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It’s odd that signs to “Let Oteil Sing” haven’t become popular. Then the younger lead guitarist took charge of “Althea,” boosting the energy level with a ripping climax of high sustains, plus a few power trills for good measure.ĭeadheads once hoisted signs to “Let Phil Sing” in a nod to then-taciturn bassist Phil Lesh (who split the surviving Dead gang after 2015’s “Fare Thee Well” gigs in Chicago and San Francisco). After warming up second-night attendees with “Samson and Delilah” and “Cold, Rain & Snow” (though a thunderstorm forecast dissipated to leave a fairly clear, comfortable night in the packed ballpark), the band settled in with a gentle, escalating “Jack Straw,” John Mayer deftly trading verses with Weir. This was readily apparent in Sunday’s short-but-sweet first set, which clocked in at less than 70 minutes.
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Yet perhaps more impressive - though too late to evolve further given the group’s impending finale after eight years and more than 200 shows - was the growing roles and comfort level shown by Dead & Company’s younger charter members.
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Remaining Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart, 79, likewise rose into some vigorous playing on and around the beat in tandem with Jay Lane, who laid down a thumping anchor in Kreutzmann’s absence. Yet, while Weir looked worn and furrowed in the face at age 75, his voice sounded sure and sturdy on Sunday. The band seemed to be in rough shape as its “Final Tour” kicked in this summer, given drummer Bill Kreutzmann’s decision to bow out and some nights where Bob Weir - the group’s central survivor now sporting the white hair and beard - both looked and sounded ragged while continuing to slow down the tempos. Photo: Sam McLennanĪfter Saturday’s long, strange, curfew-busting trip, Dead & Company returned to Fenway Park on Sunday for what was apparently its last-ever Boston appearance, delivering a show that was shorter yet solid, recurringly bluesy and - at times in the second set - both endearingly jammy and frustratingly meandering. l to r: Jay Lane, John Mayer, Bob Weir, and Mickey Hart. Dead & Company on Saturday night at the Fenway.
![Fried chicken dredge](https://cdn1.cdnme.se/5447227/9-3/14_64e61dfbddf2b36505b4c7c8.png)