2023 was a banner year of touring for many of our artists, with the app boasting nearly 3,000 shows from 2023 available for streaming. Among the myriad of standout moments, we’ve gathered the most-listened-to shows as determined by you, the fans!
From the last bow on Dead & Company’s Final Tour to Goosemas, Metallica’s M72 World Tour kick off and Bruce Springsteen’s New Jersey homecoming, there’s something for all tastes in this list. Dig into each artist’s catalog and discover new favorites with these as a jumping-off point. There’s so much to uncover from the year in live music!
The official and professionally-mixed audio from all these concerts are available to stream in the nugs app. Sign up for a free trial to listen, or for a limited time, save on a year of streaming with our Year End Sale!
2023’s Top Streamed Shows:
(In order of most listens in 2023, including shows from 2023 and New Year’s 2022. Inclusions are capped at one show per artist.)
Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Bruce Springsteen, Goose, and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and more. Paid nugs subscribers may be eligible for 4-months of SiriusXM All Access (App Only), see your account page to take advantage of this offer. Offer Details apply. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app. The Phish track is only available in the LivePhish app.
Bust-outs, covers, costumes, guest sit-ins, tricks and treats…a Halloween show just hits a bit different. Explore some of our favorite Halloween concerts from years past, all available to stream with a nugs.net free trial. There’s a lot more out there too, so do some discovery and find the show that’s sure to shake your bones.
The Wizard of Oz themed three-night run concluded with debut covers of the Rolling Stones, The Doors, Elton John, and more. Billy was dressed as the Scarecrow.
‘Away from the Shire’ was a three night celebration of The Lord Of The Rings, culminating with special-guest drummer Duane Trucks of Widespread Panic and tributes to Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and Black Sabbath.
From one of the most well-regarded tours in the band’s history, and their last Halloween concert to-date, this show has long been hailed a classic and every performance is a highlight.
Dressed as different eras of Elton John, Eggy went undercover and performed nine songs by Elton John, while welcoming special guests from Doom Flamingo to join on keytar and vocals.
This was the first show Dead & Company played together after the passing of lyricist Robert Hunter, and the first two sets featured songs that Hunter had co-written. The show began with the four original Grateful Dead members performing an emotional rendition of “Ripple,” one of Hunter’s many masterpieces.
By 1977, Frank Zappa’s Halloween shows were already the stuff of legends, and this special night capped off six historic shows over a course of four nights
One of the many special Mule-O-Ween’s, this 2013 show featured Robby Krieger of The Doors for all of set 2, with a setlist focused on The Doors catalog reimagined.
The band returned from set break in full costume, inspired by the 1984 rockumentary Spinal Tap. Warren Haynes and co. then ran through tunes from the classic film, with seven debuts and help from The Levee Horns.
In a venue where the Grateful Dead spent many nights, Greensky Bluegrass went with a Dead themed Halloween set at The Warfield, dressing as the band had in white garb for their 1980 album cover of Go To Heaven.
After three months off the road due to health issues, Jerry Garcia was welcomed by a crowd of 17,000 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena in Oakland, CA. He greeted the crowd with a heart-felt “How Sweet It Is” as his first song back on stage.
Dubbed “Protein Pills in the Labyrinth”, members dressed up as several David Bowie characters including Ziggy Stardust, Thin White Duke, and Jareth. The band performed 8 Bowie songs that night.
A “Halloween Star Wars rock fest” with the band members dressed as the movie characters and the show was comprised of Star Wars songs, altered themed lyrics, puns on moe. originals, and never before played covers.
The final night of a four-show run at the Spectrum, a massive double encore where in the final set the band came out dressed as Devo and performed live debuts of “Whip It” and “Sweet Lew”.
The “Talking Radioheads” show featured mashup of originals weaved in and out of songs by the Talking Heads and Radiohead. Members of Dogs In A Pile joined throughout the night to add to the fun(k).
First Time Played: Peace Train (Cat Stevens), Rock The Casbah (The Clash), I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag (Country Joe), Rockin’ in The Free World (Neil Young), Revolution (The Beatles) & Take The Power Back (RATM)
Dressed as Presidents, a VP, and a First Lady, Umphrey’s McGee threw down in Maryland for a Halloween show for the ages where UM fans got to vote on a full set of covers for an ‘All Night Wrong’ set II.
