Location: Sphere, Las Vegas
June 7-8, 2024 (Tim Taylor)
June 14, 2024 (Lauren Cole)
Grateful Ed was launched to celebrate our love of music and how it inspires and feeds the souls of those of us in the education sector. The name captures the spirit of the blog, both for how grateful we are for the opportunity to do this work, and that it evokes a band known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, folk, country, bluegrass, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, and world music – in other words something for everyone.
Over the years, I’ve written lots of posts for a wide variety of concerts that I’ve attended, but writing about the Dead for Grateful Ed makes me especially happy. I’m also particularly pleased to co-author this piece with my colleague Lauren Cole. We were fortunate to attend back-to-back weekends of Dead & Company at the Sphere – a venue perfectly suited to showcase the Grateful Dead’s iconic music and psychedelic artistry on its colossal 160,000-square-foot screen.
The experience was a sensory feast: as the band took the stage, waves of psychedelic imagery washed over us, courtesy of the Sphere’s cutting-edge LED screens. Yet beyond the visual spectacle and the band’s masterful performance, what truly elevated the night was the communal energy that permeated the air. Fans spanning generations, from long-time Deadheads to newcomers, gathered to share stories, swap memorabilia, and dance. Our Grateful Ed dancing bear stickers were a hit among fellow enthusiasts – we exchanged them eagerly.
If you’d like to join in, share a photo from a concert you’ve attended along with the artist’s name, date, venue, and location and we’ll gladly send you one of our stickers.
Dead & Company playing at the Sphere is such an incredible pairing – like bacon and eggs, and Bert and Ernie – a perfect match that amplified the music’s impact. Tim had such a great time, he’s going back in August…
