Dead & Company recently announced they’ll be doing a residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas, and now drummer Bill Kreutzmann has shared his thoughts on the shows in a new Instagram post.
“Historically, it was always a psychedelic circus when the Grateful Dead pulled into Las Vegas,” he writes. “There’s a pulsing beneath those neon lights that Mickey (Hart) and I tapped into while Jerry (Garcia) led us on a wild carpet ride over the Aladdin Theater in the 1980s and down into the bowl of the Sam Boyd Stadium for 14 memorable nights in the 1990s.”
He notes that Grateful Dead shows have always been “about transformative experiences, so now, as our legacy evolves and as we continue to shape-shift into several different forms at once it’s great that that part of the tradition continues, with Dead & Company taking up residence in a transformative venue.”
Kreutzmann sat out Dead & Company’s final tour in 2023, with the band explaining at the time it was the “culmination of a shift in creative direction as we keep these songs alive and breathing in ways that we each feel is best to continue to honor the legacy of the Grateful Dead.”
While he hasn’t confirmed whether or not he’ll be doing the Vegas shows, he did end his post with a statement that could be interpreted as saying he won’t. He offered, “To all those who make it there, have a blast, my friends.”
Dead Forever – Live at Sphere will consist of 18 shows over six consecutive weeks, starting May 16. Fans can now register for the presale, which starts February 5 at 10 a.m. PT. The general on-sale starts February 9 at 10 a.m. PT.
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