Events

[ROCK] The Grateful Dead celebrated change and thrived against the grain. Their sold-out tour earlier this year, billed as Fare Thee Well and featuring Phish’s Trey Anastasio, managed to live up to the band’s name with harmonies that transformed from haunting to euphoric without missing a beat. They closed their avowed last stand with “Attics Of My Life.” Written by Jerry Garcia, it’s a tight, harmonious tune of appreciation; perhaps a tribute to a lost friend whose soul continues to shine in every “last” set. Don’t retire your Steal Your Face T-shirts just yet. For Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, this wasn’t the last act. Finding themselves rejuvenated after their five-show run, they teamed up with John Mayer; Allman Brothers’ bassist Oteil Burbridge; and Ratdog keyboardist Jeff Chimenti to form Dead & Company. The supergroup made their live debut on Halloween at Madison Square Garden, and on Wednesday, November 11 the Dead & Company is coming to the First Niagara Center. This collaboration is certainly surprising, but the Dead have always been adored for their spontaneity, not their predictability. A farewell doesn’t have to mean the end of four great musicians—sometimes it’s a celebration of the past and the start of something new.