The band debuted 4 covers including “Dooley”, “The Fishin’ Hole”, “Have A Cigar” and “Young Lust”. Fiddle Player Nicki Sanders joined the band on stage for several songs.
Donned in Wizard of Oz costumes, the show pulled from the film’s storyline with a heavy dose of Ozzy and Black Sabbath covers intertwined. In total we heard seven debuts, ranging from Ozzy tracks to Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead, Neil Young, Talking Heads and more.
Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Daniel Donato featuring Billy Strings, Dead and Company, Goose and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app. The Phish track is only available in the LivePhish app.
The Grateful Dead is the only band I’ve ever loved. I was introduced to the Dead by my older brother Eric in the mid 80’s, went to my first show in the late 80’s and as was the case for so many others, it was love at first show. People ask me all the time do you listen to any other bands? My response is always the same, “listening to other bands would mean less time spent listening to the Grateful Dead.” When Jerry passed away and the band stopped touring, it left a huge void in my life, one that I never imagined I’d come close to filling again.
Life goes on and eventually I had twin girls with my beautiful wife Abby. Throughout their childhood and into their teens, I would play the Grateful Dead nonstop throughout our house and would always get some variation of, “Dad, what is this garbage?” It made me both happy and incredibly sad at the same time. Sad, because naturally you want your children to enjoy the things you enjoyed growing up but that’s not always possible, especially with music. This music is so special though, you think to yourself, if they just sat down and gave it a try they would love it. Wasn’t happening. Happy, because they are teenage girls, of course they are going to say that and they listen to whatever teenage girls listen to these days, including a guy named John Mayer. I of course knew who John was, listened to some of his music through my daughters but never, in a million years did I think if the Dead ever tried to put something back together that it would include him. Not for any particular reason by the way, just never crossed my mind.
So naturally, when Dead and Company was announced and John Mayer was announced as being the one tasked with filling Jerry’s role, what was once something that was uncool in large part because their dad listened to it, suddenly became the coolest thing on the planet and just like that John Mayer, you closed the loop. I say this with all due respect to Oteil and Jeff because they have been equally as amazing but Dead and Company had me at Bob. They got my daughters with John.
I remember going to my first Dead and Company show and like most, I was skeptical. Can Bob, Mickey and Bill still do this? How will they sound? Will they sing what we want to hear? And most importantly, can John Mayer possibly fill the shoes of one of the great musicians and guitar players of all time? Can he hit the jam on Terrapin, Loser and after each verse of Althea? Sure, I had my questions, but I didn’t care, I was with my daughters and my wife and they were going to a Dead Show with me and that’s all that mattered. A funny thing happened along the way, the answers to all those questions turned out to be a resounding yes, the band got better and better, faster and faster, one show became ten shows, ten shows became multiple trips to Cancun and eventually my daughters started listening to the both the Grateful Dead and Dead and Company throughout the house.
So, thank you John Mayer, I know enough to know that learning that catalog of music was no easy task, that it took a lot of hard work and for that I am Grateful. Thank you for handling his role and the music with the care, the attention to detail and the precision that it deserves. Thank you for singing the lyrics the way he sang the lyrics, the way we sing the lyrics, they make you feel the way they make us feel, the way they made him feel and for that, I am Grateful. Most importantly, thank you, John, for bridging a musical gap in my family, for transporting me back to a better time, for providing us with some of the greatest trips and memories of our lives and for helping me share the music I love most with the people I love most.
Jon “Stugotz” Weiner is the co-host of The Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz (check out their instagram and twitter). You can see more on his twitter and instagram.
Listen to nearly every Dead & Company show since 2016 with a free 7-day trial. Explore the Dead & Company catalog and start your free trial here.
Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Dead and Company, Phish and more.
Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Dead and Companyfeaturing Dave Matthews, Goose, Umphrey’s McGee and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app.
Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Dead and Company’s 2023 tour. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app.
June 22 – Night 2 Citi Field to close out an epic NY stand on the final tour. There was a special energy in the air this evening. The forecast was calling for rain, but the weather knew it couldn’t stop the band from playing one final show in New York. It was a beautiful night and the band was greeted to a packed and electric stadium.
The band hit the stage with John wearing a Mets Lindor jersey (John later posted on his Instagram that his father was a huge Mets fan). The boys were all smiles and you could tell that tonight was going to be special. “Feels Like a Stranger” to open the show, which was last played on May, 23 in Phoenix. It was a funked out version and it definitely felt like it was going to be a long, long crazy, crazy night.
To follow was “Franklin’s Tower”, giving us some 1980’s energy. The coupling was first done in 1980 and became a standard from 1987 to the summer of 1989. Listen to the great version on nugs.net from the album “Dead Set”. It was time for a Cowboy Tune and we got the always welcome Merl Haggard cover “Mama Tried”. The playing continued on a very high level with Bobby in fine form on the vocals.
“Alabama Getaway” followed, the “Go To Heaven” Garcia/Hunter song, which was first played in 1979 has become John Mayer’s . The pace was high and the Citi Field crowd was moving and grooving. Next to follow was the Traffic cover “Dear Mr Fantasy” which led into the Beatles “Hey Jude Reprise”. The 80’s energy continued with John giving both songs the full workout. In this writer’s opinion this was the best version of this combination that Dead & Company has done since reviving it last summer. The Citi Field crowd all singing in unison the “Na na na nananana, nannana, hey Jude…” They kept the foot on the gas treating the NY faithful to a NYC favorite “Truckin’” and they roared as Bobby delivered “New York – Got The Ways And Means”. Closing out this perfect first set was “Deal”, which was an absolute show stopper. The jams built and built seeing John deliver three powerful windmills and raising his fist in the air ala the famous Jerry Garcia image. This is a definite must listen and has to be in the running for best first sets of the tour.
The second set started off with a hot “Scarlet Begonias>Fire on The Mountain” finally reconnecting the coupling, which had been separated of late in previous shows. All felt right in the world and the high energy playing from the firs set continued into the second. The NY crowd was then treated to another traditionally played combination with “Estimated Prophet>Eyes Of The World”. Stellar versions of both with the band finding their way into a tease of The Wailers “Get Up Stand Up” during “Estimated”. The versions of “Eyes of The World” have gone from strength to strength since Cornell and this was another high energy version seeing the various band members shining in their solos while taking the song to jazzy places it hasn’t been before. “Eyes” would lead perfectly into “Drums” which once again was a standout portion of the show.
“Space” would see Jeff, John, Bobby and Oteil return to the stage with some incredible improvisational jamming. The drummers returned and the band worked its way into rare cover Miles Davis’s “All Blues”. This was the first version of the song on the Final Tour, which was played only once before last year in Chicago. This would lead into another fiery version of “Cumberland Blues”. A heavily jammed “All Along the Watchtower” lead into the show stopping “Morning Dew”. The perfect closer for a show this special.
The band returned for a beautiful rendition of “Brokedown Palace” and bid their adieu to the NY crowd. This show will definitely be in conversation as one of the best of the tour, but this band never seemed to let the NY fans down.
Rare song of the night: “All Blues.” The Miles Davis cover played for the second time by Dead & Company after being broken out at Wrigley Field in 2022.
Other must listen to moments: “Alabama Getaway”, “Dear Mr. Fantasy>Hey Jude Reprise”, “Deal”, “Scarlet Begonias>Fire on the Mountain”, “Cumberland Blues” and “Morning Dew”
Listen to this show, along with every night of this year’s Dead & Company tour, with a free 7-day trial. Explore the Dead & Company catalog and start your free trial here.
Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Umphrey’s McGee with Chuck Garvey, Greensky Bluegrass, moe. with Jake Cinninger, Bruce Springsteen and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app. The Trey Anastasio Trio track is only available in the LivePhish app.
June 21st – Next stop on the Final Tour was New York and Citi Field. NY shows have always had a special electric energy. NY has always felt like a second home for the Grateful Dead and the various incarnations of the band have always shined in the New York area playing some of the bands most legendary shows. Citi Field has been the site of some classic Dead & Company shows and tonight would set the tone for a two night right in the home of the New York Mets. For those who were away, It was also a very special night as it was the Summer Solstice. Summer time was now officially here although the weather felt like spring.
The forecast was calling for possible rain and the wind was howling through the stadium. The band took to the stage and came out of the gate with an appropriate NY opener “Shakedown Street”. Some legendary “Shakedown’s” have been played in NY over the years, see 9/18/87 MSG. Another well jammed “Shakedown” set the tone for a high energy and well played first set. The band went right into a powerful “Bertha” which was the first of the weather themed first set songs. Thankfully we didn’t run into a rain storm, but we felt the thunder of Mickey and Jay’s driving drums. John and Jay took the jams to huge highs and the NY crowd was along for the ride. Next to follow was “Ramble On Rose” which as usual saw a strong reaction from the NY crowd, “Just like New York city, just like Jericho”.
