DEAD & COMPANY GET EXPERIENTIAL WITH VIBEE

Fans looking to enhance their literal and figurative trips to Dead & Company's upcoming residency at Sphere will no doubt be flocking to Dead Forever Experience, a free, 22,000-square-foot "centralized hub" of all things Dead opening 5/15 at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas.

Diehards are invited to "come together and celebrate, shop, view exclusive Dead & Company content and explore The Grateful Dead’s unparalleled legacy" at the installation, created in partnership with Live Nation's "destination experience" company, Vibee.

Among the offerings are a massive recreation of the Wall of Sound speaker system first used on the Dead's 1974 tour, the civic action-oriented Participation Row, a photo retrospective spanning 1965-1995 presented by longtime Dead lensman Jay Blakesberg and his daughter Ricki and a screening of Dead & Company's May 8, 2023, show at Cornell University's Barton Hall, the site of a legendary Dead gig 46 years earlier.

Drummer Mickey Hart will also oversee his own art exhibition dubbed "Art at the Edge of Magic" at Dead Forever Experience (think "blacklight immersion"), which will be accented by a special soundtrack, lighting and videos of him working in his studio. The display was produced by Terrapin Station Entertainment.

Meanwhile, specialty cocktails can be ordered at an "atmospheric" bar and lounge, while collectors can snap up show posters, clothing, vinyl and merchandise from James Perse and Teton Gravity Research.

Dead & Company's Sphere run will proceed from 5/16 to 7/13. The band will play Thursday through Saturday with the exception of 5/24-26 (Memorial Day weekend), when it will take the stage Sunday instead of Thursday. Each weekend’s three performances will feature unique set lists and "never-before-seen visual storytelling."

We're already sampling some gummies in advance of the occasion—because practice makes perfect, right? Is it just us or does that throw pillow suddenly look a lot like Phil Lesh?