Photo via Mickey Hart’s Facebook

The long-awaited Fare Thee Well run kicked off last night at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead and reuniting the core surviving members of the band along with special guests Trey Anastasio, Bruce Hornsby and Jeff Chimenti. Playing to a crowd that included superfans Bill and Luke Walton, John Mayer, pitcher Jake Peavy and thousands of Grateful Dead faithful, the band hit the stage just after 7:30 PM local time for their first set that started with some tuning and then a brief jam that led into the very appropriate opener of “Truckin’.” 

The American Beauty cut was fitting for a few reasons, as the crowd dug into the “what a long, strange trip it’s been” line as well as the references to “home” towards the end of the tune, as the band returned to the area that birthed them 50 years ago. Musically, Anastasio asserted himself almost immediately, leading a brief improv section along with Weir before ending the tune and kicking into “Uncle John’s Band.” As the band worked off early nerves and kinks, they found their way through the “UJB” jam thanks to Hornsby, who along with Anastasio and Lesh led the group through the song. The Lesh-led “Alligator” followed after a shaky start to the tune, although the ensemble made up for it with a patient, steady jam that found its way into “Cumberland Blues.”

Anastasio’s most impressive segment of the first frame came with the following pairing of “Born Cross-Eyed” and bustout “Cream Puff War,” which saw the guitarist shed any reservations he may have had and take control of the night’s proceedings. The Phish guitarist would lead improv on both songs, and took lead vocals on “Cream Puff War.” More importantly, he pushed the other members on stage to increase the pace, adding energy to the stage and the building. The closing “Viola Lee Blues” was a product of that injected energy, as Anastasio, Lesh and Weir huddled around each other, smiling, as they traded licks during a cohesive, thorough jam to close the first set which lasted just over an hour. The band exited to a sunset sky which featured a massive rainbow hovering over the stadium.

While the first set didn’t find the group digging deep on the improv side of things, they would deliver in the second set after a rather lengthy setbreak. As the sun went down, the band emerged once again to the opening “Cryptical Envelopment” as fireworks went off the in distance, much to the crowd’s delight. It was evident from the start that this set would feature more confident players on stage, as the jam evolved organically and cohesively before melting seamlessly into “Dark Star.” Weir, Lesh and Anastasio all took turns trading verses on the tune before launching it into a patient, psychedelic, almost spooky jam full of interplay between all members. As fireworks continued in the back, it was clear the band was picking up steam as “Dark Star” provided one of the true highlights of the evening.

As the group landed softly back into “Dark Star,”  they quickly upped the energy with “St. Stephen,” igniting the crowd instantly as Hornsby added vocals along with the three guitarists. This was yet another time where Anastasio grabbed control, guiding his bandmates through an energetic jam that seemed to continue the theme that the “Dark Star” started, with fiery guitar licks and stellar interplay from all involved. Weir committed the lone obvious flub of the night, as he mixed up the verses during the transition to “The Eleven,” (all members had iPads in front of them to aid with lyrics) which he played off with good humor. The band quickly pulled it back together and moved throughout the evening, delivering an energetic “Turn On Your Lovelight” before an expansive “Drums” segment.

When the rest of the band returned to the stage, they dipped into a touch of “Space” while Lesh sang “What’s Become of the Baby,” a song that was played just once by the Grateful Dead. As the atmospheric jam dissolved into “The Other One,” Weir handled lead vocals with vigor and Anastasio once again shined on the jam, playing inspired lead guitar much like he did on the closing “Morning Dew,” which brought the set to an anthemic and passionate close.

The night closed out with Lesh delivering a few words along with his familiar donor rap. The bassist thanked the crowd and then welcomed back out the rest of the band for a take on “Casey Jones” with Bruce Hornsby handling lead vocals. After the show, Kreutzmann took to the mic for a touching moment, as he acknowledged the recent Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage, referencing the rainbow that provided the backdrop for the first set. “God bless,” the drummer said as he exited the stage to cheers. 

All in all, the opening night of Fare Thee Well saw the band looking way back, as all songs played debuted before 1970. There were also the gems in “Cream Puff War” and “What’s Become of the Baby,” proving that anything is indeed on the table for this run, which continues tonight in Santa Clara. 

Here’s a look at the setlist from last night:

Fare Thee Well

Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA

Set I: Jam > Truckin’, Uncle John’s Band, Alligator > Cumberland Blues, Born Cross-Eyed > Cream Puff War, Viola Lee Blues

Set II: Cryptical Envelopment > Dark Star > St. Stephen > The Eleven > Turn On Your Lovelight > Drums > What’s Become of the Baby > The Other One > Morning Dew

Enc: Casey Jones