And never really gave it a chance.
It eventually turned into one of my favorite nights of the season every year.
The music worked so well in a baseball setting- and a mecca like Wrigley Field.
The fans would be up in their seats dancing and twirling around.
She was the last person I would have assumed to become a fan of the band.
“Your skin is just goosebumps, electric as can be.
Unbelievable, the crowd just absolutely on fire.
And the guys on the Celtics, they look at me and they say, ‘Wow!
Can we come back tomorrow?’
And they’ve been going ever since.”
First off, a 5 or 6 hour show?
Only problem was they announced they weren’t touring anymore.
I had visited The Sphere to see U2 in the first month it had opened.
That show was last night.
And it was a concert experience I will never, ever forget.
(And Queens of The Stone Age).
I brushed up onWorkingmans DeadandAmerican Beauty.
I watched the show from San Francisco Winterland on New Years Eve in 1978.
I watched the show from 1990 at Three RIvers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
I felt like I was ready.
But I had no idea what I was in for.
The Sphere is connected by a tunnel walkway to The Venetian Resort next door.
And they do a great job of installing interactive fan experiences for the acts they have performing.
This centralized hub offers a space to gather, explore immersive exhibits, and participate in interactive activities.
This was a must if you’re a fan.
Arriving at The Sphere around 7pm, the lines of fans at all entrances moved pretty quickly.
They did a good job of wanding everybody down at security and processing tickets quickly.
Once you get inside, you could’t help but be impressed.
Everything is clean, wide open, and its easy to get around.
There are no lines, ample concession stands with tons of variety, and the escalators up move fast.
There are five levels of seating inside The Sphere, arranged in balcony style.
There’s a GA floor, which is where I was for U2 a few months ago.
From an audio perspective, being on the floor was amazing.
That is, until you look back behind you and see 17,000 people seated.
And not to brag, but boy was I right.
Heres a vid for reference.
The people in our section were polite, nice, and overly friendly.
I wanted to be sober for my first show.
(As I would later find out, another great decision.)
She laughed and told me yes, this is a jam band show dummy.
This was confirmed when I texted Big Cat during intermission.
(Yes, they do like a 20 minute intermission.
Which is fucking genius.)
Here were my halftime notes.
So the big news/worry last week, was that John Mayer almost sliced his left index finger off.
Howd he do this you ask?
Many people were nervous he’d not be able to play.
But those people vastly underestimated what a beast John Clayton Mayer is.
Before seeing him play with Dead and Company last night, I knew John Mayer was a top-tier guitarist.
I mean this was just ridiculous.
It’s pretty nuts when you think about it.
The comparisons between music and sports were undeniable in this instance.
Both fields required immense talent, dedication, and the ability to perform under pressure.
The pressure to live up to such towering figures was immense.
Like I witnessed last night.
Rodgers, too, faced similar challenges.
I couldn’t stop staring because of all the weird expressions he makes while he shreds away.
I’m sure his hardcore fans are used to it by now but I wasn’t expecting it.
I just kept thinking of the guy fromOffice Spacedescribing the “O-face”.
They came out flying.
I was blown away.
I couldn’t believe the improvisation between Mayer, Weir, and Jeff Chimenti was astoudning.
Their chemistry is like that of bandmates who have been together for decades.
They are justthatfucking good at what they do.
After the intermission, the second half of the show went like this.
For starters, “Drums In Space” far exceeded my expetatctions.
It wasn’t but it was so fucking cool.
The song of the second set that left me speechless was “Black Peter”.
A song I was prior unfamilair with.
It was as “blues” as blues music gets and caught me totally off guard.
Luckily a fan got a video of the entire 18 MINUTE PERFORMANCE and uploaded it here.
I was hoping the show went on forever and it honestly seemed like it might.
I have never been in an environment surrounded by so many people who were so happy.
Everyone smiling, laughing, singing, dancing.
I can see why people became hooked on attending these shows over and over and over.
Once again, Mayer’s reverence and respect for the band was apparent.
Out of respect to the band and its members.
You know when you’re able to feel yourself smiling ear to ear unconsciously without even trying?
That was me the whole walk back down the strip.
But this morning when I woke up, it was a differet feeling.
I wasoffand I didn’t know why.
Because what a party it was.
Sale proceeds from the auction will benefit the Dead Family Organizations.
