Dead & Company: The Grateful Dead Is Resurrected (Again), This Time With John Mayer *

How many years did these guys play show after show, night after night, all for the love of playing music? They're all getting on in years, and whether or not they're playing together or doing their own things, it's obvious that they still love to play. Despite the compaining here on this site, and elsewhere, that John Mayer's the wrong person, or it's not really the band since Jery died, etc., these guys are going out and doing what they love.
More power to them!
They're not calling it "The Grateful Dead" and they're not cheapening the legacy of the band. They're going out and playing music and doing what they love. God bless them!

 

Have any of you listened to the John Mayer Trio album?
Mayer absolutely has a jam band pedigree.

As for these shows, I'd like to go.
Seeing as my life tends to be extremely busy in the Fall, I'm not sure if I'll be able to attend.
I'm eager to see the tour dates unveiled, and would like to go to 2 shows if my schedule allows it.

 

With another MSG concert added, I continue to be astounded at the drawing power
of the Grateful Dead and the various combinations and splinter groups. Two nights
in a hockey arena for this aggregate with John Mayer.....wow. But good for them and
especially Oteil who deserves a nice payday.

 

So where does this put the Dead as far as the "bands that did a "last/final" tour but then toured again" competition? Does this change the standings?

 

looks like Jeff is gonna have to return to NY anyway...
https://www.nyspnews.com/article_display.cfm?artic le_id=47189

 

Oteil sings very well.

 

No it does not change those recordings or previous shows, they are still there to be enjoyed the same. Standings are still standing until they are not.

 

Both Dead & Co shows sold out in a matter of minutes...

 

Crazy. So much demand to "listen to the music play."

 

I am very supportive of the members, their projects in whatever configuration they might choose and their need for compensation. With that being said, these business practices are staring to feel somewhat predatory.

"Fare Thee Well" was certainly marketed as a goodbye. That "this is it" hype created crazy demand and then they added three more shows. They cynic in me thought that they had always planned on California shows but wanted to make sure that the loyal fans at home would buy the Chicago show thinking that was the only opportunity. I gave them the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps they were surprised by the demand and felt bad the home town fans got shut out and three more dates were added.

It now seems like it is a business template. There are 21 dates that are not to be announced until after the MSG sells out. Once again, they want the fans to lock in thinking this is the last chance and then they will announce the rest of the tour. Oteil was recruited for the Dead and Co. tour before the Fare the Well shows and signed a confidentiality agreement. I didn't hear this from Oteil, but I got it from a guy he told it to.

Sure it is a sound business strategy to get the most money from your customers as you possibly can but it is pointless. They would sell plenty of tickets either way. The profit motive is to get as much money as soon as possible rather than letting tickets sell at a slower pace.

Intentionally deceptive and misleading is not the way to celebrate 50 years.

 

I don't see anything deceptive about it. Fare Thee Well was marketed as the last shows with all of the Core Four. Santa Clara was added, but the shows occurred first. The Dead & Co. doesn't involve Phil. Before MSG was announced, they said there would be more dates. If you don't live in the NYC area, there will probably be other dates closer to you. All you have to do is read what these statements say, and use your noodle to think about what they're not saying.

Sure, they want to think about when best to time the announcements from a marketing perspective (because there are professional promoters involved, so they know how to try to make the most of it), so the confidentiality agreement makes sense. If you want to be organized about how you announce things, you make sure no one lets the cat out of the bag before you're ready. That's not deceptive, that's just how anyone with any savvy would operate.

 

Yeah-ditto. The devil is definitely in the details of the worded announcements. If they are making some big money while giving a LOT of fans what they seem to want-so what. They also toured a lot in their separate bands over the last few years to small houses for small money. The last time I saw the Mickey Hart Band it was in rural CT to a house of maybe 70 people-guess what-they put on a monster show! I was standing no more than 5 feet from Mickey. Saw Phil and Friends in North Myrtle Beach at House of Blues-sold out show but a relatively small venue-great show. These guys have nothing to prove to the fans. They have brought the music to us over the years at considerable effort and expense. They have tried to keep ticket prices comparatively low(going back to the days of the GD) and they have put on high quality productions. At Santa Clara( I didn't make Chicago) they put on a spectacular production for the fans. I don't want to prevent anyone from complaining if that is what they want to do-but you won't hear any complaints from me. I'm happy that there is still some form of the "mother ship" out there making the music that I love.

 

$$$$

 

From the Dead & Co Farcebook page

 

I wouldn't mind a trip to SFO for this and then possibly NYE at the crossroads. More dates are coming soon.

 

Absolutely, +1 on that

 

I'm not sure how I can possibly resist the BGCA shows. It is beyond my capacity. I weep for me, and my choices.

 

Have you considered the possibility that maybe they're just pining for the Bay Area?

 

no good reason to miss it. fun place, good people. they serve Sierra Nevada.

 

Poor guy; already tainted in a Daryl Stuermer-esque manner. And then there were three? Apt for sure!

 

I really wish them the best but at some point tickets are going to sell like a Rat Dog show unless John has a built in following. Selling 10 to 20 thousand tickets a night is going to be a tall order. They might have to start marketing each show as the last one ever....again....or still.

 

Oh, but here's a good reason I will probably go. I went to Peach Music Festival, and saw Billy (Kreutzman) & the Kids play a set, and then another set with Bob Weir. It was excellent. I mean, if a person is a Garcia/Grateful Dead die-hard and doesn't like the post-Jerry configurations of the remaining members, fine. But if you do like the "post-" stuff, Billy & The Kids (with and without Weir) is a great way to see this music. Better than DSO, better than JRAD, etc. Much better, although I like DSO quite a bit more than JRAD so far.

I wrote this in one of the GD threads, but clearly Billy can lead a band playing this music. And with Weir on vocals it gets that much more authentic. I had this idea that Phil had to be involved for things to come off, but that is not the case.

Even though I've seen Mayer with Phil and was sort of impressed, he (Mayer) is still sort of a wild card for me. But I'll probably go and risk not being wowed rather than not give it a chance at all--at least one of the shows at BCGA if I can get tickets.

 

He does, but what I saw of it (at the last Clapton Crossroads Festival in '13, fwiw) consisted of a lot of overenthusiastic females who were completely unmoved by the 20+ other top-notch guitar players on the bill but livened up considerably when Mayer was on stage. Which is probably a nice bonus for many guys in the audience but not really so hot for those who'd like to hear the show without accompanying screams anytime Mayer takes a solo. I don't say that in the spirit of taking shot at either Mayer or those there to specifically see him that night: just saying.

He'll definitely draw his own folks who may - or may not - be into the Dead catalog: it'll be interesting to see/hear how it goes from those who attend.

 

if they replaced mayer with daryl steruemer id be there like shrimp on stick!!!!!!!!!!!!