@deadandcompany • Samson & Delilah
@spherevegas • 5.11.25
Dead Forever ⚡️🌹
I know it wasn’t “The Grateful Dead.”
And I know I never got to see Jerry.
But that doesn’t take away from how deeply special the memories I made with Dead & Company over the last ten+ years will always be to me.
The night
@itdontmadda and I met in November of 2018, Dead & Co. had just announced they’d be playing The Gorge the following summer. During our very first conversation, we joked about going to those shows.
And then we actually did.
Gorge, show 1, was the place where I told her I was in love with her for the first time.
A couple years later, during that same week in June, we went out to San Francisco for another run. We got engaged after they played a second set “El Paso” coming out of a clunky, very non-cowboy first set.
Pulled The ol Dark Star > El Paso > Dark Star on us.
The engagement was completely unplanned, but somehow perfect.
Then in 2023, with only seven days notice, we decided to sign our marriage license in Chicago between Dead & Gizzard shows just before dipping down to Cincinnati for one last Dead & Co. road show.
We were fortunate enough to make it out to the Sphere twice, once in ‘24 and once ‘25, (mother’s day last year) and because of great friends in San Francisco, we were also able to make it to the final shows there last summer.
We did whatever we could to make it work because, deep down, I think we knew we were getting down to those final chances to experience these amazing shows together.
And while the music will absolutely keep going through
@joerussosalmostdead ,
@darkstarorchestra ,
@gratefulshredmusic ,
@oteil_burbridge , and so many others carrying the torch forward… there was just something magical about those giant summer tours with Bobby, John, Chimenti, Billy, Mickey, and Co.
Those silly bears.
The stadium’s singing together.
The Shakedown Streets.
The POSTERS.
Meeting up with old friends in random cities and making many new ones along the way. ⚡️💀
All of it.
As summer rolls around, I’m really starting to process how much I’m going to miss this.
Thank you for the memories.
Forever gra