Thank You Dead & Company For A Real Good Time
Just when I could not think any higher of Stu Feiner, he hit me up 2 weeks ago offering me a Dead & Company suite ticket for NYC show at Citi Field. I have never said yes faster to anything in my life. He had 4 tickets and check out the squad we ended up with for the show!
Big Cat decided to come a few hours before the show. I was pumped he made it as he juggles so much in his life with work and young family. We have a common bond as we are the only two big Dead heads in Barstool content.
It was the 1st Dead show for both Ev & Zah. Both are fun, open minded people and a blast to be around last night. I enjoy working with Ev daily on Picks Central and it was fun to get out within him. This was my 8th Dead and Company show and first since Dallas in July 2019.
I had a moment with Zah where we laughed hard about a guy from Zimbabwe and one from Mississippi hanging out at a Dead show in New York. Barstool Sports brings together characters from different places and all walks of life!
Liam, Zah, Ev & me took the train to Citi Field. We stepped out into a complete mad house outside the venue. After waiting in line for 30 minutes, we were able to get into the suite about 10 minutes before the 1st set.
As expected, Stu Feiner’s crew did it right. Everyone in suite was friendly (as most Deadheads are) and they even had Shake Shack burgers.
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What a monster setlist!
First set started off super hot with Let The Good Times Roll > Bertha > Good Lovin’. Zah & Ev both instantly clicked with the positive energy & vibe. There was a huge crowd at Citi Field of over 50,000 and everybody was dancin’!
The set slowed down with Big Railroad Blues > Ramble On Rose > They Love Each Other > Cassidy. I am big fan of Ramble On Rose.
Cassidy always reminds me of my close friend Cassidy King from Shreveport. I told Big Cat the story of him calling for literally 4 years that Dave Portnoy would hire me if he ever saw me in action which Big Cat thought was funny.
The 1st set ended with a bang as the Dead turned the heat up for Casey Jones. John Mayer was crushing the guitar for this one as they extended and the jam to close the set. Zah ESP loved Casey Jones and thought it was the highlight of the show. You better watch your speed!
Between sets, I sent out this tweet calling for Althea, Big Cat’s favorite Dead song. (He rocks an Althea cap all the time.)
The 2nd set opened with Eyes of The World. I had one of my favorite moments of the night just taking it all in during Eyes. I was overwhelmed with gratitude being with Big Cat, Zah and Ev in Stu’s suite in NYC working for Barstool Sports. Hard to believe how far I have come in life and the eyes of the world are definitely on Barstool daily.
They went into Uncle John’s Band next which always makes me sentimental. The crowd popped huge for the “I declare have you seen the like!” part of the song.
Oteil Burbridge sang the ballad “China Doll” beautifully then Dead & Company went into the popular “China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider” combo before descending into Drums.
Big Cat had family obligations so I gave him a heads up before Drums that it might be a good time to sneak out. Of course the band went into “Althea” out of drums and luckily Dan was still in the stadium! I was worried he was going to miss it.
The band finished the second set with the beautiful ballad of Stella Blue and the rockin’ favorite United States Blues.
Dead & Company then came out for the encore with a classic cover of “The Weight” by The Band! John Mayer, Bob Weir, Oteil Burbridge and even keyboard player Jeff Chimenti took turns singing verses to send the Dead heads home happy!
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The energy, set list and vibe were all phenomenal last night. The huge crowd was into the whole show. Only negative was the filler time with Dead and Company between songs but damn these guys are in their mid 70s. We are lucky they are still playing and that is part of the deal. The history and nostalgia were in the air. And say what you will about John Mayer, he helped get Liam, Zah & Ev to the show and attracts new fans for a band that has been playing a whopping 55 years.
And thanks again to Stu Feiner!