John Mayer’s announcement that he will be joining Dead and Company came out of left field back in 2015. After being a Grateful Dead fan for many years, I need to figure out how did John Mayer join Dead and Company?
John Mayer joined Dead and Company in 2015 after playing with Bob Weir on a few occasions beforehand. John and Bob developed a friendship, leading to the invitation to join Dead and Company. After accepting the invitation, John spent several months learning 3 songs a day in his Montana home from the extensive Grateful Dead catalogue.
Continue reading to discover more on how the seemingly unlikely pairing came to fruition.
When Did John Mayer Join the Grateful Dead
Technically speaking, John did not join the Grateful Dead. Instead, he helped to create what is now known as Dead and Company. The group was around prior to Johns addition, although, the band name is now synonymous with the addition of John. This is titled this way to provide that distinction. He joined up with members of the Grateful Dead to form what I call a super group. A Mozart of jam music, where each musician in the band are extremely attuned to the next move each of them will make.
The first Dead and Company show with John Mayer happened on Oct.29 2015 in Albany NY. Check out the first Dead and Company show here. Arrived a group of Deadheads ready to dislike the “Garcia replacement”, left a group of Deadheads with their jaws dropped. Take a look at the video linked above to see why.
How Did John Mayer Join Dead and Company
Interestingly enough, John was not a Deadhead until 2011 at the age of 34. That’s not to say he never listened to them, specifically Jerry Garcia. He was simply raised and enveloped listening to Stevie Ray Vaughn, Hendrix, etc. and honing his own style.
In 2011, he heard the Grateful Dead song “Althea” and his interest took off from there. Diving deep into the Dead catalogue and learning a few songs here and there. This is four years prior to joining the band.
Find Out What The 3 Best John Mayer Dead and Company Songs Are Today
When he accepted the invite to join the band in 2015, he locked himself away in his Montana home and started learning 3 songs a day. To most, this would seem like an impossible feat, but it is John Mayer and he is/was entirely capable of the task.
Johns Experience Playing with the Band
Not surprisingly enough, Mayer only has great things to say about playing with the Dead. For the first time in his career, he is not the lead man where all eyes are on him. Of course, he has played with BB where that wasn’t the case but not on this type of scale where he is touring months on end.
He is a kink in the chain that is Dead and Company, where each member equally contributes to the sound. Something that is surely new for Mayer, and something that he has outwardly expressed a deep desire and approval for. In fact, playing with Dead and Company has also changed his solo career. He learned from the Dead to not play the same set list twice in a row. He implemented that methodology for his solo tours.
John Mayer described playing with Dead and Company as one of the most selfless experience of his life. Instead of fans coming up to him and saying “you’re awesome”, they are saying “that was awesome”. Referring to a fan after a Dead and Company show. Citing a much large sense of fulfillment.
How Long will Dead and Company Tour for
The question on everyone’s mind is how long will Dead and Company tour for. After all, the touring contract is only for five years and it will end at the end of 2021. At the Dead show I went to at Red Rocks, it was the talk of the town. Every other conversation was about how this may be the last opportunity to see them for many of us who can only afford one ticket a year.
Mayer has remarked that he will never close the door on Dead and Co. He will always make time for it, even despite his continuously thriving solo career. Hearing this, it makes myself and fellow Deadheads optimistic that contract negotiations are underway for a 2022 tour.
Mayer and Bob seem to be the few band members that have voiced their opinions on the future of Dead and Co. That being said, it is unsure whether or not the same band of 2015-2021 will make it to the 2022 tour. Especially with the aging members of the Dead.
So whats next for Dead and Co? Possibly a studio album. In an interview with Billboard, Bob mentioned “I’m open to any of it”. Similar to Bob, John expressed the same sentiment. He remarks how as long as it happens organically and it is what the group wants, then he is all for it.
Although I may be on the younger side of Deadheads, I still am enveloped into the history of the Grateful Dead. Even prior to Dead and Company, I was more of a Grateful Dead fan than I was a John Mayer fan. Similar to many Deadheads, I was perplexed by the “Gravity” guy joining Dead & Co. Please keep in mind that I am now and have been for a handful of years, a big John Mayer fan.
In an interview in 2016, John mentioned how he was “worried he would not be able to keep up with the train”, to which Bob responds, “I was not worried about that”. Looking ahead now, we can see that he has very much kept up with the train, even strengthening its engine. Thank you for reading How Did John Mayer Join Dead and Company.
