The Sphere, the gargantuan, high-tech Las Vegas music venue owned by James Dolan of Knicks/Rangers/Liberty/Madison Square Garden/Straight Shot fame, opened last year with a series of shows by U2. But it is already becoming a jam band destination, for reasons that should be obvious. 1. Jam band fans are known for traveling to see gigs. 2. Jam band music historically lends itself to hallucinatory substances that pair well with towering futuristic video screens. Phish brought their show to the Sphere this spring, bringing out a whole new side of Drew Carey, and now it’s Dead & Company’s turn.

The John Mayer-featuring Grateful Dead spinoff band wrapped up their final tour last summer, then announced a Sphere residency last winter. Titled Dead Forever, it began last night with the first of 24 scheduled shows running through July 13. You will not be surprised to learn that, regardless of what you think of the music, the graphics looked pretty astonishing. Also, Diplo was there.

Check out photos and video from the show below.

https://twitter.com/deadandcompany/status/1791341134616105240

https://twitter.com/musicplayedband/status/1791325255405105278