“It Hurts Me Too” followed, the Tampa Red cover was a Pigpen staple from 1966 to 1972. John has truly made this song his own and tonight’s version was an absolute standout. A nod to the Summer Solstice would follow with the Martha and The Vandellas cover “Dancing In The Streets”. Summer was here and the time was right to be Dancing In The Streets. Another nod to the NY faithful as they were definitely dancing in New York city. A funked out “Dancing” would lead us into the thunderous “Althea”. Similar to tonight’s “Bertha”, this “Althea” truly soared. The band closed the set with “Let It Grow”. An ode to the Summer Solstice as the seasons were changing. This was a big set ender as the band took the jams to new places. A perfect ending to an incredibly played first set.
Before the start of the second set John would take to social media notifying the fans that he threw his back out and might be sitting during the set. The second set started off with a hot “China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider” continuing the fine form of the first set. A seated John Mayer didn’t hinder him from playing scorching leads and driving the NY crowd into a frenzy. The NY crowd was then treated to an incredibly powerful and stretched out version of “St. Stephen”. The jams built and built finally hinting towards “The Eleven”. “The Eleven” didn’t come but they instead segued into “Uncle John’s Band”. “Uncle John’s Band” took us into “Drums” where we were treated to a special guest drummer Joe Russo who added to the powerful segment joining Mickey and Jay. The drums have been a standout all tour and this one was no different. Kudos to the bands production as the visuals have truly complimented this segment each night of the tour.
The drummers left the stage after Mickey lead the crowd in a call and response for a thunderous finish. Jeff, John, Bobby and Oteil would return to the stage for “Space” teasing us with notes of “The Eleven”. The drummers returned and we were finally treated to a massive version of “The Eleven”. After really heating the crowd up the band slowed things down with a very powerful “Stella Blue”. Bobby has really embraced this song and it was a perfect fit as the wind really starting to howl. The set finally closed with a very high energy version of “US Blues” with the crowd all singing along in unison. Summer was officially here!
As the curfew approached the band decided to cool down the NY crowd after a rocking “US Blues” with an incredibly soulful rendition of “Black Muddy River”. No official encore as the band left the stage.
Rare song of the night: “Dancing In The Streets.” The Martha and The Vandellas cover played for the second time of this tour, but has always been a rare treat for this band. A standard for the band from the 1960’s through the 1970’s, becoming a rare treat in the 80’s. It was last played by the Grateful Dead in the NY Metropolitan area at Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, NJ on April 6, 1987.
Other must listen to moments: “Bertha”, “It Hurts Me Too”, “Let It Grow” “St. Stephen” “The Eleven” “Stella Blue” and “US Blues”.
Back at it again tonight for night 2 at Citi Fields. It Feels like a Stranger 😉
Listen to this show, along with every night of this year’s Dead & Company tour, with a free 7-day trial. Explore the Dead & Company catalog and start your free trial here.
June 15th – Next stop on the Farewell Tour was Philadelphia, which is a special city for the Grateful Dead where they had sold out 53 shows – the most by any musical act — at the legendary Spectrum. The Philly faithful have continued to come out and support various incarnations of the band and tonight was no different with Citizens Bank Park filled to the rafters.
The band took to the stage and came out of the gate hot with the tour debut of “Women Are Smarter”. A song that would have usually found itself in the second set, it sounded at home as an opener and got the Philly crowd on their feet and dancing. The band followed with a funked-out version of “Shakedown Street” with John and Jeff taking the song to places it never had been before. Out of “Shakedown” they went into a raw and driving “Cold Rain and Snow”. John has delivered some strong “Cold Rain’s” this tour and this was another stellar version.
“Jack Straw” followed, which slowly built to a thunderous peak with Jay and Mickey completely locked in. It has been fun watching this duo get in synch and bringing the energy each night. “Brown Eyed Women” was next as the set continued to carry the high energy. Although a ballad would have been a likely next song, we were greeted with a huge surprise of “Dark Star”. The band went through various improvisational jams before leading to Verse 1. The second tour debut would follow with the Marty Robbins classic “El Paso”. This combination has been resurrected with Dead & Company, with the most notable version played 8/27/72. Bobby was in fine form and had the Philly crowd fully engaged. “Don’t Ease Me In” would follow and closed out the first set with a bang.
