The Grateful Dead bid adieu to their faithful fans with a series of concerts in 2015 called Fare Thee Well. The shows, held in Santa Clara and Chicago, were billed as the last time the Dead alumni would share the stage together but, in typical Dead fashion, several members reconsidered that notion upon the project's conclusion. Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart harbored the desire to carry on, but Phil Lesh declined the opportunity to return to the road, leaving the trio with the task of replacing their bassist in addition to finding a substitute for Jerry Garcia (Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio filled that role for Fare Thee Well, but decided to return to his main gig). John Mayer -- a newer convert to the Dead who struck up a friendship with Weir -- was recruited to play guitar, bassist Oteil Burbridge was hired alongside keyboardist Jeff Chimenti, and this new incarnation of the Dead was dubbed Dead Company.

Following a Halloween unveiling in 2015, Dead Company set out on the road in 2016. The tour went so well, the band headed back out on the road in the fall of 2017, followed by a summer tour in 2018. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi