At the Dead & Company shows in Las Vegas, the ball is the star

Another big gig is in full swing at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Dead & Company, a spinoff of the seminal San Francisco rock band Grateful Dead, will play 30 Dead Forever shows at the 18,600-seat Sphere, ending on August 10, 2024. They’ll be followed by the Eagles, who will play 16 shows at the Sphere starting September 20.

It has been widely reported that Dead & Company will call it quits after their final tour in the summer of 2023. However, MSG, the operators of the Sphere, no doubt made the band an offer of “a residency” that the band couldn’t refuse, rather than break their word by calling it a tour. So 500,000 Dead fans are making the pilgrimage to Las Vegas.

I was at the show on June 6th. We were seated in seat 300, with tickets I bought in advance for about $250 a ticket.

This was my second show at The Sphere. We saw U2 there in October as part of their 40-show tour. (Bono seemed much more interested in verbal interaction with the crowd than Dead & Company.)

The Sphere is proving to be a major attraction for Las Vegas and an attractive alternative for bands with a large fan base. The Sphere is electrifying inside and out, offering advanced audio-video projection on the vast space of the interior and constant attention from outside.

The Sphere is an extraordinary place to watch, experience and experience a concert. And the venue’s audio and video potential, with its huge curved LCD walls and thousands of speakers, presents a creative challenge for the filmmakers who work with the bands to enhance their performance.

The Dead certainly did that. The video and light show showed why The Dead are a big part of American cultural history.

The Dead’s long jams and duets, now sung mostly by John Mayer and Bob Weir, were illustrated with hours of animation, video and photos. (The four-hour show had a 19-song set list.)

There were stars, galaxies and a vortex that filled the entire dome above the stage. Flowers entwined with Bob Weir and John Mayer, a psychedelic sunrise and colorful teddy bears passing in a circular march. There was a collection of Grateful Dead posters and tickets covering the round wall of the sphere, from the iconic skull and roses to posters from the Fillmore featuring Jerry Garcia.

The animation featured a stylized exterior of the Winterland Ballroom, ghostly towns, and a Hawaiian rainstorm that ended in a rainbow. There was an outdoor show in the desert onto which the Sphere performance was projected while the band played “I Know You Rider.”

The Sphere seems to have improved its crowd handling capabilities over the last year. When we saw U2 in October, we had to wait half an hour to get across the bridge to the Venetian. This time, there were no problems entering or leaving the arena on foot.

If you’re going to one of Dead & Company’s final shows, you’ll want to find a parking spot beforehand; the Sphere only has 305 spaces. There’s parking nearby at the Venetian and elsewhere.

Despite the 38 degree heat, we ended up walking from Resorts World to the Sphere as we had heard horror stories of Uber drivers not wanting to take passengers there or getting stuck in traffic. The walk (bring water!) took about half an hour each way.

We were seated in the 300 section (I paid about $250 per ticket), which gave us a fantastic view of the band and the crazy graphics projected everywhere. The sound was also fantastic, including the Sphere’s famous “wobbling seats.”

Dead & Company were the dead, playing in the band with high duets and endless drum and guitar solos.

I haven’t seen the Dead in over a decade, but I’m old enough to have been to concerts when the late Jerry Garcia and other original figures were with the band. Bob Weir, once “the cute one” to the female fans, turns 77 this year; drummer Mickey Hart turns 81.

As John Mayer and other current musicians delivered the famous harmonies and classic songs well, I was reminded once again why I am both a fan and ambivalent, especially regarding the seemingly endless jam sessions.

The Dead are something of a “boy band.” The lines for the men’s bathrooms were three times as long as the women’s. During the show, a few women twirled around while many men shook awkwardly.

Pete Townsend of The Who says he is interested in a residency at the Sphere, perhaps for The Who’s “final shows”. He told NME: “I have to admit I’m interested in the Sphere – just as a crazy, narcissistic art school thing. As a venue it’s interesting because it challenges you to break the structure of the theatre.”

Townsend, like upcoming Eagles, Dead & Company, Phish (who played four sold-out shows) and U2, is no doubt interested in the economics of a residency at the Sphere.

The first 17 U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere concerts generated gross revenue of $109.8 million and sold 281,000 tickets. According to Billboard Boxscore, an average of around 16,500 tickets (out of 18,600) were sold per show. The average ticket price was $390.

If Dead & Company can generate similar revenue, 500,000 tickets sold at an average price of $300 would result in gross revenue of $150 million. Still, this perhaps final performance shows that the Dead’s three-generation era may be coming to an end.

So who’s next at the Sphere? So far, their booking strategy seems crystal clear: older bands with an older, well-heeled audience. After U2 and Dead & Company, the Eagles come to sing “Take It Easy” a few more times.

While Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE:SPHR) needs the big shows, Darren Aronofsky’s film Postcards from Earth, Corporate events and advertising increase sales.

So what will Sphere do next? Most likely, Sphere’s management is looking at the top ten tours of 2023, which Taylor Swift topped with an incredible $1 billion. After completing her “Eras” tour, Swift could live in Las Vegas for six months or fly in on her private jet on weekends and have fans come to her.

At number two on the top ten tours list was another female powerhouse: Beyoncé, whose Renaissance Tour grossed $579 million. At number three was Bruce Springsteen and E Stret Band, which grossed $379 million. At number four was Coldplay: Music Of The Spheres Tour, which grossed $325 million, and Harry Styles: Love On Tour, which grossed $290 million.

Beyond these names, the company is reportedly also eyeing up-and-coming artists such as Lady Gaga, Bon Jovi and Paul McCartney.

All have millions of fans and all represent a chance to bring billions of dollars to Las Vegas. And while Taylor Swift doesn’t need publicity stunts, a Las Vegas visit could spark rumors of a secret wedding, which would drive up the hype.