Dead & Company Return to Sphere with 2025 Residency Debuts, Mark Mother’s Day Sunday with “Mama Tried” and “Samson and Delilah”
Photo Credit: Jay Blakesberg
On Friday, May 9, Dead & Company fomented their live catalog during the onset of their fifth weekend at Las Vegas’ Sphere, night one of three initiated the motif of reviving songs with particular reference to the holiday weekend, Mother’s Day. Throughout three concerts, the band reintroduced eight songs into their concert bank, pieces of music that served as 2025 residency debuts for this group.
During the onset of their residency weekend, Dead & Co. delivered three locational debuts: two during set one and the third to start the latter frame. Before blowing the dust off shelved material, Bobby Weir, Mickey Hart, John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Chimenti, and Jay Lane established the concert’s footing with an ambitious display of “Bertha,” before the tempo dropped to reveal “Mississippi Half-Step.” The group nodded to The Olympics’ original, and longtime cover, “Good Lovin’,” before the Grateful Dead’s Go to Heaven covered, “Don’t Ease Me In.”
They made a familial reference with the aptly titled “Me and My Uncle,” which represented a debut for this residency cycle. The pattern of reintroducing songs into their live archive also applied to the follow-up, “Ramble on Rose.” Both tunes were last played on Aug. 1, 2024. Before the set break, Dead & Company nodded to Jerry Garcia on “Deal.” Upon their return from set break, the band kept up with unanticipated material, a band rarity, “Liberty,” the final bust out of the night, on the first setlist return since Independence Day.
The second set stirred sister tunes “Scarlet Begonias” into “Fire on the Mountain” before the ensemble paid their union dues on “Cumberland Blues.” The band kept spirits high with the ensuing “They Love Each Other” and “Playing in the Band” before the expected instrumental interlude from the percussionists, “Drums” and “Space.” “Death Don’t Have No Mercy” emerged from Hart’s extemporized rhythm. The whole band engaged with a fiery “Brown-Eyed Women” and politically-charged “Throwing Stones,” before finding an exit after the concert encore, “Casey Jones.”
Saturday, May 10, was relatively standard compared to its forthcoming bookend; it set the tone for Mother’s Day from the jump with “Man Smart, Woman Smarter,” before the typical second set suite: “Help” > “Slip!” > “Frank.” The three-piece favorite arrived ahead of Saturday’s only dust-off, the subsequent tale of the woodcutter’s daughter, “Let It Grow,” last played on Aug. 8, 2024.
On May 11, Dead & Company catapulted songs back into their live repertoire. Four numbers represented 2025 residency debuts, including their nod to the day of the week on Sunday special, “Samson & Delilah.” After the city namin’ “Truckin’,” the band pulled out the beloved Brent Mydland-era combo on “Dear Mr. Fantasy” and “Hey Jude.” Notably, the former’s lyrical contributor, Steve Winwood, celebrates his birthday today, May 12.
The group performed their certified ode to Mother’s Day on “Mama Tried,” a Dead & Company rarity that had only been performed eight times over the group’s near decade-long run. Set two commenced on party-starter, “Shakedown Street,” before the first “West L.A. Fadeaway” since 2024. “Sugaree” sauntered into the setlist ahead of a nonstop sequence of “Estimated Prophet” into “Eyes,” and eventually the expected “Drums” and “Space” combo.
“Dear Prudence” felt fitting, amidst a motif that nodded to strong women, on this one, late-60s India-era Prudence Farrow. “Cold Rain and Snow” was positioned ahead of Sunday’s set two finale, “Brokedown Palace.” For the weekend encore, Dead & Co. reemerged for a take on Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode,” the night’s final dust off, last played in 2024.
Dead & Company announced their participation in a three-night Golden Gate Park tribute on Aug. 1-3, in San Francisco to mark the original band’s 60th anniversary.
Dead & Company
Sphere – Las Vegas
Friday, May 9, 2025
Set I: Bertha, Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo, Good Lovin’, Don’t Ease Me In, Me and My Uncle+, Ramble On Rose#, Deal
Set II: Liberty%, Scarlet Begonias, Fire on the Mountain, Cumberland Blues, They Love Each Other, Playing in the Band, Drums, Space, Death Don’t Have No Mercy, Brown-Eyed Women, Throwing Stones
Enc.: Casey Jones
Notes:
+ 2025 residency debut, last played on Aug. 1, 2024
# 2025 residency debut, last played on Aug. 1, 2024
% 2025 residency debut, last played on July 4, 2024
Dead & Company
Sphere – Las Vegas
Saturday, May 10, 2025
Set I: Man Smart, Woman Smarter, Help on the Way, Slipknot!, Franklin’s Tower, Let It Grow+, The Weight, Sugar Magnolia
Set II: Sunshine Daydream, Greatest Story Ever Told, China Cat Sunflower, I Know You Rider, Terrapin Station, Drums, Space, Days Between, Althea, Morning Dew
Enc: Not Fade Away
Notes:
+ 2025 residency debut, last played on Aug. 8, 2024
Dead & Company
Sphere – Las Vegas
Sunday, May 11, 2025
Set I: Samson and Delilah#, Truckin’, Dear Mr. Fantasy&, Hey Jude, Mama Tried@, Cassidy, St. Stephen
Set II: Shakedown Street, West L.A. Fadeaway%, Sugaree, Estimated Prophet, Eyes of the World, Drums, Space, Dear Prudence, Cold Rain and Snow, Brokedown Palace
Enc.: Johnny B. Goode+
Notes:
# 2025 residency debut, first play since Aug. 3, 2024
& Performed ahead of Steve Winwood’s birthday–May 12
@ 2025 residency debut, first play since May 24, 2024
+ 2025 residency debut, first play since June 6, 2024
% 2025 residency debut, first play since June 8, 2024
