob’s matter-of-fact delivery of “We used to play for silver, now we play for life.” Just stating a fact. It rang true, though of course tickets for these shows were not cheap. Things slowed down a bit to find a really pretty plateau, a private spot where the guitars could ponder. This was a really good jam, and it then let us go ever so gently at the end. Beautiful. The crowd, again, responded appreciatively. Oteil Burbridge then had a chance to shine on “High Time,” delivering a passionate vocal performance. “Nothing’s for certain/It could always go wrong/Come in when it’s raining/Go on out when it’s gone.” Wow. This rendition also had a beautiful and touching ending. Oteil was fantastic.

The moment the band began “Mr. Charlie,” the crowd somehow got even more excited. This is the sort of song that John Mayer does really well vocally. It was a totally fun rendition, with a great groove. John then switched guitars for “Bird Song.” The band eased into this one, creating a mellow atmosphere, a desert landscape, with little creatures darting in front of us occasionally. There were moments at the beginning that led us to think they might be going into “He’s Gone,” and at one point there seemed to be hints of “Dark Star.” Now the band was heading toward those outer reaches, or perhaps inner reaches, for there is something lonesome in the desert, though we were comforted by the wind, by the breath. “Sleep in the stars.” And an electric pulse took things in a different direction. Where were we heading? Ah, we had to just trust the pilot of this vessel. Though the waters might get a little wild, it would be an interesting ride, guaranteed. The fish, the plants, the water itself seemed involved in a dance. And then the power started to build. You could feel it before you heard it. Things were moving, and we returned to the main theme of “Bird Song.” What a great jam. And, as they did the night before, they closed out the first set with a fun, energetic number to bring everyone back from the edges, from their lonesome perches and desert patches. “Don’t Ease Me In” was a joyous number, getting everyone bopping around. The first set ended at 8:43 p.m. (and so was approximately twelve minutes shorter than the first set the night before).

During the set break, folks in the bathroom all agreed it had been a really good first set. “What’s the name of this band again?” someone in a stall playfully asked. Yes, the mood was light and cheerful throughout the venue. And the electric angel made her way through the crowd on the floor. At 9:27, the lights went out and the band came back on stage, opening the second set with “Althea.” Of course! We were kind of expecting this song the night before, but then, when it wasn’t played, we forgot about it. There was some power building during the jam, and then the song took an odd turn at the very end, and things started to grow darker, to rumble, and we recognized immediately that we were in “The Other One” territory. The band started by laying the groundwork, summoning the spirits from their realm, and soon the mountains began to pulse with a dark, but strong heart. And then suddenly – boom! – we were coursing through the arteries ourselves, propelled by a force. After summoning the beast, what do they presume to do with it? Ah, but it became clear the beast itself would decide, soon changing the course of things. And they began the first verse, the band playing behind a protective red curtain of light. Things were certainly getting wild at that point, Oteil doing battle with a demon and winning. And the force of their playing seemed to be what was keeping us safe, keeping us from being destroyed by other voices. The jam then led directly into “Terrapin Station,” and things were calmer, prettier, giving us a moment to catch our breath, to settle back into ourselves. A green haze pierced by lengths of red light, the song opened that door to the place where the magic happens, and we passed through into that other realm, the music pretty and gentle, having created a safe place of light and warmth. At one point, it grew softer, though only then to have a greater height to reach when things exploded with a glorious force. “Since the end is never told…” Fantastic stuff here. “And I know we’ll be there soon!” With this crowd, it felt like we were there right then. And from there, the band went back into “The Other One,” and it seemed that the creatures had been tamed, perhaps drawn into a stasis of sorts, the magic of “Terrapin” having done the trick. But no, we got the sense of a beast crouching, gathering energy, content for the moment to observe. And then, bam, we were back into the main thrust of the song, the power being tremendous. And Bob delivered the second verse.

The song had a lovely conclusion, and as the crowd’s response began to taper off, “Drums” emerged. But, wait, who was that fourth person back there, along with Mickey Hart, Jay Lane and Oteil Burbridge? It looked like Steve Parish, who has been an important member of the Grateful Dead family since the 1960s. And indeed, later it was confirmed that Steve Parish was back there adding to the power, a thousand hearts engaged in this dance, creating it. Creatures of rock and stone began to shift, to dance, and soon it was the earth itself, and we knew the pounding could shift the axis, change the course of the future, alter it through sheer force. And then there were three, Steve Parish stepping down. The music led us to a different place, and soon Mickey was piloting the vehicle out past the charted waters and there was a nearly spiritual element to it. A deep voice communicated something of a warning, to tread carefully. And it was part of the ceremony, this destruction of parts of the past. Soon there was a series of signals sent, and received, and with the return of the guitars, we were into “Space.” It was tentative at first, testing the waters, as the winds rushed in, and that now-familiar starscape appeared on the screen. And there was a sense of being able to guide us home. Jeff delivered some beautiful stuff on keys. And that led to “Stella Blue,” one of my favorite Grateful Dead songs. It was a slightly awkward transition, but no matter, for once it got going, it was wonderful. “All the years combine,” indeed! Bob delivered this beautifully. “It seems like all this life/Was just a dream.” That led to “Help On The Way,” an exciting choice at this point in the set. Everyone was happy to hear it. As is normal, that led into “Slipknot!” and then “Franklin’s Tower.” “Slipknot!” featured a funky, fun, delicious jam, and “Franklin’s” was all about dancing, dancing, dancing. Then, interestingly, there was a slow part near the end, before it built up again. “Roll away the dew!” The second set ended at 11:14 p.m., and a minute later the band was back on stage for the encore. It seemed almost inevitable that the encore would be “One More Saturday Night.” But the band surprised us again by choosing “Brokedown Palace.” There really was not a better choice to wrap up the show. “I love you more than words can tell.” It seemed that everyone in the place felt that for these musicians. Fare you well, Dead And Company. The musicians took their bows and exited the stage. It was 11:22 p.m.

Set List

Set I