Grateful Dead plays Vegas; drug sales rise

You better watch your speed, Casey.

The undead version of Jerry Garcia's Grateful Dead, now reincarnated as "Dead & Company" will be teaching Phish a thing or two about jamming live when they take over The Sphere in Las Vegas for an extended run.

The light show, if nothing else, will be incredible. The vibe, the Old Gang, the scent of wafting ganja smoke, the tofu pups on sale in the parking lot (now a banned practice) will all bring back to mind the heyday of all those Berkeley-adjacent shows the Dead used to play in Oakland.

Fans were visible on BART (the Bay Area Rapid Transit) as Cal students went to and from The City (San Francisco) and UC Berkeley, wondering what all the Freak Street geeks were doing riding the rails to and from Oakland.

Space "Truckin" in low-earth orbit, live at The Sphere

I was tripping on gummy bears, way too strong.

The Coliseum was a regular venue for the Dead to play now that Altamont and Golden Gate Park were not possible. "Hasn't everyone heard all their songs by now?" we used to ask ourselves, seeing so many dates so close together.

They were not attending for the music but for the Dead community. Ah, the magic of the shrooms more than the magic of the tunes, "Driving that train high on cocaine, Casey Jones, you better watch your speed." Will that be the case as we load the hippie bus into the desert? Will they be updating their famous lyrics?

• Driving that EV car, high on a Xanax bar, CaseyJo, you better watch your [fentanyl and medetomidine adulteration] rate."

Original Dead vs. Dead & Co. at The Sphere

It's going to be as good as it used to be even if we have to return as ghosts to guide the show.

• Dead & Company 2024 Tour Date Schedule (Live Nation)
• ARTIST INFO: Dead & Company - 2024 Tour Dates
• Grateful Dead (1978); Dead & Company at The Sphere (May 2024); CC Liu, Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly COMMENTARY