The Dead & Co.’s extended sets prove worthy of the drive to St. Louis

June 13, 2023

Chris Ortiz,

The Dead & Co. // photo by Chris Ortiz

At 1 p.m., there was already a line of cars stopped in the street, trying to find parking for The Dead & Co. show that didn’t start until 7:15 p.m. Far away from the front gates of the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater, just outside of St. Louis, were a row of tents filled with arts and crafts called ”Shakedown Street,” named after the Dead’s 1978 album. By the time I got up to the front gates (after taking a break in my car for an hour or so), people were already lined up and sitting around the will-call ticket booth smoking cigarettes and weed to pass the time.

The venue, which reminded me of a combination of Azura Amphitheater and Starlight, had enough vendors to ensure that even if lines got long in the sold-out (20,000-person capacity), cashless venue, folks would be sure to move quickly.

The show—broken up into two sets (with a 45-minute intermission) plus a one-song encore of a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”—was accompanied by a choreographed light show on par with Roger Waters and Tool. Maybe even slightly better.