The second set started off with a tasty “Fire on The Mountain” and “New Speedway Boogie.” The Philly crowd was treated to a classic duo of “Estimated Prophet” into “Eyes of The World.” John started playing “Eyes” and then realized that wasn’t the next song. A funny moment ensued as John took his guitar off and laid it on the stage while Bobby started playing the opening to “Estimated”. They had the stadium rocking taking the jams to huge highs with John playing whirling leads. Bobby once again was in fine form both vocally and with his incredible rhythm playing. “Eyes of the World” would then finally find its way and oh what an “Eyes of The World” it was. This song has really shined on the Farewell Tour and this version would be no different. Incredible soloing from John, Jeff and Oteil! “Eyes” lead into “Drums” with the drummers taking the crowd on a tribal journey.
The drummers left the stage after delivering a thunderous finale which had the stadium reverberating. Jeff, John, Bobby and Oteil would return to the stage for “Space” with some dark and out there jamming that lead into “Dark Star Verse 2.” A monster “Cumberland Blues” came soon after showcasing fiery playing from everyone in the band. A beautiful “Standing on The Moon” followed with Bobby passionately delivering the Garcia/Hunter ballad. What other way Closing out this special set, was a rousing “Not Fade Away”. You could feel the stadium moving as the crowd danced their way through the rollicking version. The Philly crowd showed their love chanting “You know our love will not fadeaway!” while clapping in unison as the band left the stage.
The encore was “Ripple” as an appropriate sendoff to the city that embraced this band from San Francisco and made it one of their second homes.
Rare song of the night: “El Paso.” The Marty Robbins song has always been a special treat going back the later Grateful Dead days and the combination with Dark Star made this an even special treat. A tour debut as well.
Other must listen to moments: “Shakedown Street”, “Dark Star Verse 1”, “Estimated” “Eyes of The World” and “Cumberland Blues”.
Next stop is Saratoga and the legendary Saratoga Performing Arts Center. It feels like things might get a little bit Stranger. Don’t forget you can watch the show live on nugs.net.
Listen to this show, along with every night of this year’s Dead & Company tour, with a free 7-day trial. Explore the Dead & Company catalog and start your free trial here.
Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Dead and Company, Counting Crows, Orebolo, moe. and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app. The Trey Anastasio Trio track is only available in the LivePhish app.
June 13th – The latest stop on Dead & Company’s Final Tour took us to Cincinnati’s Riverbend Music Center. Set alongside the Ohio River, Riverbend has been a frequent haunt of tour’s past, and was the location of a special Grateful Dead show in ’85 that featured a sought-after “Cryptical Envelopment,” a song which was broken out that year after a 13-year hiatus.
Tuesday’s show was one of the more intimate venues we’ll see this tour, and the rainy start helped set the vibe, and setlist, for the electrifying night to come. The band opened with “Music Never Stopped” taking note of their location “There’s mosquitoes on the river.” Music would then lead to the first breakout of the night “Next Time You See Me”. The Junior Brown cover was brought back out by Dead & Company in 2016 and John always gives it a proper workout. This version would be no different and was one of the high points of the first set.
“Me & My Uncle” and “Row Jimmy” followed, leading to “Dear Mr. Fantasy>Hey Jude” which would let John let loose as well as some powerful organ playing from Jeff Chimenti. The combo which was broken out by Dead & Company last summer has become a welcome return addition to the Dead & Company setlist. Another ode to their location along the river would follow with Bobby leading the band through “Cassidy”. “Iko Iko” would close the set on a high energy note leading to what was to come in the second set.
The band opened the second set with a beautiful and jammed out “Here Come Sunshine”. This would set the tone for a set filled with high energy jams. “Viola Lee Blues” would follow and delivered some of the biggest jams of the night. They took Viola Lee to a funky place including a smoking “Cissy Strut Jam” with Jeff driving the organ part and Jay and Oteil locking down the rhythm. After such a high energy start to the set it felt like an appropriate time for a ballad to cool off the Cincinnati faithful.
We got our second tour debut of the evening with Bobby taking lead vocals for a powerful version of “Looks Like Rain”. In past Grateful Dead days “Looks Like Rain” would often find itself played after a “China>Rider”, but tonight it would go in reverse. “China Cat Sunflower” followed “Looks Like Rain” leading into a hot “I Know You Rider”. The drumming duo then lead the band into an ethereal segment before taking “Drums” to a driving place.
