Dead and Company – July 5th – Folsom Field

When Bob Weir and the crew rolled in Boulder on Thursday afternoon, it was a scorcher. Folks walking Shakedown were mopping sweat from their brows as they perused booth after booth of stickers, bootleg shirts, heady veggie burrittos, and my personal favorite Philafel with Hummus. While it wasn’t quite as extensive as the Shakedown at Phish Dick’s, it was quite a scene and warmed us all up nicely (pun intended) for the evening.

Once we all made it through security and settled into the stadium, dark clouds began to circle and as the opening notes of “Not Fade Away” rang out, the rain drops began to fall. It was only a couple of bars into “Cold Rain and Snow” when the drizzle transformed into a downpour and as the tune w as drawing to a close Bobby stepped to the mic and let us all know that there was a “weather situation” and we were all going to have to “hang loose” for a bit.

Well, that “situation” turned into a hailstorm as the clouds engulfed the stadium and while I was fortunate enough to have a dry spot in a tunnel overlooking the field, there was a second or two where I literally feared for a stampede as soaking wet Deadheads pushed and yelled to get under cover. I get it, I was inches from folks who ended up with hail bouncing off their heads as I pressed myself against the wall to make as much room as possible, but there was simply nowhere else to go.

Finally, after about an hour, the storm let up and the band picked up right where they left off with the final chorus of “Cold Rain and Snow.” From there the band kept with the theme and dropped into “Bertha.” As John Mayer belted out the lyrics, the crowd reacted in kind with a deafening cheer that seemed to feed the folks on stage.

Ran into a rainstorm
Ducked into a bar door
It was all night pouring, pouring rain
But not a drop on me

After “Bertha” we got a trio of first set staples in “Me and My Uncle,” “Ramble on Rose,” and “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo” before Weir called for “Cassidy” and dropped the jazzy gem on us as lightning flashed behind the stage.

It was somewhere around this point in the show where Bobby shared the news that there would be no set break and the rabid crowd went crazy as the opening chords to “Deal” rang out. Now, it’s common criticism of Dead and Company – and admittedly I’ve been leading the charge with my friends of late – that this band plays with a painfully slow tempo, but on Friday night they won me back. While it wasn’t a blisteringly fast show, the pace was noticeably faster, and I for one was a big fan.

Even though my friends and I had to sing “It’s just a box of wine, I don’t know who put it there” over the chorus as we toasted each other, “Box of Rain” is a favorite of mine and Mayer’s bright and melodic vocals were refreshing after hearing so many Phil versions in recent years. The tender ballad set us up nicely for the one-two punch of “China Cat Sunflower” into “I Know You Rider” and the “cool Colorado rain” line got the expected reaction and the crowd put their sopping wet dancing shoes on and let loose for almost 20 minutes until the orchestral vibe of “Terrapin” filled the stadium. While my wife and I seem to catch this at every Dead related show we go to, it’s still an all time sing-a-long and really never gets old.

As the clock pushed past 10:30 I was thinking we’d get a respite from “Drums” and “Space” but Billy, Mickey, and Oteil weren’t having it as they dropped a mean and vibey take on “Drums” on us that was surprisingly satisfying. As “Space” dissolved “Casey Jones” brought the mood back up and the jammed out version morphed into “The Other One” to the delight of the faithful.

I, for one, was sure that this was going to be the set closer, but the never-ending show kept on going with a version of “Morning Dew” that proved yet again that Bobby is in pretty damn good shape as he stepped into Jerry’s shoes and delivered in a way that would have made Garcia proud.

It was at this point that we got our first real break in about two and half hours before the crew returned to the stage with a tune by one of my all time favorites, The Band. As Bobby, John, Oteil, and Chimenti traded verses, the stadium sang along each and every line. It was a memorable moment for sure, and one that could have left me very happy, but the obligatory romp through “U.S. Blues” to belatedly celebrate the 4th was a nice cherry on top.

In the end, I’ve got to say that this was my favorite Dead and Company show. I’ve only seen five now (the same number of times I saw the Dead with Jerry), but this one will keep me coming back for more. I’ve seen that this band isn’t always painfully slow and that’s enough to keep me round for a bit. Can’t wait for next summer!