John Mayer Infuses Dead and Company With Forceful New Energy

NEW YORK — If you’re a fan of the Grateful Dead, or of music in general, my advice is Run, Don’t Walk, to see Dead and Company.

After seeing both of the Fare Thee Well shows this summer in Santa Clara, Calif. (but none of the three Chicago shows), this was like witnessing a totally new band from the one that killed it with five shows this summer for the band’s 50th anniversary.

John Mayer and Oteil Burbridge have infused the group with a forceful new energy after teaming up with original Dead members Bobby Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, along with Jeff Chimenti, who played keyboards on the five Fare Thee Well shows.

When I interviewed Weir back in May, he didn’t rule out the band returning to Madison Square Garden, and their return was triumphant indeed.

“This place is going to keep calling us back forever,” Weir told me.