_Jay Blakesberg_

After the first night of the Fare Thee Well celebration featured a decidedly old school setlist, the band closed out their Santa Clara, CA run with material from across the Grateful Dead spectrum, playing with a confidence and comfort that was not as apparent on opening night.

From the opening notes of “Feel Like a Stranger,” it was evident this was going to be a much more cohesive, confident night of music as band immediately locked in for a bluesy jam featured standout moments from nearly everyone on stage. The “New Minglewood Blues” that followed continued that theme as Bruce Hornsby carved out a tasteful solo during the tune along with Weir showcasing his slide guitar work.

While Bruce Hornsby may have been more reserved on opening night, that wasn’t the case last night as the one-time Grateful Dead keyboardist took lead vocals on the following “Brown-Eyed Woman,” a tight performance that also featured Jeff Chimenti chiming in on organ. After a Weir-led “Loose Lucy,” Hornsby took lead vocals once again on an emotional and euphoric “Loser,” which culminated in a roaring Anastasio solo, providing the highlight of the first set.

For “Row Jimmy,” Bob Weir utilized a special D’Angelico guitar signed by all of the members of the band which is being auctioned off by HeadCount. The tune also featured Anastasio on additional vocals, creating a beautiful harmony with Weir’s lead. Anastasio would get his time in the spotlight on the following “Alabama Getaway,” which brought the crowd to its feet after a particularly slow rendition of “Row Jimmy.” Chimenti also once again took an organ solo during an especially lively “Getaway.” Anastasio also once again pushed the band with his intense, fiery lead guitar work.

If “Alabama Getaway” was a high point, the following “Black Peter” proved to be the low point as an especially slow version of Workingman’s Dead tune ebbed and flowed with Weir’s passionate vocal work. Each member had their chance to shine on this tune, with all working together to create some fascinating interplay. The first frame closed with Anastasio’s finest moment on stage thus far as “Hell in a Bucket” saw the guitarist take the band to new heights, igniting the crowd as they departed for another lengthy set break.

The band emerged for the second set with a Lesh-led “Mississippi Half Step Uptown Toodleloo,” featuring a patient jam centered around the work of Bruce Hornsby. With the band constructing a jam around the pianist’s work, they slipped with ease into a particularly mesmerizing “Wharf Rat.” Led by Weir on vocals, the tune took on a life of its own as Anastasio took lead guitar duties, pushing it to a high level.

The improvisation that emerged after “Wharf Rat” proved to be the most compelling of the evening, as the band added layer upon layer to a bluesy, funk-oriented jam. Anastasio teamed with Chimenti and Hornsby to create a blues-driven landscape while Mickey Hart (decked out in a San Francisco 49ers “50” jersey with his name on the back) utilized his expansive set up to provide a pulsating beat to the jam. As the improv dissolved, “Eyes of the World” came out much to the delight of the crowd. This particular version of “Eyes” featured more patient, cohesive jamming from the band as Anastasio delivered one intriguing lick after another while Hornsby continued to shine, complementing Weir’s rhythm guitar on the tune.

While the “Eyes” jam failed to see its full potential, the opening notes of “He’s Gone” emerged and provided the first flub of the night as the band had some confusion over who was supposed to take lead vocals, creating a rather uncomfortable moment on stage—one that was met with laughs from all involved. The end of the song turned into a duet between Weir and Anastasio, as they both crooned the “nothing’s going to bring him back” line along with all of Levi’s Stadium. As the line echoed through the stadium, the band left, leaving the drummers on stage for a special “Drums” segment that included Sikiru Adepoju, a frequent guest of The Rhythm Devils, joining Kreutzmann and Hart for a drum jam.

When the group returned, they quickly jumped into “I Need a Miracle,” another chance for the crowd to singalong with Weir. The band then went way back into the Dead’s catalog with a cover of “Death Don’t Have No Mercy,” featuring more bluesy work from the band and more spirited vocals from Weir, who sung a majority of the tunes played last night. The closing “Sugar Magnolia” once again showcased Anastasio’s energetic playing, as he and Weir both dug deep into the jam, trading licks while Kreutzmann and Hart stayed right with the guitarists providing an energetic close to the set.

While the closing may have been energetic, the encore was certainly emotional as Lesh took to the mic for his donor rap and then Weir offered up a moment of silence “for those who couldn’t be here tonight.” With the camera panning to many emotional audience members, the band slipped into the closing “Brokedown Palace,” an emotional version that included the lyrics which spawned the event’s name. The band then took to center stage for a final bow, with Mickey Hart jumping on the mic to wish the audience well one last time before they departed.

With the first two shows down, the focus now shifts to Chicago where the band will headline three nights at Soldier Field beginning this Friday.

Here’s a look at the setlist as it appears in our Box Scores section:

Fare Thee Well
Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA

Set I: Feel Like A Stranger, New Minglewood Blues > Brown-Eyed Women, Loose Lucy, Loser, Row Jimmy, Alabama Getaway, Black Peter, Hell In A Bucket

Set II: Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleloo > Wharf Rat > Space > Eyes of the World > He’s Gone > Drums* > I Need A Miracle > Death Don’t Have No Mercy > Sugar Magnolia

Enc: Brokedown Palace

Notes: *with Sikiru Adepoju on talking drum