Dead & Company, John Mayer Announce Sphere Residency in Las Vegas, Following U2

Photo Credit: Julio Enriquez / CC by 2.0

Dead & Company, featuring former Grateful Dead founder Bob Weir and guitarist John Mayer, announce their upcoming residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas.Dead & Company, which features former Grateful Dead founding member Bob Weir and guitarist John Mayer, will rise again this May, with a 14-show residency at the Las Vegas Sphere, following U2 after their 40-show run concludes in March.

While representatives for the Sphere and Dead & Company have not yet responded to media requests for comment, the deal is expected to be officially announced this week — though the band has already confirmed the news on social media.

The first-of-its-kind $2.3 billion venue, a spin-off of Madison Square Garden that launched last April, has been eyeing a long-running act to follow U2’s successful run as the Sphere’s first performance.

Dead & Company’s highly anticipated return follows their last played show in July at San Francisco’s Oracle Park, billed as the final stop of their farewell tour. “In 2023, Dead & Company played their final tour. But there are other ways to make sure the music never stops,” teases the band on Instagram. “And it’s gonna be a ball.”Mayer previously hinted at a possible Sphere residency during an appearance on CNN’s New Year’s Eve Show — and Weir, as well as the group’s other aging rockers, like the idea of the residency for its lack of travel.

James Dolan — owner of the Knicks and Rangers as well as MSG and the Sphere — also confirmed booking psychedelic cult-classic band Phish for a four-night run at the Sphere in April. Sources say that Dolan has also been in talks with other artists to play at the venue, including Beyonce.

The Sphere sits on land that Dolan rents from the adjoining Venetian, which also opened a new venue last year: a more modest concert hall called The Voltaire. That venue currently features pop darling Christina Aguilera in a residency which began in December and continues through March.