_John Patrick Gatta_

Dead & Company have been offering a number of live debuts and rarities on this summer tour, and last night the band continued the effort on Friday night with a couple rarely played tunes during their first of two shows at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, WI.

The first set opened with a full-band jam that segued into opening tune “Hell in a Bucket,” which preceded the classic “Brown Eyed Women.” Set one also featured a cut from Bob Weir and Jeff Chimenti’s RatDog days, “Even So“—marking the tune’s first appearance for Dead & Co. since it was debuted and played twice in July 2016—as well as a set-closing run of “Cassidy” into “Touch of Grey.”

Set two opened with just the first portion of “Viola Lee Blues,” only to see it finished later on in the frame, after a run of “Estimated Prophet,” “Uncle John’s Band” and “China Doll.” After a “Drums” and “Space” segment, Dead & Co. rolled into “The Wheel,” which featured a rare tag of “Stay” by Maurice Williams before Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” and more “Viola Lee” to wrap up the song’s final verse.

See the setlist from the night below as it appears in our Box Scores section, along with some video highlights from the show. Dead & Company’s return to Alpine Valley tonight for round two.

Dead & Company
Alpine Valley Music Theatre East Troy, WI

Set I: Hell in a Bucket, Brown Eyed Women, Greatest Story Ever Told, Deep Elem Blues, Even So, Ramble on Rose, Cassidy > Touch of Grey

Set II: Viola Lee Blues > Estimated Prophet > Uncle John’s Band, > China Doll > Viola Lee Blues > Drums > Space > The Wheel > A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall > Viola Lee Blues > Goin’ Down the Road Feeelin’ Bad

Enc: Ripple

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/gratefuldead/