“Space” would follow, leading into a stellar “The Wheel” “Wharf Rat” couplet. Bobby has continued to make this Garcia/Hunter ballad his own with Mayer playing soaring leads. We were then treated to a roaring “Casey Jones” to close out the set.
The encore was “Touch of Grey” as a final farewell to this Cincinnati crowd.
Rare song of the night: “Next Time You See Me.” The Junior Parker song which was played around 70 times during the Pigpen era was resurrected by Dead & Company in 2016, This was the first performance on the Farewell Tour and hopefully not the last.
Other must listen to moments: “Here Comes Sunshine”, “Viola Lee Blues”, “Looks Like Rain” “China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider”
Next stop is Philadelphia where those Philly Filly’s sure know what to do.
Listen to this show, along with every night of this year’s Dead & Company tour, with a free 7-day trial. Explore the Dead & Company catalog and start your free trial here.
June 10th, 2023 – Dead & Company closed out their two-night run at the legendary Wrigley Field as the Farewell Tour rolled through Chicago. The first set started off with a jazzy jam that flowed into a high energy “Truckin’.” This would set the tone for a first set that was filled with special moments and loaded with high paced energy. “Truckin’” segued into Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightning”, which was a tour debut (tonight was Howlin’ Wolf’s birthday (thanks to Dead Air’s Gary Lambert for tipping the band off about the special date and sharing that tidbit during tonight’s segment)). As “Smokestack” was about to end, the band dropped a “Truckin’” Tag. Strong versions of “Althea” and “Mississippi Half Step” followed, leading into one of the high points of the first set “High Time”. The Garcia ballad once again shined with Oteil on lead vocals. The band came out of “High Time” into a fiery version of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”, which led to a monstrous set finish of “Bertha>Good Lovin’.” Bobby was in fine form and “Good Lovin” had the Wrigley crowd in a full frenzy.
After such a high energy first set what did the band have in store for their final set in Chicago? They came out of the gate strong with “Help on The Way>Slipknot>Franklin’s Tower.” This trio never disappoints and once again this band took it to special heights with “Franklin’s Tower” receiving a massive workout. “St. Stephen” was to follow, and Jay Lane drove the beat as the solos built. A “William Tell Bridge” tease from Jay finally saw the band members leaving the stage to start an energized “Drums” that engaged the crowd.
“Space” would follow and had teases of “Cumberland Blues,” which would come later in the set. The band came out of “Space” into “Uncle John’s Band,” which had some exceptional jamming and segued into a monstrous version of “Cumberland Blues.” This has become a song that this band has taken to new heights every time it’s played. Jay pushed the band into a raucous pace with John and Jeff playing smoking solos. The band didn’t let up, taking Cumberland into the “The Other One Verse 2” closing out the song as Verse 1 was played the first night. Would this be a sign for more to come? “The Other One” would lead us to an always special moment in any Grateful Dead set with “Morning Dew.” John showcased his guitar wizardry, as Oteil filled Wrigley with thundering bass bomb, and Bobby delivering the powerful outro: “I guess it doesn’t matter anyway”!
The encore started with a beautiful and appropriate version of “Brokedown Palace,” but that wasn’t enough. Carrying on a theme from earlier in the second set, the band returned to “Playing in The Band” delivering a rocking “Playing Reprise.” This wasn’t it, as it was Saturday night and the band obliged by firing into “One More Saturday Night” leaving the Chicago crowd overjoyed before having to say their final farewells to the band.
Catch this band while you can as they continue to go from strength to strength!
Rare song of the night: “Smokestack Lightning” played for Howlin’ Wolf’s birthday. This song has become a once a tour rarity and tonight’s version may have been the best from Dead & Company.
Other must listen to moments: “High Time”, “Bertha>Good Lovin”, “Franklin’s Tower” “St. Stephen”, “Cumberland Blues” and “Morning Dew.”
See you Tuesday, alongside the Ohio River at the Riverbend Music Center.
Listen to this show, along with every night of this year’s Dead & Company tour, with a free 7-day trial. Explore the Dead & Company catalog and start your free trial here.
Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Bruce Springsteen, Dead and Company, Goose featuring Lucious, and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app.
Detroit Medley Bruce Springsteen
5/25/23 Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS
Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Widespread Panic,Umphrey’s McGee featuring moe.,Dead and Company and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app.
