We'regrateful for the Dead this summer.
Dead and Company, the Grateful Dead legacy act, is returning to the road on Monday, Aug. 16, for the band's first shows since January 2020.
"It couldn’t come soon enough, honestly," bassist Oteil Burbridge told the Asbury Park Press.
Speaking with the Press in June about his involvement in the Allman Brothers Band celebration The Brothers that happened at Manhattan's Madison Square Garden in March2020— the last major concert before the COVID-19 lockdown— Burbridge discussed the rising anticipation ahead of this summer's tour.
"I really do appreciate the anticipation building up before the tour actually happens," he said. "When we start posting pics from rehearsal and stuff like, that it just builds up, (and) when you’re playing really big places it’s a different thing, it’s a really big build-up. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt it, so I’m really looking forward to it. It’s been long enough, that’s for sure.”
The tour kicks offMonday at theCoastal Credit Union Music Park inRaleigh, North Carolina, and passes through our area for shows Friday, Aug. 20, atCiti Field inNew York City andSaturday, Aug. 21 atCitizens Bank Park inPhiladelphia.
The 31-date-run of shows is set to wrap up with a Halloween bash capping off a three-night stand at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
Classic Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart have playedalongside John Mayer, Jeff Chimenti andBurbridge since 2015.
"It’s very worthwhile, being part of this great organization now in this part of my life," Harttold the Asbury Park Press in 2020."The band’s playing great, that’s all that really matters. The band’s playing great, fans want to dance. That makes a good life.”
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Speaking in February 2020, Hart, who drums along with Kreutzmann in the band,was asked what the most exciting and rewarding aspects of the Dead and Company operation were for him, five years on.
"Well, it’s rewarding because our music goes on and we get to play the music that inspired us and inspires other things," said Hart."But it’s John, really, his passion for the music and how much spirit that he brings to the band. I mean, he’s really a sincere lover of the music and he’s really a great player, and he’s a really nice guy. He’s really easy to hang with. We’ve never had a moment of tension at all in the band with John."
Mayer, after all, was a seven-time Grammy-winning rock, pop and blues starin his right before joining the Dead family.But the singer and guitaristhas taken his seat at the table with gusto.
"I knew his spirit and his enthusiasm was over the top when we started," Hart said."Grateful Dead songs aren’t easy to learn; you learn the notes, but it’s all the internal stuff that is really the magic.
"So John has been able to grab hold of the Grateful Dead magic, and he just folded right into the Bill and I and into our rhythm, the rhythm section. And he’s dynamic—I mean he really learns, he likes to learn. ...And now he’s in command of the songs. He knows them inside out."
COVID-19 precautions in place
Dead and Company were set to play a 17-date run of headlining dates, plus make an appearance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, in 2020. Those dates, along with most folks' plans for last year, were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
All ticketholders for the band's 2021 tour must provide proof of full vaccination or negative COVID-19 diagnostic test within 48 hours prior to entry, except where prohibited by law, the band announced Wednesday evening.
Fans who purchased general admission put tickets will be required to show proof of completed COVID-19 vaccination to receive a writstband to access the pit area. Attendees without proper vaccine documentation will be relocated to an alternate seating area, and a negative test will not be sufficient for pit entry.
Children under 12 will need to provide a negative test taken within 48 hours of the show, and there will be no pit access for children under 12. According to the band's announcement, there will be no exceptions to the policies.
For the New York City, Philadelphia and Hersey shows, proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 diagnostic test with 72 hours prior to entry will be required, the band announced Tuesday evening. Early verification will be available 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday at Citi Field and Friday at the Philadelphia sports complex.
New COVID-19 protocols will be announced soon for Sept. 17 and 18 at Wrigley Field in Chicago; Oct. 6 at the iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida; Oct. 6 at the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa, Florida and Oct. 16 at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman in Woodlands, Texas.
This is a developing story. Watch this space for details as they become available.
The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, set to finally happen with Dead and Company in October, was canceled earlier this week due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Louisiana.
But as of press time, the band's headlining tour is still set to proceed as scheduled, with live webcasts ofthe first 18 dates (through Set. 17 and 18 at Chicago's Wrigley Field) currently available for pre-order via Nugs.net.
Speaking to the Asbury Park Press as the Grateful Dead were being inducted into the Madison Square Garden Walk of Fame in 2015, Weir discussed why the Dead resonated so strongly with East Coast audiences, particularly those in the New York and New Jersey areas.
"We were their personal ray of California sunshine," Weir said."We felt that, and they demanded that of us."
After all we've been through in the last year and a half, we could certainly use some of that sunshine. The time is coming, any day, and you know where to go.
Dead and Company tour dates for 2021
- Monday, Aug. 16: Coastal Credit Union Music Park, Raleigh, North Carolina
- Wednesday, Aug. 18: Jiffy Lube Live, Bristow, Virginia
- Friday, Aug. 20: Citi Field, New York
- Saturday, Aug. 21: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
- Monday, Aug. 23: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Bethel, New York
- Wednesday, Aug. 25: Darien Lake Amphitheater, Darien, New York
- Friday, Aug. 27: Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, New York
- Saturday, Aug. 28: Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, Pennsylvania
- Thursday, Sept. 2 and Friday, Sept. 3: Xfinity Center, Mansfield, Massachusetts
- Sunday, Sept. 5: The Xfinity Theatre, Hartford, Connecticut
- Tuesday, Sept. 7: Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
- Friday, Sept. 10: DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston, Michigan
- Saturday, Sept. 11: Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati
- Monday, Sept. 13: Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, Maryland Heights, Missouri
- Wednesday, Sept. 15: Ruoff Music Center, Noblesville, Indiana
- Friday, Sept. 17 and Saturday, Sept. 18: Wrigley Field, Chicago
- Wednesday, Oct. 6: iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach, Florida
- Thursday, Oct. 7: MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa, Florida
- Monday, Oct. 11: PNC Music Pavilion, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Tuesday, Oct. 12: Cellaris Amphitheater at Lakewood, Atlanta
- Thursday, Oct. 14: Dos Equis Pavilion, Dallas
- Friday, Oct. 15: Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Presented by Huntsman, Woodlands, Texas
- Friday, Oct. 22, and Saturday, Oct. 23: Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater, Greenwood Village, Colorado
- Monday, Oct. 25: Ak-Chin Pavilion, Phoenix
- Wednesday, Oct. 27: North Island Credit Union Amphitheater, San Diego
- Friday, Oct. 29, Saturday, Oct. 30, and Sunday, Oct. 31: Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles
For tickets and more information, visitdeadandcompany.com.
Following the 2021 tour, Dead and Company's Playing in the Sand experience will return for two sold-out weekendsJan. 7 to 10 and 13 to 16, 2022, in Rivera Cancun, Mexico. For more information on that event, visitplayinginthesand.com.
Alex Biese has been writing about art, entertainment, culture and news on a local and national level for more than 15 years.
