Livin’ on: Dead & Company extend Sphere series into August
They’re enjoying the ride, a little bit longer.
Dead & Company is extending its “Dead Forever” residency at the Sphere, the band announced Tuesday morning.
The new dates: Aug. 1, Aug. 2, Aug. 3, Aug. 8, Aug. 9 and Aug. 10. That stretches the total number of shows in the series to 30.
General on-sale will begin 10 a.m. Friday (go to deadandcompany.com for intel). Tickets start at $145. The ticket price listed is inclusive of taxes and fees.
The show celebrates the Grateful Dead’s enduring legacy in rock history, a show that exceeds three hours with an intermission. The performance combs the bands music catalog, blended with the Sphere’s cutting-edge video display and sound system.
Dead & Co. is made up of Grateful Dead holdovers Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, guitar great John Mayer, bassist Oteil Burbridge, keyboardist Jeff Chimenti and percussionist Jay Lane.
On Monday, band members paid tribute to hoops legend and Grateful Dead devotee Bill Walton, who died at age 71 after a long battle with cancer.
From Weir: “Yo Bill, thanks for the ride. Thanks for the wonderful friendship, the years of color commentary — and the Hall of Fame existence that you wore like headlights.
“Bon voyage ol’ buddy. We’re sure gonna miss you — but don’t let that slow you down…”
From Hart: “Bill was my best friend, the best friend I ever had. He was an amazing person, singular, irreplaceable, giving, loving. His love for our music was beyond description. He called himself the luckiest man in the world, but it was us who were lucky — to know him, to share the adventure with him. He was the biggest Deadhead in the world and used our music as the soundtrack to his life. After our shows, he would regularly send messages that said, ‘thank you for my life.’ Over 1000 shows, he just couldn’t get enough. Bill had an incredible passion for drums. After any meal at his house, we would play. There was nothing like a Bill Walton… nothing.
“There are things you can replace. And others you cannot. Bon voyage, old friend, I love you.”
From the band: “Fare you well, fare you well, we love you more than words can tell.
“Bill was an irreplaceable force and spirit in our family. Father Time, Rhythm Devil, biggest deadhead ever. Over 1000 shows and couldn’t get enough. He loved this band and we loved him.
“We will miss our beloved friend, @billwalton, deeply. Rest in peace and may the four winds blow you safely home.”
Dead & Co. is the only announced headliner at the Sphere, at least at the moment. The Eagles have all but been formally announced by Sphere Entertainment CEO James Dolan in the company’s most recent earnings call.
Zac Brown has told comic Theo Von that the Zac Brown Band is also prepping a show for the venue. Sphere officials have not confirmed either band’s booking at the venue.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.