The Dead & Company Sphere Experience

What a weekend.  Mrs. RCS and I flew out to Vegas to catch the opening weekend shows from Dead & Company at the Sphere.  Being a Deadhead, I will go anywhere to see them play, and the Sphere completely changed my perspective on live music.  My wheels are turning on how they could turn that thing profitable, but for now, let’s focus on our trip.

A lot of you have asked about it, so here you go.  This is everything that that I think is fit to print, and will hopefully help those who are planning to head out and be convincing to those of you that are on the fence.

Here we go:

TIME CHANGE

As Eastern Time people, the three-hour time change was tough, especially with the shows starting at 7:30 MT (10:30 ET).  We decided to fly out the day before to give us a chance to get acclimated.  This turned out to be a really good idea.  We got in around lunchtime, had a couple of drinks by the pool, checked in, and then went to dinner – we had a 7PM (MT) reservation at Nobu and forced ourselves through it.  We both love Nobu, and wanted it to be a great weekend, so we did it.  Got to our room around 10MT, and slept in.

Of note: Neither Mrs. RCS nor I are gamblers.  At all.  We didn’t hit the Casino floor for any gambling at all during our stay.

WHERE TO STAY

There are two ways to look at this: proximity or non-Vegas.  For the best hotels with Sphere proximity:

WHAT TO EAT

This is tricky.  First and foremost, we went to a CVS across the street from our hotel and loaded up on snacks, waters, and Gatorades as soon as we got there.  This was clutch to have in the room.

Remember that Vegas is a 24-7 town, so there is always food available.  Additionally, the food and service are usually good, since the hospitality market in Vegas is so competitive.  We had two places in our hotel that served coffee early, which was good for the early risers (like me).

Lunch was usually by the pool.  We splurged and got private cabanas on both Friday and Saturday during the day.  We ate lunch, watched the basketball games, listened to the music, had some drinks, and enjoyed the scene.  People watching in Vegas is topped only by airports.

For dinners, we made reservations at Nobu, Casa Playa (Mexican place in the Encore), and Yellowtail.  To be on the safe side, we made our reservations for 5-5:15 PM as we wanted to be to the Sphere by 6:30.  We ended up canceling Yellowtail because we had a late lunch on Saturday, and split a slice of pizza at the Sphere.  For planning purposes, I’d recommend getting your reservations as far in advance as you can.

Of note: remember that you are in the desert.  Drink a LOT of water.  You won’t regret it.

THE SHOW EXPERIENCE

Before the show experience, be sure to head over to Shakedown Street, which is located in the back parking lot of the Tuscany.  They’ve set it up to be extremely user-friendly, with concessions (including beer, wine, and mixed drinks), a stage for live music, and access to the Tuscany for restroom or a chance to hit the slots.  It was great to see so many of the vendors that I’ve come to know through the blog and Instagram.  They really showed out.  Here are some images:

Edgevale Jerry shirt and a Dunmore hat.  Clearly a Red Clay Soldier.

Star of the show: Flair King.  Insanely cool.

She’s still kicking herself because she didn’t get the vest.

These were my ninth and tenth Dead & Company shows, and I loved all of them.  We tried to get out to the Sphere last year, but couldn’t make it work.  We were bound and determined to get out this year, and I’m glad we did.  I don’t want to ruin the experience for those of you who haven’t gone yet, but here are some takeaways:

• Getting to the Sphere was a quick cab ride, and getting in the door was really easy.  I’d recommend getting to the Sphere no later than 6:20-6:30.   You’ll have plenty of time to get through security and get a beer.  The show starts at ~7:35 each night.
• The Sphere is designed so that every seat is good.  Some are better than others, but I would recommend 2- or 3-level seats.
• The acoustics are really good.  I felt like the music was very well represented in the experience.
• The Sphere is designed for ease-of-use.  We never had any long waits for drinks, food, merch, or bathrooms.  Literally no longer than five minutes.  Of note – this does not apply during the set break or during Drums/Space.
• The visuals are absolutely out of this world.  It’s really hard to explain how good it is.  In fact, the music becomes the soundtrack for the visual experience.  It’s a really thoughtful show.
• We went two nights in a row, and only about 40% of the visuals were repeated.  The shows are absolutely unique in each way.
• The Sphere is a bit chilly inside.  Pants aren’t a bad idea.

Some selected images:

In terms of setlists, I was very happy with what we got.  The opening night (Thursday) was a ‘greatest hits’ setlist.  Bertha, Althea, Stranger, Scarlet>Fire, and Touch of Grey to name a few.  Since I obsessively study the Dead & Co setlists, I told Mrs. RCS that the Friday night show would be much deeper.  And I was right:

Set One:
> Cold Rain and Snow  <<Killer opener
> Shakedown Street
> Cumberland Blues
> Lay Down Sally (the place went nuts)
> Tennessee Jed
>Sugaree

Set Two:
> Uncle John’s Band
> Estimated Profit
> Eyes of the World
> St. Stephen
> Drums
> Space
> Wharf Rat
> US Blues
> Throwing Stones

Encore: Casey Jones

…and my prediction for Saturday would be rock show.  And again, I was right, until after Drums and Space, when it really slowed down.  All good, but I was hoping for ‘One More Saturday Night’…

Set One:
> Minglewood Blues
> Franklin’s Tower
> Jack Straw
> Big Railroad Blues
> Cassidy
> Deal

Set Two:
> China Cat Sunflower
> I Know You Rider
> Help on the Way
> Slipknot!  <<Everyone was sweating at this point.  Insane first four songs.
> He’s Gone
> Drums
> Space
> Stella Blue
> Playing in the Band
> Morning Dew

Encore: Box of Rain (a nice tribute to Phil Lesh)

I’ll be curious to see what the setlists look like in the coming weeks.

MERCH

You know I’m all over this.  I’m a Dead Merch Fanboy.  I did pretty well.  We got some stuff at the Sphere (peach LS t-shirt, green tote bags (we got two), and the Nalgenes (we got two of these as well), and the rest from various vendors on Shakedown Street.

RECAP

Go.  Spend the money.  Take it all in.  It’s 100% worth it.  If that was the last time I saw Bobby Weir (rumors…), then I’m at peace with it.  He went out with a BANG.