Dead & Company Debut Bob Dylan’s “Tangled Up in Blue”
Photo: Alive Coverage
On Saturday night, Dead & Company debuted Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks opener, the tale of a love affair that spanned the East Coast to right outside Delacroix: “Tangled Up in Blue.” The first time cover emerged after two nights of vivifying live performances, oscillating between Grateful Dead classics that were extemporized by the veteran cast: Bobby Weir, Mickey Hart, John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Chimenti, and Jay Lane.
There was no stretched-out or illustrious warm-up to separate the band’s arrival from the onset of their debut. Instead, assured strums brought the cover into focus. Despite the Grateful Dead’s 1987 tour with Dylan, which featured six total stops, the combined group only performed “Tangled Up in Blue” twice: on July 4, 1987, in Philadelphia, and one final time on July 19, 1987, in Eugene, Oregon.
Instead, the song’s association brought back memories of the Jerry Garcia Band and their history of covering “Tangled Up in Blue,” which garnered over 250 plays from 1976 to 1995. The song was recorded for Garcia’s studio set, Run for the Roses, but not issued on that LP; instead, it appeared on the 2004 All Good Things box set, a Rhino Records release.
Notably, when The Dead coalesced in 2003 at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, they welcomed Dylan for a reunion of their late 1980s-era combined run, performing “Tangled Up in Blue” for the Western New York crowd.
Dead & Company’s debut featured a slower tempo, a dialed-back and relaxed recall to the original, helmed by Weir. Mayer took the lead on guitar, providing instrumental reference to the 1975 release and trading licks with Chimenti. Intentional or not, Weir and Mayer were dressed in blue, referencing their debut using the calming hue.
After finding the concert’s footing using Dylan’s song, the group seized a funkier interlude, with party starter “Shakedown Street.” Weaning from the expected, the band took traditional second set pairings and placed them during set one: “Scarlet Begonias” into “Fire on the Mountain,” before following up with another reference to Garcia, “The Wheel.”
They performed Weir’s Ace feature, “One More Saturday Night,” calling out the day of the week before breaking at the night’s midway point. Returning for the concert’s second half, they stepped into “Here Comes Sunshine” before following with a potent “Estimated Prophet.” Fan favorite “Eyes of the World” preluded a sweeping “Terrapin,” which sought its end with the arrival of the second set instrumental interlude, Hart’s exploratory “Drums” > “Space” combo.
The other members returned to the stage for a toned back and reflective arrival on the heartbreaker, and another reference to Weir’s Ace, “Looks Like Rain.” Keeping with seasonal reference points and weather mentions, the band performed “Cold, Rain and Snow” before a final nod to Dylan on “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.”
For the evening’s encore, the band drummed up “Not Fade Away,” leaving their Las Vegas audience with a long-lasting pulse of music and reminder: “Love’s real, not fade away…”
Dead & Company has completed its April residency and will return for two more weeks of concerts, May 9-11 and May 15-17. Tickets remain on sale.
Scroll down to view Dead & Company’s setlist from Saturday, April 26.
Dead & Company
Sphere – Las Vegas
Saturday, April 26, 2025
Set I: Tangled Up in Blue, Shakedown Street, Scarlet Begonias, Fire on the Mountain, The Wheel, One More Saturday Night
Set II: Here Comes Sunshine, Estimated Prophet, Eyes of the World, Terrapin Station, Drums, Space, Looks Like Rain, Cold Rain and Snow, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
Enc.: Not Fade Away
