Dead & Company and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones Shows Make for Memorable Midwest Weekend of Music

Photos and Review by Stephen Bloch

Getting to see incarnations of bands that were a part of one’s formative years is always special. Friends from past and present join in, reflection takes place, and nostalgic feelings bubble up. This weekend did just that, providing a rare opportunity to catch both Dead and Company at Wrigley Field in Chicago and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones at Milwaukee’s historic Pabst Theater. The allure of these two bands is undeniable.

The differences in age, style, and groove may differ somewhat, but both land squarely in the category of jam, drawing on Americana, jazz, bluegrass, and even prog. The scale of these two shows may have been polar opposites, but the energy of the bands and their patrons were very much the same. People were there to see and hear genre-bending bands that emphasize the power of improvisation and musicianship.

On Saturday night, Dead and Company, made up of original Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, as well as John Mayer, Jeff Chimenti, Oteil Burbridge, and recent addition Jay Lane, hit the stage and kicked things off with arguably their most recognizable song “Truckin’”. They had been teasing this for a couple of shows, but finally brought it out. Let the dancing begin! To celebrate what would have been Chicago bluesman Howlin Wolf’s 113th birthday, they transitioned into “Smokestack Lightning”, a rarity for sure. This was just the beginning of Mayer’s exercise in greatness with a guitar. Arguably Mayer’s best work came next, with “Althea”, but he wasn’t done showing off for the night. Burbridge then got his chance to take the mic for the infrequently played “High Time”. It was a welcome soulful slowdown to the show that really showcased the depth of talent in this band. The guitar chops of Mayer really came out next during a cover of Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”. Clearly Mayer has Jimi down pat. A “Bertha”/”Good Lovin” closer wrapped up the roughly 70 minute opening set.

As predicted, the second set opened with a true holy trinity of Dead tunes, “Help on the Way”, “Slipknot!”, and “Franklin’s Tower”. Everyone in the band had their time to shine here. Chimenti twinkled, Hart and Lane kept us beating, and Weir/Mayer/Burbridge kept us grounded. The whole second set was pure magic, but the 16 minute “St. Stephen” was musical bliss that seemed to go on forever. Dead and Company certainly kept people on their toes, revisiting both “The Other One” and “Playing in the Band”, which they had abbreviated the previous night. Dead and Co are a crafty crew. The show closed with a three song unicorn of an encore, ending with Bobby playing what was expected, “One More Saturday Night”.

The word is out. Dead and Company are playing lights out, with more tempo and energy than they have ever done. Their supposed final tour is something to behold.

And now for something NOT completely different. Béla Fleck and the Flecktones who have essentially been in retirement since 2019 are back and playing with a vengeance. Like Dead and Company, this is a band that is composed of virtuoso musicians that have no problems taking turns to show off their abundant talents. Béla Fleck, Victor Wooten, Roy Wooten, and Howard Levy are the current quartet. Like Dead and Company, this band is all about the fusion of sounds. They know how to jam. As an all instrumental outfit, they let their instruments do the talking. Their show on Sunday was a virtual conversation between banjo, bass, piano, percussion, piano, and harmonica. A cornucopia of sounds found in 21 songs. Click here for our full photo recap from the show!