It’s been a summer tour of twists and turns for Dead & Company, who wrap it up tonight at Citi Field.
Just 10 days ago, the band cancelled a show when John Mayer’s 94-year-old father had a medical emergency. Richard Mayer is now out of the hospital, and is recovering.
Bill Kreutzmann, original Grateful Dead drummer, has also been a source of concern. The 76-year-old band co-founder missed six consecutive shows until returning for last night’s Citi Field opener.
“Well, friends, I was hoping to be back in the saddle already, but since I’m not quite there yet, I thought I’d tell you exactly what’s going on,”Kreutzmann made a comment at Facebook on July 11 “No more speculation or rumors. I’m okay! It’s not my heart. And I’m not retiring! As most of you know, I had a back issue that suddenly appeared in Boulder, but I nipped it in the bud. Just as I was ready to come back full-strength, I pulled a positive on an antigen test. Despite all the tour protocols that I took very seriously, it still got me. Darn it. My case was mild and — thankfully — I’m testing negative again. However my strength isn’t quite back to show level. But it gets closer every day. I miss seeing all of your faces. I haven’t thrown in the towel and I cannot wait for our joyful reunion. I love you all so much.”
Fans realized that Kreutzmann had been removed from the tour after reading the update. It was a Merry Prankster trick. Jay Lane, his assistant, joined the band on Tuesday at The Pavilion at Star Lake near Burgettstown in Burgettstown PA in their traditional double-drummer setup. A veteran of RatDog, Dead & Co guitarist Bob Weir’s side group, Lane sat in as he’d done during much of the tour. Kreutzmann split the load with Lane and played some shows in the half-hour between the Boulder shows at Folsomfield on June 17-18. Kreutzmann became disabled on July 1 when the band reached Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in New York.
Two weeks later at Citi Field, the home of the Mets in Queens, NY, he was back behind his trap set alongside longtime bandmate Mickey Hart, Kreutzmann’s red cap facing forward, chopping it up on the opener, “Bertha,” a popular track from Grateful Dead’s acclaimed 1970 “American Beauty” album.
Kreutzmann reversed the roles a few songs later as the band moved into their funky tribute to Deadhead entrepreneurship. “Shakedown Street.”The camera was constantly focused on the white-haired and red-faced drummer. The crowd cheered with enthusiasm. This was a common theme throughout the show.
After an intermission break, Dead & Company came back energized as if they’d drank a few Red Bulls to rev up the old engine. Mayer, who for the most part tackles Jerry Garcia’s guitar parts,And Weir alternated vocals as the songs shifted from “Terrapin Station” (the band’s lengthy suite from the 1977 album of the same name) to ’60s gems like “China Cat Sunflower” and “The Other One.”As the show was nearing its end, during “Standing on the Moon,” from the Dead’s final studio album, 1989’s “Built to Last,”Kreutuzmann thanked the fans for their support and raised his sticks in the crowd to show appreciation. He also elicited another loud cheer.
Drumming on “Not Fade Away,” Dead & Company’s tribal version of the Buddy Holly classic, signaled that Kreutzmann was indeed back. As the song ended, the band cleared the stage and fans clapped. A lively encore of “Sugar Magnolia”Hart was the oldest member of the band at 78 and hugged Kreutzmann as a sign of brotherhood.