Dead and Company Finish the Appendix Tour on a Great High in Orlando
Through the generosity of dear friends, we were gifted with tickets to Dead and Company’s last show on the Appendix Tour in Orlando February 27th. We all filed into the Amway Center amid a sea of tie-dye and tour shirts of all descriptions, collecting hugs and high fives all along the way. Despite seats in the nosebleed section (210), we could see well (except for Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, blocked by the hanging speakers). We were thankful for the large video projections of the band members.
Most importantly — and of absolutely no surprise — the sound was pristine.
Because it took a while to process everybody coming through security, the 7:30 show actually kicked off at 8:02, giving everyone time for food, beverages, souvenirs and more hugs.
And what a tour-closer this was! Right out of the gate roared “St. Stephen” with a great jam to put everyone in the proper frame of mind (assuming they weren’t already). John Mayer and Bob Weir handled the vocals. And “St. Stephen” poured into “Hell in a Bucket,” Weir on vocals.
The Dead mystique was crafted by Weir, Hart, Kreutzmann, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, and a succession of fine keyboard players, and here, 53 years, later, Weir, Hart and Kreutzmann are still keeping the spirit alive.
And the youngsters? John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti absolutely CRUSHED all set long, almost overshadowing their mentors. Burbridge was Burbridge, simply one of the best bass players on the planet. Mayer was magnificent on vocals and brilliant on guitar. And Chimenti practically stole the show; every time he soloed, he seemed to top his last one. Just WOW.
Mayer had a great turn on a rockin’ blues version of “Next Time You See Me” that really impressed, followed by Weir on “Ramble On Rose.” The four-part harmonies were simply deluxe, with Burbridge and Chimenti in the mix. A truly lovely “Row Jimmy” featured Mayer, followed by the barrelhouse romp of “Loose Lucy,” then favorite “Brown-Eyed Women.”
To close set one, they launched into an unexpected treat: “The Wheel.” It rolled for 15 minutes, with grins all around as they tossed in a bit of Paul Simon’s “Call Me Al.” An hour and 24 minutes of heaven. Where would the second set go?
Answer? Straight into a glorious 22-minute “China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider.” Again, the harmonies were soaring. They dropped down a gear for “Althea” with Mayer singing, then soloing several times with some Chimenti magic in between.
What unfolded next was a sheer delight, as “Estimated Prophet” opened the door to a 53-minute uninterrupted span of music, as “Estimated” got really jazz and then morphed into “Terrapin,” drums and space and finally “Wharf Rat” to tie up the well-crafted sequence.
“Casey Jones” served as the bouncing set-closer, so uptempo and up-spirited; Burbridge had been superb all evening, but he blew this one sky high, and Chimenti danced all over his keyboards again. That was followed by the almost obligatory “U.S. Blues” encore.
Looking at the setlists from New Orleans and Sunrise, these were three wonderful nights. Great thanks to Hart, Kreutzmann and Weir for keeping the spirit alive, and thanks to Burbridge, Chimenti and Mayer for their enthusiastic addition to the Dead sound.
You can listen to the audio recording by G-Man on this Archive link.
[ONE: Tuning, St Stephen > Hell in a Bucket, Next Time You See Me, Ramble On Rose, Row Jimmy, Loose Lucy, Brown Eyed Women, The Wheel; TWO: Tuning, China Cat > I Know You Rider, Althea, Estimated Prophet > Terrapin > Drums > Space > Wharf Rat, Casey Jones; E: US Blues]
Many thanks to Sue Ann and Roy Taylor for the tickets, and many thanks to Gina Birmingham, Wayne Haskell, Carly Lingenfelter and Shelly Smith for the use of their photographs!
