Dead & Company Honors Phil Lesh with a “Rain Box” Tribute

Tribute to Phil Lesh

Dead & Company honored the late bassist and co-founder Phil Lesh during their performance at the Las Vegas Sphere. Watch the players below.

Celebrating Lesh’s Legacy

Lesh passed away in October at the age of 84. Reports at the time indicated that he “passed peacefully” surrounded by his family and filled with love.

Last weekend (March 20-22), Dead & Company, comprising Bob Weir and Mickey Hart from Grateful Dead, alongside John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Chimenti, and Jay Lane, performed after a wildly successful residency this year, culminating in a show in front of 2024.

In their living set, the group played a completely new lineup every night. To close their first weekend in 2025, Dead & Company honored Lesh by performing “Box of Rain”—his signature song with Grateful Dead—as their last song on March 22, marking the first time the group played it since his passing.

Archive footage of Grateful Dead and Lesh was displayed on massive screens, as fans captured the moment below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ktna_v1nbk

Dead & Company has 15 more dates scheduled before May 17, with tickets already available here, which includes hotels and VIP packages.

Future of Grateful Dead

This year marks the 60th anniversary of Grateful Dead. Back in November, the group announced plans to reunite with the four main members to celebrate this milestone; however, these plans were put on hold due to Lesh’s passing.

Shortly after Lesh’s death, the remaining members of Grateful Dead—Bobby Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart—expressed their thoughts about a reunion to honor the band’s 60th anniversary with Lesh and were considering a timeframe for returning.

Recently, Weir discussed the challenges of reuniting Grateful Dead without Lesh: “I think that when Phil checked out, it changes the concept because we no longer have a bassist who played with us for 60 years. It’s an intriguing prospect, but we need someone holding down the bottom. Phil had many unique ideas.”

However, there may still be hope for a reunion, as Weir hasn’t shut the door completely: “I believe I can come back. I wouldn’t put anyone in his place, so it would be a trio for now—me and two drummers. I need to think about it, and we could potentially come together.”