Overview
Dead & Company was a touring band (2015-2023) consisting of Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, and Jeff Chimenti. Formed to bring the Grateful Dead’s music to a new generation, it became the most commercially successful post-Garcia iteration of the Dead, drawing over 4 million fans across 235 shows and one of the first acts to perform at the Las Vegas Sphere.
Key Facts
- Active 2015-2023; 10 tours, 235 shows, 4 million+ career fans. Dead and Company by the Numbers Final Tour Totals
- Final tour (2023): 840,000+ fans; ~$115 million gross; 112 unique songs.
- San Francisco final run (Oracle Park, 2023): 118,000 tickets, $20.4M ticket revenue, $30.9M estimated economic impact.
- One of the first acts to play the Las Vegas Sphere.
- 60th anniversary shows: August 2025 at Golden Gate Park, San Francisco — three sold-out nights; the final shows of Bob Weir’s life.
- John Mayer described his Dead & Company experience as “a joyous thing to play along with” — referencing Weir’s unconventional chord voicings.
Newsletter Relevance
Dead & Company is the proof-of-concept that the Grateful Dead’s improvisational framework is scalable beyond the original lineup: new musicians (Mayer had little Dead background before joining) can be absorbed into the system and carry it credibly. Commercially, it demonstrates that live experience with no new recordings can sustain a $100M+ touring operation.
Connections
- Bob Weir — co-headliner; Grateful Dead’s primary surviving voice
- John Mayer — lead guitarist; brought contemporary audience to the Dead’s music
- Grateful Dead — source of the entire catalog
- Mickey Hart — original Dead drummer; continued with Dead & Company
Source Appearances
- Dead and Company by the Numbers Final Tour Totals — career and final tour statistics
- Bob Weir’s Final Concert Was a Joyous Celebration of Grateful Dead — the 2025 reunion shows
- Bob Weir’s Guitar Playing Was Even More Radical Than You Think — Mayer’s perspective on playing with Weir
Open Questions
- Will Dead & Company or its equivalent continue under any name following Weir’s death?
- How much of Dead & Company’s commercial success was Mayer’s audience vs. existing Deadheads?