Between Mayer soloing, the roar of the crowd, and the crack of the drums building to the song’s climax, it actually became ear-piercing for a moment - in the best way possible. Mayer absolutely shredded his way through a roaring rendition of “Morning Dew” to close out the second set. It seemed like the moment everyone was waiting for and the venue absolutely erupted with joy. After noodling out of “space” for a bit, the band landed on “Scarlet Begonias” and “Fire on the Mountain,” a callback to arguably the most popular jam from the original Cornell show. Thundering percussion and trippy midi samples transcended cultures and time signatures, evoking a curious or wonder-struck feeling throughout.Īt this point, the band had already played for close to two hours and 45 minutes, but the jams weren’t done. As the house lights shined on the crowd in conjunction with the lyrics, one couldn’t help but feel that something memorable was happening.Ī vigorous “Help on the Way” bloomed into a deliciously jammy “Slipknot” and “Franklin’s Tower.” After rolling away the dew, Hart, Lane, and Burbridge took the audience on an ornithological-themed “drums” and “space” - a nod to the university’s prestigious ornithology lab. Despite a tempo that perhaps failed to immediately pick back up the momentum of set one, it nevertheless offered a magical moment as everyone belted out the iconic line, “Wish I was a headlight on a northbound train” from the latter tune. “China Cat Sunflower” and “I Know You Rider” kicked off set two. The band cooled things down with a laid back “Jack Straw” before building the energy back up with “Bertha.” The subsequent “Cassidy” featured a great spacey jam and flowed seamlessly into a romping version of “Deal” to close out the first set.ĭead & Co at Cornell’s Barton Hall © Alive Coverage Burbridge held the crowd’s attention as he laid down mind-bending bass licks effortlessly. But it was Burbridge’s bass solo that stole the show. Mayer and Chimenti have a wonderful on-stage rapport and watching them communicate with each other never gets old. The energy from the previous jam continued with a quick-paced “Eyes of the World” featuring solos from Mayer, Chimenti, and Burbridge. His envelope filter conjured the essence of Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia perfectly and the peaks followed one after the next, resulting in the first big jam of the night. The first set kicked off with a solid “New Minglewood Blues” - the original Cornell ’77 opener - followed by the John Mayer favorite “Althea.” Next came an unusually up-tempo rendition of “Estimated Prophet,” normally a set two mainstay, which featured monstrous solos from Mayer. Dead & Co at Cornell’s Barton Hall © Jay Blakesberg 2023 That’s exactly what fans got, and it was a barn burner of a show. The general consensus seemed to hope for a mix of the highlights from the ’77 show mixed with some new picks from the band to make the concert their own. And did we really need a recreation of such a legendary show? No matter how well they played, it would never compare to the original. will play ahead of time takes away an essential aspect of the experience. An exact recreation of the original Cornell setlist would surely result in a memorable night but might be too kitschy of a benefit show concept. The Grateful Dead founding member Bob Weir plays with Dead & Company at Cornell’s Barton Hall, © Alive Coverageīefore the band - comprised of Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, John Mayer, Jeff Chimenti, Oteil Burbridge, and Jay Lane - took the stage, fans had mixed expectations for the show. This time around the show served as a fundraiser for Cornell’s 2030 Project, an initiative to develop and accelerate tangible solutions to climate change, and MusiCares, a Grammys nonprofit group that supports the health and welfare of music industry professionals. Roughly 4,800 fans got to relive the Cornell experience Monday evening as Dead and Company returned to Barton Hall exactly 46 years to the day since the Dead played their fabled show at the Ivy League institution. The show is often referred to as the band’s best performance, and has been deemed so important to the story of the Grateful Dead that a recording was added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2012. One thing most heads can agree on, however, is that there’s something special about the May 8, 1977, show at Cornell University’s Barton Hall. It’s rare for Deadheads to agree on certain things - the Grateful Dead’s best version of a song, year of performances, show, and keyboardist will forever be debated.
Stream: ‘Cornell 5/8/77’ – The Grateful Dead Dead & Company played highlights from The Grateful Dead’s original Cornell ’77 setlist along with their own picks to create a top-tier setlist, adding to the mythos of the Cornell show in their own right.
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