Dead and Company honour Phil Lesh with ‘Box Of Rain’ tribute
During a recent performance at the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas, Dead and Company played ‘Box of Rain’ in honour of the late Phil Lesh.
Dead and Company features musicians John Mayer, Jay Lane, Jeff Chimenti, and Oteil Burbridge alongside Bob Weir and Mickey Hart of The Grateful Dead. Performing songs by the beloved Californian band, Dead and Company have amassed a dedicated following. Their recent Las Vegas show was part of their 2025 residency at the MSG Sphere, which is ongoing until May.
For their March 22nd show, marking the first weekend of the residency, the band dedicated their final song to Lesh, a founding member of The Grateful Dead who passed away in October 2024.
The band played ‘Box of Rain’, which was one of Lesh’s signature songs, as part of their 17-track setlist. With accompanying visuals featuring clips of Lesh, the song made for a moving end to the night.
Lesh, 84, passed away on October 25th, 2024, with a statement posted to his social media accounts that explained, “Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, passed peacefully this morning. He was surrounded by his family and full of love. Phil brought immense joy to everyone around him and leaves behind a legacy of music and love.”
The iconic group were hoping to reunite and play with Lesh before his death, planning a special occasion to honour the band’s 60th anniversary. Talking to CBS This Morning in November, Bill Kreutzmann said, “I was hoping that we could play with him again one more time. So that, that was my sadness… ’Cause I know he wanted to play with us again too.”
He added, “We were gonna see where it goes. But we were just gonna play the four of us.”
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