Proud Mary Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
(w/ Daniel Donato, the St. Paul & The Broken Bones Horns, Ron Holloway, and friends)
5/26/23 Martinsville, VA
Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Billy Strings, The Disco Biscuits, Dogs in a Pile, Dead & Company and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app. The Phish Spartanburg ’94 tracks are only available in the LivePhish app.
Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Billy Strings, Gov’t Mule featuring Peter Frampton, Dead & Company and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app.
Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, nugs.net radio – SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring professionally mixed recordings from Dead & Company, Gov’t Mule featuring Reeves Gabrel, Goose, and more. Subscribers can stream this week’s tracks from the #WeeklyLiveStash, only in the mobile app.
Eyes of the World Dead & Company
5/8/23 Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca,NY
Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring soundboard recordings from Dead & Company’s final night of tour and more.
Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring soundboard recordings including Pearl Jam covering Pink Floyd, Metallica in Madrid, and more from summer 2022 festivals and tours.
Subscribers can stream over 100 of the officially released shows from The Grateful Dead Vault, organized for the first time with Deadheads in mind — browse by show date instead of album title or release date. Each show is streaming in standard and CD-Quality lossless formats, and hi-res MQA where available. We’re thrilled to partner with Rhino Entertainment, the keeper of Warner Music Group’s legacy catalog, to stream many of the previously released iconic concert recordings including Fillmore East ’69, the entirety of Europe ’72, The Field Trip ’72, Cornell ’77, Winterland ‘77, Egypt ’78, Nassau ‘81, Alpine ‘82, MSG ‘90, and a whole lot more.
nugs.net will be updating our Grateful Dead catalog with the entire studio album collection and other live releases in the coming months — follow Grateful Dead in the app to see new additions first. Additionally, we are adding some of the Crown Jewels of classic rock including album catalogs from Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, The Doors, and Yes.
Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring soundboard recordings from Trey Anastasio’s Goose sit-in, Panic at Red Rocks, Dead & Company at Wrigley Field, and more from summer 2022 festivals and tours.
Arcadia Goose (w/ Trey Anastasio) 6/25/22 New York, NY
Let’s Go Outside The String Cheese Incident 6/24/22 Rothbury, MI
Windshield Greensky Bluegrass (w/ Holly Bowling) 6/25/22 New York, NY
Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring soundboard recordings from Dead & Company, Umphrey’s McGee, and more artists currently on tour.
Every Friday at 5 pm ET, nugs.net founder Brad Serling hosts “The Weekly Live Stash” on nugs.net radio, SiriusXM channel 716. Tune in to hear his selections of the best new live music, and check out this week’s playlist below featuring soundboard recordings from Dead & Company, Umphrey’s McGee, and more artists currently on tour.
St. Stephen Dead and Company
6/13/22 Mountain View, CA
GarciaLive Volume 18: November 2nd, 1974 Keystone Berkeley presents the complete and previously uncirculated two-set Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders performance originally recorded to 1/4” analog reels by Betty Cantor Jackson.
Is there a more iconic venue for Garcia/Saunders than the Keystone Berkeley? The Bay Area haunt was the setting for the performances contained on the legendary Live at the Keystone releases and yielded at least a half-dozen other celebrated official live releases. Be it the quaint, unassuming setting or the proximity to home, magic never seemed to be in short supply — and this evening in November was no different.
In addition to the ever-present John Kahn on bass, the rhythm section this evening was bolstered by one of the most in demand session drummers of his day, the great Paul Humphrey whose credits range from Marvin Gaye and Joe Cocker to the Lawrence Welk Show. Future Legion of Mary bandmate Martin Fierro rounds out the ensemble.
The performance itself is nothing short of exceptional, particularly the monstrous 1st set combination of “Valdez in the Country,” The Harder They Come,” and “You Can Leave Your Hat On” which destroy any notion of genre as Garcia, Saunders & co somehow fuse seemingly disparate originals by Donny Hathaway, Jimmy Cliff & Randy Newman into a sound all their own. After a brief set-break, the group returns for a super-charged 2nd set highlighted by extended versions of “Freedom Jazz Dance” and Merl’s own “Wondering Why” before closing the evening with a fiery “Mystery Train.” Always ones to stretch the bounds, you get the sense they would’ve gone all night if not for the venue’s pesky 2am curfew.
