Watch Sturgill Simpson’s Spirited Performance Of Grateful Dead’s “Morning Dew” With Bob Weir & John Mayer

Sturgill Simpson, Bob Weir and John Mayer all on one stage? Say less.

Country music star with countless genre-bending hits? Check. Succeed under the completely different name of “Johnny Blue Skies” that allows for an exploration into a different sound? Check. The ability to drop in and play with one of the most recognizable bands in the history of music? Check.

Sturgill Simpson is simply one of the most versatile artists the music industry has ever seen, and maybe that’s why he’s never exactly fit in with the traditional mold of modern music. Sturgill is everything you want out a modern artist, but everything that modern music doesn’t want. It’s a weird juxtaposition, but that’s what makes the artist known both as Sturgill and Johnny Blue Skies so special.

The surviving members of the Grateful Dead – Bobby Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart – currently play together in a group called “Dead & Company.” That company part of the name refers to the other artists that help fill out the rest of the band, including the uberly talented and underrated John Mayer. It’s cool to think that the band Dead Heads follow around religiously has existed in some form or fashion since the mid 1960’s. For reference, it’s the equivalent of if the surviving members of The Beatles were still touring together.

Though the official Grateful Dead band broke up shortly after frontman Jerry Garcia passed away in 1995, other versions of the band have kept the spirit of the Grateful Dead alive (confusing, I know). And the only two artists that the surviving members have trusted to step into long-term roles that honor Garcia – not replace – is John Mayer and Sturgill Simpson.

Mayer has historically played with the version of the band called Dead & Company, but Simpson has also subbed in on plenty of occasions. This time around, during Dead & Company’s three-night run (August 1-3) at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California, both Mayer and Simpson shared the stage with the surviving members of the Grateful Dead in a concert event that set out to celebrate 60 years of Grateful Dead music.

And it was awesome.

Below you’ll see a 10-minute-plus rendition of the Dead’s “Morning Dew,” with Stu handling the lead vocals and Mayer backing him up with an insane guitar solo (and Bob Weir keeping the ship on course). Anti-jam-band people would probably prefer for the song to be shortened up, but those who love the longevity of a jam might revisit this video a time or two.

And boy oh boy did Sturgill bring it with this legendary version of “Morning Dew,” which is well worth your time:

Sign me up for more of that.

That does pose an interesting question… could John Mayer and Sturgill Simpson (and maybe even Billy Strings) be trusted to keep the Grateful Dead music going after the surviving members of the Dead hang it up? If anything, this video proves that John and Johnny (Blue Skies) could take the baton and run with the band, as long as Dead Heads are okay with it.

Just call it Uncle Johns’ Band…The post Watch Sturgill Simpson’s Spirited Performance Of Grateful Dead’s “Morning Dew” With Bob Weir & John Mayer first appeared on Whiskey Riff.